I left my sunny beach for Kyiv, Ukraine, to attend a funeral of a 35-year-old Ukrainian soldier, mother and father and sister broken. My brain still fails to comprehend a world in which a leader would consciously kill human beings for no reason.

Furthermore, I am baffled by a world that sits around and does little. I hope at some point the world wakes up and responds with full force to this madness. My vest and helmet were donated amid the service to a Ukrainian going to the front, and I hope neither he nor I are next for a box in the square.

Ryan Routh

Kaaawa

Update Social Security rules to help kupuna

Social Security benefits are adjusted to account for inflation and wage growth. However, the provisional income that determines whether or not a portion of the Social Security benefits is taxable has not changed at all since it was first established by Congress in 1983. Consequently, more and more seniors are shocked to learn that they are losing part of their benefits to the government through taxes.

The Social Security Administration defines provisional income as all taxable income plus 50% of the benefits and certain tax-exempt interest. Currently, for single tax filers with provisional income of more than $34,000 and couples who file joint returns with provisional income of more than $44,000, up to 85% of their benefits is taxable.

Congress needs to adjust the provisional income to reflect today’s economic realities. Failure to do so would be a great disservice to many seniors.

Rod B. Catiggay

Mililani

Partisan sniping doesn’t help U.S. Supreme Court

In recent weeks, the Star-Advertiser has run several opinion pieces on the U.S. Supreme Court. Each has suggested the court is “broken” (“Supreme Court is broken, as is system confirming its justices,” April 13), or faces “a giant legitimacy crisis” (“Eroding trust,” April 3).

This may not reflect an accurate picture of the current state of affairs at the court.

Throughout its history, the court has had to address difficult questions of legal and social policy, resulting occasionally in controversies affecting the court itself. Yet it has weathered those political storms and emerged as strong or stronger than ever. It is easy to exaggerate those storms and suggest, as the opinion writers do, that somehow the court will be weakened by the supposed institutional damage inflicted on it by its alleged actions.

Partisan attacks by the left or right on the court are not surprising, but it is difficult to see how helpful to the court they can be. And it may be preferable to hold off on evaluating court members until passions cool and perspective can be achieved.

Michael Kappos

Ala Wai

Change course to keep Haiku Stairs for future

This is in reply to Beth Anderson’s letter about the Haiku Stairs (“Haiku Stairs demolition not worth expense, loss,” Star-Advertiser, April 21).

My family has lived in Haiku Village for more than 53 years and the stairs have been a big part of our family’s “growing up” memories. Now we have been drowning in red tape of opening the stairs for 20-plus years.

If we can put a man on the moon, we can solve the issues surrounding this wonderful historic landmark and open them up for all to enjoy legally — just like all the other hikes on the island that didn’t start off for the public’s recreational use.

City Council members: The changing of your position from removal to reopening is the harder choice, but the pono choice. There is no shame in acknowledging this and changing course, but humbleness and respect in righting it. Keep the stairs for the past, keep them for the present, keep them for the future; it’s the right thing to do.

Removing them is wrong on so many levels. Unique in all the world. Gone means forever.

Annette Lancaster

Kaneohe

Instead of $300, invest in more housing, ERS

The letter from John Arnest hit it right on the head (“$300 tax rebate dismays as ERS liability grows,” Star-Advertiser, April 12). State Rep. Sylvia Luke, a candidate for lieutenant governor, chairs the powerful House Finance Committee and has been for many years. It’s rather apparent that she is using her position as chairperson to curry favor with our taxpayers/voters, trying to sway the voters with this $300 rebate to each resident.

As Arnest suggests, why not use the money (approximately $400 million) to strengthen the state’s Employees’ Retirement System that would benefit all city and state government retirees? Or, why not build more housing for the many homeless?

Bernie Mendoza

Kalihi

Columnist’s doublespeak misleads on free speech

Cal Thomas’s column, “Musk-Twitter issue reveals free speech doublespeak,” (Star-Advertiser, April 19) was itself an excellent example of the doublespeak employed by many political “conservatives” to misinform the American people in their pursuit of power.

First they label the “left” as promoting too much free speech, such as Thomas finds offensive to “parental values in the public schools,” and violates standards “of tradition and decorum.” Then, he praises Elon Musk’s possible takeover of Twitter as the solution, because, of course, Musk’s wish for a no-filters forum will encourage … what? Unlimited freedom to observe tradition and decorum? Sustain family values? Or violent, child pornographic, and deliberately divisive and misleading speech?

This doublespeak is how today’s leaders of “conservative values“ undermine those values, along with the American traditional freedom of speech, which has always been limited by “traditional” concerns, such safeguarding the lives and rights of others.

Marc Gilbert

Downtown

EXPRESS YOURSELF

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser welcomes all opinions. Want your voice to be heard? Submit a letter to the editor.

>> Write us: We welcome letters up to 150 words, and guest columns of 500-600 words. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Include your name, address and daytime phone number.

>> Mail: Letters to the Editor, Honolulu Star-Advertiser 7 Waterfront Plaza, 500 Ala Moana, Suite 210 Honolulu, HI 96813

>> Contact: 529-4831 (phone), 529-4750 (fax), letters@staradvertiser.com, staradvertiser.com/editorial/submit-letter