I read that Don Horner was asked to resign as chairman of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation board (“Horner no longer on board,” Star-Advertiser, April 12).
Horner was an outstanding chairman and CEO of Hawaii’s largest bank. Since leaving the bank, he has devoted his retirement years to public service, truly an outstanding citizen and human being.
The problems faced by HART remind me of H-3. What started out in the 1970s as “Save Moanalua Valley” morphed into the “Stop H-3” movement. When the project was completed three decades later, after many lawsuits and delays, the initial cost of $300 million had ballooned to $1.2 billion.
Today, H-3 is accepted and used by the public, even by those who opposed its construction. HART, like H-3, is an integral part of the Oahu General Plan. Disable HART and you get more cars, more urban sprawl and less agricultural and conservation land, and that will require a new General Plan.
Will the voters of Honolulu approve the change?
Fujio Matsuda
Waialae-Kahala
Reject politicians who won’t revise rail
Kudos to Richard Borreca for his column on how to best correct our obviously messed up rail situation (“Rail critics offer ideas on how they would do it better,” Star-Advertiser, On Politics, April 12).
The rail will drown under its own weight before it ever reaches Ala Moana. We must plan for that reality. Any politician who fails to offer specific proposals for shortening and revising the entire rail project must not be elected.
The article’s superior alternate proposals include stopping the rail at Middle Street and transferring it to dedicated bus lanes; adding five “westward” miles versus through downtown; negotiating with the Federal Transit Administration to re-allocate its subsidies; and switching to “light at-grade” rail versus “elevated.” These all make better sense than anything that our entrenched Mayor Kirk Caldwell or the disgraced folks at the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation have come up with.
Bradley A. Coates
Waikiki
Vacation rentals fill a needed market niche
We’ve been staying three to four weeks on Oahu every winter for 30 years.
In the beginning we did stay at hotels, but later we looked for more personal experiences outside of tourist areas. We’ve discovered different neighborhoods through stays in vacation rentals, supporting local businesses in communities. We’ve met lovely people who embody the aloha spirit and share their island knowledge and culture with us.
I’m amazed by the controversy. Talking with other renters, I understand hotels are often sold out for peak seasons. Traveling with large families makes hotel stays difficult.
I urge legislators and agencies to think hard about what’s best for economy and tourist industry.
If vacation rentals become unavailable, we will take our dollars elsewhere.
Marsha Phillips
Cleveland, Ohio
Bravo to HECO for pushing electric cars
After reading about Hawaiian Electric Co.’s plans to boost the number of electric cars on the island, I am hopeful for the keiki (“HECO boosts electric vehicles,” Star-Advertiser, April 6).
They will get to breathe cleaner air and live in a place that isn’t drastically different from the way it is today — if we stop contributing to climate change.
As we are already seeing the effects of global warming on the island, making the switch from gas to electric is necessary to preserve it for future generations. Therefore, creating more charging stations is a crucial first step.
It’s also imperative that the infrastructure be in place before the revenue-neutral carbon tax is implemented, since the cost of gas would rise steadily each year.
I hope that HECO is able to help make Hawaii the electric-vehicle capital of the world.
Gerardo Avila
Manoa
State should operate new pot dispensaries
The state is giving away a potentially huge source of revenue by granting exclusive licenses to groups of individuals to grow and distribute medical marijuana.
Why do you think the license applicants are willing to put up so much money to obtain these licenses? It certainly isn’t for the profit they will make selling to a few thousand patients who have medical licenses to use marijuana.
It is because they want to be on the ground floor of the huge profits if, or when, marijuana is approved for general adult recreational use.
It is not like growing marijuana is complicated. It is a weed. So why would we want to leave money on the table by introducing middlemen at all?
If the state did everything, not only would it be able to keep all the profit, it would also gain direct control over the process of growing and distribution of what is still a controlled substance.
Richard Manetta
Wilhelmina Rise
FROM THE FORUM
Readers of the
Star-Advertiser’s
online edition can
respond to stories
posted there. The
following are some
of those. Instead of
names, pseudonyms
are generally used
online. They have
been removed.
“Shed project encounters more hurdles” Star-Advertiser, April 11:
>> So the homeless live outside on the sidewalks, on the grass and anywhere else they please, yet the renovation of this warehouse needs to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and meet other “standards”? Just have them all sign a liability waiver.
>> We should have stuck with the “grass shacks” proposal.
———
“Residents fight plans to put up low-income site” Star-Advertiser, April 11:
>> Why take away a park? There is another lot nearby better suited.
>> What’s wrong with building low- income housing in Aina Haina or Hawaii Kai? Let’s spread the love.
———
“Horner quits HART board” Star-Advertiser, April 12:
>> Thank you, Don Horner, for your commitment to the future of Honolulu. Such a thankless job.
>> Clear away all of the rhetoric and one thing becomes evident: Whether he resigned on his own will or was asked to resign, you don’t take such a drastic measure because things are looking up. This move says a lot about the inefficiencies of this project.
>> Damien Kim, business manager and financial secretary of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1186, is not qualified to be chairman for obvious reasons. Furthermore to put the head of a union in charge of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation board is another big conflict of interest. It’s amazing what people think these days.
———
“Homelessness: Solution finder wants to avoid isle politics” Star-Advertiser, April 13:
>> I guess he’s not coming.
>> Yup. Next!
>> Lloyd Pendleton from Utah does not have homeless people living in tents because of freezing cold in the winters. Utah also has very hot summer months. It also has lots of land and resources, and the cost of living in Utah I would estimate is about 30 percent lower than Hawaii. It’s like comparing a pineapple with a mango.
>> Just sitting in the same room as Mayor Kirk Caldwell assures him that politics will play a big part. Hey, this is election year and homelessness is a big issue.
———
“NextEra donates AC units to Molokai schools” Star-Advertiser, April 13:
>> This donation is nothing more than a PR stunt, an effort to try to generate positive public sentiment in the wake of the recent decision setbacks with the state Public Utilities Commission and the governor.
>> I don’t see anyone else donating their time and money to installing air conditioners. Of course this is a PR campaign — notifying the public that they are doing something great for the schools. When a company tries to get on the right foot with the public, they get knocked for doing a simple, good deed.
———
“UH students deliver unsold campus food to IHS” Star-Advertiser, April 14:
>> Awesome story. These students should be commended for organizing and executing a wonderful project. I hope they’re successful in recruiting more students to sustain this program.
>> Now if we can get restaurants to follow the lead of these students.
———
“City might establish a mobile court house to handle cases involving homeless” Star-Advertiser, April 14:
>> No wonder people like to come to Hawaii to be homeless. We provide shelter, food, free health services, cellphones and now if you’re a criminal, we come to you. Awesome.
>> It should also have a portable jail cell or two.
———
“Ige reveals head of new education task force” Star-Advertiser, April 15:
>> We don’t need a task force. We need to end union influence and eliminate the state Department of Education.
>> If only parents would realize it’s their responsibility to foster a mindset and environment at home that education is important and not the school’s responsibility, we wouldn’t need another task force.
>> Rearranging the furniture on the Titanic?
