As the first director of the Honolulu Zoo, I heartily applaud Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s choice of Linda Santos as the zoo’s new director (“Honolulu Zoo has new leader,” Star-Advertiser, Sept. 26).

Santos has continued to be a strong and effective leader during her more than 30 years at our zoo. Among her many achievements is supervising the zoo’s highly successful and significant program of propagating several species of rare birds of paradise.

Among her less-well-known accomplishments are her abilities in establishing cooperative agreements with officials of other zoos. With her warm personality and aloha spirit, she has built close ties with other zoos that greatly benefit our zoo. She understands our zoo, its needs, and works well with the staff.

Thanks to Mayor Caldwell for selecting Linda Santos, Honolulu’s own Roosevelt grad, for this well-deserved appointment.

Paul Breese

Honolulu Zoo director emeritus

Kapaau, Hawaii island

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Explain how state can cut spending

Your editorial, “Adjust spending, not just taxation” (Star-Advertiser, Our View, Sept. 24) does an excellent job of pointing out the many tax increase options before the 2018 Legislature, but then you stop dead in your tracks and do not suggest even one possible spending adjustment or cost-cutting measure.

You owe us another editorial to live up to the editorial’s headline.

State Rep. Gene Ward

Hawaii Kai

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Too many tourists staying in B&Bs

Are there too many visitors staying in Waikiki? Or, are there too many visitors vacationing in private homes in our residential neighborhoods? I think most local folks would agree the latter is the real problem.

Did you know that of the 8 million visitors to Hawaii, only about 2.1 million are first-time visitors? That means there are about 5.9 million repeat visitors.

Based on my personal experience working in Waikiki for more than 40 years, the first-time visitors predominantly stay in hotels in our tourist-zoned areas. It is the repeat visitors who mostly use the likes of Airbnb apps to vacation in our residential neighborhoods, perhaps next door to you.

Visitors staying in our residential communities are the real problem. The obvious way to solve this problem is to enforce our zoning codes. Going after the visitor industry isn’t the way to solve a residential zoning problem. Remember, the visitor industry is our economic engine.

Bob Hampton

Hawaii Kai

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Stadium flag displays violate federal law

Carl Zimmerman’s suggestion that the national anthem not be performed at sports events merits some thought (“Don’t play anthem at sports events,” Star- Advertiser, Letters, Sept. 26).

The same can be said for carrying a huge American flag onto the field, in obvious violation of the U.S. Code, which says the flag should never be carried or displayed flat or horizontally, but always “aloft and free.” That’s the law.

Whether we stand, salute or sing is not governed by any law, but the display of the flag is. Is it OK to violate that law? I suspect that the members of our uniformed services are not aware of the U.S. Code and think that this violation of the law is somehow patriotic.

Keith Haugen

Nuuanu

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Democracy built on diversity of opinion

Shame on the 43 percent who answered “yes” to the Big Q question, “Should NFL and other pro athletes face consequences for refusing to stand during the national anthem?” (Star-Advertiser, Sept. 26).

I thought I lived in the most progressive and tolerant of the 50 states. If you believe in democracy, the answer cannot be “yes.”

Almost everyone has some views that are disrespectful to some people. In a democracy, a diversity of opinions should be respected; blasphemy to one person is orthodoxy to another.

Those 43 percent should take some time to study our history and find out what principles make our country great.

Bob Karman

Portlock

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Diplomacy made credible by military

Greg Harding took a cheap shot at President Donald Trump, using what he must believe to have been clever sarcasm to revile our president as a bully in his dealings with North Korea (“Move aside bully in North Korea conflict,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Sept. 21).

Russel Noguchi quite properly took him to task: Clearly it has been Kim Jong Un who has acted the bully, repeatedly threatening America with nuclear annihilation (“Trump is correct to challenge Kim,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Sept. 25).

Donald J. Trump was elected to be president of us all, but he is particularly appreciated by thoughtful patriots like Noguchi who demonstrate a clear understanding of the purpose and proper uses of diplomacy — made credible by the existence of our armed services — to deal with emerging national security threats.

Thomas E. Stuart

Kapaau, Hawaii island

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It’s Trump who sets a bad example

My parents taught me that cheating, lying, deceiving, name-calling, boasting, bullying and selfish behavior were all shameful. But Josephine P. Bird said I should respect a president who does all those things — otherwise, we set a bad example for our youth (“President Trump deserves respect,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Sept. 23).

Just what example are we trying to set?

Jim Young

St. Louis Heights