Cemetery has peaceful charm

The article about the Honolulu Catholic Cemetery brought back some memories ("Condition of Honolulu Catholic Cemetery is a sad disgrace," Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, March 7).

I used to work close by and spent part of my lunch time there. It is a quiet and gentle place among the bustle of South King Street and the adjacent office and medical buildings.

Frankly, some lack of care adds to its charm, so that you feel like you are walking through history. The cemetery should not be forgotten or abandoned, but I did wonder why I was the only person there in the middle of the day. It was a lovely and peaceful place to be.

Paul Tyksinski
Kailua

Cayetano owes us transit details

I’m looking forward to the details of former Gov. Ben Cayetano’s bus rapid transit plan. He’s mentioned it several times as a cheaper alternative to the rail system being built.

I hope he isn’t going to propose the same bus rapid transit system Mayor Jeremy Harris tried to put in place 10 years ago. And since he doesn’t like the guideway that will carry the train, can we assume he’s not going to be asking for any guideways or new elevated ramps and highways for buses? If the buses aren’t going to have their own structures to separate them from the traffic, they will be stuck in the same traffic or just take lanes away from cars.

So, what is it about Mr. Cayetano’s bus system that’s going to make it rapid? Or effective?

Jennifer MacLean
Mililani

Double-dipping not the culprit

Your "double-dipping" stories imply that government pensioners working a different government job while retired are taking money to which they are not entitled. Double-dipping, however, involves getting paid more than once for the same work.

A person works a number of years, retires and collects a promised pension, a benefit earned for those years of work. If he or she then gets another job — perhaps a government job, perhaps at the same place from which they retired, perhaps similar work — that’s a separate issue. Payment for this second job would be no different if the position were filled by someone not already drawing a government pension.

Actually, there are often advantages to the government in hiring retirees. Many already have experience and familiarity with the job. Many work only part-time, saving the government money they would otherwise have to pay toward health care and retirement benefits.

Tracey K. Scott
Wahiawa

Israel should quit nukes, too

The most promising approach to peace in the Middle East is for Israel and Iran to negotiate a mutually verifiable agreement for Israel to abolish its nuclear weapons and for Iran and other nations in the region not to acquire them.

This should be supported by the United States, the United Nations and civil society to promote the nonkilling demilitarization of the region, as a model for the world.

Glenn D. Paige
Tantalus

Plastic bags have many uses

Why in the world would anyone want to ban plastic bags? They are probably the most useful thing in this world next to the wheel. We carry home groceries in them. We take plate lunches to the office in them. We consolidate the junk in our trunk in them. We haul things to the Salvation Army in them. They serve as emergency umbrellas. They store our leftovers in the freezer. We haul out the trash in them. The uses are nearly endless.

OK, so a few end up in the ocean and kill some fish. So what? Millions of pounds of fish are caught and killed every day, to our culinary delight. And HPOWER loves them.

The Legislature should not give in to the same environmentalists who killed the wonderful Superferry and who advocate cluttering our beautiful land with ugly, subsidized windmills, in the name of radical environmental hokum.

Ray Graham
Waikiki

Books work, laptops don’t

Concerning giving a laptop to all students: A textbook can’t be used for playing computer games when students are supposed to be studying. A textbook does not need a power supply. I don’t want my hard-earned taxes paying for a possible game player. Laptops would be stolen if given to all children. And many taxpayers can’t even afford a laptop for themselves, much less for children.

Paul Minczer
Punchbowl