Letters: Majority of Americans will decide about Trump; Apartment buildings disguised as houses; Get creative to improve Waikiki intersections

Stuart Taba’s desire to bar President Donald Trump from running for political office perfectly represents the anti- thesis of our democratic republic (“Trump should be barred from office,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, July 17).

Democrats tried to unseat him during his presidency, and now they seek to ensure he cannot be reelected. Like it or not, we live in a democracy. If the majority of Americans want him back, then we must accept the will of the people.

In regard to the myriad insults hurled at Trump supporters, I’ll remind everyone that it’s the Democrats in Hawaii who have given us the train debacle, the Natatorium and Aloha Stadium ruins, out-of-control homelessness and a public school system in disrepair. Nationally, Democrats are responsible for a decrease in public safety, out-of-control inflation and an illegal immigration wave that leaves cities confounded.

Conservatives don’t mind being called stupid when Democrats are proving themselves feckless, reckless and clueless each day.

Kris Schwengel

Hawaii Kai

Border Patrol struggles with illegal immigration

I hate to disagree with a University of Hawaii professor, but Reece Jones’ commentary (“Expansion of Border Patrol is worrisome,” Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, July 17), worries me more than the Customs and Border Protection agents.

Sure, the agents have a big responsibility over a large area of the United States, but they also work for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the safety of our country from terrorists and those who would attack us from within.

The Border Patrol on the southern border is doing the best it can, but with more than 2.7 million illegal crossings since Joe Biden became president, they are overwhelmed by the sheer numbers. Individuals on the terrorist list and those bringing drugs over the border could be reaching dangerous levels.

I may not be a professor of anything but I do know that it only takes one successful terrorist to kill thousands of Americans.

Earl Arakaki

Ewa Beach

Apartment buildings disguised as houses

I am writing to ask the mayor, the City Council and the Department of Planning and Permitting: What actions are being considered to deal with the large number of dwellings in the urban core of Honolulu that exceed many or all of the development standards for the zoning districts in which they are located?

There is ample evidence that the permitting process is deeply flawed, but that should not mean that residents should have to live with apartment buildings masquerading as houses taking over their neighborhoods. These are not existing structures that are “grandfathered.” They are new and should be forced to comply with zoning codes.

For these apartment buildings in residential areas, the city should require formal attestation that the occupants in the dwelling are related, as occupancy is limited to five nonrelated people in a dwelling. We should not have to just accept that these scofflaws and venal bureaucrats can destroy our neighborhoods.

John Arnest

Wilhelmina Rise

Expand city services with HI-5 revenues

I really enjoyed reading Bob Volkwein’s letter about educating the public about recycling (“Teach the public how to recycle properly,” Star-Advertiser, June 21).

Education is fine for the majority of the people, but we will always have the nonconformists who think they can beat the system by not participating.

Another reason why a person in Hawaii will not participate stems from those who come from a place without a recycling program. Visitors and tourists fit that model. They just want to relax on their vacation in Hawaii without being bothered about recycling. They already think that the HI-5 fee includes the services of refuse workers who make sure their trash doesn’t end up in a landfill.

The only real solution is to convert the refundable deposit fee to a non- refundable fee and use that money to expand the city’s staffing and equipment. This way the public is not burdened on trash pickup day.

Michael Nomura

Kailua

Get creative to improve Waikiki intersections

Several recent letters have provided opposing views on Waikiki traffic. Certainly anyone who walks, jogs, bikes, cycles, drives, skateboards, hoverboards or buses the Lipeepee-Hobron, Hobron-Ala Moana or Ena-Ala Moana intersections is forced by the layout of the intersections to outsmart the jammed traffic to get through.

Creative driving, jump-jaywalking, cycle weaving, running the red light and going the wrong way (but only for half a block!) are the outcomes. The Lipeepee intersection is famous for the interpretations it inspires of the words “STOP — All Way” written on the big red sign, which expresses in reality as “STOP — No Way.”

What do we do? There are plenty of opportunities here for gifted traffic designers and neighborhood advocates to come to the rescue.

That Lipeepee intersection could be reworked into a clear, logical and calming experience that would inspire compliance rather than demand risk- taking.

For the Ala Moana intersections, the “Barnes Dance” crossing design would provide the best separation (and safety) between powered and human traffic, and produce the most expedient traffic flow.

Ted Ralston

Waikiki

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