Don’t give HART a blank check

Mayor Kirk Caldwell and transit officials maintain that they need an extension of the surtax for the railway project because state law requires that the money be on hand before they can sign contracts.

All well and good, but the obvious purpose of the requirement is to make sure that the rail project does not go over budget. It does not mean that the Legislature should give transit officials a blank check so that they don’t have to worry about cost overruns in the future.

The Legislature then adds to theproblem by turning around and skimming 10 percent off the top of the surcharge revenues for the general fund. It would be laughable to think that this is sensible financial policy if it were not so sadly typical of the level of incompetency thatcharacterizes how this whole project is run, by both our elected government officialsand the marginally qualified members of the transportation authority.

Edward D. Lasky
Hawaii Kai

Rail facilitating crass land grab

Gov. David Ige wants to build affordable housing along the rail transit route?

If you believe we can build "affordable" housing in Hawaii or that there is affordable housing in Hawaii, then I have a bridge I would like to sell you.

This is misdirection at its finest. This administration is still going to shove rail down our throats no matter how little sense it makes for us at this time.

This is nothing more than a land grab offered to those who can afford to purchase property along the rail route.

Mike Gallagher
Kailua

Lead was buried on airline story

Hawaii residents have a greater-than-usual dependency on air travel.

Monday’s paper reported on the fate of two private planes off Hawaii coasts ("Small planes ditched off Maui and Oahu," Star-Advertiser, Jan. 26).

Buried six pages later was a mention that American Airlines has been accused of whistle-blower retaliation: Union mechanics claim they were punished for questioning the flight worthiness of planes — "to disregard hydraulic leaks and wiring problems and to skip inspections after planes were hit by lightning or birds," for example.

Mechanics allegedly were "retaliated against for reporting safety violations including missing equipment, improper maintenance on a cabin door seal, and cracked engine pylons."

American is not my airline, but it is for many others, both residents and visitors. Given our uber-dependence on air travel, our newspaper has a public duty to pursue the allegations with some investigative journalism, not bury the story.

Cassandra L Pinnick
Waikiki

UH football start poorly timed

Over the years the University of Hawaii at Manoa Athletic Department has made some goofy decisions.

Moving the UH football season opening game from Saturday, Sept. 5 to Thursday, Sept. 3 takes the cake.

The reason given was so the team can get two extra days to prepare for its game against the national champion Ohio State on Sept. 12.

Two extra practice days? That reasoning makes no sense. It will be like Custer at Little Big Horn and Davey Crockett at the Alamo.

And Thursday at 7 p.m., a workday traffic jam versus a weekend. UH needs to make it right.

Jim Reed
Niu Valley

Sex assault cases meet resistance

When Honolulu police Captain Rade Vanic was interviewed about the inconsistencies of the Robert Allenby case, he told a reporter that victims sometimes fabricate stories, such as in sex assault cases. ("Golfer’s ‘stupidity’ led to his wounds, man says," Star-Advertiser, Jan. 22).

The federal Justice Department estimates false reports at 2 percent. Vanic’s statement illustrates the bias that survivors face when reporting an assault.

Survivors of sexual assault already have concerns about being believed by law enforcement in the criminal justice system. Is it any wonder that sex assault continues to be under-reported?

Jeanne Y. Ohta
Co-chair, Hawaii State Democratic Women’s Caucus

Climate change is greatest threat

The Republican-dominated U.S. Senate recently rejected a measure by U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz asserting that climate change is real and that human activity is a significant causal factor ("Climate measure by Schatz defeated," Star-Advertiser, Jan. 22).

Such denial carelessly ignores the overwhelming consensus of thousands of genuine authorities, as documented by a multitude of diverse national and international scientific organizations over more than a decade. In the U.S., these organizations include the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Geophysical Union, American Institute of Biological Sciences, American Meteorological Society and U.S. National Research Council, to name a few.

In the opinion of some, any representative in the U.S. Congress who denies the reality of global climate change and the major role of human activity is professionally and morally irresponsible, a threat to national security, and should be placed on trial for treason.

There is no greater threat to human survival and well-being than climate change.

Leslie E. Sponsel
Hawaii Kai

Parts of Kakaako like Third World

If you want to see the sights and smells of a Third-World country, you just need to go to the Children’s Discovery Center in Kakaako.

Our mayor’s efforts to "sweep" the area only puts the tent city on the other side of the street and in the Kakaako park.

Why can’t we have tent cities like Seattle does to get the homeless off our sidewalks and parks?

Michael Ferguson
Kakaako

Utility bills huge at state buildings

It’s too bad heel-dragging has slowed rooftop solar installation permits statewide.

Would we not get more bang for the buck if we developed a high-priority program for government buildings?

Consider electricity costs at the Liliha Library. A huge skylight dominates the center of the public space. Two darker corners have smaller ones. The Nov. 26, 2014, monthly bill for lights was $1,800.The bill for the air conditioning, $4,325. More than $6,000 per month is not unusual. Bills have been higher.

This is a problem crying for a solution.

Sylvia C. Mitchell
Makiki

Allow gambling at state airports

There is a bill before the Legislature to allow the state to install slot machines at state airports.

This would allow foreign visitors waiting for flights home to enjoy playing slots.The revenues would go to improve the waiting areas of these visitors.

What a grand idea. This needs to be expanded to include other airports that serve foreign visitors.

Roy S. Tanouye
Waipahu