Oahu population loss affects city tax take

From 2010 to 2018, Oahu’s population dropped by 62,000 people. Oahu’s military population has declined since 2014 by 7,000. Today, 1,000 more people per month are leaving Oahu than coming here to live. That’s a very alarming trend.

Demographic changes, especially population loss, lowers demand for buying real property and the amounts that landlords can charge for rents. Property values have been affected by this and property tax assessments are now lower (“Less tax take will mean city squeeze,” Star-Advertiser, Our View, Dec. 16). Loss of Oahu’s population has been well-acknowledged by our local economists for several years. Is anyone in the city paying attention to this basic problem?

Besides the challenge to complete the rail project with its many unanswered questions, I, and others, question why the city is spending planning money for a $772 million redo of the “dated” Neal S Blaisdell Center. The Blaisdell is not dated, it’s beautiful and functional. Things like this make no sense when financial issues are looming.

Gregg Uyetake

Hahaione Valley

Power makes good people do bad things

While watching a few interviews preceding Wednesday’s impeachment vote, I was struck by how good, smart, decent people of a good and decent party, will defend a man’s actions because he’s seen as instrumental to their party’s hold on power.

These proceedings have inexorably brought our representatives to a fairly simple decision, although with many difficult surrounding issues.

But that simple decision is: Are we willing to “make America great again” at the cost of its decency? I wish I knew the right answer. But I know what I think and feel.

So I turned my television off because I don’t care to be swept up in angst.

But I also turned it off, mindful that I live in an America where I can see, tomorrow or whenever I choose to tune in again, the choices that representatives I voted for made for me. And I can hold them responsible, the next time I vote.

Robert Makinodan

Nuuanu

Do something to stop fireworks booms

The last few days on Oahu, there has been lots of shooting and fireworks. My topic is about fireworks.

Every day the noise of fireworks is actually confusing everyone when there is a shooting. Fireworks noise is getting to be a common everyday event. Everyone is getting accustomed to hearing fireworks daily this time of year.

For years everyone complained about fireworks but there was no big effort to stop illegal playing of fireworks. If laws cannot be used to stop fireworks banning fireworks may be the only solution. People are urged not to smoke because of health concerns, yet smoke from fireworks will send many people to the hospital for breathing emergencies.

We need to open our eyes with all the knowledge we have, and stop noise pollution from fireworks noise. Hello, politicians/whoever: do something, please.

Bob Naka

Mililani

Gabbard’s ‘present’ vote lame, cowardly

Hawaii’s residents and voters should be appalled at our U.S. representative, Tulsi Gabbard: She voted “present” (essentially a nonvote, but at least she bothered to show up for this one) for each article of impeachment.

How lame! How cowardly! How totally inappropriate when her constituency is strongly Democratic and overwhelmingly supports impeachment of the president for his abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. She voted against the wishes of the vast majority of those who voted her into office. No one should ever vote for her again.

It also appears she isn’t familiar with a small but mighty document called the Constitution. She can find one at any school or library in our state and she should read it.

Should she put herself on the ballot for some high political office, remember how she let down and sold out her fellow Hawaii residents in this historic proceeding. And then you should vote for someone else. Anyone else.

Jill Thach

Kailua

Real hoax is Trump’s damage to civility

Donald Trump likes to throw around words like hoax, sham, fake, at anything that challenges him. He calls climate change a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese to hurt American business.

When he feels he isn’t being fairly treated by the press, he declares them the enemy of the people and purveyors of fake news. From the beginning, despite the evidence that has emerged, he has repeatedly called the impeachment proceedings a hoax and a sham. To call any process that depends on gathering evidence a hoax is an admission of having no argument.

It is equivalent to calling people like climate scientists, journalists and all the witnesses who have testified in the impeachment inquiry, liars. The real sham is how Trump manages to reduce the need for civil deliberation to ad hominin mud-slinging. He gets away with it because party minions let him and evidence doesn’t seem to matter anymore.

Arthur Mersereau

Manoa

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