Original goal of rail has been cast aside

Now that the federal courts have spoken, it appears to be full steam ahead for rail.

How unfortunate that again misguided priorities will result in this behemoth becoming a financial blight upon the citizens of this land. The decision not to include the University of Hawaii as the final destination, once quite the head-scratcher, is now becoming clearer.

It doesn’t take an advanced degree in urban planning to see that when UH is not in session there is a remarkable improvement in traffic. Lately, however, the focus seems to have changed from traffic mitigation to transit-oriented development.

Again, no advanced degree is required to read between those lines and see which parties really would benefit.

Is the purpose of rail to provide traffic relief to Leeward residents, or as a windfall for the construction industry and other politically connected parties?

Anyone care to wager whether the 0.5 percent general excise tax surcharge will be rescinded in 2022?

Joseph W. Turban
Makakilo

Don’t give Niihau unfair legal status

I’d like to offer my best wishes to the residents of Niihau.

However, to restrict fishing within two miles of Niihau’s shoreline, while great for Niihau residents, would put in place a law and a precedent that is unfair to the rest of us.

The Robinsons have done a good job of putting a lot of emotion into their request through the use of Hawaiian words and claims of continued Hawaiian traditions.

I have to question the authenticity of their claims. Has anyone been allowed on the island to verify their claims?

If they are requesting government help, then the government should verify their claims and make that verification public before adopting such a protective law.

Will this precedent allow Larry Ellison to have similar laws "protecting" Lanai waters? Molokai has similar fishing issues. A law like this could easily apply to Molokai waters as well.

Peter Anderson
Kailua

Garbage fee will be easy to keep raising

The proposed garbage collection fee is a bad idea.

It amounts to a regressive tax, particularly hard on those homeowners and renters having a hard time making ends meet.

Once these kinds of charges are instituted, it is very easy to raise them — much easier than putting them in place initially. The $10-a-month fee will soon be $20 or $50 a month.

Our garbage must be picked up and handled properly, and if this bill passes there will be more trash dumped illegally by people who do not want to pay for garbage collection.

This is just a way for the mayor to get more money in his budget without touching property taxes, but it provides mayors with a way to effectively raise property taxes in the future without going through the proper processes or political pain of actually raising the tax rates.

It is dishonest.

Bob Gould
Kaneohe

Property taxes obviate need for fee

Mayor Kirk Caldwell is proposing a $10 per month fee to Oahu property tax bills as an additional source of revenue to cover the cost of his administration, and there has been some negative feedback from the public.

I wonder if anyone is paying attention to the significant tax increase beyond the refuse pickup fee that the city is about to lay on us.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported that "residential property values on Oahu climbed nearly 10 percent over the past year, with East Honolulu (+12.0 percent) and the Kahuku-to-Kaaawa zone (+12.2 percent) rising most sharply in city assessments" ("Oahu property values show gains," Star-Advertiser, Dec. 14, 2013).

Overall, the increase for Oahu as a whole was reported as 8.8 percent. This will create a tax windfall for the city that dwarfs the refuse fee.

I would gladly pay the $10 monthly fee if the city would reduce the $115 per month property tax increase that it has already laid on me.

Terry Inglett
Waialae-Kahala

Kudos to student who reported bully

Thanks to Aarin Jacobs, the Hawaii Pacific University student who spoke to the state House in favor of penalties for harming sharks and rays in our ocean.

And congratulations to him for standing up to, from what I read, a bully. More power to him.

Jan Newhart
Waikiki

Parents can do job of early education

However well intentioned, the governor’s plans for publicly funded preschool is unnecessary. The learning goals of preschool education are simple enough for parents to handle.

All functioning adults are capable of teaching a child the alphabet, colors, shapes and the social skills needed at this early level. The $4.5 million can go to a better cause than relieving parents of their responsibilities.

Our Legislature can find ways to assist parents in their efforts that cost a lot less than $7,000 per student. All it takes is a little time and effort from both the parents and politicians of our state.

Michael Jefferson
Ewa Beach