Cartoon supported GOP’s elitist views

It’s unfortunate that your editors chose to run a cartoon on the editorial page that promoted the current Republican-sponsored theories about the negative impacts of workers opting for part-time jobs and the raising of the minimum wage (Star-Advertiser, Feb. 21).

I guess there will be folks who choose not to work full-time, for a number of reasons, but I have to believe that the vast majority of American workers will want to continue to pursue their dreams and continue to put away money for their kids’ college funds or save for their retirement or buy that new TV or car.

This cartoon simply illustrated the Republican Party’s elitist view of the American working class as a bunch of lazy free-loaders. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Bob Dusendschon
Aiea

Butterflies falling prey to poisons

Watching the international plight of the Monarch butterfly and our own dilemma with the loss of the Kamehameha butterfly, it seems obvious to some that there is a corollary to the overspraying of Roundup to control milkweed where the Monarch butterfly lays its eggs, and rampant chemical usage on roads, parks and forests, which then affects the local mamake plant.

While the Monarch butterfly populations are at an all-time low, Hawaii is losing its own unique species because this popular weedkiller is considered safer than salt and is claimed to not affect insects directly.

How many more canaries in the coal mine do we need to see die before we wake up to the fact that we are poisoning ourselves?

Enrolling citizen scientists deflects from the real reason we are losing the battle with super weeds and loss of biodiversity.

Melissa L. Yee
Manoa

HECO must adapt or lose relevance

Sadly, Hawaiian Electric Co. has opted out of using the power of ocean energy to free our island state from fossil fuel dependence ("Is HECO adapting fast enough?" Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Feb. 19).

In fact, HECO recently cancelled a wave-energy power purchase proposal from Oceanlinx, an international company specializing in wave energy technology. HECO’s reason for denying Oceanlinx’s proposal? The utility would not cover the device-to-shore cost transferring energy generated from the wave-energy device to the grid.

It is interesting to note, however, that HECO is willing to run a cable across the ocean floor to bring windmill energy from Lanai to Oahu at an exorbitant cost to ratepayers.

The good news is that Marine Corps Base Hawaii will deploy wave-energy technology sometime in 2014.

With this technology successfully creating energy for our military, HECO cannot ignore that ocean energy is the future for Hawaii’s energy independence.

HECO must adapt or it will cease to be relevant.

Rep. Cynthia Thielen
Vice-chairwoman, House Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection

Don’t assume cars still moving will stop

Roads were made for vehicles to travel on, not for pedestrians.

Crosswalks were installed for pedestrians to cross the roads but not protect them.

Laws were enacted to try to protect them, but they are not protected because it is the law.

Pedestrians need to give vehicles the right of way and cross a road only if the vehicles are stopped. Stopped vehicles cannot do harm. Only the ones that are still moving can do harm. Pedestrians mustn’t assume that those will stop.

Hopefully a change of mindset could save a few lives. The present mindset that assumes pedestrians have the right of way is not working.

Eddie Asao
Aiea

Obamacare having popularity problem

In an alternate universe of objective news reporting, the article on the Affordable Care Act poll ("Health care law garners wide support in isles," Star- Advertiser, Feb. 17) would be headlined, "Health care law garners few supporters in isles."

Does a law that only 12 percent approve of have wide support?

Are the 60 percent who say it must be changed supporters?

And with 84 percent for repeal or change, why are only supporters quoted?

To be fair, the reporter, editors and the respondents may be confused about what the law is, since the Obama administration has made so many unilateral changes (the president has a pen!).

In my universe, the law is the one congressional Democrats passed four years ago and the president triumphantly signed. This is the law they deserve to be judged by, and this poll tells us they didn’t get it right and the verdict is "guilty."

Mark Torreano
Waikiki

Most homeless want middle-class lifestyle

Phil Collins sang his prophetic song, "Another Day in Paradise," not realizing the extent to which homelessness would rise and the social costs would proliferate in Hawaii.

For many Hawaiians and other native populations, simply being on the land, even without shelter, constitutes being at home.

For most people, a home provides secure shelter, connectedness to a set of significant relationships and meaningful activities such as work, study or some creative engagement.

A majority of the homeless are not making a lifestyle decision. It is clearly a choice among mostly temporary alternatives of overcrowded and sometimes insecure shelters, prisons, psychia- tric facilities or emergency rooms of hospitals.

Gregg Barak, in his book "Gimme Shelter," documents that more than 90 percent of the homeless want what most Americans do — a middle-class lifestyle with a house and family and a full-time job or participation in education.

Solving the problem of homelessness in Hawaii requires multi-pronged, well-coordinated, non-judgmental and culturally congruent approaches.

Morris Saldov
Waikiki