Tobacco smoke a risk to keiki

Mahalo for your article, "Secondhand smoke poses health risk to kids in cars" (Star-Advertiser, Feb. 6).

The research released by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics should be cause for alarm.

Of particular concern is that 1 in 5 children in the U.S. is exposed to secondhand smoke from riding in the car with an adult smoker. While we do not have this same type of data for Hawaii, we do know that Hawaii has one of the highest rates of asthma in the nation, especially in youth at 16.9 percent (compared to the national average of 9.4 percent) and in Native Hawaiian populations (25.7 percent).

Asthma is just one of the many harmful health effects that can be brought on by secondhand smoke; others include heart function, cancer, and respiratory infections. We also know that children exposed to such secondhand smoke have an inability to focus in school settings.

Sonya Niess
Maui coordinator, Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaii

Don’t let foes kill rail again

In 1992, when the City Council voted down the first rail project and rejected $600 million in federal aid, five politicians put Honolulu on the course of massive traffic gridlock that we experience today.

Steve Holmes, John De­Soto, then-Chairman Arnold Morgado, John Henry Felix and Rene Mansho voted against progress and sanity in transportation policy. Today, the names have changed, but the same shortsighted thinking may once again doom this city to second-class status.

The reasons the 1992 opposition gave haven’t changed: too expensive, won’t help my constituents, unaesthetic, etc. But the problem has gotten only worse, as the tens of thousands of Leeward commuters can attest.

Some opponents who scuttled the project 20 years ago still are around to spread misinformation. Let’s hope rational thinking and responsible public discourse will prevail this time around.

Francis M. Nakamoto
Moanalua Valley

Busing students could cut traffic

All this talk of public transportation overlooks the obvious — students don’t use it.

When schools are on break, traffic flows smoothly. When schools go back in session, traffic jams resume.

Honolulu even has an early afternoon traffic jam as the result of school traffic. Before spending millions, if not billions, of dollars on managed lanes or fixed rail, our public officials must figure out how to coax students, parents and grandparents into using public transportation. Maybe our transportation system could be fixed by mandated school busing.

Rhoads Stevens
Hawaii Kai

Let people vote on gambling

Over the past years, several states have added some form of legalized gaming to their economy to generate employment and increase state revenue through taxes, licensing fees and revenue sharing.

When private entities operate the gaming business and states provide strict regulations and oversight, gaming can succeed.

Have a referendum vote and the people of Hawaii will decide. If the vote is "No," then the subject has ended. If the vote is "Yes," then put out some form of request for proposals. Let the experts in this field submit how they will invest their money, revenue projections and how it will be shared with the state.

Money is leaving Hawaii for gaming locations on the mainland and we are letting local organized-crime factions control and collect illegal gambling monies.

Bernadette Uyeda
Mililani

Tourists deserve clean Hawaii, too

We are Canadian snowbirds who love Waikiki.

When we first visited Kalakaua Avenue, it was a showplace with statuary, fountains, etc.

Gradually this face-lift has become blemished with the homeless. Kapiolani Park experienced similar problems, until new laws were enforced.

With people literally living on Kalakaua, the stench in places is unbearable. Families with young children find this scene frightening.

Do we need new laws to prevent the homeless from taking over Kalakaua?

During the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings last November, the homeless vanished from Kalakaua.

If it is possible to clean house for APEC, we, your tourists, would like equal respect. Honolulu hosted APEC to "boost Hawaii’s stature as a place to do business." If tourism is the No. 1 source of revenue, someone should connect the dots.

Make Kalakaua a safe, clean place for the tourists, and they will return.

Gwen MacKenzie
Alberta, Canada