Higher wage floor harms the homeless

Raising the minimum wage will reduce the number of jobs available.

Higher labor costs will cause many businesses to cut jobs or delay adding new jobs.

Increased wages will cause the prices of goods and services to go up.

Price inflation puts a strain on budgets and leaves less money for paying rent. It also puts seniors with fixed incomes at risk of becoming homeless.

An increased wage shifts work from the U.S. to overseas, where labor is cheaper.

Fewer jobs means more homeless. The homeless need more jobs, not fewer jobs.

If we create many affordable "transition" jobs, even if they are below minimum wage, the homeless would have a chance to get back on their feet. If we raise wages, we only make the problem worse.

Richard Fucik
Ala Moana

Government crooks rarely get punished

On spying and drone regulations and laws, it doesn’t matter because few government people ever get punished in any meaningful way for violating government laws and rules.

They will just take their criminal, unethical activities deeper underground and lie about them, like National Security Agency Director James Clapper did.

Government people have an obsession about knowing everything about us as is possible. It will only get worse.

We are getting closer to a Soviet Union KGB communist state.

Thank you, Chelsea (Bradley) Manning and Edward Snowden for the "outing."

Fred Metcalf
Kalihi

Bus advertisements not such a big deal

There is much debate about, and strong criticism of, the bus billboard proposal.

Some claim these billboards would desecrate our city’s beauty. Although this may be true to some, and this legislation raises a groundbreaking, sensitive issue, I applaud the City Council and the mayor for considering a compromise that limits the ad size and placement on the buses.

If the ads were done in a tasteful manner and are not morally offensive or controversial, I don’t think they would deface our environment or become eye pollution. After all, they would be on the go, moving from place to place.

Many would be garaged at night, unlike mainland billboard ads that are permanent, stationary and lit nightly, making them visible 24/7.

There seem to be more pressing issues affecting our local landscape than bus billboards.

Peter Yamashita
Kailua

Homelessness could ruin tourism sector

I found the Star-Advertiser’s Sunday front page interesting ("In plain sight," Star-Advertiser, Jan. 19).

Lead story: Homelessness in Waikiki. Immediately below: The state has a $844 million surplus.

Can’t anyone in government connect the dots?

Forget pension liability for a while longer and address the homelessness issue before it ruins our only viable industry.

The best idea floated thus far would be to turn over Sand Island to the homeless.

Allow free-form tent camping at Sand Island, with a staffed trailer of social workers and other help organizations.

Free hourly bus service to take people to see doctors, work, shopping.

Frequent police rounds would aid security.

It would cost less than building brick-and-mortar barracks that go underutilized.

It would also centralize that community away from tourist areas.

Michael O’Hara
Kaneohe

Deeper GMO issue is about seeds

You wrote approvingly of genetically modified organism crops in a recent editorial ("State must take lead in GMO debate," Our View, Jan. 12).

I fear you may be ignorant of one adverse difficulty with GMOs: The seeds from GMOs can be, and very frequently are, patented. That removes them from the public domain. Some people might starve because they cannot pay for the seeds to grow the food they need.

The U.S. Supreme Court recently supported Monsanto suing farmers whose fields were "contaminated" via wind with GMO seeds from other fields not the farmers’ own.

The farmers had used the seeds to grow crops and then used the seeds from those crops to plant the next cycle of crops.

We have a very dangerous and threatening situation here that needs your condemnation.

And this is not the only problem with GMOs.

Tom Spring
Waialae

For change, vote against incumbents

For years I have been waiting for the Republican Party in Hawaii to come up with a plan and ultimately some viable candidates. As a former Republican, I now know what to do.

We have Duke Aiona charging in on his white horse again. He will not win the election, but is the only Republican candidate available to run for governor.

I, for one, have now finally realized that if you are a Hawaii Republican or former Republican, then perhaps the best thing we can do is to vote Democratic and vote for anyone running against the incumbent in an effort to change Hawaii for the better.

The majority of office holders now, especially our governor, have shown us a lack of direction and accountability, and have further blocked the betterment of our state.

Mike Gallagher
Kailua