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Malaekahana better off rural
The irony on the Feb. 19 Star-Advertiser front page: "Isle car sales ramp up," with images of cars squeezed between columns of print, stacked under the section heading, "Money": "Hukilau Marketplace opening in Laie."
In one page, a metaphor for traffic in Windward Oahu.
Bill 47, now before the City Council Planning Committee, would impose huge costs to the surrounding communities. The bill would extend the urban boundary to Malaekahana, urbanizing the most distant part of Oahu from the urban core.
The road cannot be widened without removing many existing homes; yet without improvement, the roadway — already unsafe for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians — will become far worse. Kids walking to school, crossing to the beach, going to neighbors — all will be at risk from ever faster, more aggravated traffic on Kamehameha Highway.
Bill 47 is bad public policy and bad land-use planning. It would harm the community and should not be approved.
John Goody
Kahaluu
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Don’t buy stuff you can’t afford
In our household, we restrain ourselves from making big purchases when we know we don’t have the money.
We may want a new car, an extended vacation, or to upgrade our aging kitchen appliances — but we don’t. We hold ourselves accountable to our budgetary constraints.
In other words, we just don’t have the money.
So — why is it that the City Council cannot hold Mayor Kirk Caldwell and rail honcho Dan Grabaus-kas to the same standard?
We — the voting citizenry of Honolulu — authorized the rail project a general excise tax surcharge of 0.5 percent that ends in 2022, not extended in perpetuity.
If our household was faced with a budgetary shortfall after starting a project, we would be forced to rethink our original design to stay within our budget, or stop the project completely. Rail should do the same.
Jeff Furumura
Mililani
Giuliani insulted all of Hawaii
Whoa. Rudy Giuliani just uttered some extremely inflammatory remarks to his rich Republican buddies at Manhattan’s "21 Club" regarding our homegrown president ("‘My country, right or wrong’ is not a strong argument," Cal Thomas, Star-Advertiser, Feb. 24).
To say that Barack Obama "wasn’t brought up the way (Giuliani) was brought up … through love of this country" impugns the very loyalty we in Hawaii were born and raised with.
Our 442nd/100th heroes more than amply demonstrated our loyalty to America during WWII.
We may not agree with everything Mr. Obama is doing, but it is highly offensive to attack the very principles his mother and grandparents apparently taught him living in Hawaii, as they were part of the very principles we in Hawaii also grew up with:to respect and love America.
Colette Dhakhwa
Liliha
HECO all about cash, not safety
I have been waiting for HECO to approve my photovoltaic system for over a year.
I was told the delay was due to safety, in that there was just too much PV in some areas.
But since reading a Forbes article (in March 2014) in which former U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said HECO’s safety claim was bogus, I have always been suspicious of HECO’s claim.
After reading Kathryn Mykelseth’s excellent article ("HECO holds solar hostage," Star-Advertiser, Feb. 25), my suspicions have been confirmed. It was never about safety; it was money.
Will HECO get away with changing the rules on us? This new rule is like going to the store, paying cash, but instead of the correct amount of change back, you get only half of it.
Do we have a champion who can fight HECO and make a difference? Is Randy Iwase, the new Public Utilities Commission chairman, our savior?
Ian Bishop
Kaneohe
Caldwell speech praiseworthy
Being an occasional critic of how government malfunctions, I have to say yet again I was very pleasantly surprised to see and hear the remarks the mayor shared at his "State of the City" address.
He is to be applauded and supported by all who live near parks that require renovation and a helping hand from those of us in the neighborhoods.
We need to step up as a community and put our eyes and ears and hands where our mouths are.
David Moskowitz
Ala Moana