Zuckerberg seeks to wall off outsiders

That Mark Zuckerberg would stoop to legal machinations (“quiet title” lawsuits) to deprive Native Hawaiians of their ancestral lands on Kauai so that he can complete his family compound is outrageous (“Facebook’s Zuckerberg sues to force land sales,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 18).

Similarly, he has proceeded to create another such exclusive compound in Palo Alto, Calif., in violation of zoning codes and ideal land use, according to the city advisory board.

One has to wonder: Whom is he afraid of that he needs exclusive, walled compounds?

Mark Slovak

Manoa

—

Trump will choose less liberal justices

I don’t expect that I’ll always like what President Donald Trump does. He will decide many things, and he can’t be perfect. But I am happy that he — and not Hillary Clinton — will be making those decisions.

In particular, I shudder to think of Clinton packing the Supreme Court with liberal judges. Liberal judges often ignore the law and invent law based upon their own wishes. If they imagine a shadow of a shadow of a right — a penumbra — in the U.S. Constitution, that is all they need to invent new law. The penumbra means what they want it to mean. The wishes of liberal judges often conflict with public opinion. We want judges to interpret the law, and not invent it.

I expect great and wonderful picks for the Supreme Court from Trump. There is a vacancy now on the court. You will see.

Mark Terry

Wahiawa

—

America will suffer for Trump’s flaws

Opposition to the person who now occupies the highest leadership position in the world, and whose deeply flawed character is about to launch our government and the world into chaos, is not “rhetoric” (“It’s time for liberals to cool the rhetoric,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Jan. 19).

Never in American history have we seen such a person take the reins — a person who operates entirely from a platform of self-adulation and the acquisition of wealth above all other values. A person whose instinct is to shoot from the hip and bully all who oppose or even criticize him; who is attacking the press (the first step toward tyranny); and, of course, who disrespects any number of groups, including women.

And finally, Trump is a person who is playing footsie with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a war criminal if ever there was one.

I pity his new Cabinet members. They will be contradicted, embarrassed, bullied, rebuked and largely disempowered by their new boss. And all who depend on our government in this nation or elsewhere will be the losers because of the resulting mess.

Lindsay A. Desrochers

Kapolei

—

Don’t assume worst about poor renters

I was amused with the writer of “Renters should be grateful for subsidies” (Star-Advertiser, Letters, Jan. 23).

I don’t know her age, financial situation or repair skills, and I’m not going to assume any of those. But she did.

To assume someone on a rental subsidy can afford to purchase materials to do repairs on his apartment, and is capable of doing them, is assuming a lot of unknowns. Why generalize?

I can assure the writer that everyone I know who lives in a subsidized apartment is grateful. Does she know any of these people she maligns?

If she wants to understand where the money comes from, she should get the city financial reports or ask for an audit.

Shirley Hamilton

Kailua

—

Keep rents the same if other options fail

If raising rents on affordable housing causes some renters to become homeless, I hope the city will allow them to remain with the rent they can afford (“City raising rents on affordable housing,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 16).

To add to the number of homeless does not make sense. When they become homeless, there will be more costs to the city in managing the homeless problem. If they go to a shelter, they won’t be paying anything and someone else will have to pay for them to live there.

I see more and more homeless on the streets of Honolulu every day. Don’t add more to the situation.

Craig Nahm

Hawaii Kai

—

Public schools fall behind private ones

Step back and look at the Star-Advertiser’s front page on Aloha Friday (Jan. 20). Surely this is the pulse of paradise.

On the one hand our state offered teachers a 1 percent bonus — with no promise for next year and no way to offset the rise in health care costs (“State offers teachers 1% bonuses”). All this to support our public education program.

Then, on the other hand, ‘Iolani, one of Hawaii’s proud, private and expensive schools, announced plans for an expansion slated to cost between $30 million and $40 million (“‘Iolani aims to expand its campus and reach”).

Lucky we live Hawaii.

Mary I. Piette

Kaneohe

—

HPD should prepare for traffic detours

It is unfortunate that a water main break occurred near Kahala this weekend (“2 lanes open for motorists on eastbound Kalanianaole,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 24). To the police officers who were directing traffic, mahalo!

Traffic incident planning should become a part of the interview that the Honolulu Police Commission will conduct with applicants for the position of police chief.

Traffic management during traffic tie-ups is important, especially for emergency vehicles.

Should it be determined that the Honolulu Police Department or the city lacks adequate planning, then this must be corrected.

Planners conduct on-site exercises for disasters, but have they reviewed transportation for victims to hospitals during rush-hour disasters?

Traffic detouring is a difficult subject to plan for, but a plan or organizational structure is necessary.

Leonard Leong

Manoa