Hawaii voters need to be encouraged

This week marks the 47th anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act, which outlawed discrimination in voting and has been instrumental in ensuring citizens’ voting rights are protected.

Instead of celebrating, we have watched attempts to undermine this vital law in states across the country.

Voter photo ID laws were considered in 34 states in 2011 alone, and it is estimated that 11 percent of the population does not have the type of identification required by many of these laws. Especially affected are the elderly, people with disabilities, low-income voters and young people.

We can be grateful that in Hawaii our elected officials have not attempted to roll back voting participation this way. Indeed, in Hawaii we need to energize citizens to participate in choosing their representatives at local, state and national levels.

This election is really important. We’re voting for education, health care, and our community.

No vote, no complain!

Beppie Shapiro
President, League of Women Voters of Hawaii

PRP squandered its trustworthiness

I wonder how Pacific Resource Partnership, John White, the contractors, the carpenters union and others, given their half-truths, deception and outright lies, can ever be trusted again to be truthful when their own interests are at stake.

What would stop them from deceiving us again in regards to quality, cost, quantity, timeliness and other factors?

Renee Coester
Pearl City

I Mua Rail advances interests of insiders

You’ve probably been bombarded with pro-rail advertisements by I Mua Rail, a public relations campaign run by Pacific Resource Partnership, an organization working to advance the interests of contractors and unions.

This should bother you — even if you are a supporter of the rail project. PRP’s contractors stand to gain billions of dollars in contracts from rail, which is why they are spending more than $1 million campaigning for rail and against former Gov. Ben Cayetano.

It is disconcerting that an organization whose purpose is to funnel money to contractors has positioned itself as one of the major voices in a debate that should be about transportation and Hawaii — not about contracts. I resigned from I Mua Rail because PRP is steering the debate away from what is best for Hawaii, instead focusing on what is best for PRP.

Jesse Franklin-Murdock
Saint Louis Heights

Anti-railers vague about new taxes

Those opposed to the rail project are implying that there will be new taxes with the construction of the proposed rail system for Oahu.

What new taxes are these people talking about?Do they have proof that new taxes are inevitable?

After the citizens of Oahu voted for the rail system, the excise tax was increased from 4 percent to 4.5 percent to cover our share of constructing rail, with the federal government also contributing. We have been paying this increase since the passage of rail.

Recently, Honolulu gained the distinction of having the worst traffic in the nation. If the proposed rail is killed, Honolulu will continue to own that distinction.

Is this the proposal of the anti-rail group?

Roy Tanouye
Waipahu

If we can go to Mars, we can build rail

Champagne bottles were uncorked and high-fives were exchanged at NASA when Curiosity landed on the surface of Mars.

I’m wondering what it would have been like if over and over again, Washington warned that we couldn’t afford it.There’s no leadership in that strategy.

Do we look to the future on Oahu with rail transit or decide to live in the past again? I choose to grow and live modern.

Jeffrey Zimmerman
Manoa Valley

Copper thieves still getting away with it

I understood that any seller of copper, especiallyany large quantity, must be registered with the seller’s contact information and the source of the metal being sold. Why, then, do thieves continue to perpetrate their ripoffs at the huge expense to taxpayers, who foot the cost of replacing the stolen goods? And why are they getting away with it?

We the taxpayers want this to be stopped, or be given a good explanation of why this criminal activitycontinues.

Frank Luke
Makiki

Following the law isn’t always right

The right for a gay couple to marry, to commit to a lifetime partnership, raise a family and enjoy all the rights and responsibilities that a heterosexual married couple does, free from discrimination, clearly conforms to the values and ethics of fairness and justice.

State Health Department Director Loretta Fuddy’s stand against gay marriage is based solely on the fact that "it is the law."

In many places in America it was once the law that gay people could not adopt children, could be fired and denied housing; in fact, just the fact of being gay was considered a felony punishable by imprisonment in some places. Local governments simply "enforced the law."

It has taken the struggle of decades to make progress against such bigotry, discrimination and heterosexism. Don’t just follow the law. Stand up for what is right.

Malachy Grange
Kahala