Tower B condo is sorely needed

In response to William Leong’s letter, "Tower B proposal should be rejected" (Star-Advertiser, Sept. 30), the Hawaii Community Development Authority should approve the project.

Currently on Oahu, adequate affordable homes for Hawaii’s growing population are just unavailable. The developers of this project seem to be trying to fill that need by requiring all buyers to be live-in residents of the units they purchase. It’s not for the rich investors who are speculating to make a profit.

If someone, or a group, protested the building of the condominium you live in, and it wasn’t built, where would they be living now? That goes for all the other people or groups that are protesting the approval of any project. Where would they be living now if their project had not been built?

Doesn’t every hard-working Hawaii citizen deserve a chance at the dream of home ownership?

Michael Woo
Kalama Valley

Republicans behaving badly

OK, I get it.

The GOP in general and the tea party in particular hate the Affordable Care Act.

But the point is, ACA is not a proposal or a bill in Congress. It is a law and has been for three years.

In a legislative democracy, the procedure for changing laws you don’t like is to convince voters to elect your party in a majority, and then you can modify or repeal as you wish.

There is no provision for a minority to use blackmail to negotiate laws it doesn’t like. The GOP failed fairly convincingly to sway voters to their beliefs in 2012 and the way they are behaving now, 2014 may be worse.

Jim King
Hawaii Kai

Congress people not earning pay

If it is the job of Congress to govern, and Congress clearly has abdicated its duty and allowed a shutdown of government, should the members of Congress still be considered an essential workforce?

Let’s dock their pay and health care until they start working for us instead of working in factions against each other and the country.

Rike Weiss
Niu Valley

Here are ways to fix Congress

Somehow the U.S. Congress has become a refuge for scoundrels, liars and procrastinators. Here’s how we can reform it:

»Term limits.

» No pensions.

» Congress members participate in Social Security and Medicare. Members can buy their own retirement plans just like everyone else.

» Congress members will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Their pay will rise based the Consumer Price Index or by 2 percent, whichever is lower.

» Congress members lose their current health insurance and may buy their own plans, like others do.

» Congress members must abide by all the laws they impose on the American people.

» Former Congress members are prohibited from engaging in paid lobbying efforts on behalf of any third party.

Congressional public service is just that, an honor, not a career. After serving, they should return to their home state and resume civilian life, just as our armed forces do, and be proud of their service.

Brian Daniel
Manoa

Fishermen pose danger at park

Seven days a week people use the ocean between Magic Island and Kewalo to exercise in the mornings.

Many of them walk in the water in groups as they move along the park in water shoulder high. Others come in the morning and enjoy feeding the fish and also walking with others.

Fishermen with short poles walk along the shallows and catch oama and other small bait fish.

Other fishermen with large poles cast their lines out into deeper water from the beach and set their poles in stands to catch larger fish.

Those who walk in the water for exercise as well as others often get caught up in the lines of the casters.

There are other places where fishermen can cast their lines along the ocean side of Magic Island and on the Diamond Head side where there are no swimmers.

Olinda Amtsberg
Round Top