Drug treatment a good investment for state
Kudos to the Legislature for having the foresight and commitment to fund substance abuse treatment services in every Hawaii public middle and high school (
Star-Bulletin, Dec. 28). In addition to Hina Mauka's Teen Care, the Kalihi YMCA, Maui's Aloha House and the Big Island Substance Abuse Council also have been providing these much-needed services to our teens for many years.
We all believe and research indicates that one answer to the alcohol and drug problems in any state is to provide treatment as early as possible and as young as possible. The Hawaii Legislature and the Keiki Caucus have continued to step up to the challenge year after year. No other state offers this service to its young people. We can be proud we have such dedicated and knowledgeable policymakers.
Elaine Wilson
Retired substance abuse administrator
Give your pooch a happy new year, too
As always, it is my hope that as we celebrate the new year with fireworks, we take a moment to remember their effect on our dogs. Each year the Hawaiian Humane Society is inundated with reports of our best friends who have run off on New Year's Eve. Keeping them inside, comfortable and sedated, if necessary, will save a lot of heartache. Hopefully we've taken the time to have them microchipped, just in case. A very Happy New Year to all!
Michael Teehan
Honolulu
Mayor's resident plan is a good start
I read with interest
yesterday's article regarding the mayor's proposal to give a break to owner/occupants of residences. It gave me hope.
The response by Todd Apo in the next paragraph immediately put me back in the pits as I realized that although the face of the City Council budget chairman might have changed, the policy of "tax to da max" has not.
I can understand and sympathize with the position that having a separate rate for nonowner/occupants will hurt renters. I also realize that there is more than one class of renter. You have the average family, whose members probably work multiple jobs to make ends meet. This is followed by another, more affluent group who, although they cannot yet afford to buy, are able to pay for higher-end rental units. Many rentals are being used by members of the military, who receive subsidies that enable them to pay higher rental rates. And finally there are those residences that have been converted to transient vacation rentals.
It shouldn't be that difficult for the City Council to figure out a way to appease the owner/occupants and the rental market occupants. Instead, we will probably be stonewalled and end up with virtually nothing being done, as was the case last year.
One other thing: Would the person who set the value for my property please call me? I'm ready to sell this 55-year-old house to you for what you say it's worth.
Bill Nelson
Haleiwa
Oahu renters deserve a financial break, too
I am a home renter and I feel that
giving a break only to homeowners who live in their homes is not fair. A large number of people rent houses or condos.
If this proposal is approved, the renters will be shafted by paying more because of the increased tax. It's bad enough a lot of renters can't simply buy a home for many reasons. This will simply make housing matters worse down the road.
Mr. Mayor, please find a way to make Oahu a place where the keiki o ka aina (children of the land) can live and stay, not go to the mainland where it's cheaper to live.
If you do for one, do for all.
Ken Anama
Honolulu
Council on right track with transit vote
Poll after poll has indicated that Oahu residents see traffic as a top issue that affects everyone, and congestion is only going to get worse in the future. But after 35 years, finally, we have hope.
City Council members made the right decision on transit ("All aboard! Rail or buses a possibility," Star-Bulletin, Dec. 23). It has taken courage and I applaud them for that bold step.
This rail solution will help shape orderly growth and pay dividends for years to come. It will connect important activity and employment centers like the University of Hawaii-Manoa, Ala Moana Center, Waikiki, downtown and Chinatown, Honolulu International Airport, and the fast-growing second city of Kapolei. It will link housing with jobs, and benefit our economy. It gives people mobility choices beyond the automobile. It is less polluting and better for our environment. And it will reduce urban sprawl.
It will finally happen, for our quality of life now and for generations to come. Thank you, Mayor Hannemann and City Council, for doing what's right for our island.
John Nakagawa
Honolulu
Give rail passes to displaced landowners
Compensation to landowners displaced by the rail might include free lifetime access to the HOV lanes and free lifetime rail passes. The dollar value of such passes, projected over the lifetimes of the recipients, could alleviate the city's burden in purchasing right-of-way land.
Everett Peacock
Paia, Maui
All our squabbling puts society at risk
From the public soap box of opinions espoused by critics, columnists, journalists, politicians, editors, lawyers, spokespersons, advisers, actors or Mr. and Mrs. Joe Public, I have cause to wonder how anything is accomplished in today's world.
I walked into a boss's office one day and on the wall behind his desk was a notice that read "Rule No. 1: The boss is always right. Rule No. 2: If you have any doubts or opinions, read Rule No. 1."
If we elect a president, should we all tell him what to do, and how?
If we sit in a classroom, should we advise the teacher?
If we listen to a sermon in church, should we stand up and critique?
If we ride in a city bus, should we direct the driver?
Should a waiter in a hotel advise the manager?
Might the drummer in an orchestra advise the conductor?
If you work in a kitchen, do you advise the chef de cuisine?
As a passenger on a cruise ship, do you tell the captain where to go?
Or on an airplane, do you ask the pilot what he's doing, and why?
Endless opinions and eternal squabbling causes breakdown and chaos, and we get nowhere fast.
John L. Werrill
Honolulu
Letter writer spit on American troops
I was disgusted and offended by the
Dec. 27 letter by Pat Blair of Kailua. To say that our troops are no better than the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 is shameful and traitorous! Blair has disrespected every soldier who is serving or has served in Iraq and essentially spit on the graves of every service member who died in Iraq. That kind of attitude is what soldiers returning from Vietnam had to face when they returned from war and were spit on.
Shawn Lathrop
Kaneohe