Gay marriage won’t destroy our families

At last, the civil right regarding gay marriage has arrived in Hawaii.

Many have opposed it on moral grounds, which is their right.There are those, too, like Catholic Bishop Larry Silva, who spread damaging and inflammatory falsehoods about gay marriage, gay parenting and gay families. There is no legitimate social science nor data to support their statements that gay marriage leads to incest, poly-gamy or increased suicides of children.

Scientific research has been generally consistent in showing that gay and lesbian parents are as fit and capable as heterosexual parents, and their children are as psychologically healthy and well-adjusted as children reared by heterosexual parents.

Malachy Grange
Kahala

Be on guard against ‘Christian Taliban’

As I watched and listened to the same-sex marriage debate, I became frightened by a large and growing number of people who proclaim that God is on their side and the Bible directs them to "disobey" man’s law.

It seems a "Christian Taliban" is emerging demanding that their beliefs should be law. When fellow Christians tried to present a different view, they were drowned out.

Rational citizens need to be vigilant that these extreme religious groups do not let their beliefs dictate laws that discrimi- nate against people who do not share their opinions.

Our elected officials and educators must continue to uphold the Constitution. We must protect everyone equally and allow all religions, cultures, ethnicities and sexual orientations to have the same freedoms and protections under the law.

Michele Nihipali
Hauula

ACLU dropped ball on religious faith

I support same-sex marriage rights but I also support the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of religion. Therefore I must protest the statement of the legal director of the Hawaii chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Asked whether there is any difference between a law that would say no Japanese allowed and no gays allowed, Lois Perrin was quoted as saying, "Discrimination is discrimination. Treating people differently is discrimination."

Some people’s religious faith — that obviously includes many thousands in Hawaii — condemns homosexuality, justifying discrimination against gays.The ACLU is supposed to defend First Amendment rights.

There is an obvious conflict between religious rights and same-sex marriage. The ACLU should be involved in striking a balance, not simplistically condemning the position of religion-based opponents at the price of ignoring the First Amendment.

Carl H. Zimmerman
Salt Lake

Minimum wage should be raised

The minimum wage in Hawaii has been $7.25 per hour for six years, with no adjustment for a rising cost of living.

Raising the minimum wage would put more money into the economy. Workers would be better able to pay for food, rent, goods and services, thereby increasing tax revenues. There would be less likelihood of homelessness and need for food stamps.

The scarcity of jobs that pay a living wage has been exploited by opponents of raising the minimum wage. They get a large pool of low-wage workers. The working poor find themselves stuck in low-paying jobs, with very little chance of moving to higher paying jobs.

Polls show that 80 percent of Americans favor raising the minimum wage. Nine states have voted to raise their minimum wage. California has raised the minimum wage to $10 an hour.

Raising the minimum wage is the right thing to do.

Tom Jenner
Waikiki

Making HECO pay will hurt ratepayers

Politicians prey on voters who forget that there is no free lunch.

As a biomedical scientist and one-time apprentice electrician, it’s been obvious from the start that Hawaii’s tax incentives encouraging photovoltaics would precipitate grid-related problems in terms of managing thousands of autonomous and intermittent power sources. Indeed, I covered my roof with PV early on to avoid the inevitable capacity restrictions now increasingly common across Hawaii.

And when it comes to proposed solutions, my, do ironies abound. The latest is Earthjustice’s argument that Hawaiian Electric Co. should pass to all customers the cost of grid improvements that would benefit only a few. Left-leaning, anti-fracking Earthjustice knows this regime would hit Hawaii’s middle class — who seldom own their own roofs and already pay America’s highest electricity rates.

Just like Obamacare, and despite smiley promises to the contrary, "thud" is the bitter sound of another sweet-sounding and oversold progressivist program hitting fiscal reality.

Michael P. Rethman
Kaneohe

Kahuku developer not above reproach

The recent series on Kahuku ("A village divided," Star-Advertiser, Nov. 3) never entertains the idea that some of the claims by the tenants might be valid. Instead, the developer is given the last word, as if he were above reproach.

The courts will decide whether the allegations are true, but in the meantime, how can your paper in good conscience poll your readers using the phrase, "the developer, who’s been fair," as if the tenants are opposing fairness itself (Star-Advertiser, The Big Q, Nov. 7)?

The City Council voted unanimously on a resolution calling for the city to acquire the land to protect the residents, but this important fact is barely mentioned. That the mayor refused to sign the bill is clear evidence of his allegiance to the developer, as their lawyer, Lex Smith, was Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s own campaign manager.

This is not investigative reporting; it’s an advertising supplement for Continental Pacific.

Kim Compoc
Manoa