I’ve come to believe that our elected officials just might not possess an original thought, but rather stop at the party line. We have the worst homeless problem in the nation, and Gov. David Ige wants to welcome Syrian refugees.

Did the state find a great sale on tents? We can’t find affordable housing now for our population and he wants to bring in more.

And don’t get me started on the security concerns.

We do polls to see how many homeless there are but ignore how many generations of families have to live in one home because there is no affordable housing to be had.

Let’s take care of the homeless population we have now, before we welcome additional homeless. Next, for every luxury tower that goes up, we should make the developers put up an affordable tower (and I don’t mean the $350,000-plus units that 80 percent of the population here can’t afford).

Bill Tildsley
Salt Lake

Care for Hawaii citizens first

I applaud Gov. David Ige for his compassion in declaring his wishes to take in Mideast refugees (Ige welcomes refugees,” Star-Advertiser, Nov. 17).

However, I feel he needs to seriously rethink his position.

Just one quick look around Hawaii will convince you that we already have multiple large unresolved problems. Take homelessness. Take housing shortages. Take crumbling infrastructure — roads, sewers, beach erosion, and more.

How can we possibly afford to add to the already enormous burden on Hawaii’s citizens? It is the governor’s duty to aid and protect the people of Hawaii first and foremost.

Our aloha spirit should be prioritized toward our own needy citizens.

Warren Stenberg
Kailua

Security, safety trump refugees

Gov. David Ige wants to accept Syrian refugees because it supports President Barack Obama and U.S. values (“Ige welcomes refugees,” Star-Advertiser, Nov. 17).

Isn’t that compassionate? We have a large homeless problem, high cost of living, high cost of housing. Does he propose to house and feed them and give them jobs, ahead of Americans who are homeless?

ISIS has said that they are sending jihadists among refugees. There is no way to vet them. No information, no way to even confirm identification.

All it takes is a few jihadists among them to shoot up a mall, a school or Waikiki to ruin tourism. If refugees will not defend Syria against ISIS, how good will they be for our society?

They should be sent to a Muslim country, like Saudi Arabia, where their values are compatible. They can afford it more than we can. By the way, what values trump national security and personal safety?

Michael Lee
Wilhelmina Rise

Solar won’t last beyond 2016

Solar is dead after 2016.

With the recent rulings by the state Public Utilities Commission being released, mainstream media have failed to connect the dots. Net metering is finished. No one may add to a system without a large penalty. The photovoltaic program is limited to roughly 4,000 more homes on Oahu and then there is a cap. Finished.

Battery systems are a viable recourse (not needing Hawaiian Electric Co. approval) but only until the federal 30 percent tax credit ends in 12 months.

While Gov. David Ige has championed a 100 percent renewable future, it looks more and more like the individual property owners and ratepayers will be left out of that equation.

Perhaps our fossil- fuel-driven utility and more out-of-state investments will pick up the slack and continue to funnel our money and tax credits out of our struggling economy.

Do the math. After 2016, here in Hawaii, solar is dead.

Jeff Davis
Pacific Heights

Buses can use contraflow lane

Is the Star-Advertiser missing something (“Don’t deviate from original plan for rail,” Star-Advertiser, Our View, Nov. 15)?

The rising cost of the rail t ransit project and shortage in general excise tax funding could place the city in the hole by millions, if not billions, of dollars.

Then there’s the matter of so-called “jams” to downtown from Middle Street. Buses taking a contraflow lane on Nimitz Highway from the Middle Street rail station would bypass “jams.”

Ruben Reyes
Waipahu

Memorial plaque back at Blaisdell

On Nov. 10, a new war memorial plaque was blessed and rededicated at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in an intimate and moving ceremony. This replaced the original, lost long ago, which dedicated the facility — then called the Honolulu International Center — as a living memorial to Hawaii’s war veterans.

I commend the city’s effort in planning and implementing the rededication ceremony, and for the replacement plaque that is beautifully displayed on the Concert Hall grounds.

The Neal S. Blaisdell Center war memorial stands tall once again in honor of all Hawaii’s sons and daughters who served in all wars, with special tribute to our fallen.

Tanya Harrison
Founder, Neal S. Blaisdell Center War Memorial Project
Pendleton, Ore.

Choose Naeole for head coach

The best person for the University of Hawaii football team is already at the helm — interim head coach Chris Naeole.

He is doing a heck of a job in the interim. The home-grown local boy displays all the characteristics much needed for the team not only to regroup to finish the season, but to bolster the program for rebuilding.

The guy loves the game, the players and what he does. As a coach, he instills a work ethic that will supersede any raw talent or natural skill. Granted, the program lacks the funding so needed to raise the caliber of players for a champion team. But character building can re-define the results generated to sustain a strong program.

Hawaii fans love a winning team, as exemplified by volleyball fever. But what they love more is the winning attitude of a team people can count on to toe the line, and be coached toward the finish line.

Vernetta A. Hall
Laie

UH should call in top local coaches

It’s time for the varsity. The only logical choice for University of Hawaii head football coach are the Lee brothers, Cal and Ron.

They know how to coach, recruit, train and implement — as they did at Kaiser High School (Prep Bowl), Saint Louis (Prep Bowls and state title), the UH coaching staff (under Greg McMackin), Kalani (as assistants bringing the Falcons new credibility), and at Saint Louis again. They know local; they are local.

It’s no accident their opponent for the state title game is coached by one of their alums. Their coaching and teaching extends into a half-dozen states, including three quarterbacks who played Division 1 simultaneously and are now coaching.

Unlike three of the last four UH coaches, the Lees bring an entourage of coaches with them. Call in the varsity.

Chip Davey
Downtown Honolulu