HECO conquers by dividing us

Hawaiian Electric Co. created a debate pitting ratepayer against rate-payer, deflecting attention from the real issues at hand.

Temperatures could increase by 2 degrees by the mid-2030s according to Rachel Kyte, World Bank Group vice president and special envoy for Climate Change. Kyte also said we could be staring at an ongoing food crisis within the next decade.

One person in five receives aid through the Hawaii Food Bank. Making matters worse, we can expect a sharp climate-induced rise in food prices due to the severe drought in California. Many will have to choose between feeding their families or paying their electric bill.

HECO and its shareholders should bear some of the burden. And HECO should be mobilizing its resources to expedite a grid with majority renewable energy to help reduce rates. We all need to make sacrifices in this era of climate change.

Dan Nakasone
Wahiawa

Have Punahou host library

What’s the big deal about the location of an Obama presidential library?

Only one place is proper and good enough: the Punahou School campus.

Where else did President Barack Obama spend his formative years on Oahu? Obama is truly "Punahou’s own" and should be honored as such with his library on his beloved campus. What the heck; Chicago can have one, too.

With all of the homeless folks invading and occupying public libraries and bathrooms, Hawaii should not give them another place to go.

Dunning Sewell
Pearlridge

NIH funding helps Hawaii

Medical research — including that being conducted here in Hawaii to address diseases more common among our population — means hope for millions of families living with disease and disability.

However, for many that hope is on hold because Congress has failed to approve funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the new fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.

The University of Hawaii’s medical school, on average, is awarded

$42 million annually for research. It’s money that flows through Hawaii’s economy through the purchase of goods and services. The medical school, in fact, is the second-highest earner of external

research dollars at UH.

The John A. Burns School of Medicine and our physicians, scientists and patients call on Congress to pass an NIH funding bill that restores the indiscriminate budget cuts enacted two years ago as part of sequestration.

The nation’s — and Hawaii’s — patients are depending on it. China, India and other countries are challenging our dominance in medical innovation by vastly increasing public funding for medical research. As a result, scientists trained in this country increasingly are looking overseas for better funding and facilities.

Jerris R. Hedges
Dean and professor of medicine,  John A. Burns School of Medicine

Palama agency looking forward

The article, "Agency plans for redevelopment," (Star-Advertiser, Sept. 14) was a great launch into Palama Settlement’s future endeavors.

The redevelopment plans for the 119-year-old agency will include the physical infrastructure that will house the important social service programs for the next generations of Kalihi-Palama residents.

In these times of robust development in urban

Honolulu, the vital programs for our keiki, teens, kupuna and families need to be carefully planned.

Palama Settlement and other agencies must remain relevant and be a

vital resource to the community so that Hawaii

residents can continue to thrive. We look forward to sharing our plans and the opportunity to highlight the importance of Palama Settlement’s presence in Kalihi-Palama.

Wendy A. Abe
Executive director, Palama Settlement

HMSA payment rates too low

Sunday’s article about doctors leaving the state for economic reasons hinted at one of the chief causes but did not state it ("Doctors say they’re being squeezed out," Star-Advertiser, Sept. 14).

Because of its virtual

monopoly in Hawaii, the Hawaii Medical Service Association arrogantly reimburses Hawaii’s doctors at rates far less than their parent company reimburses doctors in states with much lower costs of living.

This might well be a factor in keeping down insurance rates, but the tradeoff is an ever-worsening doctor shortage.

It’s time that this be understood by the public and employers. Pick your poison. You get what you pay for or lose what you don’t.

Ron Kienitz
Kailua