Governor blew it with Harbin appointment

Thanks to Gov. Linda Lingle the 28th House District is now represented by a deadbeat legislator. When the governor appointed Beverly Harbin to fill the House seat vacated by former Rep. Kenneth Hiraki, she followed the letter but not the spirit of the law by naming a newly minted Democrat (Harbin joined the party three days after Hiraki announced his resignation), who was a qualified voter in the district (Harbin registered in the 28th District on July 25).

The state tax department has filed liens against Harbin's company for $123,000 in unpaid state taxes ("Lingle's pick has financial baggage," Star-Bulletin, Sept. 21). Her company also faces lawsuits demanding payment for money owed and back rent. Lingle says she would not have appointed Harbin had she known about Harbin's tax problems. That is not good enough.

The people of Hawaii and the 28th District deserve better. Harbin lied to the governor when she said there was nothing in her life that would cause the governor embarrassment. Harbin cannot be trusted and must be removed from office.

Lingle should demand Harbin resign and appoint in her stead one of the four persons the Democrats recommended for the seat.

New users should pay for power upgrades

Mahalo for your editorial on Hawaii's energy future (Star-Bulletin, Sept. 21).

For more than 10 years, I and many others have been pushing HECO to stop stringing up high voltage power lines. We've recommended on-site power sources, underground lines, with renewable energy sources you itemize in your editorial.

More than a decade ago the handwriting was on the wall: Oil from any source would become political and expensive.

The current electrical user should not have to pay any rate increase for upgrades in the system. We have paid our share in the past 60-plus years. All the cost must be born by the new construction projects, high-rise buildings and big box merchants. Those are the folks who are creating the demand for more energy. They are the ones who must pay for all additions and upgraded infrastructure.

HECO has offered Leeward Oahu users a 7 percent electric rate credit because they house Kahe power plant, but nothing has been offered to Palolo or any other "residential" neighborhood for housing high voltage power stations or power lines strung up in residential neighborhoods.

Kahe power plant is not surrounded by homes. It sits in a field all by itself. Palolo residents suffer the constant rain of electro-magnetic radiation 24/7. We want a 7 percent electric rate credit also. And we want the new construction projects to pay for the upgrades and infrastructure HECO wants to build.

Save $250 on tickets; download Eagles music

Concert tickets for the rock group The Eagles went on sale last weekend for a show at the Blaisdell Arena. I have always liked their songs; the Eagles are a really great band.

However, these mega-millionaire grandfathers asking $250 for a ticket to see them perform on a weeknight seems quite excessive (Star-Bulletin, Sept. 16). Perhaps they just really need the money. Or could it be that maybe there wasn't "plenty of room" at the Hotel California after all?

Oh well, guess I will just download all of their songs from Kazaa for free. Life in the fast lane ...

High-level deception won't be punished

Regarding the story "Powell devastated by false WMD report," Star-Bulletin, Sept. 9:

The truth is now clear. Along with the Downing Street memo, the Valerie Plame affair and the recent TV interview with former Secretary of State Colin Powell, we now know without a doubt that many individuals in our government had no interest in the truth prior to the Iraq war. Instead they embraced lies and perpetuated them.

In a just world, those involved in the deception, would be prosecuted and thrown into Guantanamo prison for the rest of their lives for the death and destruction they have wrought. Of course, that will never happen because they are far too powerful and would just tell more lies.

Greed drives spike in gasoline prices

To answer the question about the high gas prices, it is simply one of the mortal sins GREED! We need politicians who care about us and try and stop this greed.

Retailers gamble with fluctuating gas prices

Apparently the media missed the big story on the gas cap: The prices didn't go down! Everywhere I looked on Monday, prices were the same. On Tuesday morning, still pretty much the same. Only by Tuesday evening did prices begin to reach predicted levels.

Tuesday night I noticed that Chevron, Shell, Tesoro and Aloha in Kailua were all pretty much down 46 cents. But the poor 76 dealer was still up at $3.59! Obviously, he got the short straw and a delivery over the weekend. He's got a tough choice: Either lower his prices and lose a bundle on his inventory, or keep the price up and lose volume. Either way he loses.

Why? I would say because there is no control over retail. Retail is doing its best to profit from the situation, lest the gas cap smite it later. Duh.

Anyone familiar with retail gasoline marketing can see what is going on. Dealers are trying to both maximize profits and keep from getting killed on high-cost inventory. Suppliers are trying to do the same thing. It's a mess!

If you were a driver running on fumes, waiting for prices to go down on Monday, you were toast. You may have ended up forced to get gas on Monday or Tuesday at last week's prices.

Where are Frank Young and Adam Smith when we need them?

Gas cap only adds to oil companies' gains

I wholeheartedly disagree with letter writer Brett Pruitt's contention (Star-Bulletin, Sept. 19) that our elected leaders should be congratulated for finally sticking up to the multi-national gas companies (by enacting the so-called gas price cap law). So the governor says the people want to know when they are not being gouged at the pump.

Well, as long as we have an inept Legislature whose members enact unworkable laws just for the sake of looking like they are actually doing something, and a governor who seems more concerned about maintaining the status quo than having any real vision to correct the problem, we'll all continue to be gouged well into the future.

And his contention that by gas dropping by 50 cents per gallon (after increasing 80 cents per gallon since the law went into effect) this week would somehow "finally reflect a market price" is nonsense. It will only add to the "22 percent nationwide profit on only 3 percent of its sales in Hawaii" that Chevron already enjoys.

Gas cap or no gas cap, oil companies profit

The gas cap has been implemented; the refineries immediately raised their prices to the maximum allowed under the law. They will continue to charge the maximum.

When prices on the mainland dip to a point where the gas cap makes refining insufficiently profitable in Hawaii, the refineries will simply suspend sales.

At that point the governor will suspend the law.

The refineries will have made some extra profit while the cap was high, and be rid of the law.

Thanks, Democrats.

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