Shinseki handled situation well 

Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki carried himself honorably amid the circumstances, and I appreciate his public apology and acceptance of responsibility in his remarks at the 2014 National Coalition for Homeless Veterans Annual Meeting on Friday. There are very few leaders today who publicly apologize and take responsibility for their organization in the manner he did.

My comments are not intended to ignore the issues the veterans and the Department of Veterans Affairs face; much needs to be done. He was their leader and the buck stops with him.

The Veterans Affairs secretary has always had, and always will have, a tough task serving our veterans.  

I appreciate Shinseki’s leadership and service to this country. Let’s now move forward and focus on improving the quality care being delivered to our veterans. They deserve it.

Damien Mar Chong
San Bruno, Calif.

Homeless camps ruining our city

As a taxpayer who lives Downtown, I am extremely disappointed that our elected officials lack the will to solve the homeless camping squalor that extends throughout our city and county. 

No camping, period.

Our mayor says he needs laws to deal with public intoxication, vagrancy, loitering and lying down in public. 

If Mayor Kirk Caldwell were to lead the way, drafts the laws and solicits City Council and public support, we would support him. 

His inaction degrades the quality of life for locals and tourists alike. We mustn’t wait until people choose other vacation destinations.

Honolulu is not the first city to face these issues, and there is no need to re-invent the wheel.

Let’s show some creativity in covering the enforcement costs and kill two birds with one stone. 

We need systematic and sustained enforcement of our laws, combined with an increase in fines for repeat violators. 

Les Howard
Punchbowl

UH interviews served the public

To its credit, the University of Hawaii Board of Regents held interviews with the two candidates for president in a public forum ("Watch UH regents interview Lassner, Wiercinski," Star-Advertiser, Off the News, May 27).

Their effort to inform the public might have been more effective if they had held the interviews in a neutral location instead of the Information Technology Center, broadcast them on PBS or Olelo, and streamed them live. Any cost could have covered the funds they saved by not hiring a professional executive search firm.

Elizabeth Corbin
Kaneohe

Offer June Jones UH presidency?

Youngstown State University in Ohio is bringing back its old football coach, Jim Tressel, to be college president. 

Perhaps the UH regents might do something similar to get themselves out of their current hiring pickle. 

They need someone with local bona fides and yet with enough mainland chops so they don’t look too provincial. 

Time to put in a call to June Jones?

Rob Vaughan
Kaneohe

Evening traffic on H-1 is absurd

For the past couple of years, I’ve been commuting from town to the North Shore between the hours of 7 and 9:30 p.m. The traffic I face is enough to drive anyone insane. 

I can’t comprehend why the state Department of Transportation starts closing H-1 soon after 7 p.m. Rush-hour traffic is not even over and its workers are coning off four westbound lanes. The result is a parking lot where a highway should be.  

A four-minute stretch becomes a 30-minute stretch, or longer. Do any of the powers that be have an inkling of what is going on here? 

It would be one thing if it went on for a week, or a few weeks, but it’s been going on for years now. 

Who is the genius who came up with this plan?

Sara Ackerman
Haleiwa

Win more games to cut UH deficit

The solution to our University of Hawaii football financial deficit is simple: Win more games, which would fill seats and increase other sales. The football financial deficit would disappear.

Timothy Fern
Kaneohe