Hawaii can't afford to elect more Democrats
Here in Hawaii, we have a tax on container deposits of 20 percent. (We pay 6 cents for bottled or canned beverages, but get only 5 cents of the deposit back.) We have a gas cap set by the price from three of the highest-priced gas areas in the United States.
And we have a Democratic Party that is so preoccupied with getting Gov. Linda Lingle out of office that it punishes the citizenry for voting for her.
It's time for us to change the agenda and get these carpetbagging scalawags out of office and let Lingle run this state.
Stewart Chun
Mililani
Foster roundabout is 'major debacle'
The results are in, and they are not pretty. As predicted by its opponents last May, Foster Village's new roundabout is a disaster. Decreased emergency vehicle response times, accidents and ambulances, buses and street sweepers becoming stuck within its circle have been major debacles. Fire engines must creep slowly through it, and TheBus had to be rerouted to narrow side streets.
A light pole in the middle of the median crosswalk failed to meet ADA requirements, and planned landscaping was scrapped for a pile of rocks. Swaying palms have been replaced with a visual blight of signage. Meanwhile, DTS Director Ed Hirata's prediction that less traffic from nonresidents driving through the village to avoid traffic lights on Salt Lake Boulevard has not materialized.
A simple cost-efficient solution of two stop signs would have saved more than a quarter-million tax dollars and preserved the residents' right to speedy emergency responses. In the future, perhaps Mayor Hannemann will listen to the vast majority of a community's residents and its neighborhood board instead of to a tiny minority of complainers.
Janice Pechauer
Honolulu
Forget wind turbines and go solar instead
Your Sept. 30 editorial asked, "
If not at Kahe, then where?" It concluded that Hawaiian Electric faces "formidable challenges" in reaching the objectives required by law to increase its production of electricity from renewable sources over the next 15 years. This was a commentary on their inability to put up wind turbines above Kahe Point. One answer to HECO's dilemma was provided by a letter printed on the very same page. The writer suggested increasing the use of solar panels. HECO should take the money it was going to use for wind turbines at Kahe and subsidize the installation of solar photovoltaic panels and other electricity producing systems. Each system, in addition to taking houses and businesses "off the grid" can feed excess electricity into the grid and provide additional income for its owners through net metering. People would stand in line to have a free system installed. HECO could start by partnering with the state to install systems at all the schools since in the event of a catastrophe such as hurricanes the schools would be used for shelters. It would also help our schools financially.
Gloria Kaneshiro
Honolulu
Hawaii's women enjoyed many 'firsts'
Thank you for the outstanding series on "
Women of Hawaii: Challenges, Changes and Courage" (Star-Bulletin, Sept. 18-26). When the late Patsy Mink, whom I had deep respect for, pushed for Title IX and equality for women in education and sports that made it possible for me to file a formal complaint against the University of Hawaii regarding its unequal treatment of women athletes. More than 25 years have passed and while things are not perfect, women athletes enjoy a better environment at the UH. Also, when Hawaii passed the Equal Rights Amendment, it was because then state Rep. Pat Saiki had the courage to champion the cause.
I would like to add a dear friend to the firsts for Hawaii, in the same "tracking time" of my appointment as the first woman chosen as a U.S. marshal for the United States and the District of Hawaii.
Her name is Jo Ann C. Kocher. In 1982, she was the first woman to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms in Hawaii. She also was the first woman agent hired for that agency. We used to laugh about our "Cagney and Lacey" roles.
Faith P. Evans
Former U.S. marshal and former state representative