Build Back Better bill full of wasteful spending

Thank you, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin. There is someone in the Democratic party with common sense (“Manchin upends Biden’s agenda, won’t back $2 trillion bill,” Star-Advertiser, Dec. 20).

The president’s multi-trillion-dollar Build Back Better bill is full of garbage and wasteful spending — too many social programs and giveaways. Americans need to get off the sofa, go to work and not rely on government handouts.

The climate agenda is a joke. Most of the solar panels and lithium batteries come from China, so who are we building back better?

Maybe Biden needs to focus on those crossing the southern border illegally. The border should be shut down just like the Canadian border was because of COVID-19.

This is the worst administration I have seen in my lifetime.

Robert Hensler

Kakaako

Parents need help to return to workforce

The U.S. Senate has got to step up and address societal problems made worse by the coronavirus. For political reasons, Republicans, with support from Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, are stonewalling efforts by President Joe Biden to address these issues.

The pandemic has exacerbated these societal problems. It also has created shortages of workers who are unable to join the workforce.

One part of the Build Back Better (BBB) plan is to support parents who have child-care responsibilities. BBB offers child tax credits and universal pre-kindergarten that help parents as everyone continues the fight to end the pandemic.

Why not offer BBB programs at least until the pandemic ends and things return to normal? Without Senate action, child tax credits expire this year. Universal pre-kindergarten helps parents to return to the workforce.

We cannot afford to ignore the mounting problems now facing this country.

Stuart Shimazu

Diamond Head

Molokai’s shameful silence as seals killed

So on the small island of Molokai, where probably folks own only a few firearms, everybody knows each other. But no one knows who is sneaking out and shooting seals (“Monk seal fatally shot is third death on Molokai this year,” Star-Advertiser, Dec. 22)?

Yeah, right.

Terry Hunter

Aiea

Poor fuel leak response shows Navy’s failures

The military is known to develop, train for and execute operational plans and logistics plans. Does the Defense Logistics Agency and the Department of the Navy have contingency plans in place for handling fuel leaks at the Red Hill fuel facility? If so, execution would be graded as poor to a failure, as it appears that the military families were used like canaries in a coal mine.

If no contingency plan, how does the Navy intend to assume responsibility for and provide water to 750,000 people and place them in hotel rooms similar to, but instead of, 3,000 military families, when there is a major fuel leak several times greater in magnitude into the precious aquifers?

Melvin Yamashita

Kailua

Incompetence makes tanks a clear danger

So the Navy’s new “working theory” is that one of their earlier fuel spills involved a chain of leaks and accidents that led to release of tainted water in to the environment (“Navy now says water was tainted from May 6 fuel spill,” Star-Advertiser, Dec. 21).

Right in the middle of this stated series of miscues is the belief that the fuel migrated to a pipeline that’s part of the fire suppression system.

Yikes! It’s a good thing there were no fires during that time, or we would have had a chance to see how effectively a mix of water and aviation fuel either helps to stop or to aid the spread of combustion throughout the 240 million gallons of fuel at the facility.

The steady drip-by-drip reveal of the Navy’s misinformation and incompetence is changing Hawaii’s “working theory” on Red Hill from the status of an inconvenient necessity to that of a clear and present danger.

Dan Binkley

Makiki

A crisis of conscience with Navy’s behavior

‘Eia ka wai… here is water. The gift of life, for all. This precious resource is held in public trust, for the community’s use — not to be held hostage by the Navy.

Empty the fuel tanks now. We have been in peril since 1893. There is no time to lose. The theft of lands and resources is nothing new. What we’re all facing is a crisis not only of epic proportions but of conscience, as we are, even now, told lies and expected to feel comfort in farcical plans.

Given the immensity of problems we’re facing, when will Hawaii be freed from these unspeakable kinds of actions that put even the beloved families of the U.S. military in peril?

Ue. Auwe. Unconscionable.

Meleanna Meyer

Makiki

Little being done about Chinatown’s homeless

KITV did a segment recently highlighting crime, mental illness and homelessness in Chinatown.

Remember the saying, “What did you do with the money your mother gave you for singing lessons?” It certainly applies here.

In normal times, tourism brings in more than $16 billion a year to Hawaii, the lion’s share in Waikiki. And yet a walk through downtown and Chinatown will yield a window into Honolulu’s mental health and homeless program.

Let them lie, use, deal, urinate or anything else their heart desires. No visible outreach team, no mask distribution to help stop the spread, nada, nada and no limonada.

I’m not sure the mayor gets out much, but if he does, it’s sure not to stroll around downtown.

Marty Foster

Kakaako

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