Krugman smart but polarizing

Paul Krugman should be ashamed of himself.

I respect his achievements as a scholar in the field of economic science. As such, he should lead, not condemn.

Krugman flatly states, "And the Republicans are dead wrong" ("Romney win would sadly mean the triumph of wrong," Star-Advertiser, Oct. 14). This leads to the assumption that the Democrats are dead right. Really?

We need to work together. No one party has all the ideas, and to achieve this we need objective leadership from people like Krugman — not polarizing rhetoric.

Robert Henninger
Foster Village

Elections stink but vote anyway

The majority of Hawaii’s voters don’t bother going to the polls because, like myself, they get disgusted by the terrible commercials of politicians stabbing each other in the back.

During news time, and over and over again. These commercials cost a lot of wasted money.

But those who don’t vote relinquish their stake in laws and government. As the saying goes, if you don’t vote, then you can’t grumble.

Merietta Mattoon
Honolulu

Debate showed Lingle is better

The second debate between former Gov. Linda Lingle and U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono clearly identified the intelligence of Lingle and the ignorance of Hirono.

Hirono clearly displayed her polarization on issues that created the present congressional blockage and has resulted in our nation’s total disgust for the existing congressional representatives.Hirono is only a follower of her party’s leadership, clearly not a leader.

Lingle is an independent innovator and moderate leader who recognizes the impact of congressional actions or inaction on the people of Hawaii and our nation.

Jim Gebhard
Kailua

Young revealed true GOP colors

So, the Republican congressman from Alaska, Don Young, has changed his endorsement from U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono to former Gov. Linda Lingle.

Surprise, surprise. Not!

It’s just another example of how the Republicans force their candidates to toe the party line. And of exactly how they’ll make Lingle, Charles Djou or any other local candidate who belongs to the Republican Party do the same should they be elected to national office.

I don’t care how many times Lingle, Djou, et al. declare how "independent" they’ll be in representing Hawaii, once they reach Washington they will vote their party’s line. They are bipartisan only in their positions here because they have to be to get anything done.

Don’t be hoodwinked by their false promises. Their loyal is to their party and its agenda, not to you, the voter.

Jerry Piller
Kihei

Not all experts in LA prefer rail

The transit comparison of Los Angeles, America’s most densely populated and second-largest city, with lower-density Honolulu presents a misleading view of two very different situations ("BRT costs less than rail, but it offers less and is safety hazard," Star-Advertiser, Commentary, Oct. 15).

Even in LA, transit experts disagree about BRT and rail. BrianTaylor, chairman of the UCLA Department of Urban Planning has stated:"Typically, I favor BRT (bus rapid transit) over rail. … BRT projects are much cheaper to build than rail projects. As a result, more funding is available for maintenance and operations. … Well-designed BRT can be just as successful as rail."

Dennis Callan
Makiki

Car thieves watching you

Whenever you park in the lot at Waimea Bay, you could face this scenario: Across the road from the beach park, up the hill, a spotter observes the lot with binoculars. When he sees you leave your car for the beach, via cellphone he notifies a partner in crime hanging out below.

You will be on the beach for at least an hour, but it takes only a minute to rip off a car.

One solution might be to remove all of your valuables from your car (leaving it unlocked to prevent break-in damage) and take them with you to the beach.

But prowling the sand are more thieves also waiting for rip-off opportunities.

Waimea Bay isn’t the only beach or park where this happens. So please don’t depend on the police to prevent theft. There are more criminals than cops on Oahu.

John Wythe White
Haleiwa