Did God raise price of water?

Am I the only person outraged by the news that a governmental agency, the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, is among the top spenders on lobbying? ("Cash flows from Board of Water Supply to lobbyists," Star Advertiser, July 31).

I am incredulous that since 2006, the agency was second in spending, exceeded only by the Hawaii Tourism Authority, which spent $510,000. To utilize ratepayers’ money to finance this activity and, in turn, request a 70 percent hike in rates over the next five years is simply unacceptable.

Water is a vital resource, hydration a key component, especially for the elderly on limited incomes.

I have one question: Is God charging more money for rain? If so, I would love to see the invoice!

Deborah A. Luckett
Honolulu

Biden ignores calls for civility

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ return to the U.S. House of Representatives to vote on the debt ceiling increase was inspirational. Surviving the gunshot wound is testimony to her personal fortitude, as well as to the best health care system in the world.

However, the irony of Giffords’ return with Vice President Joe Biden’s same-day description of the tea party as "terrorists" was hard to swallow.

Indeed, many will remember that President Barack Obama, operating on the incorrect assumption that the Giffords shooting was motivated by rhetoric from the political right, implored the nation back in January to be more civil in the political arena.

Has the Obama administration now decided to scrap civility? If not, Biden should apologize. Obama needs to remind Biden that the tea party seeks only greater fiscal responsibility and a smaller government.

He might also note that if peaceful political participation by citizens is considered "terrorism," the word itself has become meaningless.

Michael P. Rethman
Kaneohe

Obama giving away the store

President Barack Obama literally gave his job away along with other lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

Never have I been so dissatisfied and ashamed of our lawmakers.

I’m a father of four adult children, a veteran and a union heavy-equipment operator out of work for almost three years.

I don’t desire any help from welfare. However, this bill does nothing to create jobs or strengthen the economy. It does not even give a little more to those who have exhausted unemployment benefits.

The Republicans say we can’t tax the corporations because they create jobs, yet they have been getting these breaks for more than 10 years, and still no job growth. It’ll only get worse in the next few years when a Republican becomes president and Republicans take control in both houses on Capitol Hill.

Say aloha to not only Obama but the middle class as we know it.

Christopher V. DeLuze
Haiku, Maui

Rail contractor poorly selected

We are embarking on the most costly public works project in Hawaii’s history and the city has awarded the contract to design, build and maintain the rail cars to Ansaldo Honolulu, whose parent company has a questionable track record and an uncertain future.

Toru Hamayasu, interim executive director of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, and Don Horner, chairman of the HART board’s finance committee, said we have protections because the contract would be backed by a construction bond.

Do they realize that by the time you collect on a construction bond, the project has essentially failed? The money you collect on a bond will probably not cover the cost of the new contract and the costs of a long delay.

It is more critical that you select a competent rail contractor with a solid track record than it is to have a great bond insurer.

Sid Tsubata
Kaneohe

Single risk pool is the way to go

Dr. Ira Zunin’s column on health savings accounts fails to take into account the problem of risk pools that have plagued markets where HSAs have been widely adopted ("Health Savings Accounts center on the individual," Star-Advertiser, July 23).

HSAs may work for those who are relatively healthy and have enough income to fully fund the plan, but they offer no advantage for those people with significant chronic illnesses whose annual health costs exceed the deductible.

Unfortunately, this group accounts for the large majority of health care expenditures.

Furthermore, if large numbers of the healthy and wealthy opt for HSAs, that will leave only those with expensive health problems left in the regular insurance risk pool, driving the cost of regular insurance to unaffordable levels.

In other states where use of HSAs has become widespread, regular health insurance is suffering. The only truly sustainable way to finance health care is with a single risk pool.

David Derauf
Honolulu

Most contractors don’t pay to play

I continue to be amazed at the naivete regarding the discussion of "pay to play" campaign contributions.

The truth is that 80 percent of contractors who do state and county work get the job by low bid and not by any twist of the political arm.

A simple change in the law should be to limit the ban to any contractor who gets a negotiated job as opposed to a low-bid job. In a low bid, it does not matter if Gov. Neil Abercrombie is your uncle; you still don’t get the job unless your price is low.

Frankly, I do not see the harm in a contractor sending a $25 or $50 donation to a legislator who helped to pass some kind of enforcement measure to clamp down on unlicensed contractors (the people who want to be paid in cash so they can avoid paying taxes).

Tim Lyons
Honolulu

Upkeep should be constant

What is Hawaii doing? We have a big event coming and our government wants to have a major cleanup that include painting, beautifying, planting and moving the homeless out of Waikiki.

I’m confused. Don’t we pay people to do these types of things every day?

I recently had visitors here from another country. Driving down Nimitz Highway, the main road tourists use to get to Waikiki, was ugly.

On the way to the hotel, we were rerouted through Kakaako. Guess what my visitors took pictures of? All the homeless camps. They were in shock.

Why are the Chinatown businesspeople (who are working to make a living) allowed to use only 18 inches of space in front of their building, yet the homeless are allowed nearly the whole sidewalk?

The area looks like a Third World country. It’s pitiful.

We need tough rules and tough consequences. Let’s make Hawaii beautiful again.

Thomasina Simmons
Ewa Beach