Surging surplus shows bad judgment
House Speaker Calvin Say has shown his concern and understanding of the needs of the people of Hawaii. Granted, the areas of education and road repair have needs, but they should be taken care of on an annual basis, not whenever there is a surplus. Take care of business when it is supposed to be done! Enough taxes, fees, bottle redemption profits and other sources of income are collected to manage and fund the essential needs of the state. Start managing instead of wasting!
All you've done, Mr. Say, is guarantee my support in making sure that you are never re-elected.
Fred Parker
Mililani
Mayor has sensible approach to street life
The City Council passed Charles Djou's proposal to
ban street performers from Kalakaua Avenue sidewalks, even though it is similar to one that the
Council passed in 2000. That 2000 version was thrown out by the courts as unconstitutional, costing the taxpayers $300,000 (the city had to pay the legal fees of the other side).
Thank goodness Mayor Hannemann had the sense to veto the latest attempt. His proposal for licensing street performers and designating where they can set up seems like a more sensible approach.
If the City Council insists on overriding Hannemann's veto of Bill 71, the city is likely to lose again. What will it cost this time? No wonder our taxes are going up.
Nick Deeley
Honolulu
Expressways to town would speed traffic
It does not surprise me that recent surveys show that rapid transit will not solve Honolulu's traffic problem -- the reason being that people are not so easily willing to give up their cars. People just do not want to lose the convenience of driving a car. We are so used to driving that we refuse to give it up for the sake of solving our traffic problem.
That is why my suggestion to solve our traffic problem is expressways that run from downtown Honolulu to Mililani and Makakilo, with no merging onramps. If people do not want to sacrifice their cars, then an expressway is the best solution to our problem. We should have another study to see if the expressway is the way to go.
Alan Kim
Aiea
Sheehan's campaign aids the enemy
In response to "Sheehan not using son for her own benefit," (
Star-Bulletin Letters to the Editor, Jan. 12) I say hogwash! Anyone who believes that must be smoking something stronger than tobacco. Even some of her own family members have disowned her for her irresponsible remarks. She has even moved out of her home town of Vacaville, where I live, to the bastion of the extreme liberal left, Berkeley, Calif. Does anyone know where she gets her living expenses, much less expenses for her travels? Does anyone doubt that it is being paid for by the extreme left organizations?
Cindy Sheehan calls those who are killing our soldiers and innocent Iraqis "freedom fighters"! She has bloodied her hands by giving hope to our enemies, through her actions and words, thereby extending their fight against democracy in their country. This writer called her an "American hero." I say the real hero was Casey Sheehan, the son, not the mother.
Michael Lindo
Vacaville, Calif.
Veteran, former Makaha resident
Not even war justifies secret wiretapping
I and many others strongly disagree with the view opined by Ted Chernin that unrestricted wiretapping is acceptable because of the war on terror. The architects of our wiretapping laws provided a method for law enforcement and intelligence gatherers to quickly obtain the wiretaps authorities they require.
Who knows who else the president may have decided to wiretap? Given his propensity for lying, we cannot take his word that he only spied on suspected terrorists. I and many others fear that he could and would use wiretapping to silence those who criticize both his domestic programs and his ill-conceived invasion of Iraq.
I'm wondering why those who blithely give up their civil liberties by accepting the Patriot Act and now accepting wiretapping as a weapon to fight terrorism on our shores do not complain about our porous borders. The biggest challenge to a terrorist should be getting in, not calling the boss back home.
Bill Nelson
Haleiwa