Minimum wage won’t help Hawaii economy

The competition to see who can increase the minimum wage the most will raise the cost of living in Hawaii, particularly for those on fixed incomes or low incomes.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie, in his State of the State address, said he wants the minimum wage to go up from $7.50 to $8.75. President Barack Obama, in his State of the Union address, said he wants it to go to $9.The stateSenate doesn’t want to be outdone: One bill calls for $9.25.

What is missing in all this is that none of themare going to pay for it, even if they raised it to $20. Businesses will have toraise prices in order to stay in business, costing all of us more.

Sen. Maile Shimabukuro, in a surprising statement, said there is a "disconnect between the cost of living in Hawaii and the wage you earn in Hawaii."

More likelythere is a direct connection between the increased cost of doing business in Hawaii and the high cost of living in Hawaii.

Garry P. Smith
Ewa Beach

Overweight people should exercise more

I understand the government trying to keep the public healthy, but come on!

Now we have to pay more for an indulgence in life because other people don’t have self-control?

People who are overweight because of soda should get outside and exercise. The government should be concentrating on more important things for the state.

Kwai Leung Goo
Moiliili

‘Bicycle Sundays’ an idea worth trying

As an electric-bike enthusiast, I was searching for a city that closes main roads to bicycles for two hours a day to let people get to work and back safely when I ran across Bicycle Sundays.

It happens in Rochester, Seattle and San Mateo County. They shut off a fairly flat oceanside road to vehicles from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and people ride without fear of being hit by a car. It is usually paid for with public and private funds, including sponsorships, vendors and $5 parking at both ends.

This should be a free event for locals, with a small fee for tourists, and huge fun and exercise for everyone. Wearing mandatory helmets, kids could learn bicycle safety rules while having fun with friends and family.

Hawaii has the best weather in the world for biking but few protected bike paths. Let’s make Bicycle Sundays happen in Hawaii.

Mark Saylors
Wailuku

Our horrible roads need urgent attention

Mahalo to David Shapiro for his excellent column ("Honolulu’s horrible roads need swift funding, action," Star-Advertiser, Volcanic Ash, Feb. 6).

Yes, the Pali Highway and other roads are in terrible shape, and neither the city nor the state seems to take the problem seriously enough.

The governor has proposed many new initiatives, but says nothing about our roads. The potholes filled by our mayor don’t help. What is needed is a priority on road reconstruction. Long-term solutions should be considered.

In Mayor Eileen Anderson’s time, a third concrete lane was added to the Pali Highway. It is still in excellent shape, while the other lanes have been resurfaced a couple of times with asphalt and are again in horrible shape.

The city and state must stop diverting funds designated for road repair and ensure that there are adequate funds for road maintenance. The ruts and uneven surfaces make driving dangerous.

Our roads need urgent attention.

Fred Harris
Kailua

New pope likely will be like predecessor

Catholics around the world are anxiously speculating on who will become the next pope after Benedict XVI resigns ("Who’s Next?" Star-Advertiser, Feb. 12).

I’m sure the answer will be "more of the same."

Those of us who have been calling for a reformed and renewed Catholic Church know that we cannot expect anything different from a conclave made up of only old, celibate men. Instead, we should focus on the Catholics who make up the church — the women and men at the grassroots and in the pews. Let’s focus on the 61 percent of Catholics who believe women should be priests, the more than 70 percent of Catholics who support a married priesthood and the 82 percent of Catholics who say birth control is morally acceptable. It is these men and women who are the church; not the hierarchy.

Let’s imagine a true prophetic vision for the Catholic Church where the voices of all Catholics will be included in church governance and decision-making. Only then can we have a church where the experiences of all Catholics are valued and all God’s people are included.

Joy Barnes
Pearl City

Teacher commentary was front-page worthy

A major element of our Race to the Top priorities is "supporting great teachers and school leaders."

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, in a Feb. 1 report, stated that Hawaii’s progress is promising. Has Duncan missed Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s continued bullying, disrespect and blatant refusal to negoti- ate with the Hawaii State Teachers Association?

Justin Hughey’s commentary should not have been in the editorial section ("Governor has failed to honor his commitment to education," Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Feb. 6).It should have been a news article on the front page.

The Star-Advertiser continues to show it is part of the problem regarding teacher negotiations, respect and fairness.You continue to print inflammatory and downright misleading articles on your front page, such as your article on teacher absenteeism, and you continue to allow Abercrombie to break the rules by allowing him to bargain in the media.

Hughey’s article provided a concise, factual timeline of the continued disrespect and bullying the teachers have endured.

Jamie Stidger
Kaaawa

Keep guns away from dangerous people

I applaud the Brady gun law and I’m glad that Hawaii gun laws are even stronger than that. People who may be a danger to themselves or others must not be allowed to gain access to lethal weapons. Period.

