We can control vacation rentals

I completely agree with Sunday’s editorial ("Time to craft new vacation rental policies," Star-Advertiser, Our View, Jan. 4) urging a revised short-term rental law. It’s very bad public policy to have a law that is so widely and obviously flouted.

But I disagree with the claim that "technology has made it all but impossible for the city to enforce the ban." Cities, states and even whole countries have successfully imposed regulation, including outright bans, on Web-based services like Airbnb, HomeAway and Uber.

In 2011, the city Department of Planning and Permitting proposed requiring ads for short-term rentals to include their permit number (which most of them don’t have).

The uproar from rentals that would have been cut off from their primary source of customers indicated that such regulation would have been very effective in controlling illegal vacation rentals.

So we can certainly control it. The question is what the limits should be, not whether we can impose any.

Beau Sheil
Haleiwa

Being green just about money?

Kudos to writer Allison Schaefers for her research and articles on illegal vacation rentals ("Property owners skirt the law," Star-Advertiser, Dec. 31).

A few items that I feel need more attention:

» Oahu’s North Shore has cesspools and septic systems designed and permitted for single-family residences. Adding many thousands of daily illegal renters contributing their waste to these limited-capacity facilities is a pollution disaster waiting to happen. Remember "Save North Shore Reefs" associated with planned development? Does now being green only mean "greenbacks"?

» More attention needs to be given to "illegal." How do I know which laws I need to honor, and which laws I can ignore?

» Current enforcement is curtailed by a totally broken system with ridiculous enforcement restrictions that need to be changed now. This has nothing to do with the current city Department of Planning and Permitting staff and staff size, as some profess.

Michael Farrell
Haleiwa

More vehicles emitting soot

Cough, sneeze, cough.

What’s that? It’s a trolley or a tour bus, it’s a city bus or a construction truck. It’s black soot coming from all vehicles (including cars too, of course).

I’ve seen a lot of changes in my 45 years as a homeowner and resident of Waikiki, but the proliferation of vehicles with sooty exhaust pipes is becoming a health hazard.Is it really necessary to have so many trolleys and tour buses on our streets?

Aloha doesn’t come from an exhaust pipe, it comes from concern for your neighbors.

Betty "B.J." Dyhr
Waikiki

Thielen correct about isle GOP

Thank you to state Rep. Cynthia Thielen for a great article on being a Republican and not doing a cut-and-run as Aaron Johanson did recently ("Hawaii Republican Caucus has grown socially conservative," Star-Advertiser, Jan. 4).

Currently too many Republicans feel the party should be at the forefront of social issues. What they don’t seem to understand is that social issues cross party lines. It doesn’t make us different so there is no reason to support us.

The Republican Party was founded on wanting a less-intrusive government, and one that does for us what we ourselves cannot do. Real Republicans want to help those who can’t do for themselves or need help, but we want them to eventually be able to be on their own, not carry them forever.

For example, some people have children but don’t get married because it would affect their collection of food stamps. That is a program that needs help.

Mahalo again to Thielen. I stand with her.

F.M. "Scotty" Anderson
Waialae Nui

Sentence was too lenient

Where is the logic ("Woman must pay feds back $30,000," Star-Advertiser, Jan. 5)?

A circuit judge gives a woman 25 years to pay back $30,000 in welfare benefits that she received illegally. This woman has a $500,000 dollar property, a cleaning business and a rental unit, yet she needs 25 years to pay back this fraud?

James Robinson
Aiea

Rail juggernaut must be stopped

The city government cannot keep the roads paved and the potholes repaired on Oahu, despite millions of tax dollars allocated.

Does anyone truly believe that the city is capable of operating, maintaining and repairing a rail system?

This engineering disaster needs to be stopped immediately. It is sure to follow prior public transportation disasters: TheBoat and the Superferry, both which cost the city, state and, most important, the taxpayers millions in wasted dollars.

Mufi Hannemann’s visions of political prowess have been extinguished.

Is it not possible that this transportation juggernaut known as the rail project can be eliminated?

It is unfathomable that a disgraced, ousted politician’s short-sighted, self-serving visions of political grandeur will have long-term, costly effects on taxpayers islandwide for the decades ahead and future generations.

Lisa Kennedy
Waikiki

Anti-rail crowd being unrealistic

Until the announcement that the rail transit project was $700 million over budget, it seemed we were through with the anti-rail crowd. Now the budget projection is new ammunition for them to useto attempt to stop the project.

Anyone who really believes this projectcould pay for itself isunrealistic.

You can’t run a city bus systemon a profit. You can’t buildand maintain highways on a profit, and you sure can’tbuild a huge rail system on a profit.

This same unsuccessful attempt was made to stop light rail in Portland, Ore. when it was first proposed more than 30 years ago. Now that it is successfully built, it is the darling of the city and the nation.

Mass transit must become the new future for Honolulu.We simply do not have a large enough island to handle all the traffic that will continue tobe generated as development occurs. We are almost at gridlock as it is.

Let’s close our mouths, open our pocketbooks and pay for what must be done for the future.

Gordon Wolfe
Waikiki

Air conditioning use excessive

As a regular winter visitor, I am constantly amazed at the use of expensive energy resources committed to air conditioning.

Many Waikiki retail stores’ doors are wide open, routinely pumping conditioned air outside. Every city bus I have ridden feels super-cold. The Blaisdell Concert Hall is uncomfortably cool, and very few lanai doors are wired to shut off air conditioning when opened.

I don’t understand it. Slightly higher temperatures would mean less pollution and lower expenses, allowing for increased profits or reduced retail prices.

Murray Leslie
Vancouver, Canada