Kudos and a double high-five to Betty Shishido on her recent letter regarding the poorly maintained conditions of the pathways at Magic Island (“Magic Island path not in best condition,” May 12).
I know first-hand what she is talking about because I, too, walk daily in the early morning hours. She accurately described the many hazards we face.
Dips and ponding are a common sight. Not too long ago, an acquaintance of mine tripped and fell and scarred her face.
I strongly urge Mayor Kirk Caldwell to take action and have his Parks and Recreation guys do a better job of properly maintaining the walkways.
Glen S. Arakaki
Kamehameha Heights
Rail must be stopped now
Rail is a project that has been crammed down our throats.
The next chapter seems to be that construction should begin, soon, at Ala Moana.
That plan should be nipped in the bud — now. Far too many costs have been underestimated. We could end up with a project that saddles our grandchildren with debt.
Instead, continue to build forward — but stop the project at Middle Street. This would avoid the morass of relocating utilities — especially water — on Dillingham Boulevard, as well as damage to downtown.
Even if we must repay federal monies to make this change, we would be ahead financially.
Simultaneously, extend the rail out to Makaha. Doing so would provide incentive to use rail by those whose commute is among the most burdensome.
This route would serve University of Hawaii’s West Oahu campus and the communities along the way to Middle Street.
The federal government might even be amenable to this change, and allow us to do so without penalty.
Jean Manly
Aina Haina
Cost overruns are no surprise
I’m always surprised that people are surprised that the cost of the rail project is incrementally going up.
Were they born yesterday? Large public projects that take years to complete always face increases due to materials, personnel and expense overruns.
Some of it is not foreseeable, some can be predicted but not with accuracy.
Add to that delays caused by lawsuits, opposition challenges and environmental hoops and hurdles and you can tack on another layer of expenses.
If time is money and delays cost more time, then delays will cost more money. Elementary.
I don’t like the rising cost of rail construction any more than the next guy, but I point a finger at all the naysayers who have caused delays. Can you all please stop whining?
And don’t even get me started on shortening the route.
Gary Saito
Aiea
Sports coverage on OC16 is great
Magnificent coverage.
A tip of the coconut hat to Dave Vinton and OC16 for the coverage of all those sports games and championships throughout the whole school year.
It is a treat to watch them in the comfort of our own homes, for young and old. Young kids learn the sports while watching this great coverage and elders as well.
I hope Dave will keep up the great work. We will be watching.
Jack Sullivan
Past president, Honolulu Quarterback Club
Trump taxes furor a new low
In regards to George Nakamura’s views on Donald Trump’s taxes (“Trump should make his tax returns public,” Star-Advertiser, May 14), we have reached a new low when we are publishing a list of what a person might be hiding in his or her income taxes.
Perhaps Trump is hiding things, such as the following:
>> Overly generous donations to dog shelters.
>> Payments beyond what the IRS asked him to pay.
>> More money spent on personal grooming than anyone would like to admit.
>> Business with nefarious Democrats.
>> Installation of a personal server in his basement.
Mr. Trump deserves a fair fight.
Kris Schwengel
Hawaii Kai
Bathroom issue being overblown
In the face of enormous problems like homelessness, childhood poverty, unemployment, the working poor and unmanageable individual, family, student and government debt — which are not being adequately addressed or solved — one must wonder why legislators in some states, who are in a position to really affect and improve these serious situations, are focusing on bathroom use to “protect our children.”
Apparently they have too much free time on their hands.
People of all sexual orientations have been using common bathrooms for centuries, apparently without problems, even during the Jim Crow years when the identified “problem” was race. Then, a different group was scapegoated.
It’s sad that some individuals run for office in order to promote an agenda instead of wanting to make everyday life better for everyone.
William E. Conti
Waikiki
E-cigs editorial essentially right
The Star-Advertiser’s May 10 editorial, “E-cigarette Rules a Step Forward for Public Health,” rightly approves of the rules issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate the content of e-cigarettes and their availability to minors.
The regulations were issued by the FDA because recent research has raised several concerns about risks associated with e-cigarette use.
The editorial describes a study of Hawaii teenagers and states that those who used e-cigarettes were likely to start smoking cigarettes. This is essentially correct but the best wording would be that teens who used e-cigarettes were more likely to start smoking. In our study, initial nonsmokers who used e-cigarettes were three times more likely to start smoking; but the majority of the adolescents who used e-cigarettes didn’t start smoking over a 1-year time interval.
Smoking cigarettes currently causes 480,00 deaths per year in the U.S. from cancer and heart disease.
So the best advice for adults who smoke is: Quit now. The best advice for teenagers is: Don’t start.
Thomas A. Wills
Cancer Prevention and Control Program, University of Hawaii Cancer Center
Don’t divert Medicaid funds
It’s sad that our governor and Legislature have selective amnesia.
The last time they used Medicaid money to balance their budget, people died.
Medicaid money should be used for medical needs. Some doctors won’t take Medicaid patients due to low reimbursement and red tape.
Use the money for its stated purpose. Find some other fund to pay for cooling our schools.
Pauline Arellano
Mililani
