Bike lanes don’t belong on McCully

Why are bike lanes on McCully Street being added (“McCully Street bike lanes to eliminate up to 30 parking spots,” Star-Advertiser, Dec. 2)?

Improving the already existing bike lanes along wider and less-congested University Avenue would be a better option. University has fewer intersections and with a short extension can link to the vehicle-free Ala Wai bike path. People using University are already aware of the bike lane. The Ala Wai bike path is safer.

It seems like planners have a death wish for bikers, who will have to encounter passenger coaches, emergency vehicles, shuttle buses, limos and cars all trying to access the H-1. Last time I checked bikes aren’t allowed on the freeway so why are they using the same corridor as cars?

Lottie Tagupa

Ewa Beach

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Minimum wage hike will hurt businesses

The irrationality of advocates of an increase in the minimum wage is fully revealed in the following statement in a recent op-ed: “But if you can’t afford to pay your workers a living wage you shouldn’t be in business” (“Economic justice demands increase in minimum wage,” Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Dec. 3).

So the business disappears. Then what happens to the workers who have lost their jobs?

Increasing the minimum wage obviously means that some businesses that can’t afford to pay their workers more will go broke or lay off some workers.

The real issue is the relationship of the minimum wage to the wages that currently prevail. If the increase is modest it will have little effect. But suppose the increase advocated is not to $15 an hour — itself a massive jump — but $50 an hour.

Does anyone doubt that this would have a devastating effect on the economy?

Increasing workers’ pay by government fiat is wishful thinking that ignores economic reality.

Carl H. Zimmerman

Salt Lake

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Transition program a proven success

The transition center program featured in the commentary, “Transition center at Radford helps students adjust” (Star-Advertiser, Raise Your Hand, Dec. 4), is a proven success and should be considered in Hawaii’s new strategic plan for public schools. It was developed by Hawaii’s Joint Venture Education Forum (JVEF), which was established in 1998 as a cooperative partnership between Hawaii’s U.S. military commands and Department of Education (DOE) to improve educational opportunities for military students.

Dr. Allen Awaya, a DOE retiree and then-staff education liaison for the U.S. Pacific Command, was instrumental in developing a program to educate school administrators and teachers on the profound influence the military’s unique culture had in shaping the lives of these oft-traveled children. This led to a better understanding of the needs of all transitioning students and, among other initiatives, developing the transition center concept initially at Radford as the model for all military-impacted schools.

Mahalo to Dr. Awaya for his unwavering dedication to enhancing educational opportunities for military and non-military students alike.

Charles Ota

Charter member, JVEF

Aiea

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In real world, skills can be transferable

The Star-Advertiser and others like U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi still don’t get it. The article, “Carson selection revives talk of inexperience in Cabinet” (Star-Advertiser, Dec. 6) criticizes President-elect Donald Trump’s picks for lack of experience with agencies they will now lead.

Pelosi said that Ben Carson, Trump’s choice to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development, was a “disconcerting and disturbingly unqualified choice.”

What Pelosi and others don’t understand is that there has been a paradigm shift in the country. The country’s mantra is no longer “doing things like we’ve always done them.” Trump recognizes that in the real world, which is foreign to politicians like Pelosi, skill sets sometimes are transferable and preferable even though a candidate might lack experience.

The country has elected Trump president and he has chosen who he believes are best qualified for his Cabinet. He and his Cabinet deserve our respect and a chance to prove themselves before we start criticizing them.

Peter Junker

Hawaii Kai

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Espero good choice for housing chairman

State Sen. Will Espero’s appointment as chairman of the Senate Housing Committee brings hope to many of our homeless and those needing affordable housing (“Espero will lead Senate committee on housing,” Star-Advertiser, Dec. 5).

Hopefully, the state can work with the city to parlay limited resources to accelerate delivery of needed housing units.

Already the state’s homeless coordinator, Scott Morishige, and the Hawaii Public Housing Authority are at work to expand delivery of more units.

Espero is a doer and we have high hopes his chairmanship in housing will bring about more affordable housing units.

Chu Lan Shubert-Kwock

Chinatown