Lawmakers are still willing to sell off our city’s beauty and livability (“Tower plans advance,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 26).

A California-based developer might be allowed to build a tower on the corner of Atkinson and Kapiolani that is 50 feet taller than existing zoning, has half the required parking, is situated closer to sidewalks (“relaxed setback”), and doesn’t meet affordable housing conditions.

In return, the company is “providing $7 million in community benefits, including $2.4 million in-lieu fee to meet the affordable-housing condition.”

Every citizen should be outraged, but this is not even going to get a public hearing. The City Council Zoning and Planning chairman, Trevor Ozawa, decided that approval could be given by a vote of the Council.

Imagine the traffic in that area when this 100-unit condominium and 125-hotel-room behemoth is completed. Everything about this stinks.

Kathy Leong

Niu Valley

—–

Details about TROs were misleading

The article about temporary restraining orders (TROs) and Honolulu police officers was misleading (“Crossing the line: Choosing sides,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 23).

TROs start one-sided since the judge has only the written claims of the applicant. The target has no notice and only responds at a hearing up to 15 days later.

Spouses race to the courthouse, each seeking a TRO because of a perceived advantage in custody and visitation. In one of the cases in the article, for example, the police officer husband and his wife each got a TRO against the other the same day.

The article cited 77 TRO applications against HPD officers with 59 granted — all without notice or a hearing. Notably, 18 were rejected despite the low standard. When the court finally heard both sides, in only 11 of the cases did the judge make a finding of abuse. This is .005 percent of the total HPD force and is hardly proof of a systemic problem.

James H. Wright

Makiki

—–

Tiny gain in scores not very impressive

State Department of Education Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi said that “we are encouraged by steady gains in our students’ college preparation and enrollment” (“Despite gains on test, many students not college-ready,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 25).

If our kids are an investment in Hawaii’s future, both in quality of life and financially, and Matayo- shi is encouraged by a 1 percent gain or no gain at all, then Matayoshi wouldn’t be in the investment business very long.

She wants to give her executive staff a 4.5 percent raise. Let’s get student gains of 4.5 percent first.

Ken Heim

Kailua

—–

Public-sector unions should help the keiki

The state of Hawaii has a $1 billion budget surplus because it reduced spending and revenues are up (“State ends fiscal year with record $1 billion surplus,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 24). Great job and great news.

With the keiki on the hook for tens of billions of dollars in unfunded liabilities in the state employee retirement and health care funds, I’m sure the public- sector unions will do the obvious right thing and agree to minimal pay raises so the surplus can be used to ease the future tax burden on our keiki.

Hahahaha! The unions don’t love the keiki that much.

Mark Torreano

Waikiki

—–

Lying is no longer a character flaw

I don’t understand all the media outcry and companies taking away their endorsements from U.S. Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte for lying.

Have we forgotten he has learned from the best?

Bill Clinton (I did not have sex), Hillary Clinton (Benghazi, government emails), President Barack Obama (you can keep your health plan), and all those politicians indicted for fraud.

Some caught lying get consequences, but the privileged few continue to lie and get away with it. The American public has accepted lying. It is no longer a character flaw. How sad. What a legacy we leave our children.

Sharon Rapoza Bruffey

Haleiwa

—–

UH actually needs more Shakespeare

A “prominent public figure in Hawaii” is quoted in Debora Halbert’s and Colin Moore’s commentary as asking, “Why do we need another book on Shakespeare?” (“UH has been catalyst for progress in Hawaii,” Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Aug. 26).

I would argue that we do, but we won’t get any from the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s English Department anytime soon. You see, we have no Shakespearean scholars; they’ve all retired or left and haven’t been replaced. We have no Medievalist; the two we had in recent decades retired. Increasingly, the English Department runs on adjuncts and graduate students.

Why Shakespeare? Why should we learn about language, about wisdom, about character, about psychology, about other historical periods, about editing, about metaphor and other uses of figurative language, about how to write well? More to the point, perhaps, why should we learn about the baroque and ethically compromised nature of local politics (in any era)?

Susan Schultz

Kaneohe

—–

Avoid plastic straws and mylar balloons

Turtles, seabirds and whales can become entangled in netting or starve to death because their stomachs are full of indigestible plastic. But here are ways we can help protect these animals.

We have banned plastic grocery bags, which is a start.

There are two other simple things we can do. Plastic and mylar balloons are bright and shiny and look like bait to turtles and fish, which eat them and die. Don’t release balloons and ask your local store not to sell them. Similarly, plastic straws get eaten by animals and choke them. Ask the places where you eat to switch to paper straws; they work just as well.

The turtles will thank you.

David Duffy

Kailua