Hale Mauliola at Sand Island will accept homeless people with their pets. We are discussing people who cannot house and feed themselves. What chance is there that pets will receive proper care?
I have pets. Occasionally I have very expensive vet bills. Animals need to be vaccinated and treated for parasites. In Hawaii, if a dog is not on a heartworm preventative, chances are it will get heartworm. In our climate, if a flea prevention treatment is not administered on a monthly basis, it’s guaranteed the pets will have fleas.
Will the state accept responsibility if an unvaccinated animal causes illness in other animals? Will the taxpayer be on the hook for the treatment of flea-infested containers? Has the Humane Society offered to provide these services? Are local vets offering to take care of these things gratis?
We need answers.
Marjorie Goodloe
Hawaii Kai
City Council shows disdain for taxpayers
It’s easy to see how the rail project got so far off track ("Proposed limit on rail tax likely to be adjustable," Star-Advertiser, Oct. 22).
City Council Chairman Ernie Martin wants a cap of $910 million in new taxes, but if rail has more cost overruns, then he wants to be able to raise the cap.
Huh? Then why have a cap? Martin wants to be able to use the "leftover" tax increase, $690 million, on his pet project of affordable housing.
If you don’t need the money, give it back to us. Among many reasons, housing is not affordable because of high property taxes and high general excise taxes.
With such disdain for the taxpayers and the tax-and-spend mentality of the City Council, it’s no wonder few can afford to live here.
Pam Smith
Ewa Beach
Skip the ‘cap’ and limit the duration instead
I thought the additional half-percent added to the general excise tax was to be for the rail.
Now it looks like part of it is being considered for "affordable workforce housing" ("Council leader offers a plan to ‘stop the bleeding,’" Star-Advertiser, Oct. 20).
Why not just limit the collection of the half- percent to four years instead of five if you want to limit the amount allocated to rail? This looks like a sneaky way of getting taxpayer money for City Council pet projects.
The half-percent surcharge will never end, will it?
Kathy Novak
Moanalua Valley
HEI a good neighbor to local nonprofits
In the past few months, Hawaiian Electric Industries has been roundly criticized by a large segment of Hawaii’s community.
I do not know enough about the facts and considerations of the various issues to form opinions one way or the other. What I do know is that HEI has been an extraordinary community partner.
As it relates to the YMCA of Honolulu, HEI has consistently helped fund some of our most significant programs and services. HEI also has generously lent its talented staff to serve on the Y board of directors, and its employees have contributed their time, expertise and compassion at numerous community events, education partnerships and programs.
NextEra said it will commit $2.2 million in charitable giving for a minimum of 10 years. While not a determinative factor in the various issues involving HEI, as a matter of fairness it is important to publicly acknowledge the significant community benefits that HEI has contributed over many years, and those that NextEra has pledged.
Michael Broderick
CEO, YMCA of Honolulu
Community invited to help revive bay
Our community was happy to see the editorial, "Revival of bay a worthy goal" (Star-Advertiser, Our View, Sept. 21).
As the editorial noted regarding Imua Maunalua, the recently launched community-wide marine planning project, "Maunalua Bay has been suffering for years, and a full discussion among all stakeholders on how to heal the bay should have started long ago. It’s encouraging to hear the conversation will begin in earnest soon."
In fact, Imua Maunalua is right now seeking nominations for stakeholder representatives to serve on the Community Planning Team.
The Community Planning Team will be the core group working to develop and implement the plan for Maunalua Bay.
Residents and businesses of the Maunalua Bay region may nominate through Oct. 30.
Together we can ensure a healthy future for Maunalua Bay.
Gindi French
Project Advisory Committee member, Imua Maunalua
‘Affordable’ housing not possible in Hawaii
Comments from readers regarding affordable housing to be built by developers in Hawaii are unrealistic.
We cannot expect developers to build affordable housing with the cost of land so expensive. Also, construction materials have to be shipped in and union labor is expensive.
I agree that home ownership is a part of the American dream. However, in Hawaii it is completely out of reach for young people these days. Sad, but true.
Margaret M. Giles
Waikiki
FROM THE FORUM
"Warriors may have reached rock bottom with blown victory" Star-Advertiser, Oct. 19:
>> Trust me: One can only wish this were rock bottom, but it’s not.
>> The University of Hawaii has a less than mediocre football team. With the millions it has spent, it should be beating the New England Patriots. Close down the football team, spend the money on the UH facilities, the education center, etc., get some great teachers and go educational.
>> Who in his right mind did not see this season coming?
>> The only way for UH football to succeed again is with a new head coach.
——
"Ocean Safety now says an eel probably bit surfer in Waikiki" Star-Advertiser, Oct. 19:
>> I believe the surfer victim who first reported that it was a shark. The rest is all the work of the spin masters at Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau and the hotel hui.
>> Eels hide in holes by day, come out to hunt at sunset. He was surfing at dusk.
——
"Council leader offers a plan to ‘stop the bleeding’" Star-Advertiser, Oct. 20:
>> The latest best estimate requires more than $910 million in additional funds. Therefore it does not make sense to arbitrarily cap the additional funding to save relatively little now while possibly jeopardizing the project or causing much higher cost later.
>> Sure, let’s just give them a blank check and extend the GET "as needed." No fiscal discipline necessary. No accountability with consequences. Just keep going back to the well and tax the economy. A recipe for disaster.
>> Capping the amount of the GET that goes to rail and redirecting the excess (to housing) is a sham. If Council Chairman Ernie Martin is serious about stopping the bleeding, why not just stop the GET when it reaches the "fake"’ limit. The public will never agree to a standalone "homeless" GET tax, so Martin shouldn’t try to slide it in on the coattails of the rail GET tax under the false premise of being tough on the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation.
——
"Fall brings bites to bear" Star-Advertiser, Oct. 20:
>> The best deterrent is to stay out of the water. If you go in the ocean, you assume the risk, plain and simple.
>> I paddleboard a lot in the open ocean from Portlock to Waikiki in deep bluewaters. People always ask me if I see sharks. Although I have never seen one, I know that they are around, probably have seen me and gone right under my board deep enough where I can’t see them.
——
"Police Commission opts against disciplining chief" Star-Advertiser, Oct. 22:
>> Very good news for a honest and hard-working chief of police.
>> Perception is everything when you are a public figure. A leave of absence makes good sense until the air is cleared.
——
"Kakaako homeless now live in 3 nearby parks" Star-Advertiser, Oct. 23:
>> The Hawaii Department of Public Safety is worsening the problem by letting them stay in parks overnight. Solutions were given to them, they did not want to play by the rules, so let’s make them play by our rules. Keep moving them every day until we have forced them into treatment, the jungle or another state. What exactly is the solution the HDPS is waiting for? A free home for them in Kailua?
>> Hopefully, the state won’t let these new encampments become huge junk piles that cost the taxpayers hundred of thousands of dollars to remove.
——
"Thieves take metal bell from Big Island temple" Star-Advertiser, Oct. 23:
>> I try to follow the path of compassion but I’m sorely pressed to find compassion in my heart for this brazen defilement of a temple.
>> Has our society lost its moral values? Stealing from any church or charity is pathetic.
>> To those who stole the bell: Just because Buddhists don’t believe in hell doesn’t mean you won’t end up in a bad place.
>> Maybe they don’t believe in hell, but they do believe in reincarnation as a cockroach.
