Mayor should resign to run

Last week, Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann continued the charade that he is not a candidate for governor, even though he is actively campaigning as one.

If Mufi wants to be our governor, he should do the right thing, by resigning as mayor, and run a full-time straight-up campaign. He should not be using the resources of the City and County of Honolulu to help his campaign.

When he was on Maui last week, was he using city funds to travel off Oahu, to go campaigning? Has he been using city funds to conduct activities on neighbor islands that have nothing to do with Oahu? Is he “;campaigning”; on the neighbor islands while on city time and on the city's payroll?

If he has been doing any of these things, they set a poor example for a future governor. We, the public, need to have full trust in our elected officials, especially the governor. Right now, Neil Abercrombie is the only Democrat running a campaign for governor the right way, the transparent way.

Rail will provide no net benefit

It should behoove our unions and legislators who are loudly clamoring for a start on rail transit to hire some economists rather than political agitators. Why?

First, we know that neither our city nor our state has the money to pay for it. So, they suggest taking money out of my and my neighbors' pockets to fill their members' pockets. They call that taxation. Really, they should call it pick-pocketing, or possibly even thievery. But let's look at their misguided logic.

Even an entry-level economist will tell them the following: By taking money out of my and my neighbors' pockets, we can't buy an aloha shirt, thus having a seamstress lose her job. We can't get our car repaired, thus having a mechanic lose his job. We can't go to the movies, thus having the ticket sales gal lose her job. In terms of economic advancement we have accomplished nothing.

Now they claim the feds will contribute a good chunk. But the feds don't have that money either.

Did we achieve any economic benefit? None whatsoever. Let's stop it before we drown in further debt.

Hawaiian Air prices too high

While Hawaiian Airlines reports its 2009 biggest profit in recorded history, the Hawaii hotel industry reports one of its worst years ever. This is an ideal example of where government should step in and work to provide more competition, from either Hawaiian Airlines itself—by adding additional flights—or other carriers, in order to step up the amount of available seats and bring down ticket prices. While it costs around $200 to fly one way from L.A. to Miami, it often costs more than $500 for the same distance from Hawaii to L.A.

If the government would do what it should, by providing fair regulation to the economy, instead of pumping money here and there, we could begin to stimulate the economy back to health.

More competition, whether through regulation or through other carriers, would be a great way to remedy tourism to our lovely islands. I know I would be flying with friends and family a lot more often.

Susan Scott a joy to read from afar

How much I enjoyed Susan Scott's “;Ocean Watch”; column in the Star-Bulletin's Feb. 22 online edition, about the whale and sunbeam. Many thanks. I live in Harrisburg, Pa., where we still have mountains of snow. I had just walked by a photo of me hiking at the Pali, 66 and needing that walking stick, radiantly happy. And then came Susan's glowing column. Wonderful! I count the frequent-flier miles until I can visit again, but for now I have Scott's columns to enjoy.

Homeless special was informative

Thank you for featuring the series on Hawaii's homeless. It provided a perspective on what is broadly acknowledged to be a serious problem. Another excellent reason why we need this type of in-depth reporting and to preserve print media.