Oahu doesn’t need any more high rises

Mahalo to Sharon Moriwaki of Kakaako for her comments about leaving high rises on the mainland ("This is Honolulu, not Manhattan," Star-Advertiser, Letters, June 20).

Our beautiful island does not need any more concrete blocking other people’s views, including those in other condominiums. We do not need more congestion in an area that should be left alone.

Kakaako is fine just the way it is. To the private developers from the mainland or other parts of the world: Build somewhere else. Leave Hawaii, especially Oahu, alone.

Alexis M. Liftee
Nuuanu

Maunalua activists leading by example

After reading the Island Voices commentary, "Community comes together to restore Maunalua Bay" (Star-Advertiser, June 19), I have to say mahalo Malama Maunalua for being one of a number of community groups working to remove invasive algae from Maunalua Bay and working to restore the health of the bay.

Maunalua is cared for by many, from the Maunalua Fishpond Heritage Center, working to restore fishponds in Maunalua; Maunalua.net, which collects, preserves and shares the history of Maunalua;and the Livable Hawaii Kai Hui, whose mission is to save our agricultural farmlands and preserve and celebrate our open spaces in East Oahu, such as the "Great Lawn" and the Ka Iwi Coastline.

The Hui also works to save and protect sacred cultural sites in Maunalua, including Hawea Heiau and Keawaawa wetlands.

Mahalo to all the community groups and community members working mauka to makai in Maunalua who have great aloha for the place we call home.

Ann Marie Kirk
Hawaii Kai

Re-deployed military would burden Hawaii

U.S. forces in Japan are deployed to support contingencies in the Far East, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. If they are still needed in the Pacific theater, they should be moved to the Philippines or Guam, where their location would be timely.

Moving U.S. forces out of Japan should be paid for by the Japanese government because Japan would be a huge benefactor.

The Philippines or Guam could benefit by the boost of their economies, with jobs and sales of goods and services.

If the Philippines or Guam do not want to host them, U.S. forces should be moved back to the mainland, from where they can be deployed to the Far East.

The impact of moving them to Hawaii would be excessive in terms of traffic congestion, public school support and real-estate related costs.

Russel Noguchi
Pearl City

If you’re not a tourist, you’re not a priority

While driving through Chinatown, I happened to pass by Otto Cake.

I saw that it was open and pulled over.

I walked in, introduced myself. Otto smiled, and said that he was moving. He stated that after repeated threats it was finally time for him to leave Chinatown.

I have been in his shoes. I have been the victim of violence in Chinatown.

As I expressed my regret for him leaving, the dismay started to settle in. What can we do?

I don’t really know how to solve the problems that plague poor Otto, or that plague Chinatown.

No one should fear either to do business or visit Chinatown.

What are we as citizens to do? Will anything be better for the new tenants?

Maybe we are forced to live with this reality: Not a tourist, not a priority.

Christopher Stump
Hawaii Kai

Hurricane insurance costing us too much

The homeowners of Hawaii are being taken to the cleaners by the insurance Industry.

After Hurricane Iniki in 1992, insurers said they had underestimated Hawaii’s hurricane risk and said Iniki was the "new normal."

They were granted huge premium increases, and even though Hawaii hasn’t been hit again in more than 20 years, the high premiums have remained.

The cost of covering loss from hurricanes is more than twice as much as the cost to cover losses from all other causes combined.

High hurricane rates cause homeowners insurance to be more profitable in Hawaii than in any other state: Only 16 cents is paid in claims for every dollar of premium.

The result is tens of millions annually leaving the state for the coffers of mostly mainland insurers.

It is time for the state insurance commissioner to use his rate approval power to bring the cost of hurricane coverage in line with actual experience.

Richard Manetta
Wilhelmina Rise