HECO plan will ensure its profits

HECO has come up with a new plan that sounds more like a way to discourage private photovoltaic (PV) installations and effectively raise rates.

» Step 1: Promise (someday) a 20 percent reduction in electric rates.

For its mythical average customer using 600 kilowatt hours a month, that would be a savings of around $42 monthly.

» Step 2: More than quadruple the minimum monthly charge to people with PV from $17 a month to $71 a month, a $54 monthly hike.

» Step 3: Charge a one-time interconnection fee of an undisclosed amount for each PV installation.

» Step 4: Reduce the credit for electricity supplied by customers’ PV installations in half (from the retail rate of about 35 cents per kWh to 17 cents per kWh).

Result: More profit for HECO.

Battery backed-up, off-grid installations will become more attractive, and HECO’s customer base will decrease even further.

Result: Less reliable grid.

Bob Gould
Kaneohe

Lack of housing is the problem

Honolulu City Council member Ikaika Anderson is way off the mark in proposing ordinances targeting homeless people forced to live on sidewalks.

The proposals would make it illegal for anyone to sit or lay on sidewalks in retail areas such as Waikiki.

Defecation and urination on sidewalks also would be criminalized.

It is understandable that such use of sidewalks is obnoxious to the general public and to businesses. But it seems our elected public servants should focus more on solving the problem of homelessness rather than persecuting and punishing the victims.

These officials pass laws, and our police conduct sweeping actions that just move the homeless from one area to another. This is inane and inhumane.

Why not build affordable housing? No affordable or low-income public housing has been built for decades.

It is about time we focus on housing needs and stop relocating and criminalizing the victims of our high-priced, profit-driven housing market.

John Witeck
Kamehameha Heights

Homeless issue can’t be ignored

There is a reality that needs to be urgently addressed: the homeless situation. This population has swelled to unprecedented levels.

Beaches and seafront promenades — much sought-after attractions for visitors — have become the place of choice for the homeless to set up camp.

It is a serious problem that must be solved for the sake of the homeless and for our tourism industry.

It is heartbreaking to see so many people and families camping on the beaches and roaming the streets of Waikiki. But it is also a deterrent for visitors coming to Hawaii in search of tranquility and who provide much needed income for the state.

A decline in visitors will lead to a loss of revenue, then a loss of jobs.

Loss of jobs could mean an increase in the homeless population.

It’s a vicious cycle that can no longer be ignored. A solution must be found. Burying our heads in the sand can only aggravate the situation and create a bigger problem down the road.

Franco Mancassola
Hawaii Kai

Social priorities are all skewed

What’s wrong with our society?

Hawaii has become a two-classes society: the rich who live in a million-dollar house or condo, and the poor who are one paycheck away from being on the street.

A quarter of our population is on food stamps. I have tried to buy foods at the food bank, but unless you belong to a religious organization or an organization helping the poor, you will be turned away. That is why many seniors are staying hungry.

Our education institutions are a sham. We are paying a million dollars for a football coach who cannot win a game.

Wake up, Hawaii!

Yolan Garrett Chan
Kaimuki