Keep space between Kakaako buildings

I live in The Imperial Plaza, next to the proposed development at 803 Waimanu St.

I and many of us here are not opposed to building a condo near to us —just not so close. It’s 38 feet between buildings instead of 300 feet away.

Don’t use the excuse of "affordable housing" to change the zoning laws to cram a large condo into a small space. It is not affordable housing.

Upon purchase, the owners are not required to live in it for five years before a resale.Therefore, it is speculative and can be "flipped." If the rules are bent to make developers richer, then why have rules at all?

The roads are too narrow, as it is, to let two cars pass. One car has to pull over to the side of the road.I cannot imagine 200-plus cars sharing the already congested street. What about the warehouses and businesses with their service, garbage and tow trucks? What about fire trucks?

Please let us have room to breathe!

Tootsie Kobelansky
Kakaako

Don’t make it easy for the homeless

"Jay," the homeless guy pictured in the Star-Advertiser, emphatically states that he "hates Hawaii" — yet,for a man who looks quite able-bodied, I doubt he has ever looked for a job ("Officials still optimistic despite 4.7% rise in homeless population," May 17).

And why shouldhe? Hawaii in all its generosityprovides him with whatever he needs.

One continues to see homeless peoplewith booze, tobacco and drugs. If they can afford to pay for those unnecessary items, whycan’t they pay for their own food?

For Hawaii to continue to give more and more is a plandestined for disaster.

The more taxpayers provide to these so-called homeless, the more of themwill be arriving on our shores. Politicians need to start cutting back on food stamps, etc., andeventually these visitors will get the message and go elsewhere.

James Robinson
Aiea

It’s shameful how protesters treated

I saw the police removing (de)Occupy Honolulu tents from in front of the Blaisdell Concert Hall recently — shameful.

Also shameful was the Legislature’s refusal to raise the minimum wage in Hawaii — an action that could have helped reduce homelessness in Hawaii by allowing some low-income families and individuals to earn enough to find housing.

The planters placed around Thomas Square are shamefully petty displays by the city to appease those who don’t seem to know why the tents are there.

I applaud the (de)Occupy Honolulu participants for persisting to remind our community not only about the too many — often invisible — homeless people, but also about the worsening income inequality between the shamefully greedy 1 percent and the rest of us — the 99 percent.

Greg Farstrup
Pauoa Valley

Motherly instincts caused Kim to call

The love of parents for their children causes them to take unusual actions, such as volunteering for outings, hosting a school function, staying up late to guarantee that homework or papers are done, and calling to find out about their child’s well-being.

State Sen. Donna Mercado Kim is an elected official — but she is also a mother.

Calling the University of Hawaii president must have been stressful and done after much deliberation.

Kim could have used an intermediary, but that is not her style. She is open and felt no compromise in calling to check on her son’s law-school status.

I’m sure many private schools receive calls from anxious parents.

The public should let the Ethics Commission act, if there is merit. But as a parent, I understand her action.

Leonard Leong
Manoa

Pets ride safer in trucks than people

Under the new law, all occupants in a motor vehicle must now "buckle up" in the interest of safety. Our governor and state legislators are proud of this accomplishment.

These same state politicians, as well as our city and county councils, still refuse to ban the riding by people in the bed of pickup trucks.

Yet by law, animals riding in the bed of a pickup truck must be in a cage or carrier or be cross-tethered. Obviously the safety of an animal in the bed of a pickup truck is of greater concern to these politicians than the safety of people.

Amazing, utterly amazing. And we continue to re-elect them.

Dennis Freitas
Kaneohe

Cartoon offended women’s groups

The Star-Advertiser published an inaccurate and highly offensive cartoon depicting Planned Parenthood’s CEO Cecile Richards seemingly gloating about abortions (April 30).

The Hawaii Women’s Coalition (consisting of more than 100 individuals and organizations) believes that printing this cartoon was irresponsible and provided a disservice to the many women and men in our community who depend on Planned Parenthood for basic health screens, preventive health care and reproductive health care.

Additionally, to characterize reproductive health care and abortions in such a flippant manner was insensitive, demeaning and intentionally inflammatory.

Ann S. Freed and Cathy Betts
Co-chairwomen, Hawaii Women’s Coalition