Letters: Other politicians have lucrative side jobs; UH medical school, not football, deserves funds; Fireworks residue washes into water

I had a good laugh while reading the article about City Councilman Augie Tulba and his possible ethics violation for appearing in a TV ad (“Honolulu Councilman Augie Tulba’s role in TV commercial raises ethics questions,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 3).

Per the article: “According to the Revised Charter of the City and County of Honolulu, no elected officer or employee can engage in a business transaction or have a financial interest that would conflict with their duty as an elected official or impair their judgment.”

I guess our former mayor and now gubernatorial candidate Kirk Caldwell didn’t get the word. And I guess the $150,000-a-year side job Caldwell had at Territorial Savings Bank didn’t qualify as a conflict of interest for an elected official.

Jack Lutey

Haleiwa

UH medical school, not football, deserves funds

The recent cancellation of the Aloha Bowl; the lack of attendance at the Ching Athletics Complex due to the pandemic; the mass exodus of football players, including the starting quarterback and the head coach’s son; the plan to demolish Aloha Stadium — all reveal that University of Hawaii football is a losing proposition.

Football’s large roster, the enormous costs of coaches’ salaries, equipment and travel (thousands of miles to play other teams) make this program too expensive to continue even in the best of times.

The university should use the savings from eliminating football to expand the medical school, hire top- caliber instructors and subsidize our medical students, so that they can graduate and work in Hawaii to serve our citizens with love, understanding and compassion.

This COVID-19 pandemic has shown us what Hawaii really needs: more medical professionals, not sport jocks.

Wilbert Kubota

Nuuanu

Athletes restricted, but coaches run amok

The recent column by Curtis Murayama revealed some deep-seated problems in college football (“Transfer portal now despicable term for coaches,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 3).

The contention of many is that the transfer portal rules are causing chaos and athletes must be constrained. However, we have often known about the indentured servitude of college athletes when they try to transfer for more playing time, better game strategies and better coaches.

There remains unequal treatment of athletes as compared to the largesse and flexibility provided to coaches. Why should athletes be constrained by limiting their transfer to out-of- conference teams or prohibiting athletes from upgrading to Power Five conferences, when coaches run amok for financial gain?

For years, the athletes were penalized for transferring out when the coach had left their college before they joined or in their freshman year.

How about prohibiting coaches from jumping to another team in the same conference, like Nevada’s Jay Norvell, or from accepting another job in the same division, without a one-year wait?

Paul Mizue

Aiea

Fireworks residue washes into water

Since Halloween, neighborhoods have been under assault by fireworks and homemade bombs. Great fun for some, a terror to others.

The unconsidered side effect of all this fun is that the chemicals in these playthings are washed into the ocean and into the groundwater. It had been pouring rain for hours and so all those pollutants from all that fun were washed from the air.

They don’t magically disappear; they are now polluting our water supply and our beautiful Pacific. Doesn’t anyone but me care?

Leigh Prentiss

Kailua

Fireworks enthusiasm overpowers opponents

Letters regarding fireworks have overwhelmingly been against them. New Year’s Eve 2021 apparently proved one thing: Fireworks naysayers are sadly outnumbered by the enthusiasm for fireworks by the average resident of Hawaii.

When I moved here in the early 1980s, I was almost literally blown away by this enthusiasm on New Year’s Eve and the Fourth of July. I’ve come to believe that there is nowhere else in the world with such over-the-top enthusiasm for fireworks on days of celebration.

Over the years since, fireworks laws in most mainland states have relaxed, while Hawaii’s have become draconian. The minority harping against fireworks may have some good points. Unfortunately, what they don’t understand is that even politicians, firefighters and police officers have families, most or many of whom are just as enthusiastic about fireworks as anyone else.

Simply put, something had to blow!

Ronald Kienitz

Kailua

Kahoolawe saga shows military can’t be trusted

The ongoing dispute over the Red Hill fuel tanks is reminiscent of the dispute over the U.S. military bombing Kahoolawe.

The military locked horns with citizens, who had legitimate concerns and reasons for stopping the bombing. The military said that Kahoolawe not only was vital to national defense but also made other unfounded financial claims. Then when the bombing was stopped (without detriment to the military), the promise to clean up the island was never fulfilled.

If our government cannot remove live ordnance from an island, how can we ever believe it can remove contaminating fuel from below the ground and fix a system that has outlived its reliability? We don’t want nor need another “Kahoolawe bombshell” below the ground and above the aquifer of Oahu.

Chip Hartman

Haleiwa

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