Roads’ public use means public fix

All property owners pay taxes to provide for city services. One of those services is for occasional road resurfacing.

In all fairness, a private road that is open for the public to use should be accorded that city service. If the road deteriorates and becomes a safety hazard, restricting access to fire, police, ambulance and refuse collection that the residents on the street are paying for, it is only logical that the city repair that road as it would any other road.

Road improvements such as curbs, gutters and street lights are another matter and should be the responsibility of the road owners.

As for private roads restricting access to the public, let them fend for themselves.

Jack Gillmar

Palolo Valley

Scopes shine in black-hole work

I want to thank Star-Advertiser writer Jim Borg for an informative article (“Isle scopes help define black hole environs,” Dec. 4).

By combining mountain-top telescopes across the U.S., researchers provided a detailed picture of the black hole environs, which in my mind are the anchors that stabilize our universe, just as anchors tether the boats in our harbors.

The associated artist’s rendering, which captures the rotational and orthogonality, is truly outstanding.

It is rather sad that so many here in Hawaii do not understand the significance that mountain-top telescopes play in connecting our world to the universe. It seems like another Superferry disaster in the making.

Milton Allione

Kailua

Don’t let Hee off easy for bilking

Could Albert Hee, who scammed millions of taxpayer dollars from his federally funded Sandwich isles Communications company, get off with token jail time or maybe a slap on the wrist with just probation and/or community service?

Yes, he could.

Hee is the guy who put his wife and kids on the payroll and bought a million-dollar house in California while they attended college. College tuition and house all paid for by, you guessed it, we the taxpayers.

His wife says her husband “is basically a humble man, who does not spend money on himself.” Try to explain this to your average taxpaying school teacher or construction worker.

The most appalling element in this whole fiasco is who is beseeching leniency for this crook. None other than former Gov. Neil Abercrombie and former Hawaii Supreme Court Associate James Duffy.

Can you say “bye bye” to future federal subsidies?

Kathryn Wood-Meyer

Hawaii Kai

Lanai’s tourism reliance spotlit

Thank you for your coverage on the socioeconomic impacts on Lanai after the island’s purchase by Larry Ellison of Oracle Corp. (“Lanai reboots,” Star-Advertiser, Dec. 6-8).

I was on the verge of doing a survey of Lanai’s adult population to get a feel for Lanai’s expectations after the purchase. Unfortunately, my health and inadequate funds for my survey intervened so I never got on it.

What surprises me is that no one at the state level in Hawaii anticipated the need to highlight Lanai’s dependence on tourism to the buyer, Larry Ellison, so that the day-to-day lifestyles in Lanai would not suffer so much disruption from the norm.

Jay Pineda

Waikiki

Pearl Harbor Day ignored

I am very disappointed with this newspaper, of which I have been a daily subscriber for almost 30 years.

On Dec. 7, instead of leading the front page with a headline and story about Pearl Harbor Day, you chose to write about a local situation; i.e., the decline of business on Lanai. Deplorable. Pearl Harbor Day was mentioned in a later section of the paper.

The significance of Dec. 7, a “date which will live in infamy,” absolutely should have led all stories on this date by being on the front page.

Shame on you.

Terry S. Akana

Kapolei

Recyclers need help to clear junk

Honolulu needs recyclers to keep junk cars off the roads and out of people’s backyards.

Recycling companies can’t survive with the current drop in world scrap metal prices — a six-year low with no end in sight. Few cars are being recycled and the outlook is dim for companies that rely on recycling as part of their business.

Recyclers also are facing increased costs to properly dispose of non-recyclable material removed from automobiles.

Promoting recycling is exactly what the Honolulu landfill tip fee special recycling rate was intended to do. Without the special rate for recycling, there’s no doubt that recycling companies won’t be able get old cars off the island.

Paul Perry

Owner, Leeward Auto Recycling

Officials, pols abuse power

There are three letters to the editor in the Nov. 10 Star-Advertiser regarding politicians and government. I have a theory that a lot of politicians and people who work their way up to decision-making levels have a commonality: the insatiable lust for the attainment, use and abuse of power.

Few, if any, will ever be held accountable for serious mistakes, even when they waste multi-millions and cause serious harm. Ethics violations and conflicts of interest are acceptable in their world.

Our university has a law school, but our government people can’t write solid contracts that protect us. Why?

As we look at our governments from side-to-side, front-to-back, top-to-bottom, they are seriously dysfunctional and getting worse.

Fred Metcalf

Kalihi