‘Residential A’ hurts elderly

I am glad that the Star-Advertiser is bringing editorial focus on the problems with the "Residential A" tax category.

A problem you didn’t address is the collateral damage to elderly local people. Property values in local middle-class communities like Kaimuki commonly exceed $1 million. Elderly people are often forced by their health to move to assisted living, thus losing their exemption and falling into Residential A.

Typically these people are living on small fixed incomes and intended to pass their property to their children. But a huge unaffordable tax increase makes it financially difficult to retain the property for their children. This makes no sense when young people are leaving Hawaii because they can’t afford to live here.

Although Residential A should probably be scrapped altogether, at the very least it should be redefined so that the higher rate applies only to the value in excess of $1 million.

James M. King
Hawaii Kai

Bicyclists at risk as it gets dark

Recently, I was returning home after canoe practice, about 7:45 p.m., heading to the bus stop waiting for No. 13 coming into Waikiki on Kuhio Avenue.

I noticed a lot of people on their bikes with no lights or reflectors.

Before reaching my destination, a biker out of nowhere almost lost his life. The street lights are not enough (in most areas, like going over the McCully bridge). Bicyclists like him are an accident waiting to happen, because motorists don’t see them.

Bicyclists should put lights on or wear something that glows.

Carolyn Flanders
Waikiki

VA clinics here much improved

An Associated Press story ("VA wait times linger on neighbor isles," April 9) stated that delays for medical appointments at Veterans Affairs clinics are shorter than the national average across much of Hawaii, which is true, but then says "that’s not true of the neighbor islands" which is untrue, leading readers to believe that these clinics are not meeting demand for access, a disservice to the excellent services provided.

Only our Hilo clinic had slipped below, temporarily, the national average.

It is disappointing that data from one clinic would be used to mislead the public into believing we have access issues at all of our clinics. The VA Hilo Clinic had staffing and scheduling issues that have been addressed, and has already improved.

Also, the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System is not responsible for the processing of disability, education or pension claims; those are handled by the Veterans Benefits Administration. By insinuating that the processing of claims or the manipulation of data in claims handling has any bearing on the health care delivered is not only irresponsible, it confuses veterans and causes distrust where none is warranted.

Our system has much improved over the past year, and we will continue to enhance services to the veterans we serve.

Wayne Pfeffer
Director, VA Pacific Islands Health Care System

Use Natatorium for volleyball

Years ago, reasonable community leaders advocated restoring the Natatorium as a sand volleyball court arena. A "just say no" vociferous group managed to thwart the effort.

Now a generationlater the derelict asset sits wasted on Waikiki beach while sand volleyball has grown to be an international sport. The Natatorium would be a spectacular venue for players and spectators alike.

It is time to unite reasonable citizens to support the effort to turn the Natatorium into a world-class sand volleyball arena.

There are solutions to all the problems that seem to ail Hawaii. It is time for Hawaii to replace "aole" with "aloha."

Fred Hemmings
Kaneohe

Aloha toward tourists waning

Beverly Bowker states she is not the problem ("Vacation rentals have good side," Star-Advertiser, Letters, April 29).

I agree — so if Bowker’s stay in a vacation rental is not the problem, then who or what is the problem? Or is there a problem at all?

The answer is that, collectively, the lovely folks who want an "affordable" Hawaiian vacation are outnumbering us residents, to the point that runaway tourism is now impacting my daily life. Simply put, the number of lovely folks has passed the saturation point in my community and neither their good intentions nor their financial contribution to the food and beverage businesses now offset the downside.

Uneven property valuations, property crime and traffic nightmares are but three consequences that these lovely folk are fueling by their individual wish to have an affordable Hawaiian vacation, at the expense of my good will.

Leigh Prentiss
Kailua