Hawaii killing goose that lays golden egg

Bums on the streets in Waikiki pooping and peeing at will and the city doesn’t care.

Instead of taking action, let’s study it a few more years.

Haunama Bay is falling apart a few short years after expensive renovation, and no one cares about maintenance, even though there is surplus gate revenue designed to cover it.

Gridlock is getting worse throughout core Honolulu and so let’s develop Kakaako!

Remember a few years ago, when the whole idea of the train was to allow development of the Ewa Plain to alleviate the pressure on Waikiki and urban Hono-lulu?

Who are we kidding, exactly?

Is Oahu really a tourist destination? We certainly don’t manage it like one.

We’re killing the goose that lays the golden egg and no one cares.

Michael O’Hara
Kaneohe

Political elite bear blame for rail costs

Thanks to David Shapiro for his excellent column ("Rush by city, not lawsuits, to blame for rail’s expense," Star-Advertiser, Volcanic Ash, Aug. 24).

I am reminded of a Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation meeting my husband, Cliff Slater, and I attended, at which Cliff had the financial plan that he had gone over thoroughly.

He said, "I have here the financial plan for the project, and have identified several areas which I think will be problematic. I would be happy to discuss this at any time."

The board was silent, until board member Don Horner replied, "Great, Cliff, let’s have lunch at Zippy’s and you can pay."

The lunch never happened, and the rest is history. No one was interested in discussions on cost analysis.

Years before, Joe Uno, a construction cost analyst who has worked extensively in Hawaii, offered the City Council his help analyzing the costs, on a pro bono basis.

He was dismissed without so much as a thank you.

Again, no one was interested in cost analysis.

The blame for this disaster runs deep in Honolulu’s political elite.

Bobbie Slater
Pacific Heights

Rail an example of ‘bait and switch’

It’s a case of "bait and switch," a technique often used by hucksters.

The way it works is that a customer is attracted by the advertised low price of a product, only to find out that it is not available. The huckster then leads the customer to purchase a similar, but higher-priced alternative.

That’s what’s happened with Honolulu’s rail project.

» Recently we found out that the final cost of rail will likely go way over budget.

» Rail has created jobs for only a fraction of local workers that it said it would.

» Many passengers will have to stand during the ride instead of being able to sit comfortably.

» Rail cars will arrive only half as often as originally planned.

» Ultimately, rail will be more expensive and not as good as advertised.

Too late, the purchase has already been made.

Unfortunately, the Lemon Law doesn’t apply to trains.

John Kawamoto
Kaimuki

More can be done to help environment

My wife and I had the pleasure of visiting Oahu for three weeks in July.

We stayed at a rented apartment in Kailua.

Oahu is beautiful and mostly clean and well kept. The people we met from one end of the island to the other were very friendly and helpful.

I did note with concern a lack of environmental awareness, though. Although you have large green bins for yard waste, there does not seem to be much composting of food scraps, a simple way to reduce your garbage by 30 percent.

It seems many people idle their cars and trucks for very extended periods of time. Some are left idling simply to keep them cool. This adds to the overall air pollution we all have to live with.

Finally, the remaining bunker oil should be pumped from the hold of the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor. The hold continues to rot away and eventually, a massive amount of oil will pollute the water.

Brad Abernethy
King, Ontario, Canada

Crackdown needed on vehicle vandals

A parked car on any street today is an invitation for a break-in. Even cars in designated residential lots are being vandalized and trashed.

The damage from vandalized autos costs owners millions because of insurance deductibles, while the abuse to their sense of peace and well-being can exceed the physical damage.

Parents who feed and nurture their relatives so they can forage a life of crime at night should also be held accountable.

The typical reaction of "excessive force" will now again be raised by both the family and their lawyers, with the vocal minority echoing those sentiments.

But I applaud police enforcement with the kind of response needed to deter the ever-growing number of vandalism.

Lawrence Makishima
Pearl City

Abercrombie ouster good starting point

During my 28 years in Hawaii, the issues have basically remained the same — poor schools, terrible roads, high taxes, high cost of living and homelessness.

Throughout that period, our citizens have largely voted for the same party and the same politicians, over and over again.

In that light, it was stunning that our incumbent governor, Neil Abercrombie, lost his primary election to David Ige by 2 to 1.

Some might say it was a fluke, an aberration, or an epiphany.

I say it’s a good start.

Rhoads Stevens
Hawaii Kai