Don’t eliminate bus transfer system

There is something left out of the logic on the proposed elimination of transfers on buses (“Council considers new bus fare structure,” Star-Advertiser, Sept. 19).

My wife and I live in Makiki. If we want to take the bus to Kahala, we catch the No. 4 and then transfer to the No. 1 at King and University. This would cost us $5 under the old rule, but $10 under the new rule, which is approaching taxi fare.

To suggest fraud is occurring and a bus driver’s time is wasted seems like a stretch. It seems more likely that drivers can hit a button that says transfer when a rider is using a pass; also a transfer can be valid for two transfers. Transfers take less time to process than waiting for a rider to insert cash and coin into an acceptor and is similar to flashing a pass, which probably do get counterfeited.

Getting back in a car or a Zipcar is looking more attractive.

Ken White
Makiki

Beware cutting off Planned Parenthood

We hope that the Hawaii members of Concerned Women for America are actively volunteering time, money and food to support the homeless children and the runaways pressed into prostitution (“Planned Parenthood should be defunded,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Sept. 26).

Without Planned Parenthood, we are likely to have many more than now.

Ronald Wong
Salt Lake

Mayor didn’t object to $910M overrun

I cannot understand why all of a sudden Mayor Kirk Caldwell has decided to become interested in keeping rail costs under control (“Let’s fight to eliminate delays and cost increases in rail project,” Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Sept. 27).

In December 2014, when the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation announced a $910 million cost overrun, the mayor, instead of becoming indignant at the cost, went to the Legislature to beg for the extension of the rail tax surcharge. Not much of a fight.

Less than nine months later, it’s now only a $200 million increase and he wants to be known as a cost-cutter and budget watchdog.

What bothers me most is his comment that “neither the state nor the city is planning new freeways, highways or roadways.”

If rail will not reduce traffic congestion, does Caldwell realize he is dooming all Leeward and Central Oahu residents to traffic gridlock without any hope of relief?

Earl Arakaki
Ewa Beach

Rail will destroy Downtown’s charm

As a Realtor, I frequently drive through Pearl City, Waipahu, Kunia, Ewa and Kapolei. Just one drive down Kamehameha and Farrington highways to Kapolei last week, through the center of what was historic Waipahu town, has convinced me of the very sad, undeniable future of what is now the compact and charming city center of Honolulu — situated on a historic harbor near Chinatown, with coconut and monkeypod trees, a university and a graceful Aloha Tower at the city’s edge.

Once this rail behometh tears up our city and its businesses to make for what will become the most densely populated area of our island, we can all say goodbye to the city and its charm.

Stopping this huge, over-budget and questionable project at a much more sensible location, with a bus connector terminal at Middle Street, is the last chance to not bid farewell to the Honolulu we all know and love.

Bob Vieira
Pauoa Valley

Educators ignored in testing regime

The “point-counterpoint” articles on the Smarter Balanced Assessment present a disturbing example of an educational controversy that only appears to hang in the balance (“Grading the test,” Star-Advertiser, Insight, Sept. 27).

In one column you have the official point of view of a “task force” — one with an altruistic-sounding title — comprised largely of non-educators, defending measures that are backed neither by a majority of teachers nor by substantial educational research (“Students did well on challenging exams”).

In the other column, you have a lone educator arguing from the side of professional experience and expertise and equipped with knowledge of the accumulating educational research refuting the claims of the non-teaching think tank (“High-stakes testing has detrimental impact”).

The clout suggested by the business associations of such organizations should not blind us to the fact that their initiatives run contrary to both the weight of professional experience and the growing consensus of educational research that has decided firmly against the Smarter Balanced Assessment and all it stands for.

Andy Jones
Language arts teacher
McCully

No good reason to not pay trustees

To begin with, let me say that I am completely puzzled by the first paragraph in Stuart Taba’s letter (“School trustees should be volunteers,” Star-Advertiser, Sept. 22).

How could making the service of Kamehameha Schools’ trustees pro bono possibly cause the school’s big morality problems to disappear? To think that is just a tad pollyannaish.

I don’t know if most charitable trusts work the way that Taba implies. To just assume that they do would be less than fair. Furthermore, we are talking about Kamehameha Schools here, not other trusts.

I wonder how many of these trustees also share their time and talents to help others, sans compensation, that we don’t know about? Maybe they are just too gallant to let it be known.

Merle Iseke
Waipahu