Yes, all the resources of the community must be pulled together to address the homeless situation.
I realize the devil is in the details, but we collectively need to think outside the box.
One solution would be to use the underutilized Aloha Stadium facility as a gathering area for the homeless. It is conveniently located for public transportation and the involvement of the various service providers and support organizations. This could be implemented in stages, addressing the immediate concerns and evolving toward a more permanent facility.
Cooke Field on the University of Hawaii campus could be expanded into a 19,000-seat football stadium. This would provide a very high-energy football venue easily accessible for students as well as the public.
Randy Harris
Diamond Head
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Sand Island units would be cheapest
Based on your story on the cost of planned homeless shelter locations (“New shelter rules would be less strict,” Star-Advertiser, July 31), I made the following quick calculations:
» Hale Mauliola, Sand Island, $500,000: 87 beds at $5,547 each.
» Waianae Modular Project, Halonia Road, $350,000: 12 beds at $29,167 each.
» Two locations in Waianae, Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp., $1 million: 50 beds at $20,000 each.
» Unspecified location on Leeward Coast, $1,25 million: 100 beds at $12,500 each.
» Various unspecified areas in Makiki, $7 million: 125 beds at $56,000 each.
» Iwilei property, 431 Kuwili Street, $6.35 million: 188 beds at $33,777 each.
Sand Island is the only cost- effective short-term solution and it only addresses a small fraction of the people now in Kakaako.
Why are U.S. Reps. Mark Takai and Tulsi Gabbard not included in the governor’s homeless committee, and why are there no homeless stakeholders?
Thomas “T.J.” Davies Jr.
Kakaako
ISIS can thank U.S. for gains it’s made
The Kurds are fighting ISIS, Turkey bombs the Kurds. Iran is fighting ISIS. So let’s reject the Iran nuclear deal and bomb Iran.
How will ISIS ever be able to thank us? Haven’t we done enough damage in that part of the world?
Andrew Kachiroubas
Moiliili
Political correctness reflects group-think
How refreshing that someone dares to step out of the lines of political correctness and call it out as overplayed (“Political correctness really out of control,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Aug. 2).
One only need look at college campuses, where “free speech” zones are being established for students to speak in a manner contrary to the newly established mantra of emotional mind control. Silly me. I thought the entire country was such a zone.
However, there was one glaring misstatement in this message. The author laments that we have become a cold society in the name of individualism. In fact, political correctness is a tool of the radical progressive movement to encourage collective group-think and speech, while at the same time quashing individual ideas which threaten the agenda. This is not only cold, it is bone-chilling , and, in fact, a very real threat to the free marketplace of ideas that facilitates creative alternative concepts and solutions. Orwellian indeed.
Joan Rank
Waialua
Actually, probably all ground is sacred
I keep reading and hearing about people saying we can’t put a telescope on Mauna Kea because the ground is sacred, or we can’t build the rail in certain places because the site is a sacred burial ground.
I was wondering: What makes ground sacred and who gets to determine that it is?
After all, if you believe, like I do, that God created everything, isn’t all ground sacred anyway?
In that case, we wouldn’t have any roads or buildings anywhere if we followed the logic of not building on sacred ground.
I know some people would like that, but where would we put our cellphone towers, if that were true?
Peter Junker
Waikiki
Taxing solar power would be bad policy
Gov. David Ige has stated his intention to reduce Hawaii’s reliance on fossil fuels and increase our reliance on solar and other renewable energy sources.
The concept of limiting or taxing solar energy sources directly contradicts this proposed intent. Hawaii residents who have already adopted solar energy sources, and anyone who wants to adopt solar energy in the future, should not be taxed or limited in their use of solar energy. This concept is in line with the intention of Hawaii’s leaders.
Mary McAndrew
Hawaii Kai
Hawaii’s priorities seem to be mixed up
Despite all the talk of renewable energy, why are we still importing coal to generate electricity and power sugar processing?
NextEra’s flirtation with Hawaiian Electric Industries has put on hold a plan for an ocean thermal energy conversation project here. NextEra has donated millions of dollars to support the presidential campaign of Jeb Bush, who is no fan of sustainable energy.
Meanwhile, Monsanto’s pesticides abuse the aina, as does covering fertile farmlands with concrete and expensive homes for newcomers and building high-rise million-dollar condos in neighborhoods with a mounting homeless crisis.
Yet 400 public housing units are unoccupied due to unfunded repair needs, and thousands of public school students are without air conditioning in this heat wave.
I get the impression that the old attitude of development for development’s sake is running wild, without regard for the land or the people of these islands.
David Chappell
Kaneohe
