Hanabusa has right idea for rail money

Bravo to Sen. Colleen Hanabusa. After she had openly disregarded the financial plight of our state and its residents by asking for a substantial raise for her part-time job, she comes up with a great idea: “;to take back the transit tax money given to Honolulu to fund rapid transit.”; Yes, stop it! Now!

We couldn't have a better way to derail Mayor Mufi Hannemann's rail folly and save us Oahu taxpayers from certain financial ruin.

Thank you, Senator, you may restore your political future.

Stealing transit funds would be huge mistake

So now that we've come upon hard times, Gov. Linda Lingle and state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa want to steal the money set aside to build Honolulu's rail transit system. That says a lot about their values—or lack thereof.

Stealing the transit tax to cover the state's revenue shortfall demonstrates their short-sightedness and tendency to do the easy rather than the right thing.

This pot of revenue has been built up over the last several years for a specific purpose—to build a transit system that will create jobs, stimulate the economy, help the environment and improve quality of life here.

The savings plan was instituted in spite of the governor, who refused to sign the legislation, and lawmakers who balked at the creation of a new tax. Well, several years have passed now and the half-percent increase did not bankrupt anyone. Instead, the fund has built up nicely, giving us a great way to launch the rail transit project and sending a clear signal to the federal government that we're serious this time.

All that could go by the wayside if Lingle and Hanabusa get their way. They're jeopardizing federal funding, putting the project at risk, threatening the biggest economic stimulus project we've got going and thumbing their noses at the concept of saving up so we can pay for this project as we go.

And, to add insult to injury, they're getting pay raises.

Tobacco companies, take back your butts

In a letter to the Star-Bulletin in 2004, I mentioned the idea of recycling the used cigarette filters in our state, but we started to get a budget surplus so nobody cared much about recycling those little guys even though I had good feedback from people about it.

Here we are in 2009, with a huge deficit, and everyone is looking for ways to make ends meet (I am talking about the 50 states, not just Hawaii).

Here's a simple solution:

Let's have Congress pass a bill that mandates the states to buy cigarette butts from anybody for 5 cents, and the states to sale them for a dime to the tobacco industry. Everyone would make a nickel and the country would be cleaner. Shipping and recycling would be the responsibility of the industry.

In 2007, according to its Web site, Philip Morris made $8.8 billion profit, and according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the tobacco industry sold 360 billion cigarettes in the U.S.

It takes 10 months to five years, depending on climate and conditions, for a filter to decompose. It's time to hold tobacco companies accountable.

Obama is undoing Bush's good works

It didn't take long! Change has come to America. Our new leader has revoked a ban on U.S. funding to international organizations that conduct abortions. Now America is a partner to terminating life in the womb, not only within our own borders but throughout the world. The picture of the Obama family and administration as being “;family-centered”; is a farce. Not exactly a “;pride”; moment.

Additionally, we have the closing of the detention center at Guantanamo to look forward to, as terrorists resident there proudly admit their role in 9/11 and the killing of innocent people, and vow to do it again. They gloat because they know America has a new leader whom they will challenge and who I am not so sure is up to the task. The headlines read that the world is elated about the closing. Surely they are because they know that President Obama's agenda is to revoke as many of Bush's policies as possible, even the ones that kept America safe. Suddenly, I am not sleeping so securely at night as I was a few days ago. Yes, America, change has come to the White House.

Get motor vehicles off our beaches

Fellow citizens, you should be angered about motor vehicles routinely driving and parking on our beaches, which is unlawful. The danger of being run over while sunbathing, as happened on Kauai (Star-Bulletin, Jan. 23), is the most alarming reason, besides the noise, pollution and damage to ecosystems, why the city and state need to designate with signs and maps where vehicles, including off-road and mopeds, may not go. And beach users should be vigilant, copy license numbers and call the police to stop this intrusion. We have many visitors and residents who don't know where they can drive, and some residents who don't care.

Five years isn't enough for child abuser

Child abuser Rita Makekau should serve a lot more than just five years in prison; it should be 55 years (Star-Bulletin, Jan. 22). She chipped the teeth of her five nieces and nephews with a hammer and abused them in many other heinous ways. The lives of these children will never be the same. Five years is an injustice itself and for the court to fall for a Hail Mary attempt for her to run away from being accountable, claiming she has Hawaiian sovereignty, is a joke, especially because she was willing to take money from the government to be a foster mom.

Hawaiian activists should condemn her actions because Hawaiian or not, no one is above the law.