Estimates of high vehicle costs don’t add up

The commentary, “The high cost of depending on your car” (Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, March 24), noted that it costs $22,400 per household annually for the direct costs of ownership of a car, and that it costs $24,400 per household for the indirect costs — basically those paid for through government services, meaning paid for by those same households.

That comes to $46,800 per year per household. Considering that the average household income in Hawaii is $80,212, that means that each household actually only has $33,412 to pay for everything else. And that doesn’t even take into account all the taxes that the household has to pay.

Sorry, but those vehicle cost numbers just don’t make sense.

Roger Garrett

Kapahulu

Freedom also involves public responsibility

After reading two articles in the paper (“40 officers rattle peaceful protest at Kapiolani Park,” “Study finds warming deep in Great Lake,” Star-Advertiser, March 23), it struck me that a similar problem arises in the causes of both stories.

People who claim that not wearing masks during an ongoing pandemic is justified in defense of their own individual “freedom” most likely also don’t want to infringe on their own behavior by trying to make reforms to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during a growing climate crisis.

Yet their personal selfishness betrays their equally likely patriotic claims to support a democratic “republic,” which in this context could be translated as “public responsibility.”

David Chappell

Kaneohe

Har gets unwarranted attention for arrest

Hundreds of people are arrested for drunken driving, elected officials among them. Usually, this only warrants a small story.

But when it came to state Rep. Sharon Har, there were multiple stories in all the media, complete with photos, immediate calls for her resignation, and a special state House of Representatives committee formed to investigate her.

Funny how this doesn’t seem to happen to the men.

Larry Meacham

Wahiawa

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