Price of wars is too expensive

I am a disabled veteran. I have seen too many fellow soldiers die because of errors committed by the higher-ups. The Iraq and Afghanistan wars are such errors. More soldiers and innocent civilians are getting killed. More enemy terrorist killers are created. The killing cost gets heavier.

We should spend less for killing and more for life. We need more health care, environmental care, job creation and veterans welfare.

Isle politicians ignoring e-mails

As one who tries to take an interest in politics, I have recently become disappointed with a few of the legislators. When e-mailing them, some send back an automated reply that they are too busy and unable to respond; one representative will only look at e-mails from his district. Legislators, especially those who chair committees, should not do this.

At election time many state that they will be open to the input of the public. It seems that many are beginning to use this as election rhetoric.

Build trailer parks for the homeless

One simple and relatively inexpensive solution to curb Oahu's growing homeless problem would be to offer families a $300-a-month mortgage to buy a $10,000, two- or three-bedroom, one-bath home on a small rented lot on state-owned lands near schools at Barbers Point.

On the mainland, trailer parks are a common fixture, providing a realistic and necessary bottom end to the overall housing supply in a community.

That bottom end of housing costs is missing in Hawaii, primarily because politically powerful landowners and developers don't want anything to pull down the amount of money they can make selling houses and condos at the upper end in the tight-supply market.

And that is what is putting many Hawaii families and individuals on the beach and in the parks, or crammed together into rentals.

The state, working with local banks, could start off with a modest $10 million loan fund to bring in the first 100 mobile homes and hire bulldozers to scratch out roads and maybe five trailer parks in the kiawe scrub areas at Barbers Point.

City building codes could be modified for various utility services.

The state's trailer home fund would be reimbursed to bring in more homes as needed. Home ownership would be key to the success, with the buyer able to build an equity for use in a future home purchase.

Legislators need to show courage

University of Hawaii professor Randy Roth's assessments continue to be on target; his writing and research, including contributions from so many others, including former governors, is on target. But I don't understand what the legislators are afraid of.

If they go against the Hawaii Government Employees Association and the Hawaii State Teachers Association, who will the unions support instead? Republicans? I don't think so. Will they work for new Democratic candidates who will run against the incumbents? Possibly. But I'm willing to bet that whichever, there will probably still be Democrats ruling the roost at the House and Senate.

So, incumbents: “;Man up!”; Do what needs to be done. Finally, after decades of research, reams and reams of reports, do the right thing for Hawaii's keiki.