Too much tourism sweetness turns sour

“A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.”

However, an engorgement of sugar will soon result in obesity and many, if not all, of its associated illnesses.

Such is, presently, the case with Hawaii tourism. A spoonful has proven to have financial and cultural benefits for those who permanently reside here.

Nevertheless, in an effort to capitalize on a good thing, the Legislature under the influence of Airbnb, is heavily strong-arming the engorgement of tourism on the entire state, including formerly non-commercial residential neighborhoods, parks and beaches.

This giant shoveling of tourists into our already delicate infrastructure has resulted in massive traffic, crime, housing shortages for residents, homelessness, elevated costs of living and rapidly deteriorating Hawaiian island-style living.

The tourist deluge is sucking the spirit of aloha out of everything beautiful about Hawaii and its residents.

I urge Gov. David Ige to veto House Bill 1850 and help restore the “loving spoonful.”

Stann Reiziss

Kailua

Objection arises on pot dispensary staff

Brian Goldstein of Manoa Botanicals told KITV4 News that he has hired a “retired DEA agent, a retired FBI agent and a local law enforcement officer with between them about 80 years of combined experience.”

What a slap in the face to the cannabis community to award any jobs in a medical marijuana dispensary to people who could have participated in arresting, jailing and giving prison time to the same people they now may work with. I’m sure there are plenty of qualified people, who have worked for years to see this history happening, who deserve these jobs.

This is one dispensary that will not see my dollars, and I urge others in the community to do their homework and support only those who support us.

Doug Harms

Maunaloa, Molokai

UH hoops team pays for fouls by others

At this point, it’s moot whether the NCAA’s ban on the University of Hawaii basketball team is lifted; the damage has already been inflicted. Getting the ban on post-season play overturned now would be largely symbolic.

I believe under any circumstances, those players who left would have left anyway. What the ban did do is hamper the team’s effort to recruit in light of the greatest performance in school history. It will now take about two to three years to recover from this penalty.

Had a complete top-level purge been done, I don’t believe the postseason ban would have been assessed.

Now we will be going from conference champions to avoiding last place in the Big West Conference next year. A 10-win season should be a realistic goal. Thank you, UH administration.

Robert R. Lai

Keeaumoku

Chun Oakland went above and beyond

I will sorely miss Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland.

I met her two years ago. Since I am a 24/7 caregiver for my wife, Chun Oakland took the time from her busy schedule to meet me at my home in Kailua at 6 p.m., for a one-hour meeting that lasted three hours. I shared with her the many ideas I had as an advocate for caregivers and their loved ones.

Anyone who has worked with her knows she is the consummate workaholic. We will miss her tireless contribution and sacrifices she has made for the people of Hawaii. She has answered every single one of my emails, usually at 3 a.m.

If her future involves helping caregivers, their loved ones and the kupuna, she can count on me for any type of support I can provide. I thank her very much for all her support and wish her success in all future endeavors.

Ken Takeya

Kailua

It does matter where baby is put aboard

Although I have no baby-carrying certificate, I was trained in martial arts and drilled in falling and being thrown. Even so, there is no way I can take an accidental fall backwards without my full weight impacting an infant carried on my back (“Baby on board,” Star-Advertiser, May 12).

However, when falling to the front, even untrained people will instinctively stretch out both palms to break the fall, giving a baby carried in a front sling some measure of protection, although there is still the danger of the child’s head or face hitting the ground.

Karen Garcia, the certified expert featured in this article, does not really state that it is equally safe and acceptable to carry an infant in front or in the back, but if she does, I very strongly disagree.

David Yasuo Henna

McCully

Lengthy parole adds to overcrowding

It is absolutely insane how the Hawaii Paroling Authority does not understand that it shouldn’t take four to six months to release persons granted parole. Mainland state facilities let their parolees out the very next day, like all prisons are supposed to.

Hawaii’s paroling agency has no clue whatsoever how to run a parole system.

No wonder Hawaii’s system is constantly overcrowded, especially if you have incompetent people in charge of the paroling process.

These people truly need to observe and follow how mainland systems do things; maybe then Hawaii will finally get it right.

David Dodd

Miami, Fla.