When voters in 2010 overwhelmingly passed Article 17, the City Charter amendment that created the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, they were led to believe it was to create a semi-autono-mous agency that would be independent of political influence.

It seems that distinction has been violated by the Caldwell administration, HART and Pacific Resource Partnership (“HART, advocates keep in sync to promote rail-tax extension,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 16).

Discussing legislative tactics and strategizing by HART with a group that greatly influenced the 2012 mayoral election would seem to be not only unethical but possibly illegal in that it violates the charter amendment.

Why don’t the city and HART just appoint PRP union leaders to the HART board so they can run the project directly without having to go through a middleman?

Garry P. Smith
Ewa Beach

Large farms here are thing of past

The editorial on Dillingham Ranch agricultural land is yet another feature on our “disappearing ag lands,” whether it be this or Ho‘opili or Koa Ridge or whatever seems to be in the paper every few weeks (“Make sure ag land is used as ag land,” Star-Advertiser, Our View, Aug. 17).

As someone who grew up on sugar plantations, ag lands are close to my heart. However, my father warned me not to go into sugar as it was a dying industry. I’m glad to say, I listened.

Oahu is now home to more than 40,000 acres of ag land that is not being used for anything. All these letters regarding homes covering prime ag land and asking where our food will come from all lack one very important ingredient: Where are the farmers?

Land and water are expensive and the work is hard — really hard. The profits are probably not enough to be sustainable in our economy.

I would love to see ag be great again. But the 10,000- to 30,000-acre farms are pau.

F.M. Scotty Anderson
Waialae Nui

‘Sweeps’ are not compassionate

As a group doing homeless outreaches at Kakaako Waterfront Park, we’ve experienced that most homeless — especially the elderly and families with children — would love to be sheltered for the sake of stability and security.

Some homeless work but are unable to afford high Oahu rents. Hawaii is the least affordable state to rent; it requires an hourly wage of $31.64 for a two-bedroom rental. Accordingly, we have the highest per capita homeless rate in the nation: 45.1 homeless vs. the nationwide average of 19 per 10,000 population.

Using housing as a tool, the Housing First Program has saved mainland cities significant taxpayer funds by reducing police, emergency health care and hospitalizations among formerly homeless.

With no viable place and plan to relocate the homeless from Kakaako, it is not “compassionate displacement” that the city will be conducting when it sweeps homeless people off infrequently used streets, trashing the little they have (“293: The population of the homeless camp in Kakaako has few housing options,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 18).

Martin Choy
Kaimuki

Martin Hee
Salt Lake

Dave Johnson
Makiki

John Nakao
Ala Moana

Most people not fans of Trump

When we see a statement that says something like “Trump leads the pack with 22 percent,” let’s not overlook the fact that 78 percent of the poll respondents preferred someone else.

Roy Tsumoto
Waialae

Democrats seek immigrants’ vote

Republicans look at the nation and see millions of illegal immigrants.

Democrats look at the same nation and see millions of potential Democratic voters.

Democrats realize that if they can get the vote of illegal immigrants, they will dominate American politics for a very long time, and they are prepared to do anything to achieve this end. This includes removing any restrictions that would prevent an illegal immigrant from voting and, ultimately, asylum for all.

Gerald Arakaki
Wilhelmina Rise

Can’t bomb away all our problems

It is time for the rest of the Hawaii congressional caucus to stop hiding in the corner of their offices or flying away on junkets to Israel in attempts to avoid supporting the president on this important peace attempt, a nuclear pact with Iran.

We do not have to bomb away every problem that we perceive. Diplomacy can work. Don’t forget: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall inherit the Earth.”

Finally, is it possible any of Iran’s animosity toward the U.S. is a result of the fact that our CIA helped overthrow its government in 1953 in order to protect British oil interests?

Support the president.

Joseph Zuiker
Makiki

Public unions less reasonable

It was reported that the union representing hospital staff filed a lawsuit challenging the privatization of three Maui County hospitals (“Union files lawsuit to halt privatization of a trio of hospitals,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 7).

The union pontificates privatization would degrade medical care. The union’s faux altruism for the patients cloaks its true intention, which is to protect its generous wage and benefit package.

Unions by design exist only to protect and promote the good of its membership.

In this particular situation, hospital staff could switch from a government union to a private union — the difference being that government unions have the means to score unlimited pay raises through ever-escalating taxes via union-owned politicians, while private sector unions know their respective companies must remain a viable business or they go broke. Thus, private sector union demands are reasonably moderate during contract negotiations.

I know, I was in a private sector union for 35 years.

Arthur Warren
Keaau, Hawaii island

‘Good’ inmates deserve credit

Passage of a “good time” law for prison inmates should lower incidents of prison violence and drug use, while raising personal responsibility and promoting sober, crime-free lives.

Such a law would reward 30 days of inmate good behavior, including rehabilitative programming, prison work-line participation for those able, and no facility misconducts, with 10 days off the sentence. Upon completion of recommended programming, the inmate receives an early parole hearing.

“Good time” credit should be guaranteed by law and not be an option of the parole board.

The benefits for the offenders, their families, the state, society and taxpayers could be enormous. Rewarding individual effort promotes justice and challenges recidivism, while reuniting families and saving hundreds of millions of dollars wasted on mainland private prisons and overcrowded local facilities.

Michael Spiker
Waiawa