I am a 70-year-old, third-generation Asian American who has been a Hawaii taxpayer since the age of 18.

The Associated Press recently reported that our “state House of Representatives … created a commission that will recommend how to boost the effectiveness of state ethics, lobbying and campaign finance laws after two former lawmakers earlier this week pleaded guilty in connection with their acceptance of bribes.”

Surely I am not alone in wondering why we need a commission to teach the members of our Legislature that they are not to take bribes. If we want to “boost effectiveness of state ethics,” how about reminding our public servants of the sacrifices made by the 442nd Regimental Combat Team in World War II?

The young Japanese Americans who volunteered for the 442nd did not need a commission to know right from wrong. In terms of the moral compass, we seem to have stepped backward as a society. If we want to spend our tax dollars to improve morality in our community, how about increasing the salaries of our beleaguered teachers who try their best to teach ethics every day?

Andrea Song

Kahala

Open public pools for recreational swimming

As taxpaying residents, we are incredibly frustrated that our children and others cannot use our public swimming pools for going on two full years.

Bars can be open. Playgrounds, beaches and amusement parks, including water parks, have been open for more than a year. Yet only lap swimmers have the privilege to use what used to be public swimming pools.

How nice that only five to eight people have a pool all to themselves at the expense of the taxpayers who don’t do laps or whose kids want to go in a pool instead of the ocean.

There are many days when there isn’t time to find parking and do the beach, but an hour to cool off at the pool was most appreciated. But no longer. I say if this is the new rule, then only the lap swimmers should be paying to maintain the pools and the staff. There’s no science in this rule and also no common sense or fairness.

Shireen Tilley

Wilhelmina Rise

Don’t over-regulate short-term rentals

I am writing to get support for the revision of Bill 41. The current version of this bill would impose arduous costs and requirements on legal short-term rentals (STRs). While I agree with managing short-term rentals and enforcing where STRs can operate, I believe this bill would impose costs and requirements that make operating a legal STR impossible.

Furthermore, this bill would result in fewer tourists visiting Oahu, as the hotel unit inventory alone cannot accommodate the tourist demand. Fewer tourists would translate to:

>> Fewer STR owners collecting general excise and transient accommodation taxes, resulting in less transitory tax revenue.

>> Fewer tourists supporting local businesses, resulting in less revenue.

>> Fewer jobs managing, maintaining and cleaning of these STR units.

Please support us in crafting a revised Bill 41 that focuses on bringing illegal STRs into compliance while supporting legal STRs with reasonable taxes and requirements.

Sean Breeze

Kahuku

Kahele should remain a member of Congress

U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele was elected to Congress from Hawaii by those of us who had high hopes for his success. He has much potential to benefit Hawaii by staying our representative. If he runs for governor and loses, then we lose a congressman and he loses a job (“U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele would face uncertain path in governor’s race,” Star-Advertiser, Feb. 23).

If he runs for governor so soon after being elected as our representative, it makes one wonder if he will just always try for another political job instead of doing the job he was elected to do.

Please, stay in the position you have and work hard for Hawaii at the federal level.

Claudia L. Webster

Kailua

Parking in Waimanalo, but not in Lanikai

Please help me understand why it is that there is no parking allowed in Lanikai on weekends, and yet the Waimanalo Beach neighborhood is slammed with cars lining the streets? Inquiring minds want to know.

Laura Santi

Waimanalo

Allow blood donors a charitable deduction

To date, I have donated 157 pints of blood to the Blood Bank, a nonprofit corporation. Presently, taxpayers can deduct the value of any item that they donate to a nonprofit in Hawaii.

Consequently, the value of a pint of blood should be considered and treated as a charitable donation for tax purposes.

Regular blood donors give blood because they believe in and support the Blood Bank’s mission of collecting and providing blood to all the hospitals in Hawaii. No one donates his/her blood with any financial motive in mind. However, if donated blood were treated as a charitable donation, that is an incentive that will prompt many nondonors to consider becoming regular donors.

This tax incentive suggestion will not be a giveaway program because every year thousands of taxpayers will be receiving the “gift of life” that the Blood Bank will be collecting for their benefit.

William T. Kinaka

Wailuku

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