The state of Hawaii is billions of dollars in debt, so what does the state do? It sends out $500 credit cards to the unemployed to spend at restaurants and pretend to stimulate the economy.

Sure, the restaurants may see a little bump in their COVID flatline, but it’s a false positive.

The state is just throwing them a bone and it’s not a very meaty one. For people like myself, who had the rug pulled out from under them, going out to dinner a couple times is like putting a Band-Aid on a severed artery. Are we supposed to feel better because the state is going more in debt so we can go out to dinner?

Well, I don’t.

What would make me feel better would be if the state opened up for business and let everyone go back to life as usual. Yes, people will get sick. Yes, some people may even die. But most will recover. Life is not without risks. How long can we hide from a virus?

Janet Eisenbach

Kilauea, Kauai

Mahalo for raised crosswalks on Pali

About seven years ago, I had a shocking experience bicycling to Honolulu on the Pali Highway. Two small shoes sat perfectly in place near an unsignalized crosswalk.

The shoes were a light cream color. The shoes’ owner was thrown in the air by impact before crashing to Earth and dying.

The female driver who hit the shoes’ owner sat head down in her car while police finished the investigation. An unspeakable tragedy for everyone.

Thanks to Ed Sniffen and the state Department of Transportation for lowering the speed limit to 30 mph in the residential section of Pali Highway in Nuuanu (“Pali Highway in Nuuanu to get lower speed limit, raised crosswalks,” Star-Advertiser, Oct. 13). That area has been a killing zone over the years, especially for elderly people living out their years.

The forthcoming installation of two raised crosswalks is a best practice engineering countermeasure to require drivers to slow down. Many people routinely violate the speed limit. Why do people cross the road? To get to the other side of the street — not to go to the next world.

Chad Taniguchi

Advocate, Hawaii Bicycling League

Kailua

Don’t let rich, famous flout environmental law

I read with dismay about the Marty Nesbitt/Obama affair (“Oceanfront property tied to Obama granted exemption from Hawaii’s environmental laws,” Star-Advertiser, Nov. 18).

What is wrong with the city Department of Planning and Permitting? This permit to allow the renovation of a seawall should be revoked at once. This opens the door for every beachfront property owner on Oahu to apply for a variance to build a new seawall to protect their dwelling.

How can we do that? It is common knowledge that seawalls create erosion of sand. Hawaii’s beaches are for the use of us all. This is a first step to privatize the beaches; Ko Olina recently attempted to lock out the locals by closing parking and beach access.

We cannot allow variances for the rich and rich and famous, as Nesbitt builds private beachfront homes for Barack Obama, Nesbitt and other friends.

Pat Buckman

Palolo

Welcome Obama to his Waimanalo retreat

So now restoration of a Hawaiian fishpond, celebrated up the road in Kaneohe, is a scandal down in Waimanalo? Hawaii is lucky that a stretch of oceanfront obviously is being protected as a future retreat for President Barack Obama and his family.

He and his foundation are wealthy enough to do the work right and famous enough to not do it wrong. Besides, the keiki o ka aina from Punahou is a really decent guy. And one of the reasons he is a good guy is that he grew up in our beautiful home, where aloha still means something.

Yo, Barry O, e komo mai!

Walter Wright

Kaneohe

Facilities must provide test results more quickly

My wife and I live on the west side of Hawaii island and have been residents for 18 years. Our son and his family recently had the COVID-19 test with CVS at $140 each, 70 hours in advance of their departure time. CVS would not test his twin girls who are 6; they have an age limit of 10. The two girls had to be tested at Walgreens.

CVS refused to guarantee results within 72 hours and the recent sudden change in the law required the family to reschedule their flight. There is still no sign of the results from either CVS or Walgreens, and the family chose to be retested and are hoping to be able to fly to Hawaii a day later, cutting their trip from five days to four.

I am a strong supporter of testing but the approved test facilities need to have the available capacity to allow passengers, particularly during the holidays, to receive their results within 72 hours.

Clive Davies

Kamuela

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