Make room for small hotels

Overbuilding will kill Waikiki. I agree with Mary J. Culveyhouse ("Over­build­ing will kill tourism," Star-Advertiser, March 15).

Plus it causes verifiable problems of crowding, traffic, noise and parking.

The reasonable idea she seeks is a variety of short-stay accommodations that fit our community needs outside of the resort areas — not more resorts.

Real-life experience shows us that appropriate local accommodations do not cause traffic, noise and parking problems. There are many reasons why small hotels and boutique accommodations would be a wonderful addition to life in places like Kaneohe, Liliha, Kaimuki, Mililani and Wahiawa.

There’s space aplenty at Ko Olina for another beautifulresort. There is also room for an evolution of small hotels, youth hostels, short-stay rentals and other accommodations in appropriate community locations on Oahu.

Will Page
Kailua

Dog restriction at park is unfair

There is an annual "Dog Day" at Ala Moana Beach Park where thousands of dogs walk the park.

On other days, anyone with a dog is fair game for police officers handing out tickets for people with dogs in their car or on the grounds.

This does not make any sense. I can see ticketing people who let their dogs run loose and do not clean up their dogs’ messes. Ticketing an old lady with Parkinson’s because she has two small dogs in her car is wrong.

If a person drives into the park, stops and gets out with his or her dog, and there is no sign stating that dogs are not allowed in the car or outside, then there should be no penalty. Six ladies get out of their car, put down mats and have lunch and one has a very small dog on a leash next to her. She should not receive a ticket and have to pay $100 for the violation.

Fritz Amtsberg
Round Top

Give raises to teachers

It’s been four years since Hawaii public school teachers took a 5 percent cut in salary when furloughs first started and still continue.

Now, as I join fellow teachers in protest for fair compensation and a contract, we learn that the governor, judges and legislators have been recommended a 2 percent pay raise. According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, it’s to attract the "best and brightest" to serve the public ("2% pay raises advocated for top officials, judges," March 19).

While Hawaii teachers continue to struggle financially with less than 2009 salaries and 2013 living expenses, how can our government leaders, who are supposed to guide us out of this financial trouble, take a pay increase?

We, too, need the "best and brightest" teaching our students, for they are the future.

Emmett Wong
Pearl City

Fishpond was educational

I am very interested in the Heeia fishpond and supportive of Paepae o He‘eia’s efforts to restore the fishpond to what it used to be.

Volunteering to help repair the Heeia fishpond is incredibly important, as it raises awareness of Hawaiian fishponds and how important they are.

I am a high school student and although I knew about Heeia fishpond, I didn’t care too much about it. However, after going on a field trip with my natural resources class and witnessing how much people cared about the fishpond and learning about its history, I realized how important it and other fishponds are to Hawaiian history.

More students should take field trips to the fishpond so they can see the importance of it and places like it.

Laurel Hecker
Diamond Head

State needs Jessica’s Law

The biggest offending "culture" state Sen. Sam Slom attacks as tolerating adult sex with children is the intellectual atmosphere at the Hawaii state Capitol ("Some isle ‘cultures’ don’t see pedophilia as crime, Slom says," Star-Advertiser, March 16).

Legislators are unwilling to protect 12-year-olds from such assaults. They want short sentencing, quick paroles and imaginary rehabilitation for the worst criminals in this misplaced compassion that coddles the perpetrators but ignores the suffering they cause.

Make no mistake. It is time to enact Jessica’s Law and lock up for a very long stretch those who commit such heinous acts.

Michael Palcic
St. Louis Heights