Soda tax would help cut obesity in Hawaii

Public education alone will not reverse the obesity epidemic that threatens to sink Hawaii businesses under the resulting health care costs associated with the problem.

Unlike food, sugar-sweetened beverages do not provide a sensation of fullness leading to increased calorie consumption and weight gain. A sugar-sweetened (added caloric sweeteners) beverage tax would promote a shift in consumption toward beverages such as water, 100 percent fruit juice, milk, coffee, tea and diet beverages.

In a recent study from Harvard Medical School, sales of sugary sweetened beverages declined significantly with a price increase, whereas education had no independent effect on sales.

The state administration last year indicated clear and strong support for a policy-driven effort to reduce obesity, but has since signaled a retreat. That’s a mistake that could cost us all through continuing rises in health care costs and the negative social impact that ill health has on Hawaii’s families.

Obesity is a leading health issue. We need to create healthy environments where the easiest choices in terms of price and availability are also the healthiest.

Corilee Watters
Honolulu

Single–use plastic bags hurt isle environment

Hawaii is home to one of the healthiest environments in the nation, yet we’re publishing articles about bans on single-use plastic bags like it’s ordinary news ("Hawaii island becomes third county to ban stores from giving out plastic bags," Star-Advertiser, Jan. 18).

Hawaii County’s ban is momentous. It’s unfortunate that all counties haven’t jumped on the ecologically responsible bandwagon.

In the state Senate, a bill has been introduced, Senate Bill 2932, aimed at prohibiting certain businesses from distributing single-use plastic checkout bags.

Passage of this bill is the least we could do to minimize environmental degradation, ocean pollution, the endangerment of marine life and the use of fossil fuels.

It would be a tremendous step forward if the public knows to rally behind it — a step we’ve waited too long to take.

Ani Martirosian
Hawaii Kai

Make rail litigants pay legal costs if they lose

Regarding the legal bills for Oahu’s rail transit system, much of the fees is to defend the city from challenges by opponents. Just like the lawsuits against the Superferry and H-3, these costs are paid for by the taxpayers.

If the transit authority prevails in the lawsuits, the city should sue to recover legal fees paid for by the public to defend rail, which was approved by voters four years ago.

Gavin Nishimura
Makiki

Rail not ‘the’ solution but it’s a big part of it

I can agree with two points made by Mark Stitham ("Use psychology to reduce highway traffic — with an EZPass toll system," Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Jan. 26).

First, that using psychology to reduce traffic can work, and second, that rail "isn’t a solution."

However, rail proponents have never claimed that rail is "the" solution to our traffic problems. There is no single silver bullet. It will take a machine gun of silver bullets to solve our traffic problems. Rail is just one of those silver bullets, but it’s a big silver bullet.

We’re sitting in traffic for hours going nowhere. Please, let’s shoot one of our biggest silver bullets now. Otherwise, we will have to sit in even worse traffic for 20 years.

Sam Gillie
Hawaii Kai

Survey does not show support for casino

The headline for the article, "Survey shows support for casino" (Star-Advertiser, Jan. 20) distorted the findings of a survey sponsored by the Waikiki Improvement Association.

Overall, the survey does not really reinforce arguments by gaming interests that the state should legalize gambling. It found that though 58 percent of those responding believe gambling would help the state’s economy and 76 percent said they would be very or somewhat likely to visit an entertainment center in Waikiki that had showrooms, movie theaters and a casino (not that they "would" do so, as your lead sentence erroneously states), 54 percent nonetheless believe that gambling would have a negative impact overall.

An appropriate headline might have read: "Survey shows 54 percent opposition to legalized gambling."

Mark Wilson
Honolulu

Feds could have done more to save owl

I read about the poor Arctic snowy owl that was killed by federal authorities at the Honolulu Airport on Thanksgiving and it disgusted me ("Owl’s killing is defended as necessary for air safety," Star-Advertiser, Jan. 25).

I can only imagine how difficult it was for the owl to endure the many obstacles it must have encountered along the way. The snowy owl must have been so relieved to have finally arrived at our beautiful Hawaiian shores where it could find a safe winter home.

But it was not to be. The greeting of aloha it received was a gunshot that brought death and an end to its hard-fought journey.

Couldn’t they have used a tranquilizer dart to put the owl to sleep and then relocate it?

The article said the officials were "heavy-hearted about the whole thing," but if that were so, they would have done more to rescue it.

Stephanie McLaughlin
Mililani

Company hypocritical about vandalism

While the city and taxpayers spend time, money and resources to remove a large QR code that was posted on a H-1 overpass, maybe it’s time for the Udown apparel company to take a little look at itself.

The company’s website claims it does not endorse vandalizing public or private property with its logo, but then on the very same page are dozens of photos championing that very deed.

Here’s an enduring slogan the company can print on its next trendy T-shirt: Words Are Cheap.

Udown, you hypocrites?

