No need to apologize for your race

Jim Gardner's letter in the Jan. 16 edition is nice in the fact that he recognizes great change in America and the way most Americans have changed through the years as well. His thoughts on Barack Obama's election are right. It means America and the way Americans think are different from our forefathers.

But what bothers me is when people like Mr. Gardner feel that they have to apologize for being white. Stop lumping all people together simply because of skin color.

If you've never done anything wrong to anybody, you have nothing to be sorry about and nothing to be ashamed about. America's history is certainly tainted in a lot of areas, but all of us should be proud of where our generation has taken us, including every one of us of every color who continue to make things better.

War on family planning must be stopped

In the waning weeks of the Bush administration, new regulations have been proposed that threaten access to family planning services.

President Bush and his Health and Human Services secretary, Mike Leavitt, say that abortion and refusal rights are the issue, but this is simply a ruse in their plan to attack contraception. There are already plenty of laws on the books that protect the conscience rights of health care professionals, so why the need for more regulations? Clearly, the new rule is a last attempt by the administration to obstruct family planning and contraception for millions of families that depend on federally funded family planning services.

The effects of these regulations are numerous, as they expand the power of ideologues to refuse to provide even basic information, counseling and referrals for important health care services. The broad and vague terms of the rule mean that family planning providers can no longer guarantee their patients access to the full range of comprehensive family planning services.

Ninety percent of Americans support access to contraception, but Bush and Leavitt don't seem to care. Instead, they've bowed to the wishes of far-right extremists intent on diminishing sound public health policy. In his attempt to protect refusal rights, Bush has begun an unconscionable war against mainstream American family planning contraception. It must be stopped.

Mayor has no choice but to hike property tax

It is crucial that Mayor Mufi Hannemann raise the city's main source of revenue - property taxes. With the city facing a deficit, federal complaints about our sewer system, along with an absolutely necessary rail system and with an economy trending downward, including property values, the only alternative is to raise property taxes. He should double them. Then he should leave office and run for governor - no, U.S. senator. Washington, D.C., deserves a great problem-solver like Hannemann.

City's problems bigger than building rail

Mayor Hannemann, you are quoted in the Star-Bulletin on Wednesday as saying, “;We're trying to be as prudent as possible, only spending on things that are essential.”;

The Environmental Protection Agency is telling you to fix the water system and our roads are atrocious and schools are in need of repair and updating.

The government is cutting back on many things, including education and social services. People are losing their jobs and their homes. The food bank is begging for help, the Salvation Army and many other charities are asking for help.

Years ago we were told that the convention center was “;essential,”; and now it sits empty much of the time.

So, Mayor Hannemann, I must ask you, with 47 percent opposed to the rail and 53 percent for it, do you seriously think the rail is essential? I wonder if the pro-rail would have won if Salt Lake residents had known they would be excluded from the route only days after the vote?

Public has spoken on rail - build it

It was disappointing to read the letter from Dennis Callan regarding Stop Rail Now's self-appointed “;obligation”; to continue misleading the citizens of Oahu about the City Council's selection and the public's ratification of Honolulu's rail transit project. This small, negative group continues to point to the rather startling fact that congestion will actually be worse in 2030 than it is today. What an amazing finding! Commuters throughout Honolulu must be very surprised to learn that traffic is actually going to be worse in the future than it is today. Perhaps that's why the majority voted to support a rail transit solution.

Since the rail is projected to remove tens of thousands of automobiles and reduce the need to add many hundreds of new buses to Honolulu's roads and freeways, can you imagine how much worse congestion might be in 2030 without the rail?

The citizens of Honolulu acted wisely, discarding the non-solutions and tired mythology of the highway and automobile lobby. The public chose rail in spite of the daily free coverage provided by the media of this small, shrill group that clearly opposes both the economic stimulus and job creation of major infrastructure programs and sensible, long-term solutions to reduce congestion.

  Editor's note: InfraConsult is a transportation consulting firm working with the city on the rail project.

Sewage plant upgrade is wasteful exercise

I was deeply disappointed by your recent editorial urging acceptance of EPA demands for secondary treatment at our Sand Island and Honouliuli wastewater treatment plants.

For more than 25 years, University of Hawaii-Manoa's Water Resources Research Center has monitored these wastewater treatment plants. Skilled researchers check that marine organisms around the outfalls maintain the “;balanced indigenous population”; mandated in EPA guidelines. Researchers consistently find no harmful trends or significant changes.

One researcher, the late Dr. E. Alison Kay, located sand samples taken by a historic 1875 British oceanographic expedition from a site near today's Honouliuli outfall. She found that these century-old samples contained the same organisms in the same numbers and distribution as samples taken today.

EPA's decisions dismiss a quarter-century of scientific scrutiny, relying instead on laboratory tests scientifically inappropriate for Oahu and rare minor violations of chemical standards. These decisions ignore the problems of air pollution, energy use and sludge disposal generated by secondary treatment as well as the huge costs to Oahu taxpayers.

There is a simple rule for deciding on investments: if net benefits are positive, it will increase well-being; otherwise it won't. Net benefits of secondary wastewater treatment for Sand Island and Honouliuli are massively negative, now and for the future.

Alternatively, repairing and upgrading our sewer system is a necessary and productive investment and should be pursued.

I urge our county to continue resisting EPA's foolish decisions.

Tailgating adds stress to driving on Oahu

Driving on Oahu is stressful. I have lived in two countries and many states, and Oahu is the tailgating capital of the world.

I am not a full-time driver, but periodically I drive friends' cars here and there while visiting Honolulu. I was taught for every 10 mph to give one car length distance, so at 50 mph there should be at least a five-car distance between vehicles.

Every time I venture out to drive I can see with detail in my rearview mirror people's birthmarks on their faces at speeds of 40-50 mph. I am always sticking my hand out with the sign language of thumb and forefinger spread open to give me more space, nobody seems to acknowledge this since they are so wrapped up in their narcissistic acts of cell phone conversation, texting and eating.

I think people who tailgate suffer what Sigmund Freud termed a certain type of envy. Hopefully, these people can get over their envy and help create safer roads by giving us a little space.

What Barack Obama means to America

Be true to your convictions; strive for the highest, never giving up your ideas and values.

Always be yourself, never compromising your integrity, self-esteem and morals.

Re-energize America; “;We the people, for the people.”;

Assume nothing, dot every “;I”; and cross every “;t.”;

Common sense speaks volumes.

Knowledge is the key to success for a healthier Earth for generations to come.

Oppression, depression, recession, greediness, the buck stops here!

Be humble and never forget your roots, this will forge your strength of character.

At the very least, rise above adversity, put your country first.

Minimize risk, maximize security, protect the innocent and penalize the guilty.

America United: Together, the future is in our hands for hope, greatness and peace.