Ala Moana area needs a cleanup

Must tourists stop coming to Hawaii before this city is cleaned up?

Our city is a disgusting filthy mess, especially around the perimeter of the Hawaii Convention Center, Ala Moana Boulevard and the Ala Moana Hotel side street where tour buses pick up and drop off airline crew and tourists.

On the shopping center side, it smells like urine and defecation. The area looks disgraceful Why wasn’t this area cleared of homeless after Waikiki?

Shame on the mayor for not walking around the most heavily trafficked tourist area, Ala Moana. When marathoners were here, they justlooked in amazement and took pictures, especially those from clean Japan. A hell of a message to take back home.

Gov. David Ige says this is our home. Well, somebody had better begin cleaning house.

Joan Johnson
Ala Moana

Courts taking away voter rights

I hate to disappoint Andrew Thomas ("Rep. McDermott really out of step," Letters, Star-Advertiser, Feb. 14) but what makes the United States great is that we have a democracy that welcomes differing viewpoints from our legislators as well as citizens.

Far be it for Mr. Thomas to determine what issues are important or which ones are "wasting the time of (Mr. McDermott’s) colleagues."

Furthermore, I question how he knows that "banning gay marriage is, as the Supreme Court likely will rule in June, unconstitutional." What crystal ball is he looking into?

Yes, the issue needs to be put to rest, but only after going through the due process of all viewpoints being considered and acted or voted upon, not when Mr. Thomas believes it is time.

Also, society has not "moved on." It’s the courts that are taking away the rights of voters in states to determine what they believe to be appropriate.

Peter Junker
Waikiki

Story on tax vote was underplayed

The article, buried as it was, on Page A21 on Feb. 13 was a disservice to readers ("Panel OKs extension of rail tax," Star-Advertiser).

It should have been headline news.

The article indicated how the average Oahu resident will be gutted, again, with the state Senate advancing a bill to extend the rail tax surcharge another 25 years on top of the remaining surcharge authority.

This is just the foot in the door to enable the Big Rail/Political Complex to reach its goal of making the general excise tax surcharge permanent — i.e., your great-great-grandchildren will still be paying into this financial black hole.

Anyone who is naive enough to think that this wasn’t the goal from Day One probably also believes this boondoggle will be built "on budget" and "on time."

Gary N. Sparks
Waipahu

Afuso epitomizedcourt system staff

Recently, the U.S. District Court in Hawaii lost one of its longtime staff members, Shari Afuso.

Shari was a courtroom manager and before that, held various important positions within the Clerk’s Office. I write not only to recognize Shari — whose professionalism, warm demeanor and can-do attitude made her an essential member of the court team — but also to note the invaluable contributions of the hundreds of staffers in our federal and state courts, and without whom our justice system in Hawaii would be unable to operate.

We hear daily about the attorneys and judges who are the face of our courts, but in reality, it is the hard work and dedication of people like Shari who make possible a functioning and open court system.

Shari will be missed greatly by her loving family, and by those of us who had the privilege to work with her over her many years of service to our court.

David Alan Ezra
Former senior U.S. District Judge, District of Hawaii