It was disappointing and tiresome to read another letter bashing people who lack housing (“Homeless won’t help themselves,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, May 28).

Brad Morriseau accuses “the homeless” of a multitude of sins, including violation of criminal laws.

Well, every day in the media I learn of actual, proven violations of laws by public officials and others, most of whom presumably have housing. Why does the writer not target them?

Morriseau asserts without any factual basis “an abundance of community resources” is available. A quick glance at news reports reveals the falsity of that allegation.

Many on all sides agree more must be done to assist those who happen to lack housing.

Finally, Morriseau criticizes “panhandlers” for refusing to pick up litter. Perhaps, instead of singling out “the homeless,” he might do better by urging everyone to pick up litter and avoid littering in the first place.

Michael Kappos
Waikiki

Danger of texting applies to doctors

Charles Krauthammer tells of many of the pitfalls of electronic recordkeeping, and how President Barack Obama’s promise to reduce medical costs and improve medical care using electronic records have turned out to do neither (“Electronic medical records killing morale of doctors,” Star-Advertiser, May 29).

He relates they only cause expense and grief for the doctor and facilitates Medicare fraud.

Not mentioned is a highly dangerous side effect to the patient.

In days past, doctors were trained to very carefully observe and really listen to the patient. Most of the time, diagnosis could be made by observation.

With the electronic records mandate, doctors’ heads are buried in a computer, texting complicated forms and hardly looking at patients at all, making observation difficult at best and inevitably leading to the wrong diagnosis.

Is it more dangerous to text while driving or to text while diagnosing and treating? My opinion is both should be highly discouraged, if not downright made illegal.

Chet Nierenberg, M.D.
Makiki

Nonpartisan panel could review emails

A tremendous amount of time, money and effort has been expended and much more will be wasted in the future in an effort to determine which of Hillary Clinton’s emails were private and which were official/business e-mails that need to be placed in the State Department archive.

This controversy can be resolved in a nonpartisan manner if the president were to appoint a blue-ribbon panel of archivists to determine whether a Clinton message was a private or business email.

The panel would include the chief archivist of the State Department and archivists from the Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush presidential libraries and be chaired by the national archivist.

Hillary Clinton objects to strangers reviewing all of the emails that she sent and received when she served as secretary of state, but she brought this problem upon herself by not using the equipment that was provided for her use by the State Department.

William T. Kinaka
Wailuku, Maui

Let’s have a ‘GET’ for Hawaiian Air

It appears we need a Greed Excess Tax (GET), one that is focused on Hawaiian Airlines (“Hawaiian Airlines slapped with fines,” Star-Advertiser, May 22).  

The purpose of this Greed Excess Tax would be, first, to support interisland travel by high school students and, second, to discourage Hawaiian Airlines from ripping off the public traveling interisland.

Since trivial fines for bad behavior don’t work on Hawaiian Airlines, the tax should be progressive: 25 percent for luggage charges up to $15; 50 percent for charges between $15 and $25;

75 percent for charges between $25 and $50; and 99 percent for charges over $50.  

Where is the aloha in Hawaiian Airlines when it already is making upwards of $75 million on baggage charges?

Tom Reppun
Wilhelmina Rise

Tax break for coal sends wrong signal

The Legislature carved out a special tax break for coal that was sought by industry lobbyists (“Coal gets helping hand,” Star-Advertiser, May 18)?

Today’s plummeting solar and wind prices make them no longer more expensive than fossil fuels like coal.

Deutsche Bank noted costs of Chinese solar decreased from around $1.31 a watt in 2011 to about 50 cents in 2014 — dropping 60 percent in three years — and that total costs could fall another 30 percent to 40 percent over the next few years.

Albania, Iceland and Paraguay generate nearly all of their electricity from renewable sources. Germany’s solar costs declined 40 percent over the last three years.

Our elected representatives shouldn’t let fossil fuel players dictate Hawaii’s energy future.

Renee Ing    
Makiki

Mauna Kea will help us navigate space

I see the Mauna Kea telescope issue differently than the protesters.

I see it as an honor — earned.

Our Polynesian ancestors are the greatest explorers and navigators in history. Indeed, they discovered our home, Hawaii, by bravely navigating the vast, unknown ocean by using the stars to direct them.

Mauna Kea is a gift that provides the most direct entry into the vast ocean of space.

Building a telescope on our beautiful mountain is not desecration of sacred ground. It is no different than cutting down a tree and carving it into a canoe.

Let us not be afraid to lead the way. Our ancestors would embrace this challenge. We are the ancestors of future generations. What will we discover for them?

I love our aina. I love our culture. I love our people.

John Wong
Aiea