Pat Kelly
Honolulu

Many homeless likely could afford rent

I thought a homeless person was one who took a bath only God knows when, who wears clothes that haven’t been washed in months, and looks for leftover food in garbage cans.

Today, it appears one calls himself "homeless" merely by driving to Walmart, buying a tent and other household necessities and parking himself at a beach park or city sidewalk.

I suppose this camper has money for other wants but none for "rent." So he looks to us taxpayers for sympathy and understanding to help him find and pay for his housing.

Why isn’t this person truly finding work, two jobs if necessary, so he can pay for his own shelter?

Today, there are many citizens who work at low-paying jobs and are struggling financially. They don’t ask for rental support. I have the utmost respect for them.

Our taxpayers’ dollars should help those in need on a temporary basis, as well as senior citizens and disabled people who are not able to help themselves financially and are in need of shelter assistance.

Robert Hatakeyama
Salt Lake

FROM THE FORUM

"‘We have started to turn the corner’,"Star-Advertiser, Dec. 24:

» Turned the corner? Are you kidding? This guy is walking us into total bankruptcy. All he talked about was giving away the store.

» Gov. Neil Abercrombie uses the term "fiscal discipline," but does he really understand what it means? He has introduced budgets both years, this and last, with increases in spending. Fiscal discipline would be to hold the line or a slight reduction of spending. When the governor speaks that revenues have increased and we have turned the corner, what he is hoping that you hear is that the economy is improving and that life will be better this year. The truth is that revenues have increased, but the reason the revenues increased is that the tax increase added last session is taking more money out of the economy.

» I see he’s abandoned the canoe. Looks like he’s back in his taxi, still making left turns around the corners.

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"Landscaping crew kills snake near Honolulu Airport," Star-Advertiser, Jan. 26:

» One of these days snakes will be crawling all over these islands.

» Just a 2-foot snake? That’s tiny. When I was on vacation once in Southeast Asia, there was a 6-foot viper crawling along a bridge. No one paid attention to it. Snakes aren’t that bad.

» Tell that to the people on Guam. The brown tree snake just about wiped out their bird population.

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"Principal put on leave in financial inquiry,"Star-Advertiser, Jan. 26:

» These cases of theft and fraud in the state Department of Education are clearly just the tip of the iceberg. Where is the governor and Legislature in demanding that the DOE be required to submit to a full, independent audit? Even if this audit were to cost a million dollars, right off the top it would identify incredible waste, graft and corruption in the department.

» I can see someone getting a very hard slap on the wrist — and maybe a scolding.

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"Owl’s killing is defended as necessary for air safety," Star-Advertiser, Jan. 25:

» This is disturbing. Whatever happened to a stun gun? A tranquilizer gun? The killing was avoidable. This story reads like it was Laurel and Hardy, or the Three Stooges tasked with trying to capture the owl.

» It just seems that in today’s society there would be a more civil and humane organization more capable of handling this kind of situation. Society … humane … I’ve got it! We’ll form an organization and call it the Humane Society!

» I am a pilot. This may have saved many lives. Maybe even someone you know. Get real; it’s just an animal. Plenty more owls in the world, just not in Hawaii. You folks have no problem with killing snakes, though, do you? Is it life or the package it comes in that’s got you so upset?

» This is so unfortunate. What a shame.

» What about the snake that was killed this morning by the airport by a maintenance crew with a weed whacker? Is that a shame, too?

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"Delay has city paying $15 million for change in rail plan," Star-Advertiser, Jan. 27:

» Change orders! Only the second of many to come. Who in the public sector is questioning the progress, or lack thereof, of this ill-conceived project? What the heck, it’s taxpayer money.

» This is called low balling. You bid any price to get the job and then, if there are any change orders, you gouge the city for the changes. It is common practice in construction but in Hawaii no contract is completed as sold. Follow the money and you will find which company has ties to someone in government and a large payoff is happening.

» This is not how Kiewit Infrastructure West operates. It put together a very comprehensive bid price with expertise based upon its mainland rail project experience. If there is anyone to blame it is the city along with its consultant firm. The city pushed to have the bidding and contract awarded in an incorrect sequence. The train providers should have been bid and contracted before engaging the construction bid for the rail portion of the work.

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"3 charter school panel members resign in protest,"Star-Advertiser, Jan. 27:

» The state Board of Education should quit meddling in this. Obviously the group that wanted to form the charter school didn’t have its act together and was not willing to hold elections for the school board until a year after the school had opened. By then the fox will have cleaned out the henhouse and all those pushing for a charter school will have gotten their relatives on the state payroll. I expect that a bunch of "rubber stamp" types will apply to replace these folks who resigned.

» The members shouldn’t have resigned, they should have led the challenge to sustain the checks and balance of government for the people.

» If the BOE wants to run the schools, then be straightforward about it. Don’t pretend that the Charter School Review Panel is in charge when the BOE is really running the show. That’s just shibai.