More housing good, but live simpler for capacity

Housing affordability is a good thing, but a large magnitude in a relatively short period has me torn.

Koa Ridge and Ho‘opili will release about 15,000 homes, and some or many residents are likely to come from out of state. We’ve lost population that could stand to be replenished, but can we control burdens that come with it?

New properties boast proximity to public transportation, parks, schools and community centers. But 15,000 homes add cars, toilets, showers and such things at locations not originally supported by infrastructure. And these numbers don’t include the Kamehameha Schools’ proposals coming down the pipe.

These things will get vetted through the approval and permitting process, but will still make commutes more difficult. Add demand for power, water and sewer while we are trying to self-sustain within this same decade.

I have always been an advocate of urban living that simplifies luxuries and reduces capacity. Always push for smarter living.

William Wright

Nuuanu

Herbicide ban would’ve been wiser for future

I was appalled and disappointed to see that the Big Island veto override attempt fell short by one vote (“Hawaii County mayor’s herbicide ban veto remains intact,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 13).

The herbicide in question is also used on large lots in densely populated Waikiki areas owned by prominent community corporations. With the decidedly mixed results as to the safety of these products, it seems unconscionable they have not been banned in Hawaii.

Recent reputable studies (Scientific American, July 2019 issue) also clearly state the “inert” products in the said product are not, and the result is death of human cells.

While we and our elected officials bicker about whether or not it is dangerous to humans, our children, pets, kupuna and neighbors are being used as unwitting lab rats. Do we finally say “no” to these large monied corporations, or do we add another blunder to the litany of environmental offenses for which we, our children and grandchildren will be paying for generations to come? Shame.

Robert Schwager

Ala Wai

Marshes, forests help filter stormwater runoff

It was front-page news that Hawaii’s waters are brown with stormwater runoff, which can contain pollutants from “cesspools and sewers, farms, forests and industrial sites, including pesticides, chemicals, dead animals, and pathogens” (“Troubled waters,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 14).

Yet, the city wants to pave over parts of Sherwood Forest and Kawainui Marsh. Marshes and forests are filters for stormwater runoff. If development continues at this rate, we’re going to have a lot more “troubled waters.”

Shannon Brown

Kailua

Drivers wanting to turn right must heed walkers

Driving lesson from Jan. 11: If you are wanting to turn right and there is a walk signal, there is usually a person waiting to cross. This morning that person was me and if I had not stepped back three times, I would have been run over by one, if not two or three of you. And, yes, I then crossed when I had zero seconds to cross.

Priscilla Ranne

Manoa

Communist movement rooted King’s success

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is an occasion to remember the radical movement that produced him and to renew our commitment to this movement.

The Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott that brought King to prominence has roots going back to the 1930’s anti- racism struggle. The Communist Party USA (CPUSA) was central to this struggle and to the people who surrounded King.

It produced Rosa Parks, trained by the CPUSA. It produced Communist Party member Mildred McAdory, who in 1941 was herself arrested in Birmingham, Ala., for refusing to give up her seat to a white man.

This launched the legal fight by the CPUSA that would extend to the 1963 March on Washington, conceived by Party member Bayard Rustin, to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, headed by Party member Jack O’Dell, and to King’s anti-war, anti-poverty stances.

In King we must appreciate the man and study the movement. As Angela Davis reminds us: The struggle is not a marathon but a relay race.

Let’s mark this day by picking up the baton.

Lowell B. Denny III

Chairman, Communist Party USA-Hawaii Club

Aloha to Thielen, who served constituents well

As an independent, I’d like to say mahalo to state Rep. Cynthia Thielen who consistently served the communities she represented with their interests in mind.

We have been fortunate to have her represent our interests, and I’m sorry to see her retire. Here’s to an enjoyable retirement.

Annette Spinaio

Kailua

Traffic congestion fee? Enough taxes already

Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s latest idea is to tax us for driving on key roads during rush hour to reduce congestion. Aren’t we already paying $9 billion for the rail, which is supposed to reduce traffic congestion? Rail’s original completion date was this year. It is now five years behind schedule, and experts think the final bill will be over $13 billion.

Enough already! No more taxes.

Sid Tsubata

Kaneohe

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