Tulsi Gabbard claims challengers are “smearing my record” (“Campaign rival calls out Gabbard for not debating,” Star-Advertiser, June 29).

What exactly is her record after four years? What has she accomplished for Hawaii?

The media reported her political associations with Republicans Aaron Schock, the Illinois Congressman with the” Downton Abbey”-decorated office who resigned and is now under criminal investigation for fraud; House Speaker Paul Ryan, her workout buddy at the congressional gym and a Trump supporter; and Eric Cantor, the deposed Republican House Majority Leader who led a congressional junket to Asia in 2014 with Gabbard as the only Democrat.

Gabbard’s behavior suggests that she is not happy in the party that elected her. After her 2012 win, she made a bid for U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye’s vacant seat before serving a single day. Is she a Democrat, or Republican?

If Gabbard wants re-election, she needs to provide a record of significant accomplishments — not media interviews.

Kevin Roddy

St. Louis Heights

Brexit has parallels with Honolulu rail

I detect a parallel between the recent Brexit and Honolulu’s rail fiasco.

Both highlight out-of-control big government bureaucrats forcing megaprojects onto an unwilling public.

Heavy rail was an excessively elaborate and expensive supposed traffic solution. It sounded great to politicians, unions and developers — but never made any sense for ordinary taxpayers.

Similarly, letting the European Union in Brussels superimpose “globalized government” over 29 existing nations, adding multiple layers of expensive bureaucracy and regulations, was always flawed.

The only pathetic remaining argument for both these labyrinthine projects is: “But it’s too huge to stop now, too complicated and expensive to discontinue.”

Government works best when it operates closest to the people it governs. Rail and the EU both got totally out of hand — with political elites forcing their dictates on the people they supposedly represent, then proceeding to botch the whole deal.

We Honolulans can’t change Brexit, but we certainly can vote for new mayoral management.

Brad Coates

Waikiki

Express bus would be cheaper than rail

We are told not to worry that the train will end at Middle Street. Riders will transfer to a large fleet of express buses that will take them to work, Ala Moana, the University of Hawaii and Waikiki.

Let’s expand on that good idea: Instead of Middle Street, have riders board the express fleet in Kapolei. Half the travel time and a fraction of the cost of the rail ride, with none of those expensive trains or stations. What’s not to like?

John Corboy

Mililani

Treat lawn grass like an invasive species

To conserve water, isn’t it about time to designate lawn grass as an invasive species and tax those who cultivate it for excessive use of our drinking water and for imperiling our reef by dumping manure-laden runoff into the ocean?

Those new taxes could be directed to support the changes recommended by Wai Maoli, the Fresh Water Initiative, as well as to building structures to collect rainwater, and using permeable concrete and Tarmac to enable rainfall to trickle down to replenish the aquifers.

Should we not cherish, protect and conserve the wai as well as the aina?

Doris M. Ladd

Moiliili

Ambassador died on Clinton’s watch

The Star-Advertiser’s article on the results of the Benghazi investigation presents its findings in the context of the impact on Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign (“Report fails to tie Clinton in direct way to Benghazi,” Star-Advertiser, June 29).

The article holds that the killing of the four Americans at the Benghazi post, including an ambassador, cannot be tied to anything Secretary of State Clinton did or did not do. Clinton is blameless, if we ignore the responsibility the head of the State Department to keep her field office charges out of harm’s way.

The Benghazi situation was well known to be dangerous, with the ambassador asking for increased security on several occasions and the British actually evacuating their post.

Politics aside, where does the buck stop if the head of the agency is absolved of responsibility for the security failure and its consequences?

Tom Freitas

Hawaii Kai

Aloha spirit felt in South Carolina

Once again I am reminiscing about a wonderful vacation that I took in 2007.

I visited the beautiful island of Oahu and fell in love with the island’s weather, flora, culture, and, most of all, its beautiful people.

I stayed at the Queen Kapiolani and, while sitting at a table gazing out over Waikiki beach, I met so many incredibly beautiful and warm people.

I hope and pray that some day I can return to this island of paradise and return such aloha spirit.

Here at home in South Carolina at the local Walmart, I saw a beautiful lady dressed as I saw the beautiful women in Honolulu. I approached her, introduced myself and remarked as to how she reminded me of my vacation. She smiled and told me that she was from Oahu. So wonderful.

Please extend my heartfelt gratitude to the beautiful people of Oahu. You made it more than just a vacation for me. I will never forget it, and I try to show the people I meet every day here on the mainland the same aloha spirit that was shown to me.

Mark Eastman

Elgin, S.C.