‘Ige’ the new word for improbable wins

The election ushered in the new slang word "Ige" into Hawaii’s dictionary.

If a supposedly vastly inferior competitor completely crushes his supposedly vastly superior opponent in spectacularly humiliating fashion — you now say he "Ige’d" him. Or he pulled an "Ige."

If lowly University of Hawaii smashes powerhouse Washington this month it will be an Ige. Any UH football win this season could be loosely called an Ige. If you upset your regular golf buddy who normally humiliates you each week, you can say you finally Ige’d him.

This election Ige has renewed my faith in Hawaii elections — money and special interests do not yet have absolute control of local politics (absolute hatred of someone’s personality apparently is a close second).

Maybe Hawaii voters can still pull an Ige and get out of being last place in voter turnout, which is why money and special interests have so much power here.

Leighton Loo
Kaimuki

Special interests cost Abercrombie election

It is fervently hoped that our soon-to-be ex-governor understands the election. With all due respect to state Sen. David Ige — and he will probably make a good governor — it was not that 67 percent really liked him.

It was an ABA election, Anybody but Abercrombie. Why?

Some time ago, a very successful California politician said, "If you can’t drink their booze, take their money, entertain their women and then vote against ’em, you don’t belong in politics."

Our governor failed miserably. As soon as the first million from greedy mainland developers flowed into his pockets, he caved in. Never mind Manhattan-style skyscrapers. His Hawaii Community Development Authority accepted anything.

Abercrombie should have nipped Hoopili in the bud. Sustainability does not mean greenery on the Capitol roof; it means no concrete on the best farmland.

I do wish him well. He has enough money to live comfortably.

Gerhard C. Hamm
Waialae Iki

New prosecutor for another Deedy trial

Although I attended none of the Christopher Deedy trial proceedings, I’ve seen enough to voice my disappointment with his murder acquittal ("Deedy not guilty of murder," Star-Advertiser, Aug. 15).

To me, he obviously showed culpability when he went out drinking while carrying a loaded gun.

It is also obvious to me that Deputy Prosecutor Janice Futa should not have been given a second chance at Deedy’s conviction. If you are unsuccessful, it is unwise to do the same thing another time and expect a different result.

Apparently, Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro wants to try the case again on a lesser charge. I approve of this only if a better deputy prosecutor is given the task. If you do the same thing three times hoping for a different result, you deserve to fail.

Stuart N. TabaManoa

Airplane banners pollute isle’s beauty

Who are these clowns with the airplane and banner?

First, they disobey our laws. Second, they ignore our citations. Third, they ridicule our government officials for spending so much time on something they think is unimportant.

They shouldn’t be here because they have no aloha spirit. Their marketing strategy is to taunt and insult the very people they hope to placate with their advertising messages. I, for one, am glad that our government officials are spending so much time on something that is extremely important. We have beautiful clouds, clear blue skies, rain, rainbows and sunsets.

I have seen beautiful parts of the United States destroyed with every business trying to out-advertise each other until it is just ridiculous.

We don’t want that kind of advertising pollution here, and once we let one business get away with it, others will follow the flood, and then we have lost control of our visual environment.

Richard Elstner
Downtown

Bicycles should keep to side of the road

If there’s a bicycle lane, use it. If there is no bicycle lane, stay to the side of the curb. Every day I see bicycle riders trying to hog the road. I’m a bicycle rider and a car driver — what I’m saying is, use common sense.

Patrick Carvalho
McCully

‘Residential A’ rate unfair to homeowner

I first owned my property with my parents. In 2006, Ibecame the sole owner of this property.

Because my parents were over 65 years old, we had a real property exemption amount of $120,000. When this property was turned over to me, I was not aware that I qualified for an exemption for being a property owner under the age of 65.

I realized this year that I qualified for a real property exemption and immediately filled out the required forms and mailed them to the real property office in March. However, Iwas informed that I would not qualify for the exemption this year, but will qualify for 2015.

In the meantime, I received my real property tax bill due Aug. 20, 2014, for $3,897.60. My previous bill was $2,082.15 in February 2014. This is almost twice the amount Ipreviously paid.

This is because of the new "Residential A" rate that took effect this year for homes valued at $1 million or more and not occupied by owners.

However, I am an owner of this house and property, and have been since 2000. Ihave paid more than my fair share of real property taxes since 2006 since Iwas not aware of the exemption Iwas entitled to.

As an owner/occupant of this property, this is not an investment property and never has been.

