A lottery could solve problems

Patrick Shea should realize that people from all economic levels play the lottery, not just lower-income individuals (“Lotteries prey on the desperate,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Jan. 22).

The bigger picture, though, is the number of tourists who frequent our islands. A lottery could result in a huge amount of income for our state, without increased taxes on Hawaii residents.

With increased needs for the homeless, education, road infrastructure, etc., I am for any additional source of revenue without direct taxing. There should be strict controls to ensure that the funds received go directly to solve these problems, and not be used for other things.

It has proven to be a valuable source of income in 43 states. We are missing out on a terrific large source of income, with few side effects. You can’t get cancer, cause a traffic accident or get intoxicated from buying a lottery ticket.

If regulated and controlled properly, the income received could only help Hawaii solve some of its problems.

Karl Frisch

Kihei, Maui

Cooling price seems excessive

I don’t believe it. The governor wants $100 million to cool 1,000 classrooms (“Ige vows to cool 1,000 classrooms,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 26). That is $100,000 per classroom.

I would think that the state could find a contractor who could do all 1,000 classrooms for a lot less than $100,000 each.

Robert Walden

Kaneohe

Motorcycles awfully annoying

In reference to Ken Cannon’s letter (“Motorcycle noise giving Hawaii a big black eye,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 23), I agree.

The Nehoa and Keeaumoku Street intersection is noisier than the freeway. Ear-splitting, screaming motorcycles during all hours are extremely annoying in our residential neighborhood. Doesn’t this city have a noise ordinance?

Barbara Looney

Makiki

There is method to OT madness

I just saw another letter accusing state employees of padding their pensions by working overtime (“Guards racking up OT to pad retirement pay?” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 23).

Sometimes this does happen, but overtime is created mostly by bad fiscal policies of the politicians who run the state and the city. Department directors are often prohibited from filling vacant positions because politicians want to lapse funds at the end of the fiscal year so they can use that money for pet projects. This creates the need to use overtime to accomplish tasks that would normally be performed by employees working in those vacant positions.

Older, more-senior employees often accept the overtime work over the younger, less-senior employees who have younger families and cannot work the extra hours. Our politicians then blame their own workers for increasing the overtime bill and pensions just to deflect the public from the real cause of the problem.

In addition, the pension plan would not be underfunded as badly if our state lawmakers had not robbed it in the past to fund their special projects.

Tim Boswell

Mililani

Anti-GMO folks not the bullies

Joan Conrow must have written her polemic op-ed before Syngenta allowed 10 field workers to be exposed to the pesticide chlorpyrifos on Kauai last Wednesday (“Anti- GMO activists endangering future of agriculture in Hawaii,” Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Jan. 24).

They entered a field 20 hours after chlorpyrifos was sprayed. Safety protocols say they should wait 24 hours.

Chlorpyrifos was banned for residential use by the EPA in 2001 because of its toxic effects on children.

Conrow says that anti- GMO groups are bullies who come from the mainland. Where do you think Monsanto, Dow, Bayer and Syngenta come from?

The biggest bully is Monsanto; it currently is suing California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment because it doesn’t want the agency to declare glyphosate a possible human carcinogen, as the World Health Organization did.

Monsanto even countersues organic farmers who are trying to get recompense for their organic crops being contaminated by “drift” from Monsanto’s products.

Judith Pettibone

Makiki

Consider having city run HECO

On Jan. 12, the Honolulu City Council took the first positive step toward an alternative to the HECO and NextEra merger. Resolution 15-214 asks that we explore public ownership.

Mayor Kirk Caldwell is opposed to merely exploring our options. Councilmember Ron Menor voted with reservations (a nod toward a no) and we remain the state with the highest energy rates and dissatisfied customers who cannot get the type of energy they want.

The resolution mentions the Sacramento Municipal Utility District as an example of one of thousands of publicly owned utilities in our country, and which has among the lowest rates in California.

Honolulu residents should show continued support for Resolution 15-214 at the Council meeting today in order to avoid another 125 years of high rates and broken promises — this time from a Florida company 5,000 miles away.

Elliot Van Wie

Makiki

Inouye Institute still a possibility

Here are my suggestions on the use of some or all of the Daniel K. Inouye Institute’s $50 million fund:

>> Repair, renovate and upgrade one of the existing buildings at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and include a new or existing section devoted completely to all items that would have been included in a new Institute building. The building could be renamed to honor Inouye.

>> Repair, renovate and upgrade the present McKinley High School, Inouye’s alma mater, and rename it Daniel K. Inouye High School. After all, President McKinley was not a friend of Hawaii, having “allowed” Hawaii become a territory under the jurisdiction of the United States.

Gwen Heliker

Makiki

Have local panel review requests

Sunday’s front-page article on pre-authorization is infuriating (“Not what the doctor ordered,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 24).

Hawaii Medical Service Association charges top premiums so that it can pay its president an obscene salary.

HMSA is clearly focused on impeding, not improving, health care in the islands. It shows distrust of local doctors and implies incompetence by paying for a mainland opinion.

What’s wrong with a review panel of local doctors?

And it looks like nobody is doing anything about it. The article doesn’t offer a number to call or anyone to contact who has authority on this.

If it’s the state of Hawaii, it couldn’t even manage the Health Connector, so it’s likely it wouldn’t know what to do anyway.

So what’s the obvious conclusion? Move to the mainland.

Paul Tyksinski

Kailua