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City workers made difficult process easy

I recently went through the residential permit process. I had several unique issues that took extra attention and research. I am writing because I feel compelled to point out the phenomenal professionalism of our city staffers.

Every department that I visited (all five) was staffed by friendly and helpful individuals. Every phone call was promptly returned, even at the highest level. Every question was answered to the best of that person's ability. At a time when we read about being short-handed, I'm pleased to share a positive experience and feel proud of city workers. Good job, guys.

Was the pay raise really pay back?

As a sign-waver during the last election, it is now clear to me why so many state government employees were waving signs for the other candidate.

Assuming a pay level of $40,000, those state government employee sign-wavers just got about a $2,000 raise (averaging 5 percent) for each year of the next two years.

Pretty good sign-waving fee!

Is there any quid pro quo here? We may never really know, but it sure has an odor.

'Clean Elections' laws are unconstitutional

A recent description of the Hawaii Christian Coalition's opposition to Clean Elections legislation (Letters, April 6) presents only one side of the story. Besides being unconstitutional, we are greatly concerned about the impact of such an expensive multimillion-dollar government program that will finance anti-family candidates 100 percent.

The courts have been split on the issue of government financed campaign systems. In Day vs. Holahan, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down Minnesota's campaign finance law because it chilled the speech of individuals or groups making independent expenditures against government-financed candidates.

Furthermore, Clean Elections laws are expensive. Up to $71,000 for House races, $142,000 for Senate races, $940,000 for lieutenant governor and up to $5.9 million for governor!

Finally, we think individuals should not be forced to support ideas that contravene their deepest commitments, whether those commitments are religious, social, or political. If the taxpayer disagrees with the candidate, taxing him to support that candidate is immoral, and gives government the power to decide who the beneficiaries will be.

Using the term "clean elections" tries to clinch the argument by precluding debate, exemplifies the art of political manipulation, and excludes legitimate ideas and arguments from the political arena.

Lawmakers failed to solve homelessness

In the April 21 Star-Bulletin story regarding Act 50, Senate President Robert Bunda is quoted as saying:

"I think squatting is a major problem in Mokuleia, as I'm sure it's a major problem in some other parts of the island and also some areas in the neighbor islands. These people who are on the beach are disrupting other residents who live close by."

Well, I say the squatting is not a problem at all. Squatting is a solution to a real problem: homelessness. These folks have to sleep somewhere every night. If it's not a beach or a park it is going to be a street corner or vacant lot downtown.

If Bunda's constituency is being disrupted, it is not because of squatters. It is because he and his colleagues are not working on a better solution.

Few measure up to pope's conservatism

With the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to Pope Benedict XVI, the lineage of absolutism and conservatism will continue as it has in the Vatican for the last 2,000 years.

In America, with it's pandemic pop culture, the Catholic church will not be brought into the 21st century with the selection of this pontiff .

That means no marriages among the clergy, no women priests, no birth control pills, no euthanasia, no death penalty, no pre-emptive wars and no meat on Fridays.

If you're gay, you had better join the military; there's no room in the church.

What percentage of American Catholics condone any or all the above "not allowed," either by conscious act or belief?

How about 100?

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Housing, environmental coalition supports hike in conveyance tax

Hawaii is facing twin crises: spiraling housing costs that drive local families into homelessness or to the mainland, and a degraded natural environment that is threatened with invasive species and the loss of open lands for the public.

Conveyance tax revenue provides critical support for both of these concerns. It funds the Rental Housing Trust Fund, which supports the development of affordable housing. This tax revenue also provides funding for the Natural Area Reserve Fund, which protects Hawaii's fragile forest ecosystems, and, under the proposed Legacy Lands Act, would also protect undeveloped coastal lands and open space for the enjoyment of generations to come.

Bills being considered by the Legislature would commit a greater portion of funding to the rental housing fund, and provide badly needed annual funding to the Land Conservation Fund and the Natural Area Reserve Fund. As a result, these programs will be far more effective at leveraging federal dollars and solving affordable housing and environmental problems with enhanced state funding.

Hawaii's conveyance tax rate is among the lowest in the nation. In this time of skyrocketing land values and speculation, our coalition does not believe that it is fair to impose the same low fee on second-home and luxury transactions as on the homes available to Hawaii's hardest workers just entering the housing market.

A coalition of groups involved in the affordable housing and conservation sectors has formed to advocate for a modest increase for the conveyance tax on high-end and luxury homes. The proposed increase will only apply to the small percentage of higher-priced properties that reap the largest benefit from the current real estate market while contributing the most to spiraling housing costs and negative environmental impacts.

This coalition supports key recommendations of the Affordable Housing Task Force. We believe that the Rental Housing Trust Fund's portion of current conveyance tax revenue should be raised to 50 percent, and that sellers of higher-priced and second homes should pay more to support affordable housing for local residents in Hawaii.

Implementing a scaled increase suggested by the task force will only affect a small percentage of high-end buyers and sellers: In fact, 93 percent of property transactions recorded with the state will not see any tax increase at all.

We thank the Legislature for answering the concerns of the thousands of individuals throughout the state who want to see more affordable housing and better protection of Hawaii's fragile natural resources.

How to write us The Star-Bulletin welcomes letters that are crisp and to the point (150 to 200 words). The Star-Bulletin reserves the right to edit letters for clarity and length. Please direct comments to the issues; personal attacks will not be published. Letters must be signed and include a daytime telephone number. Letter form: Online form, click here E-mail: letters@starbulletin.com Fax: (808) 529-4750 Mail: Letters to the Editor, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7 Waterfront Plaza, 500 Ala Moana, Suite 210, Honolulu, HI 96813