Lois Sullivan
Kuliouou

Herbicides cause runoff into ocean

Over the last six years, I have noticed that after heavy rains, the ocean on the North Shore becomes more brown from runoff.

It seems the farming practices on the pineapple fields and GMO corn fields include the widespread use of herbicides that have left large areas of previously vegetated land now bare to the red dirt.

Even along Kamehameha Highway, nearly to the edge of the road, it appears the use of herbicides has stripped the soil bare of vegetation. This poor land management practice appears to be harming our waters and offshore reefs and will impact tourist impressions of our once-blue waters.

For the farmers, please stop your soil from polluting the oceans.

Casey Cummings
Haleiwa

Crews do good work repaving city streets

Amid the gloom and doom of late, let me tell of one thing that really works — the folks who are repaving our city’s streets.

Our little street has been visited by different crews jackhammering, grinding up the pavement in a dinosaur-like machine, trucking it away, steamrolling, putting down the new tar, smoothing it all out, jackhammering again to get to the water mains, concreting in the mains, and finally repaving the area around the manhole cover.

Fast, efficient, friendly, no horsing around — and all in this heat and noise and dust and dirt!

These guys are good and deserve our thanks.

David Larsen
Waialae Nui

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.

“Ige triumphs,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 10:
>> Neil showed us a compassionate side of himself that some of us were not aware of.
>> I couldn’t vote for somebody who said they were important and not my friend.
>> WOW. Guess I’m voting for Duke now. Ige seems like a nice guy but he is the EXACT same as Neil, a Dem who has been in power for over three decades.
———
“U.S. Senate too close to call,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 10:
>> In two years, 2016, we’ll go through this again between Schatz, Hanabusa and Tulsi Gabbard. I’ll vote for Tulsi.
>> Sen. Inouye was a great representative of this state but by no means does he get to decide who replaces him.
———
“Tsutsui handily overcomes Hee’s challenge,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 10:
>> Shan is a very good and decent man. He and Gov. Ige will save our state from religionists such as theocrat Aiona and LDS-controlled Hannemann.
>> I’m sad people let their emotions rule. Clearly, Clayton was the most intelligent and qualified candidate, and he had a stated agenda of transforming the lieutenant governor’s office into something practical.
———
“Takai triumphant over Kim, 5 others; will face Djou,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 10:
>> I think (Donna Mercado Kim’s) refusal to participate in forums unless the questions were given ahead of time, and her lack of knowledge of national issues,  showed her inadequacies.
>> Congratulations, Mark! Will support you 100 percent in the general election. Imua!
———
“All eyes on Puna,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 11:
>> This could have been the rest of us. So sorry for Puna. Some of us don’t really appreciate how lucky we are.
>> A real tropical Wild West.
>> We are all in total support for getting Puna’s residents all the help they need to get the area back to normal. They are a tough, independent sort and I know if any people can get back on their feet, they will!
———
“Invasive tree is declared the enemy after storm,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 12:
>> Albizia trees are a major problem on Oahu and it’s only getting worse. Yes they are all over central Oahu and if you look, they are getting started in windward Oahu.
———
“NCAA probe reportedly centers on iPad,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 13:
>> Sadly, the UH is trying to move out of small-time sports to the big times with its big money, debt and scandal. UH’s mission is to educate, not to entertain the public.
>> These kinds of things go on with the big schools and the NCAA does nothing. UH is a small fish in the pond and gets the third degree.
———
“Hanabusa wants voting delayed,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 13:
>> Hawaii has in place the real answer to situations like this: Vote early. I saw the storms coming and I voted early.
>> Hanabusa has a right, as do we all, to see that the voters in Puna get a fair chance to cast them.
———
“City Council passes tax compromise plan,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 14:
>> This whole property tax issue needs to be looked at. Hawaii needs something like California’s Prop 13. If you have a house for decades with no intention of selling, your house should not be the same value as the guy next door who just bought his home.
>> Gimme a break. Hawaii has the lowest property taxes in the nation.
———
“Deedy not guilty of murder,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 15:
>> While Deedy may not have been found guilty of murder, he definitely is guilty of showing extremely poor judgment and should not be in law enforcement.
>> Judge Ahn needs to find another profession. Grasping at straws over and over to find a different verdict would not be justice.
>> Time to drop this and move on. I don’t like my tax dollars being blown this way.
———
“Rail project faces huge cost overruns,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 15:
>> They used to estimate that the city budget will have to take on about $100 million per year to operate the rail. I wonder how much it will really be.
>> The positive side is now our economy is booming and the receipts from the rail GE tax surcharge will pick up.