Town residents, take pity on commuters
I live in Makakilo and am weary of spending hours upon hours in my car going to and from work. I strongly support mass transit and feel it can't be built soon enough.
I'd be willing to bet that most, if not all, the folks who oppose mass transit don't live on this side and therefore don't know how we suffer.
Time for some compassion, townies.
Emily Ashmore
Makakilo
Pet-shelter law needs to be implemented
I agree with Lynne Matusow's
Aug. 16 letter and would like to express my concern for pet safety during emergencies. In several news reports on preparing for the potential impact of Hurricane Flossie, residents were warned that pets were not allowed at emergency shelters. This should not be so.
After seeing the effect of Hurricane Katrina on pets and their owners, I introduced House Bill 3121, which the Legislature passed in 2006. The law went into effect in May 2006 and requires the director of state Civil Defense to identify public shelters suitable for sheltering pet animals. Private shelters also may be identified for the same purpose. The law directs the governor to establish criteria, requirements, conditions and limitations for providing shelter for pets during emergencies such as hurricanes. The administration has had more than a year to implement this directive, and I urge Gov. Linda Lingle to make this a priority before we are caught unprepared during the next disaster.
Rep. Ryan Yamane
D, Waipahu-Mililani
Don't leave behind trusting animals
I would not leave my dogs at home in the midst of any disaster. They have feelings and emotions, feel love and affection, and are loyal to me. To justify having to leave them at home during any type of disaster also places my life in jeopardy. I would remain with them, no matter what the circumstances.
Gayle Nakama
Honolulu
Available resources should limit growth
In his
Aug. 6 letter to the editor, Phil Robertson asked if there was going to be enough water for the new development in Kapolei, considering studies done in the Cayetano administration. Phil, the government isn't supposed to care whether there is enough water or power for new developments. It's the job of the utilities to just jolly well get the power and water, whatever the cost. Build new generators. Dig new wells. Put in expensive desalinization plants, whatever.
This goes back to those halcyon days of statehood when growth was king and development was crown prince. Nobody looked ahead. Now we are paying the price, but are still stuck with the old regulations.
It's time that our political representatives saw to it that development was limited to the available supply of water and power at reasonable cost to all of us. Think about this the next time you vote.
Jim Harwood
Former member, Manoa Neighborhood Board
HECO leaves its shareholders hanging
The price of utility stocks typically remains fairly stable. Unfortunately, this is not the case for Hawaiian Electric Industries, whose share price has plummeted 25 percent during the past year.
Hawaiian Electric Co. probably has a well-worn list of excuses -- higher oil prices, a state utilities commission that won't permit increases to our highest-in-the-nation rates, unionized labor work rules and costs, and so on. Indeed, some of these problems defy easy solutions, but it's my bet that what's also needed is a new CEO and corporate board.
The current crop appears to have grown complacent "managing" HECO's monopolies and its underperforming American Savings Bank. They collect fat paychecks while customers and shareholders wallow in the results of their inadequacies. And I can't even count on a month of uninterrupted electricity -- failures that blessedly spare me from cringing at (the otherwise lovely) Jade Moon's disingenuous HECO-blather on TV.
It's time to get serious about Hawaii's energy future. Unfortunately, HECO's leadership appears inadequate -- even for the present.
Mike Rethman
Kaneohe
Brush fire deserved bigger headline
I would like to know why we are quick to pin the blame on the military when it makes a mistake and the paper prints it in big bold letters on the front page. This week we had one of the most devastating fires that the island has seen and it made small headlines on the front page ("
North Shore brush fire devours 3,000 acres," Aug. 14).
It would be a whole different story if the military had started the fire and it got out of control. Everyone would be ready to protest to get the military off of the island, saying it is ruining the land. I take it it's no big deal now because we do not have anyone to point the blame to. I am pretty sure someone will end up pointing it toward military, as usual, instead of taking ownership that they messed up and caused thousands of dollars of damage!
Brian Ash
Waialua
Pride in son spreads beyond his family
I wanted to respond to Tammy Kubo's letter headlined "
Son's enlistment brings many feelings."
Dear Tammy Kubo,
Your thoughts about your son brought tears to my eyes. You are a good parent and your son sounds like a person we (Hawaii) can all be proud of. Thank you and your son for the ultimate dedication to America. Take care, with aloha.
Dianne Reilly
Kaneohe
UH baseball needs a backup plan
Is this another case of "here we go again"? Your Aug. 15 story "
No backup plan for UH baseball" has University of Hawaii Athletic Director Herman Frazier as stating, "It is our intent to play our games at Les Murakami (Stadium) to start our season," and that he still hopes to have the stadium ready for the season opener. But the story also quotes Frazier as saying, "We don't need to have a contingency plan."
What! Remember the fiasco with the football schedule? If you don't have a backup plan, at the very least start to look at possible alternate venues in the unlikely event that the turf installation is delayed. Even baseball coach Mike Trapasso is looking for alternate sites for practices leading up to the start of the season. Haven't we learned our lesson yet?
Derrick Mishima
Mililani