Rick Jackson
Liliha

UH tuition increases might deter students

It is shocking to me that the University of Hawaii thinks that it is OK to raise tuition163 percent in a 10-year span.

I realize that the tuition has been very low in comparison to other public universities throughout the U.S., butwill these tuition increases discourage many local residents from realizing the dream of higher education?

UH plays a vital role in educating the next generation, so I would like its administrators and our state representatives to take a hard look atUH budgets and find other ways to make their bottom line that do not include these type of increases. They may want to start with many overpaid administrators and have them take pay cuts. They could easily start with the outrageous payofour current UHpresident.

Pam Webb
Honolulu

President and Hawaii both love more taxes

The "Our View" editorial titled "Obama’s goals match Hawaii’s" (Star-Advertiser, Feb. 14) was 100 percent accurate: Tax and spend!

Rich Greenamyer
Mililani

FROM THE FORUM

"City fines Manoa woman $57K for illegal storage on strip of land," Star-Advertiser, Feb. 11:

» "Complicating the issue is the question of who owns the strip of land." That is unbelievable. The city maintains property records and taxes owners based on assessed value. How is it possible for the city not to know who owns the strip of land in question?

» How can the city impose fines on Ms. Chang if they don’t know who owns the property?

» Because it’s her stuff?

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"School cafeterias found to be adrift," Star-Advertiser, Feb. 11:

» This is only a small sampling of the problems plaguing Hawaii’s school system. Get used to it, because that is the way it has been for a very long time. This is why the people have been asking for a full and complete audit of the Department of Education.

» Say it ain’t so! Not another financial blunder at our public school system.

» I want to commend all the cafeteria workers and staff for working hard and providing our keiki with low-cost meals. Criticism of cafeteria management and the menu itself has been an easy target since the beginning of public schools, whether here or on the mainland. My keiki attend DOE schools, they get fed, it doesn’t break the bank and I am grateful.

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"Hawaiian unveils ‘Ohana turboprop brand," Star-Advertiser, Feb. 12:

» Wanna bet that Larry Ellison doesn’t make the deal to buy Island Air now? Nice move, Hawaiian. Nice paint job, too.

» Interisland flights and price monopoly are on the horizon. We should have a ferry transport option.

» What a novel idea. Why don’t we call it the Superferry?

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"House committee sidelines bill to allow gays to marry," Star-Advertiser, Feb. 12:

» Marriage shouldn’t be a legal concept for anyone. Let civil unions be the legally recognized partnership for man/woman, woman/woman or man/man and churches can have their marriages. Then they can exclude whomever they want from getting married. Marriage shouldn’t be a legal issue anymore.

» Equal treatment under the law is a pretty basic premise. I bet if it was a tax on gay marriage, they would be all over it. I can only assume they were too busy fast tracking the "Stephen Tyler and other celebrities are our state’s highest priority" bill.

» It is clear where the Star-Advertiser stands. By using the term "marriage equality" rather than "same-sex marriage" it is attempting to shift the mindset of those not yet decided on the issue. I guess that is its prerogative, but it does not seem very unbiased to me.

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"House committee shelves pot bill," Star-Advertiser, Feb. 13:

» This lack of action — or should I say lack of courage — was predictable. The "leadership" has no courage. They won’t seriously consider the big issues, such as gay marriage or the right to die with dignity. Same old, same old.

» They finally did something for the good of all.

» Legal or not, weed is always going to be consumed here. I, for one, don’t want my tax dollars wasted on trying to eradicate it, which would be impossible. If anything, let’s wait and see how the legal states fare in another year. If all of their citizens aren’t walking around like zombies and their cities aren’t crumbling, maybe we could try collecting money from pakalolo instead of wasting money trying to stop it.

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"Construction project near trail entrance raises concern," Star-Advertiser, Feb. 13:

» Jiro Sumada, acting planning director, is right: You can’t deny an owner of a property to build if all the rules are followed — even Jeff Stone.

» The project raises more than concern. It raises serious questions about the integrity of the entire city and state land management process. … The number of laws, rules, ordinances and guidelines that have been violated in this case is truly breathtaking. One wonders whether anyone has the courage to stop this travesty.

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"For UH men’s sports, it’s the end of the Rainbows," Star-Advertiser, Feb. 14:

» This is a bold, much-needed critical decision by the new athletic director, which underscores the collective wisdom of the people who guide the course of the University of Hawaii sports programs. It’s a decision that all us fans have been waiting for. Mahalo.

» "Warriors" is a commonplace, ho-hum sports nickname. There is absolutely nothing unique about it and nothing to highlight our special locale.