Kakaako open area must be preserved

I am saddened and shocked to see the big rush to pass Senate Bill 682.

The bill would allow residential high-rise construction on two parcels of land that will be transferred to the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs as part of a land settlement.

Remember, our legislators have been elected to serve the greatest good for the most people. Serving the interests of private construction for private profit on state or OHA land goes directly against the reason our representatives were elected.

Please, either modify SB 682 or scrap this deceptive and onerous bill that seeks to encroach on the lands makai of Ala Moana Boulevard. The open area of Kakaako is a last precious resource that needs to be preserved for all the people, not just proliferators of private high-rise construction.

John and Rita Shockley
Kapolei

Ben Cayetano has trustworthy record

So the Star-Advertiser thinks Ben Cayetano revealing emails from the federal government is a disservice ("Cayetano’s rail tactics a disservice," Star-Advertiser, Our View, March 18).

What else would I expect from a newspaper that has totally ignored City Hall’s spending of millions to publish and mail rail propaganda?

Here is the bottom line: Over his many years of political service, I have learned to trust Ben Cayetano. I do not trust the current mayor or your newspaper. That means I’m voting for Ben.

Ray Jeffs
Downtown Honolulu

Junk science raises cost of paper bags

Robert Bourke’s commentary contained mistakes and misinformation presented as facts ("Broad coalition supporting bag fee reflects proposal’s timeliness," Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, March 17).

He said, "Our parents and grandparents went shopping for decades with their own bags and did just fine." The use of paper bags dates back to about the time of the Civil War.

I am only 75, so I don’t remember when paper bags were not available, nor would my grandmother, who was born just before the last century.

It was environmentalists trying to save trees and the Earth that made paper costmore, put thousands of people out of work and also caused "paper or plastic" to be heard at checkout stands.

So-called "environmentalists" use junk science and misinformation to make everyday life less tolerable for us all.

Otto Cleveland
Pearl City

Try commute, then decide on Ho‘opili

I would like to make a recommendation for the state Land Use Commission as it decides about the new community, Ho‘opili.

I propose that the entire commission go to Ko Olina during the week and check into one of the hotels there.The members then should get up the next day and get on H-1 at 5:45 a.m. and drive into Honolulu.As they are driving in the traffic, they candiscuss the impact that 15,000-plus cars from this new community will have on the morning and afternoon commutes, andif the developer’s mitigation plan for those cars will really work.

To get the real benefit of the commute situation, I would also propose that theydrive back to Ko Olina around 4 p.m.

I would also recommendthat former Gov. Ben Cayetano join them. He can tell them why rail is a terrible idea, and describe his plan to ease current traffic, as well as traffic with the additional cars if Ho‘opili is approved.

Larry Dove
Waipahu

Kailua residents rude to kayak firms

I came to Hawaii in July to work as a teen substance abuse counselor. As I am trying to pay back student loans, I took a weekend job as a kayak truck operator for a lovely local couple who own a business and pay taxes and permit fees.

I have been yelled at and cursed by residents as they drive by, and witnessed incensed residents abusively berate other operators for the "increased tourism" that is clogging the streets of their "little town."

The police have had to take time away from doing real police work — I have witnessed meth dealers making transactions in Kailua Beach Park — to ask to see our permit. Some complainants have outright lied to the police about our activities.

If the complaints are about tourism and traffic, why is Kailua encouraging more tourists from Japan and allowing a new Target to be established in the center of town?

Mike Graney
Kailua

Biggest power grab is by oil companies

I’ve always been puzzled by the term "conservative," which I thought implied a desire to conserve — energy, the environment, and, yes, even liberty.

Dr. Edward Gutteling’s commentary defines "conservative" as one who sees government not "of the people, by the people, and for the people," but as some sort of enemy of the people ("Ratchet goes only one way when it comes to losing our liberties," Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, March 20).

Conservatives like Gutteling point to plastic bags as symbolizing our liberties. But the greatest power grab of all is the power of the oil companies over our pocketbooks. Soldiers dying or maimed in wars fought over oil in the Middle East, ordinary folks dying for lack of affordable health care, and everything dying when a massive oil spill strikes — these define the "loss of liberty" as it is truly meant in our Declaration of Independence.

Enough of the conservative double-talk about plastic bags and government intrusion into our freedoms.

Peter Barmus
Kailua