Keep bus routes that serve riders
Proposed changes to TheBus routes are said to prevent an increase in fares ("Changes afoot to TheBus routes ‘not a done deal,’" Star-Advertiser, April 20). But some of the proposed changes are so wrong, that I’d rather pay slightly more for my monthly bus pass.
Do not end No. 4 at McCully/Kalakaua. A lot of University of Hawaii students use No. 4 to go to Waikiki. Same with Makiki/Moiliili residents.
Do not cut Palolo off from the No. 9 route. Palolo residents need more access to the outside areas than just a shuttle. They need buses that can go directly to places outside their communities.
Ending No. 3 at Kapiolani Community College is not OK. You are cutting off access to Kaimuki residents who live between the college and Waialae Avenue, many of whom are elderly residents who can’t walk two blocks.
Hopefully, the bus officials will listen to us and keep those routes.
Pablo Wegesend
Moiliili
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Akaka required pono to bless
The Rev. Abraham Akaka always stood for aloha, harmony and transparency. He would not have asked for God’s blessing on a project, small or large, until every aspect of it was in the spirit of pono (righteousness).
The children of Kahu Abraham Akaka believe those values should be maintained before any further money is appropriated for the Kawaiahao building project.
Further, we strongly object to the use of his name without the consideration and respect for the people and families in our Hawaiian community who have family buried there.
Fenner-Marie Akaka Shupe, Pualani Suzanne Akaka, Sarah Elizabeth Kahikina Akaka-Truong, Sandra Phoebe Komohana Akaka, Jeffrey Lee Kealohilani Akaka
Don’t let insurers have board vote
Lost in discussion of the role of insurers on the Hawaii HealthInsurance Connector Board is the fact that decisions by the board will affect the state budget.
Eventually Hawaii will be responsiblefor paying the difference between the cost of health insurance and theamount that low-income consumers can pay.
Subsidizing most of the100,000 people currently uninsured will be costly.It is ineveryone’s interest that the costs be as low as possible; 100,000 new clients can be a major source of revenue for currenthealth insurance programs. That is one reason consumers have objected to insurers’ representatives voting on the Connector board, where theymay influence the details of Connector design to the benefit of theiremployers and the disadvantage of consumers and taxpayers.
Senate Bill 2434 HD3 would increase consumer representation and make insurers nonvoting members. It should be passed.
Barbara Polk
Makiki
Hirono right to limit debates
The amount of money candidates for the U.S. Senate are forced to raise and spend in their election campaigns is obscene. And commercial television stations are the recipients of an overwhelming majority of that money.
So, U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono did the right thing by choosing public television for one of the debates. Commercial television stations have no interest in educating the voters. Their interest is in increasing their viewership and, by virtue of that, raising the prices for their ads. Thus, there is no reason whySenate candidates, who are already spending vast amounts on ads, should also provide commercial televisionwith thefree programming of debates.
Linda Estes
Koloa
Avoiding debate is self-serving
In response to Cynthia Oi’s column ("More Case-Hirono debates ideal but only if substantial," Star-Advertiser, Under the Sun, April 26): Any number of debates are better than no debates, however they are structured.
We, the public, do benefit from hearing candidates’ views. Candidates who are unwilling to debate make us think they haveforgotten that they are public servants and, thus,come across as self-serving.
Kathleen Novak
Moanalua Valley
Haleiwa market helps economy
It’s absolutely amazing to most of us here on the North Shore that after 31⁄2 years of Sunday-only operation, the Haleiwa Farmers Market, near Kamehameha Highway, is suddenly illegal.
This harmless little corner of a dirt parcel is doing business for only four hours every Sunday but continues to thrive. Tourists and locals alike love what is being sold there. It helps our local economy and, above all, our farmers and local merchants.
The state Department of Transportation’s decision to close it down is inane. What are they thinking? The DOT should spend its time fixing potholes. Some other government authority should spend time fixing the homeless problem that blights the landscape, 378 feet away at the beach park.
Where are the priorities? Please leave this market alone.
Jack Niendorf
Waialua
Teachers should be given respect
Our public school teachers should be given respect for their commitment and for their coping skills.
So many decisions are made and forced on them:
» Open classrooms with four classes in each room.
» Communities built with not enough schools. Thus, they have tracking.
» Parents having the options to enroll their child in a school other than the one in their neighborhood.
» Libraries being closed during the school year for repairs.
» Too many chiefs at the Department of Education. Thus, pilot programs are started and programs that are working are eliminated.
Family life is very different today. Computers, televisions and cellphones rule.
As a volunteer and a former teacher, I see the teachers’ dedication to their students, and students do come first in both the schools I know: Salt Lake Elementary and Alvah Scott Elementary.
Teachers should have a fair evaluation, not one based simply on a child’s test score. Education does begin at home.
Diane Neill
Aiea
Citing bicyclists is wrong priority
As parts of Honolulu begin to look like something out of a "Mad Max" movie, with drug-addled people wandering aimlessly through the streets, piles of garbage everywhere and potholes in virtually all areas of the island, it is amazing that the Honolulu Police Department is spending time and resources to cite bicycle riders and skateboarders in Waikiki.
I have seen police officers writing tickets everywhere, but especially on Ala Wai and McCully, where the bicycle lane stops abruptly, forcing most rational-thinking people to opt for the sidewalk for a few hundred feet.
Sure, there is a law against riding on the sidewalk in that part of town, but why are they enforcing it now en masse when we have more pressing issues?
Mark Blackburn
Black Point