It’s time to end pot prohibition

Regarding Jacob Sullum’s column ("Successful pot initiatives put drug warriors on notice," Star-Advertiser, Nov. 17), the voters of Colorado and Washington state have made it clear the federal government can no longer get away with confusing the drug war’s collateral damage with a comparatively harmless plant.

If the goal of marijuana prohibition is to subsidize violent drug cartels, prohibition is a success. The drug war distorts supply and demand dynamics so that big money grows on little trees.

If the goal of marijuana prohibition is to deter use, prohibition is a failure. The United States has double the rate of marijuana use as the Netherlands, where marijuana is legally available.

The criminalization of Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis has no basis in science. The war on marijuana consumers is a failed cultural inquisition, not an evidence-based public health campaign. We can no longer afford to subsidize the prejudices of culture warriors. It’s time to stop the arrests and end marijuana prohibition.

Robert Sharpe
Policy analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy

Big money is back in control of Hawaii

Sixty years ago, big money in the form of the Big Five corporations completely controlled Hawaii’s political, economic and social structure. The Republican Party represented the interests of big money and dominated politics. The Democratic Party, strongly supported by unions, represented the interests of the common people.

Then in 1954, for the first time, a majority of Democrats was elected to Hawaii’s territorial legislature. Dan Inouye, now one of our U.S. senators, was one of them. That initiated dramatic change, resulting in Hawaii’s modern egalitarian society.

However, there has been a re-alignment. Unions and Inouye have joined with big money, although the Big Five has been replaced by other large corporations. In the mayoral election, they wanted to defeat Ben Cayetano because he opposed the rail project. Big money contributed millions to Pacific Resource Partnership, which waged a deceptive, malicious advertising campaign against Cayetano.

Some say this mayoral election represents the future of Hawaii. In reality, however, it moves Hawaii backward — before the 1954 election — to an era when big money controlled Hawaii.

John Kawamoto
Honolulu

There are reasons people don’t vote

People who think non-voters have no voice are wrong. Equality insists that every person has a say. Why are many not voting?

» We don’t elect presidents because of the Electoral College.

» Free-thinking, nonpartisan candidates cannot compete with two-party politics.

» We all know that money wins elections.

» Hawaii’s voting system prevents registered Democrats and Republicans from voting for non-party candidates in primaries.

Many believe that politics is corrupt and important issues are distilled by party compromises. Meaningful changes in Hawaii have resulted not from votes, but from civil disobedience. Why else did the Navy stop bombing Kahoolawe? Why was the development of Waiahole Valley halted?

We have the technology to be a pure democracy. Non-partisan consciousness is increasing. Individuals are becoming capable of representing themselves through education and electronic participation. Let’s finally let go of top-down, two-party politics.

Frank Rich
Makawao, Maui

Cutting solar credits is just a money grab

The state would have you believe that average homeowners who install photovoltaic solar systems are either dishonest scam artists or have incompetent accountants unable to interpret tax law ("Solar photovoltaic tax credit curtailed," Star-Advertiser, Nov. 10).

The truth is our governor wants increased tax revenue more than he wants to reduce our dependence on petroleum. Hawaiian Electric Co. has been dragging its feet on solar because it decreases its income, and the amount of money it would have to invest in alternate energy sources reduces its profits.

Any "confusion" is due to the cockamamie way the law was written. Instead of getting into a "system" and what a"system" is, we need to make the state tax credit a percentage of the total installation cost, which would mirror the federal solar tax credit law.

Dan Fox
Kuliouou

Taxpayers treated like flush piggybank

Where are the checks and balances around here?

Entrenched Democrats treat taxpayer money as piggybanks for political payoffs.They were so pleased by their clever handling of Evan Dobelle (who secured a political appointment as University of Hawaii president, worked a few undistinguished years, and then got more than $1 million to leave) that they are following the same script in handling the Wonder blunder: millions of taxpayer funds down the drain, and no one held accountable.

It will get harder and harder to make ends meet if politicians continue to spend taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars like they fall free from heaven.

Sandra Burgess
Round Top

Bad traffic on Oahu was vacation killer

Congratulations to the citizens of Honolulu for an election verdict affirming rail.

My wife and I last visited in the 1990s, and I vowed not to return until Honolulu had a transit system that was a real alternative to gridlock. Although we’re glad we made that trip, a small island overrun with cars and pavement was not our idea of fun.

Please expedite the additional studies called for recently by Judge A. Wallace Tashima. We want to come back when rail transit is open!

Mathews Hollinshead
St. Paul, Minn.