Apple sabotaged by special interests

Let’s recap recent history.

University of Hawaii-Manoa basketball coach Gib Arnold will earn $344,000 per year in spite of an ongoing NCAA investigation and a conference record that is barely even.

Football coach Norm Chow has a 4-20 win/loss ratio and continues to hemorrhage money with a large budget and staff.

Cancer Center Director Michele Carbone receives a record number of faculty complaints (25), yet still remains.

UH President David Lassner initially did not plan to apply for his position, nor did he appear eligible to do so, yet he chooses to terminate UH-Manoa Chancellor Tom Apple.

Apple was dealt the Wonder Blunder at the time of his hiring, faced diminished federal and state funds, tried (twice, unsuccessfully) to fire Carbone and decrease funding of the UH medical school and UH athletics.

Yet Apple’s real failure was to put the success of the campus, and its undergraduate students, ahead of special interests such as those mentioned above.

Matthew C. Tuthill
Assistant professor, molecular biology and microbiology
Kapiolani Community College

Hawaii needs to cap property-tax growth

Regarding all the outcries shocked homeowners expressed with their new tax bills: Wake up, Hawaii!Property taxes never go down, only up.

Many years ago, California passed Proposition 13 for the purpose of setting a limit on how much property taxes could increase each year.

Maybe Hawaii’s voters ought to think about a similar proposition on the next ballot. Or at least register for the homeowner’s exemption to which they are entitled.

Sue White
Waialua

Tax may force sales of kamaaina homes

I am a caretaker of a 70-year-old unimproved East Oahu residence that is not and never has been rented.

The owner inherited this home from deceased parents who wanted him to return and live in this home after retirement in California. It was his parents’ wish that the property stay in the family. Because the city almost tripled his already-inflated property tax by creating a new tax category, he might be compelled to sell the property.

There must be other citizens targeted by this scheme to raise revenue because they are a minority vote or cannot vote in Hawaii.

Ken Tenn Sr.
Hawaii Kai

New property tax affects rental units

Kudos to Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi fordistinguishing thedifference between homeowners who have lived in their properties and those just buying.

The man who just bought a $1 million-plus home should pay a higher taxon a recent purchase. An assessment system based onpurchase prices would be fairer. Simply increase the annual assessment of other propertiesbyan index amount.

A caveat could be thatrefinances to a higheramount could trigger a reassessment.

Unfortunately, we still penalizeinvestment real estate, the properties in which many lower- and middle-income families live.

The tax burden isplaced on those who can least afford it.A system based on original purchase price and placing a highertax burden onproperties with $1 million-plus purchase prices would not affect the non-luxury tenants.

Rick Conroy
Manager, McCandless Honolulu

Council members fail on homeless issue

Your editorial urging the City Council to pass a "sit-lie" bill to ban chronic sitting and lying on public sidewalks in Waikiki is welcome to those of us in Waikiki who deal with this issue on a daily basis ("Limited sit-lie bill better than nothing," Star-Advertiser, Our View, July 28).

The failure of the Council to act decisively means that our public spaces are dirtier, less safe and less welcoming for visitor and residents alike.

It is astonishing that these elected officials are more concerned about the "rights" of panhandlers, vagrants and transients than they are about protecting the quality of life for the 32,000 of us who call Waikiki our home.

Janet Grace
Member, Waikiki Neighborhood Board

Abercrombie bought by rich developers

Gov. Neil Abercrombie cracked that "it is hard for me to understand why he (Ige) doesn’t want to stay in the Legislature."He joked that he would be happy to think about finding "a position for him in our next administration."

Abercrombie is so sure his cocky and arrogant statements wouldn’t anger ordinary hard-working taxpayers like myself.

Well, this taxpayer is offended knowing he will continue spending our tax dollars on special interests, particularly those rich developers building the ugly condominiums in Kakaako.I question who gave Abercrombie the $5 million for his campaign.Will the donors be getting a piece of the action?

Those units will be for high-end buyers from outside Hawaii.Only 20 percent is designated as affordable units that will have no buy-back clause. It is open for speculators to make a quick re-sale for a fat fast profit at the expense of thosewho really need a long-term affordable unit.

Jane Nishiguchi
Pearl City

GOP chief culprit in halting progress

I see that the GOP in the U.S. House of Representatives has now given itself permission to sue or even impeach the president.

As usual, they prefer wasting precious taxpayer money on pointless rhetoric and stalemate behavior instead of helping the country.

At least they finally realized that their earlier frenzy to cut the budget (unlike in the Reagan or Bush years, when spending was out of control) has seriously hampered the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs from being able to help veterans.

Yet they criticize the president for not doing enough about the immigration "crisis" without providing him with adequate funding to do so, and they tirelessly try to undo the Affordable Care Act, which now has 10 million people enrolled.

