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Buried in the Local & Business section was a key article that should have made the front page (“Trump lists top projects, omitting Oahu’s rail line,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 25).
Not making the top 50 infrastructure projects list raises serious questions for all of us on the effectiveness of our four-member congressional team in focusing on Hawaii’s needs.
While one laments on the politics of being a blue state, another is consumed with fighting key presidential appointments and immigration policies, a third is off on a less-than-“quiet” fact- finding mission to Syria, and our senior senator has been less than agressive on his efforts to lobby for our state’s most important infrastructure priority.
All four should join forces in a concerted non-political effort to sit with the new secretary of transportation, Elaine Chao, and President Donald Trump to discuss options on getting Hawaii on this list.
Feelings and politics aside, we need to move pragmatism to the front, now that infrastructure building is a national priority.
Joel Tanaka
Aiea
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Tourists will love riding Oahu’s train
I keep hearing, “Who will ride the rail?”
I keep saying: “It will be the No. 1 tourist attraction on Oahu, with an incredible above-ground view of our beautiful island. It will be packed with tourists.”
Get ready, these people will be getting off at all stops and shopping. Look ahead, folks!
Richard Moody
Kakaako
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Federal funds or no, stop rail at Middle St.
David Shapiro’s column brings good points to consider regarding rail (“City needs to prove rail’s worth before funding flows,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 29).
Costs have changed massively yet the benefits have stayed the same or shown to be over-optimistic. The costs have more than doubled with no end in sight.
The Star-Advertiser editorial is really just saying to go ahead with whatever is proposed (“Vet rail-bus plans before fee hikes,” Our View, Jan. 29), even as City Council members and legislators ask tough questions about the project.
My opinion is stop at Middle Street. If the feds don’t like it, too bad. It is cheaper to pay them back than to continue with this black hole of all our tax dollars.
Judith Pettibone
Makiki
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Wahine coverage comes up short
On Jan. 29, the Star-Advertiser reported on victories by the University of Hawaii men’s and women’s basketball teams.
Coverage of the men’s game included a headline on the front page, along with a picture; a story on the front page of the Sports section, with a one-inch bold caps headline and a large picture; and a continuation of the article on page C6 with another large picture.
The women’s victory got no mention on the front page of either section A or C. Their article was on page C6, and included a smaller picture and a lower-case headline.
Why doesn’t the Star-Advertiser think Laura Beeman and her scrappy Wahine deserve some kind of equivalence with Eran Ganot’s Warriors?
Patrick L. Brown
Kailua
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Krauthammer right about ‘America First’
I often find myself disagreeing with Charles Krauthammer, sometimes rather strongly. But his column on the dangers of Trump’s “America First” policy hits the nail on the head (“Trump threatens global order with ‘America First’ doctrine,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 27).
It is often hard to tell what President Donald Trump really thinks about anything, since he so frequently contradicts himself and his staff. But I am hearing loud and clear that he envisions a foreign policy in which we have little interests beyond our own.
If that means scrapping agreements that hold world trade together or long-held alliances with friendly nations, that all seems to be on the table. I have worried from the beginning that Trump’s knowledge of and interest in geopolitics was minimal, and that, alarmingly, seems to be playing out.
One can only hope that Congress and Trump’s senior staff can bring some sense to what appears to be going disastrously down the wrong road.
Jim King
Hawaii Kai
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Columnist ignorant about women’s issues
I was amused by Ben Shapiro’s column ridiculing the Women’s March (“Focus on biology clouds diversity of women’s views,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 25).
It’s obvious he doesn’t understand the meaning behind the huge Women’s March. Perhaps he should stay silent on subjects he cannot comprehend.
He blames the whole issue on biology. I would excuse him on the same grounds, but many others of the male persuasion get it. He is offended that women (gasp) used crude and humorous signs in response to overt misogyny and the threatened loss of health care for women.
Like insecure men throughout history, he said, in effect, “Sit down and look pretty, ladies, and let the men make the decisions.”
Shapiro has appointed himself judge of something that does not involve him. He ought to be silent and listen a bit.
Russell Ruderman
Keaau, Hawaii island
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Women’s Marchers won’t be silenced
Seriously? You dug down pretty far to find Ben Shapiro’s column, apparently to present an opposing view on the Women’s March. Publishing opposing views can be enlightening and instructive — this was not. And it was not worthy of our local newspaper.
Marchers represented a variety of views but were unified in fighting to protect our rights. For many of us, there is deep concern as we see a Congress eager to dismantle health care — and singling out one of our country’s most effective providers of women’s health care, Planned Parenthood.
The Marchers are voters. We may have lost in the Electoral College, but we won the numbers, and we will not be silenced.
Dorien McClellan
Maili