Social science helpful to society

Henry I. Miller belittles social science research by cherry-picking National Science Foundation-supported projects that strike him as silly ("When science gets silly," Star-Advertiser, Insight, July 1).

Did he examine the "hard" science projects supported by NSF as well? There are plenty of them that sound useless, too.

In a country riven by rancorous conflicts over same-sex marriage, racism and abortion, with a barely functioning federal government, we need more social science research to understand the causes and possible cures of these problems, not less.

Conservatives dislike social science research because it reveals the underlying causes of inequality they would rather keep hidden. It’s unfortunate that Honolulu’s only daily newspaper provides an outlet for a diatribe from a well-known conservative think tank.

Karen Oppenheim Mason
St. Louis Heights

Don’t reinstall parking meters

In 2008, the city removed eight parking meters in Chinatown. Before then, violence, crime and drugs plagued Pauahi Street between River and Maunakea streets.

Chinatown businesses, community groups and residents worked with the Honolulu’s District 1 Community Policing Team and Prosecutor’s Office plus Weed and Seed Honolulu to make the case.

Once these parking stalls were removed, this area began to slowly heal.

Restoring the eight parking meters does not outweigh the parked cars again being used to hide undesirable activities. It will return the street to what we know is a bad condition. It isn’t worth the risk.

Chinatown cannot return to the unwanted past. It needs to continue the big-picture approach.

We need to develop the long-term health and resilience of the neighborhood. If we do, it will be a vibrant place to live, work and play.

Sandra Pohl
Downtown Honolulu

Marriage really church function

Now that same-sex marriage is legal throughout the nation, I wonder whether the dictionary definition of wife (female) or husband (male), needs to be adjusted.

I am one of the opponents of same-sex marriage, only because it uses the word "marriage."

I am a strong believer that everyone should have the same human rights in the eyes of the law.

We need to change the word "marriage" to "civil union."

Partnership between two adults is actually a civil contract witnessed by the state.

Partnership witnessed by your religious beliefs should be called marriage.

Rosita R. Sipirok-Siregar
Makakilo

Legal pot lacks lure of forbidden

Marijuana has been quasi-legal in the Netherlands for about 40 years, yet the Dutch use cannabis at less than half the rate Americans do ("Legal pot will lead to more addiction," Star-Advertiser, Letters, June 25).

And they use cocaine and heroin at about a third the rate Americans do.

Why? Because in the Netherlands, there is no "lure of the forbidden fruit" like there is in America.

Kirk Muse
Mesa, Ariz.

If rail is a given, let’s do it quicker

It was back in 1992 that Rene Mansho cast the deciding City Council vote to kill rail.

We’re still arguing about it.

Has rail gotten cheaper with the passing of two decades? Nope. And the longer this takes the more it is going to cost.

Honolulu is not configured as well as Switzerland for rail, but if that’s where we will end up anyway, then we should hurry up.

Lloyd Lim
Makiki

Tax helped end smoking habit

I was once a fairly heavy smoker, but government intervention in the marketplace got me to quit tobacco cigarettes, cigars, pipes and even e-cigarettes.

Through heavy taxation of tobacco producers, the price of a pack of 20 cigarettes has risen from about $1 to $9. If the price was back to $1, I would probably still be smoking.

Thus, government action has led me — and many others — to reform ourbehavior positively. No more first- or secondhand smoke from us, thanks to government taxation.

Stuart N. Taba
Manoa