Solar payoff takes more than 2-3 years

Solar pays for itself in two to three years?

In what universe does Hawaiian Electric Co. President Dick Rosenblum live ("Customers won’t feel new rates, HECO says," Star-Advertiser, Aug. 29)?

Not even the most aggressive solar company will promise you that. Anyone knows it takes five to six years to pay it off, even with thetax break.

What other exaggerationsis he making? But what does he care? He’s retiring soon.

And let’s see: HECO will buy my kilowatt hours at half price, in addition to charging me even more each month.

While we’re at it, let’s charge for recycling, to cover the trash costs for people who don’t recycle.

Chargemore for saving water, charge more for growing your own veggies, and banks should charge more for people who have savings accounts — to help the people who can’t do it themselves.

Diana Lantow
Kailua

Why is HPOWER operating for profit?

It’s curious how our local government demands a plan to lower electricity costs from Hawaiian Electric Co. while it operates three power-generating units for profit.

Who paid for the construction of these units? Who pays for the collection of opala that in turn fuels these units?Who pays for the end product?

Maybe HPOWER should be operated as a nonprofit government service to lower the cost of living here and for a better life in general.

The electricity should be put on the grid for all Oahu residents to use and a tax credit be shared by all state residents who footed any costs associated with the construction of HPOWER.

How did the goal of taking care of the trash become a money maker? How can fingers be pointed solely at HECO?

Brad Miller
Kaneohe

Memo author right about annexation

Regarding the Aug. 24 front-page story, "Memo implies nation effort leads to war crimes":

All the state "pooh-poohers" have to do to refute Keanu Sai’s memo is show that the United States followed proper procedures to lawfully acquire the Hawaiian islands.

That should be pretty simple. Just show us a duly-executed treaty of annexation.

What? There is none?

Oh wait! Yes, there is one, cast in bronze in the hand of the statue of William McKinley in front of McKinley High School.

But, other than that fanciful artistic rendering, no real treaty of annexation exists. No jurisdiction transferred.

No annexation, no Territory of Hawaii. No Territory of Hawaii, no state of Hawaii.

If anyone at the Star-Advertiser would bother to do a little research, if they honestly examined the facts, they would see that in all its blustering and "pooh-poohing," the state of Hawaii has never produced concrete proof that it has lawful jurisdiction in the Hawaiian Islands.

Dr. Sai is right.

Leon Siu
Aiea

Shootings need independent probe

According to newspaper accounts, a Honolulu police lieutenant on his way to work notices "a stolen car" at the 7-Eleven store with the driver sitting in the vehicle ("Suspect in car that hit officer is charged," Star-Advertiser, Aug. 24).

He draws his gun and approaches the alleged stolen vehicle on foot from the open driver- side door.

The driver of the vehicle reverses and flees, causing the gun to go off "accidentally."

As an ex-police detective with the Honolulu Police Department, I have been taught that in order to draw your gun, you must be in immediate fear for your life.

Police charged Derek Torres with several criminal offenses, but not for stealing a vehicle. Why not? Could it be that the police lieutenant’s drawn gun frightened the suspect into fleeing? Something stinks.

Perhaps an outside agency should be called upon to investigate HPD police shootings rather than the usual in-house investigations by HPD and the city Prosecutor’s Office.

Only then can justice be served.

Tony Gonzalez
Makaha

Wage floor causes unemployment

A recent letter stated that an increase in the minimum wage will lead to inflation ("Wage increases lead to inflation," Star-Advertiser, Aug. 23).

Not mentioned was that increasing the minimum wage also will result in fewer jobs — higher unemployment as employers cut back to meet payroll costs — and slow economic growth.

I have a suggestion: Rather than raising the minimum wage, how about reducing the minimum wage to, say, $5 per hour, or even $2 per hour. Actually, why not reduce it to what it was when I first worked in the 1950s: 75 cents per hour?

Rusl T. Bjork
Koloa, Kauai

Green Harvest lead to crazy meth era

I read the Aug. 26 article, "Medical marijuana could help counter painkiller deaths," with great interest, especially the last sentence about how people "may never start opioid medication use if they are able to get pain relief from medical marijuana."

I remember the days of Green Harvest, the federal marijuana eradication program that was highly successful in Hawaii.

People went to jail, lost their homes and switched from smoking pot to snorting and/or shooting up crystal methamphetamine.

We traded mellow, stoned-out hippies for sick, psychotic thieves and murderers who might never have begun using meth if they had retained their access to marijuana.

John Wythe White
Haleiwa