Give city inspectors power to inspect

Once again, in the April 27 Star-Advertiser article on permit violations in Kunia Loa Ridge Farmlands by Rob Perez, a city Planning and Permitting spokes-person tells us that the department lacks the authority to visually inspect properties and, hence, the ability to gather the evidence needed to prove that violations of the land use regulations exist.

This authority gap must be closed by those who make and administer Honolulu’s regulations on our behalf — the City Council and the mayor.

Perhaps Perez’s next article will include comments from these individuals on how and when they will close this authority gap, which hinders effective enforcement of Honolulu’s land-use regulations not only in Kunia Loa Ridge, but also in residential neighborhoods forced to live with illegal bed and breakfasts and illegal boarding houses.

Karl Schwartz
Aina Haina

Coverage of Wie goes overboard

Like most Hawaii residents, especially sports fans like me, I take pride in and support local athletes who make good on the national scene. That support applies to our great golfer Michelle Wie.

However, the Star-Advertiser goes overboard, flooding the paper with pictures of her day after day. Recently you had two very large pictures of her in the sports section plus one on the front page.

Many local athletes whose accomplishments exceed hers rarely get amention, let alone a picture.

Roberta Meyer
Koloa, Kauai

Aiea project will aggravate traffic

Robert Gillchrest expressed at length the problem with the approved construction project at the Kam Drive-In site in Aiea ("Council encouraging the ruin of Honolulu," Star-Advertiser, Letters, April 20). His comments were well said.

The City Council apparently doesn’t understand, or chooses to ignore, that traffic at the intersection of Kaonohi Street and Moanalua Road is already saturated, because drivers who live up Kaahumanu Street and in upper Pearl City use those roads to avoid the constant traffic jams on the freeway.

After 3 p.m. both Kamehameha Highway and Moanalua Road are backed up for miles. This proposed construction will destroy the lives of many in the area.

There are plenty of affordable apartments in the many high-rises on Koauka Loop less than three blocks away, and in the many low-rise rental units abutting the drive-in and along Kamehameha Highway.

Local citizens have strongly agitated against the construction, including more than 1,200 people who signed a petition.

Bob Heidrich
Aiea

Cut profit motive for copper thieves

Every other day it seems that there’s a new report of copper being stolen ("Many copper thieves get away scot-free," Star-Advertiser, April 19).

Having endured two years of driving H-2 with no street lamps because of copper thieves, I am grateful that it is finally repaired — but for how long? My proposal is instead of paying $2 per pound, the scrap metal shops should voluntarily pay only 25 cents a pound, thereby not making it a fiscally sound enterprise for these hooligans.

The shops who don’t could bear closer scrutiny by the law and possibly reduce the monitoring to just those few.

Greg Mau
Makiki

Teaching to the test is wrong emphasis

The commentary written by Danielle Douglass seems to confirm that despite committed, good teachers, the strategy of throwing increasing amounts of money at the problem is not working ("Testing and mandates replace creative learning in schools," Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, April 24).

The strategy of preparing children to take tests somehow sounds artificial and expedient, when compared to preparing them to be the future leaders of our communities.

Passing tests has the highest priority only because we allow it to take precedence over character, independent thinking and the love of learning.

Are we in effect voting for those with quick answers rather than for independent-thinking problem-solvers to raise our children, lead our companies and make our laws in the next generation?

One symptom of the problem is that people like Douglass do not have a voice until they resign. Another could be that "free" federal funding actually comes at a very high price.

Jon Matsuo
Hawaii Loa Ridge

Use bus ad revenue to shelter homeless

I still do not understand the opposition to TheBus ads ("City bus ads just not worth it," Star-Advertiser, Our View, April 28).

I see tourist buses all over Honolulu with ads on them. What is wrong with the City Council? Ads on buses will bring in some dollars so hopefully the city will not have to increase our property taxes.

If ads make the city look like Los Angeles or New York, who cares? The beauty of Hawaii is destroyed far more by new high-rises — which the Council approves so the city will get more tax revenue — and by the homeless all over Honolulu.

The Council should wake up and do something about the homeless. Build shelters and make it illegal for people to sleep anywhere in public places in Honolulu at night.

Why not use the TheBus ad revenue to build the homeless shelters?

Toby Allen
Kaimuki