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Leaders propose to pile on the taxes
Only a few weeks ago, our city and state leaders were making a bigger than usual show of pretending they care about the cost of living and affordability.
Since then they have proposed or supported:
>> A new, large stormwater fee to support an expanded stormwater bureaucracy;
>> An increase in the excessive motor vehicle registration tax;
>> A new property tax;
>> A new mileage tax that would hit hardest those who cannot afford to live near work;
>> A new tax on every shipping container entering the state;
>> A new tax on driving on congested roads;
>> A new tax on Uber and Lyft;
>> A new tax on entering or leaving the state by air.
And we still don’t know how much they will increase taxes to finish construction and start operations of the train.
With leaders and ideas like these, Oahu will soon be suitable only for the homeless, wealthy absentee property owners, and 20 million tourists a year who will have to be served by robots.
Mark Hildebrant
Kailua
Early-learning bill would benefit keiki
More than one-half of 3- and 4-year-olds in Hawaii — some 20,000 children — are shut out of the opportunity to attend preschool. Turning this around is a matter of funding priorities and political will.
House Bill 2543 builds on the public-private foundation my administration laid 10 years ago. I gratefully support HB 2543, which concentrates on private sector and nonprofit sources under the Preschool Open Doors program administered by the Department of Human Services.
The Department of Education (DOE) has a small program, with 44 classrooms and a meager 10 more to be added next year. At its current expansion rate, DOE will require 100 years to address today’s existing need.
Regarding funding, the state routinely contracts with outside agencies, including those associated with religious organizations, for services not otherwise available or in short supply.
These contracts are not subsidies, but rather payment for services rendered. Funding preschool is not a subsidy to anyone, but an investment in our children’s future.
As for staff, you don’t “find” staff, you create it. Here’s where the University of Hawaii and foundations need to step up — right away. Set up a sensible certification process.
Neil Abercrombie
Governor of Hawaii, 2010-2014
Air travel increases coronavirus risks
I am a kamaaina owner of a popular beachfront vacation rental condominium unit on rural Oahu. We welcome guests from all over the world and have many returning vacationers every year.
Last week a group of eight of us congregated around the pool talking story for several hours. Some recently arrived from the West Coast, others from the Midwest or Canada. Most flew in from Los Angeles or Seattle.
Among this group were elderly folks who have health conditions with associated immune deficiencies, making them prone to viral infections.
Normally we could accept these risks as part of our regular lifestyle, but since the arrival of the coronavirus, such harmless gatherings may have serious consequences for our community.
Apparently we are only 5-1/2 hours from a deadly contaminant that could attach itself to one of our guests and infect the entire community.
Michael Long
Punaluu
Minimum wage needs to be higher
I oppose House Bill 2541: $13 is not enough. Hawaii deserves a living wage. If this was going into effect by 2022, it could seem reasonable, but by 2024 we will still be so far below a living wage in Hawaii. Rents are soaring and the numbers of homeless people are increasing because they cannot afford to rent.
Owning is not even an option.
I have been living in Hawaii since 1998 and still rent. And I was lucky to have a job at $20 an hour for 14 years, but never felt like I could afford to buy a place.
Sandra Dahl
Waikiki
Public deserves Blaisdell and rail
We shouldn’t blame rail for canceling plans to renovate the Blaisdell Center (“Mayor Kirk Caldwell scraps plans for Blaisdell Center face-lift, citing rail cost uncertainty,” Star-Advertiser, Top News, Feb. 3).
The public has spent many hours participating in meetings to plan for both these initiatives. Our elected officials should provide the leadership and find a way to follow through with these plans that will improve the quality of life for all our residents.
Mary Jean Castillo
Red Hill
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