Lingle predicted rail cost overruns

The bids to construct the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation’s first nine stations exceeded the budgeted amount by more than $100 million. Surprising? Hardly. If future bids exceed budget by a similar 50 percent amount, a system forecast to cost $5-plus billion will cost $7.5-plus billion.

This is precisely what was forecast by a study commissioned by the Lingle administration, but dismissed as propaganda by HART supporters. Presumably the prior experience of HART’s executive director in managing Boston’s "Big Dig," a public-works project beset by massive problems, would have taught him to expect multiple legal challenges and a "volatile" construction market.

Perhaps the time has come for public officials to accept responsibility for what many thinking Hawaii residents always knew: Powerful interests were commited to the rail transit proposal, irrespective of its costs or long-term economic viability.

Sadly for Hawaii’s taxpayers, we all will pay for this mega-mistake long after the politicians who approved it are gone.

David L. Mulliken
Diamond Head

Ige, Abercrombie cut from same cloth

In response to Leighton Loo ("‘Ige’ the new word for improbable wins,’" Star-Advertiser, Letters, Aug. 17), I submit there was barely a hair’s width of difference between the policies being offered by state Sen. David Ige and Gov. Neil Abercrombie. It all came down to a difference in style.

Both are entrenched Democratic party ideologues, and we can expect no real change no matter which of the two prevailed in the primary election. So why not "Ige" Ige and vote for James "Duke" Aiona? Choose a new way for Hawaii: fewer regulations and fees for small businesses, improved economy and schools, less assault on civil liberties and better health care options and delivery. Hawaii sorely needs a two-party system.

Michelle Kerr
Waikoloa

State should adopt voting by mail

Hawaii should move to a system of voting by mail. This seems like common sense for a state where people are very busy, are often unable to get off work, don’t like standing in lines or don’t want to risk missing voting because of weather or some other unforeseen problem.

Mail voting creates a paper record, so your vote can’t be lost by some computer or electronic glitch; the paper ballot can always be found and recounted. Voting by mail seems like an easy, secure, reliable and cost-and-labor-saving improvement to moving electronic voting machines around and staffing voting centers.

Garnett Howard
Ewa Beach

Election decisions unfair to Puna

Living on Oahu, I feel for the residents of Puna in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Iselle. Many of the residents in Precincts 1 and 2 lack electricity, mail delivery and basic everyday comforts. The state did a horrible job handling the voting issue. Legal and fair election? What a joke.

Residents would have voted under normal conditions, but because of the misery caused by the storm have other priorities. It wasn’t fair for the residents and candidates. The state needed to come up with a better plan.

Let’s take care of the good people of Puna.

Larry Tamashiro
Downtown Honolulu

Choose candidates who support aina

Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s defeat reveals deep-seated frustration with local and national policies that support short-sighted exploitation and industrial overdevelopment. Although the non-GMO political candidates did not excel in the primary election, no one can dispute that Hawaii is ill-prepared to provide enough locally grown food to sustain us even in a one-month crisis. With most of our food imported, how would we survive, seeing how Puna residents have been affected by the storm?

At present, our precious pure land and resources are being manipulated to grow seed corn and cash crops for corporate export and to maintain golf course resorts and military bases.

Now is the time to vote for lesser-known candidates who stand for food farms, common sense and a vision for the future. Pro-aina candidates can prove that we must do things differently soon and be self-sufficient and set for any encompassing global or financial shutdown. These islands are more vulnerable than we dare think.

Melissa Yee
Makiki

No animal deserves to live in a circus

What we should learn from the murder of Tyke the elephant is that no animal deserves the rigor, boredom and outright cruelty of circus life ("We turned and ran," Star-Advertiser, Aug. 17). This, of course, won’t happen until people boycott circuses, aquaria and zoos.

Wayne Johnson
Waikiki

Care about animals, not the audience

While efforts to keep wild animals out of circuses are laudable, the primary concern seems to be with potential harm done to people and things. The fact that this is "just an accident waiting to happen" is not the reason we should ban animal performances. Animal welfare should be our primary concern.

Gerrit Osborne
Waialae Iki

Tyke’s anniversary not newsworthy

A 3-inch-tall headline and a large photo of a dead animal. An event that happened 20 years ago. Really?

Must have been a slow news day for the Star-Advertiser. How about digging a little (but not 20 years deep) and report something uplifting, positive or at the very least newsworthy?

Sue Laufer
Kailua