And they themselves receive at least $175,000 of our money each year and free medical care.

David Chappell
Kaneohe

‘Corporate inversion’ burdens taxpayers

It’s time President Barack Obama turned the spotlight on"corporate inversion," a tax-dodging scheme used by U.S. corporations ("Obama pushes Congress to curb costly inversions," Star Advertiser, July 25).

Corporate inversion is a loophole that allows U.S. corporations to avoid paying taxes when they merge with foreign companies and change their corporate address to a foreign country to give the appearance that their U.S. operations are now owned by these companies, which is untrue.

This practice deprives the U.S. Treasury of billions of dollars that could have been used to support programs that benefit the working class, such as fixing infrastructure.

While exploiting this loophole, they continue to receive federal contracts.

Congress needs to close the loophole and end this outrageous practice, because the average American taxpayers will ultimately shoulder the burden of making up the lost revenues caused by"corporate deserters."

Rod B. Catiggay
Mililani

FROM THE FORUM

Readers of the Star-Advertiser’s online edition can respond to stories posted there. The following are some of those. Instead of names, pseudonyms are generally used online. They have been removed.

“Property valuations by city spur disbelief, derision,” Star-Advertiser, July 28:

>> It’s called regular inflation and the capitalistic laws of supply and demand. This is an island, so supply is always going to be tight, unless there’s a huge resident departure — talking in the 100,000 range — from the island. However, the reality is that people are not leaving at that high a rate and more wealthy folks are buying second homes here, further driving demand up and supply down. When that happens, prices continue to rise. It’s not rocket science.

>> After living at the same house for 35 years, Mr. Wai should inquire with the city as to how his house could qualify as a “historical house.” The mayor did have his house declared a “historical house” and he was paying $300 property tax annually.

———

“Seat belts used in TV ad, governor’s campaign says,” Star-Advertiser, July 28:

>> Some people are just too young to remember cars without shoulder harnesses. LOL. Now I feel old.

>> I’m glad to know the governor has his old job waiting. He’ll need it.

>> Can’t pictures be taken after the fact?

>> Probably a fake question submitted by the governor’s staff to get more attention to his ridiculous commercial.

———

“Apple wants to stick around to fix budget, help students,” Star-Advertiser, July 29:

>> Sounds like some professors are crying like little babies that didn’t get their candy. University of Hawaii Chancellor Tom Apple doesn’t determine the funding; the lLgislature (budget appropriation) and the Board of Regents (tuition rates) do. So if there’s less money, he’s going to have to cut someone’s budget.

>> Usually, people are removed from positions when there is identifiable wrong-

doing. Most of public is wondering what in the heck is going on. Could someone please summarize the allegations here?

———

“Diabetes report stresses exercise,” Star-Advertiser, July 30:

>> Wow. Eating healthy and exercise is the key? Who else knows about this groundbreaking theory?

>> What? Beef stew or hamburger steak without mac salad just ain’t right!

———

“UH leader regrets how Apple situation has played out,” Star-Advertiser, July 30:

>> This situation is ludicrous. It couldn’t have been handled worse, unless some juicy criminal assault-type conduct was included. Now, what’s University of Hawaii President David Lassner doing? Admitting a violation of Chancellor Tom Apple’s privacy rights and sideways confirming his hope of firing Apple, thereby exacerbating the harm? Ridiculous.

>> The problem is UH administrators and ranking facility who like to leak information when it suits their interest.

———

“Final debates cover taxes, style,” Star-Advertiser, July 30:

>> Well, another debate with the same results. A fiery Neil Abercrombie expounding the tough decision made to right a sinking ship and a somewhat subdued David Ige being allowed to make general promises without detailed solutions.

>> The ship isn’t righted. We’re still 49th in terms of attractiveness to business development (unless you’re a mega-corporation that wants to pave the entire island) and our debt load/fiscal sustainability is among the worst in the nation.

>> It is a shame both Democratic candidates are weak on freedom. This is a good opportunity for the Republicans to take this issue and stand for the legalization of marijuana. They probably won’t, as they are worse than the Democrats when it comes to freedom. I guess that leaves the Libertarians. Blaise Harris, are you still around?

———

“8 child border-crossers sent to Hawaii by feds,” Star-Advertiser, July 31:

>> How much did it cost us to have them shipped here? Their relatives should have paid for it, not the government. Ridiculous.

>> It would have been cheaper to have sent them back to where they came from than to send them here. Maybe somebody should be checking on these relatives, too.

———

“Officer shoots, kills fleeing driver in Waikiki,” Star-Advertiser, July 31:

>>  Sad to say many officers overreact when someone, in their opinion, shows disrespect for the law. They pull out their gun and administer justice. Wrong answer.

>> The only serious problem is idiots who don’t comply. The pressure should be out on the stupid people and no one else. Unfortunately, there is no cure for stupid.