Why is Pearl City board pushing a Home Depot?

Although this is an island-wide issue, and not a specific area's concern, why are the members of the Pearl City Neighborhood Board so supportive of Home Depot's entry into their area?

This 150,000-square-foot "Big Box" retailer will add traffic and noise problems to Pearl City, not to mention the net job loss after the displacement of small businesses.

Will Home Depot really benefit Pearl City, or should this land be used for "public purpose" as originally intended?

Nancy E. Rock
Kailua

Drivers should remember that red light means stop

There are several ways to make Hawaii a better place. I often see cars running the red light. As the light changes to red, the cars speed up. This could lead to a terrible accident. You don't want to cause a fatality, and you don't want to be one. So please stop if the light is changing to red.

I also see cars trying to outrun ambulances instead of pulling over to the side. If you are in that ambulance, and you need to get to the hospital to save your life, you'd want the cars to pull over. So pull over. Set the example. Your life may depend on cooperation some day.

Mark Terry

Saturday, January 24, 1998 Utility workers warmed hearts in Watertown On Jan. 7, our city -- located in the northeast region of the United States and Canada -- crumbled into ruin and extreme personal hardship due to an ice storm that is now regarded as the worst in New York's history. Hundreds of thousands of people went with no power at all. To add insult to injury, Mother Nature sent a cold front of sub-zero temperatures and over a foot of snow. All of us were struggling just to stay warm and alive. So on Jan. 13, I was floored by the large color picture on the front page of our local newspaper, the Watertown Daily. It was a picture of Chris Acoba and Tom Yamamoto of Citizens Utility, based on Kauai. I first said to myself, "Are they crazy or what?" But it only took a few seconds to realize that these two fine men and five other workers had left Hawaii to come to our little hell in the East. They were not crazy, but were extremely unselfish and caring people who, with no concern for their own safety, made the 8,000-mile trip to help us. No matter where I went, people talked of the Magnificent Seven to the point of being choked with tears. That single picture lifted many hearts and souls in Watertown. It's always been my dream to visit your islands, and some day my wife and I will get there. Be it tomorrow or in 10 years, I can assure you of one thing: I'm going to make it a point to stop at Citizens Utility and personally thank all its employees for a job well done. David F. Dietterich Watertown, N.Y. (Via the Internet)

U.S. is the biggest polluter in the world

Victor Moss' Jan. 5 letter made some very valid points about global warming and how easy it has become to "throw rhetoric around and ignore the facts." Apparently, to prove his argument, Moss tossed a chunk of fact-twisting material into his last paragraph.

He claims that passing a global warming treaty that exempts certain countries but not the U.S. "won't do much to reduce pollution." He bases this assumption on the fact that exempt countries have 10 times our population. While those numbers are correct, the conclusion is farfetched.

The U.S., while sporting 5 percent of the world's population, uses one-fourth of its electricity. We are the biggest air polluter, hands down, and we have been for some time. It wouldn't kill us to clean up our mess.

The bottom line is this: A treaty affecting only America would have an enormous effect on the global environment. We are lucky that other nations have volunteered to join us.

Bret Heilig
Kailua

Hawaii, U.S. had better pay attention to Indonesia

Your lead editorial on Jan. 12 was excellent when it said the U.S. should try to help the Indonesian crisis.

I have just returned from two months in Bali, where we are growing Dr. James Brewbaker's Hawaii Supersweet Corn. Although nepotism and insider deals by President Suharto and his government are a critical problem, I would not say that Indonesia is one of the world's most corrupt governments.

The bankers there seem to be following the U.S. savings and loan industry's practices that cost our country billions of dollars a few years back. Similar problems existed in Japan.

Suharto admittedly went too far in some of his business dealings. But I am impressed with the progress I have seen over the past few years in Bali, thanks in part to his leadership.

I am surprised that -- although Bali is served by a non-stop flight from Honolulu -- Hawaii hardly pays any attention to this great country, with whom we have much in common.

D. Richard Neill
Aiea

Don't compromise morals to help boost the economy

Hawaii's reputation as a tropical vacation spot would severely suffer from the legalization of same-sex marriage. The argument that it could be a boost to our economy is ludicrous.

We would lose so many tourists from Asia and the mainland, that our economy might never recover. Also, the solution to fixing our economy shouldn't be at the expense of destroying our family and community values.

Hawaii's voters will once and for all have an opportunity to put this issue to rest in our upcoming November elections. For most, when they vote against legalizing same-sex marriage, it will have nothing to do with economics but everything to do with morals.

Donna Davis-Brown

Congress must investigate Filipino veterans' claims

As a Filipino U.S. citizen, I am concerned about the Filipino-American veterans. As a longtime American taxpayer, I am also concerned about how our tax money is spent.

Pending before the Veterans Affairs Committee in Congress is the Equity Bill for Filipino-American veterans, requiring an appropriation of $1 billion. Before the committee passes the bill for approval, it must determine the authenticity of every veteran.

It is worthy to mention in this connection that Congress, in the case of the late Larry Lawrence, conducted an investigation to determine the veracity of his claim that he was a member of the Merchant Marine during the war. His claim was found not true.

There is a similarity of the Filipino veterans' issue to that of the Lawrence case. In view of the enormous amount of money involved, it is the responsibility of Congress to see that our tax money is spent properly.

Roman P. Bayan
Ewa Beach

Tax director wants to be friendly? That's a laugh

So State Tax Director Ray Kamikawa wants to make his department a more friendly place (Star-Bulletin, Jan. 7)? Kamikawa has a pathetic sense of humor, indeed.

During his reign as tax director, all Kamikawa has done is confirm the popular perception of Hawaii being a major tax hell. His attitude when it comes to small businesses and lower-middle income taxpayers seems to be pay up or we will prosecute. Doesn't sound very friendly to me.

Kamikawa claims that he wants to keep the line of communication open, but if the little peon tax slaves don't kowtow to him, he takes law enforcement measures into his own hands.

We need to scrap the direct income tax system and replace it with a retail sales tax that would also allow for exemptions on food and medicine for lower income groups. This would reward savings and perhaps keep families in Hawaii for a change.

By scrapping the income tax system, we can finally get bureaucratic thugs like Kamikawa out of the faces and wallets of taxpayers. Residents should not be treated as indentured servants to the government.

Sean P. Porter

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Bishop Estate Archive

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