Online readers are able to respond immediately to Star-Bulletin stories through our Web forum, which can be accessed at the end of stories, editorials and columns at starbulletin.com. Below is a selection of forum comments that appeared last week. Most forum contributors use pseudonyms; their “;names”; have been omitted here.

  ”;Lawmakers idling on cutting pay raises,”; Star-Bulletin, Jan. 11: Sen. Donna Mercado Kim, chairwoman of the Ways and Means Committee, says the issue is complex. The sky is falling down. What's so complex about that, Sen. Mercado Kim?

  Yeah, it's complex to take a pay cut, but it's easy as pie to take a pay raise. Either way Senate President Colleen Hanabusa seems in no rush to make any concessions but likes to hide behind the “;complexity”; of what Gov. Linda Lingle was asking in order to stonewall the entire issue while collecting a handsome pay raise. It doesn't matter how complex this issue is, it's the perception that Hanabusa doesn't want to give up a nice increase in her salary anytime soon.

  OK, so the commission recommended the pay raise. Notice the keyword here is recommended. It was not mandated, just recommended. The complexity of this issue is simple. They, the legislators, judiciary and others just don't want to give up the money. They expected everyone else to “;tighten their belts,”; but don't ask them to do the same. I hope the voting public will remember this next election cycle.

  I remember hearing my parents, my uncles and aunties referring to Hawaii as being “;Little Chicago.”; Now I know what they were talking about.

  Obviously, it just shows that legislators, judges and our leaders are manifesting a lukewarm approach on how to solve the declining economy as shown by their reluctance in bringing up the issues to the front without any delay. It is very reasonable to just say: postpone the increase until the economy gets better. It doesn't really make sense to ask for the increase if there is not enough funding. It is very simple: There is no money.

  Arrogance (Judiciary), greed (Legislature) and stupidity (Executive), the three branches of government in Hawaii.

  ”;Wahiawa silence is sweet with absence of coqui,”; Star-Bulletin, Jan. 14: How much of my tax dollars were wasted on this effort? Call out the Army? “;Hey, Private! Kill any insurgents today?”; “;Naw, just some frogs!”; Jeez, it's just a frog! And don't give me that noise about how loud they are. I'd rather hear them than all the sirens and city noise anyday.

  If coqui can be eradicated from Oahu, they can be eradicated from the Big Island. As long as there are populations of coqui on any of the islands, they will easily be able to recolonize Oahu given the lax agricultural inspection standards within the state.

  I think what was done in Wahiawa was a great thing! Now if we can do the same for all areas of all islands. We need to get rid of a whole bunch of plants and trees, too, and some transplanted people.

  ”;UH breaks ground at Kapolei (UH-West Oahu campus) site,”; Star-Bulletin, Jan. 15: If/when this project is completed it will be such a blessing to those living on the west side - and probably will alleviate some traffic as well.

  As a 2000 UH-WO alumnus, it's totally awesome to hear this news. The Leeward Coast is such an educationally underserved population.

  Gov. Lingle and Chancellor Awakuni, please answer one simple question: Once this campus is built, how are we going to maintain it? There is already a massive backlog of maintenance and repair projects at Manoa and the community colleges. If you owned an old, single-story house, and you did not have enough funds to even maintain this single home, would you still attempt to purchase another home?

  ”;Famed Ilikai may shut its hotel facilities,”; Star-Bulletin, Jan. 16: I've only been to the Top of the I once, but it holds a good memory for me. It will be sad if the Ilikai closes. Developer Brian Anderson should have given a few of his 203 condos to the lender iStar FM Loans LLC, instead of having to go through foreclosure.

  This is too bad! One of my all-time favorite TV shows filmed many segments at the Ilikai. RIP!

  Book 'em, Danno!