Make fair rules for businesses, not bans

Bill 34 introduced by City Councilwoman Heidi Tsuneyoshi clearly shows how out of touch our politicians are with what people want and need (“Beach park for-profit activities may be banned,” Star-Advertiser, Oct. 25). People in Hawaii and its visitors want responsible fun, good memories and experiences.

Taking away weddings, surf classes and other mom-and-pop, for-profit businesses (think anti- Airbnb) is just another anti-capitalistic extreme all-or-nothing measure by the radical politicians.

It is the politician’s job to come up with fair rules, not to eliminate businesses entirely.

If honest channels to making money are continuously eliminated, what do they expect people to do?

Our democracy is at stake.

Dore Rodine

Kapolei

DLNR must be true to steward land for all

Why are we continuing to allow the state Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) to mismanage our fragile land and ecosystems? Who gave it permission to allow sand-filled tubes to be used on Oahu’s North Shore, which is forbidden by state law?

The DLNR, which is a Hawaii state agency, continues to make exceptions for special-interest groups, and rich and influential people.

What happen to DLNR being stewards of the land for all Hawaii’s people and to “malama aina”?

Gilbert Chee

Kaneohe

First responders put careers at risk; why?

Regarding the letter, “First responders’ vaccine hesitancy is worrisome” (Oct. 28): Yes it is, but not for the reasons outlined by the author.

She is worried that an unvaccinated first responder coming to help her may infect her in the process of a rescue/response.

I am more concerned, however, that these folks — firefighters and paramedics, and many hospital/health workers —are so adamant about not getting vaccinated that they will give up their careers, often a passion of many years.

First responders and health care workers by any estimation are better educated in medical matters than most of us. The personal liberty aspect aside, what do they know that we don’t? That is worrisome.

Gordon Fowler

Aiea

Apt warning about stadium ‘sinkhole’

Kudos to our three former governors — John Waihee, Ben Cayetano and Neil Abercrombie — for warning against building a white elephant replacement stadium on the Halawa site (“Ex-governors push housing, no stadium in Halawa,” Star-Advertiser, Oct. 28).

The NASED stadium proposal is grossly overpriced; more than a million dollars per seat. As the ex-governors say, it would be a “sinkhole” for taxpayers and a “walk-away disaster” for private partners. Far worse, NASED has the stadium elbowing out most of the higher-priority potential for that central site: more affordable housing.

Let’s do as these wise men propose. Build the new stadium on the University of Hawaii-Manoa campus — or, if that site is too constrained, nearby. How about revisiting the idea of using the Ala Wai Golf Course? That would put the new stadium near the route of rail transit as now planned, and give it a large walk-in audience for all of its events: sporting, concerts and others.

Jerry Dupont

Kaneohe

Time to say ‘no’ to risky Red Hill tanks

Let’s stop gambling with Oahu’s precious water supply! One hundred feet is all that separates us from catastrophic contamination of the aquifer that provides our clean water and the fuel stored by the Navy at Red Hill.

As the Sierra Club’s Wayne Chung Tanaka pointed out in his commentary (“Move Red Hill tanks before it’s too late,” Island Voices, Star-Advertiser, Oct. 27), repeated leaks are inching closer to the water table. Cover-ups and inaccuracies by the military raise serious questions about its trustworthiness or even its ability to protect our water supply.

Whether the problem is human error or corrosion, it’s time to say NO to the Red Hill tanks.

Linda L. Rich

Diamond Head

Deriding billionaires is against capitalism

Taxing billionaires on their wealth is anathema to the concept of the income tax. It’s denominated “income tax” because we are taxed on wages, business income, interest, dividends and capital gains. That results in the taxpayer having the income to pay the tax. All income is reported to the IRS and can be tracked and taxed. Wealth is not reported, so such a tax would be very difficult to enforce.

Deriding billionaires for their wealth contravenes the concept of capitalism. These billionaires are wealthy because they conceived of a brilliant idea and successfully implemented it. They give vast amounts of their wealth to charitable causes.

There is an obvious way to tax wealth. Tier the taxation of capital gains, which has already been done. Tier the taxation of dividends. Tier the taxation of interest. Tax individuals and entities on their worldwide income and limit the credit for foreign taxes paid.

Nancy Grekin

Makiki Heights

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