No state agency is independent

I found your April 12 editorial very amusing ("OIP must remain independent," Our View, Star-Advertiser, April 12). The Star-Advertiser truly believes the Office of Information Practices is independent?

No state agency acts independent of the governor’s office. Those appointed by the governor to run state offices are part of the governor’s administration.

That said, OIP does operate with a certain independence in issuing opinions and safeguarding openness in government. But make no mistake; it does not operate independently of the governor’s office.

John Mathews
Honolulu

Akaka consistent on his proposal

The April 4 editorial in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser is completely out of touch ("Akaka should submit bill that had Lingle’s support," Our View, Star-Advertiser, April 3).

The version of the bill on federal recognition introduced by U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka is nearly identical to the bill that Gov. Linda Lingle and Attorney General Mark Bennett supported and provided testimony of that support in 2006.

I guess they were for it before they were against it. Akaka, on the other hand, has been steady and forthright. He has never played politics, nor made the issue partisan.

Blossom Feiteira
Wailuku, Maui

Don’t increase state alcohol tax

As president of Kona Brewing Co., I have an obligation to my company’s 170 employees, our hundreds of vendors and accounts and Hawaii to voice my adamant objection to any proposed increase of the state’s liquor tax. The proposed tax increases would make Hawaii have the highest beer tax in the nation. Beer and alcohol should not be singled out to fund programs or fill budget shortfalls.

Beer and alcohol excise taxes cost jobs. Any tax hike, regardless of the amount, will hurt consumers and businesses on every island. In this economy, we should be thinking about things that will increase economic prospects. Higher beer and alcohol excise taxes and reduced sales will negatively impact jobs in brewing, wholesaling, grocery and hospitality and have a negative, broad ripple effect in other jobs that supply and support these businesses, such as shipping, trucking and tourism.

Hawaii is a fragile economy primarily based on tourism; this would further increase costs to our visitors that have to save diligently to visit our island.

Mattson C. Davis
Kona Brewing Co.

Pension tax fight is not over yet

The state Senate stood up for Hawaii seniors on fixed incomes by killing the pension tax provision in House Bill 1092, HD1, SD3 and sending a clear message to the House and the governor that they would protect retirees.

Unfortunately, the issue is not yet settled, and retirees and future retirees should be paying close attention.

The House has passed Senate Bill 570, SD2, HD1, which taxes pensions while protecting those with modest incomes. Retirees need to be wary, however, as all pensions could later become a convenient means to close the budget deficit.

The burden of fixing the budget should not be unfairly placed on retirees on fixed incomes who have already paid taxes all their lives. Moreover, a tax on pensions may subject the state to a class-action lawsuit if applied retroactively, since the Hawaii Constitution (Article XVI, Section 2) states that accrued benefits of retirees in the state retirement system shall not be "diminished or impaired."

The House should follow the Senate’s lead and likewise put an end to the pension tax idea.

Barbara Kim Stanton
State director, AARP Hawaii

Pot prohibition has backfired

Alan Shinn’s organization, the Coalition for a Drug-Free Hawaii, believes in prohibition, an approach to drug control that has failed miserably ("Pot dispensaries not working in Colorado," Letters, Star-Advertiser, April 16).

He claims that "Colorado law enforcement reports the lack of controls, increased crime and violence and the lowered quality of life in neighborhoods with dispensaries are hardly worth the projected tax revenues."

That’s what happens when you have a black market created by prohibition while trying to allow for medical use, and all the while having police and politicians (who’ve made careers on being anti-drug) resisting the voters’ intent.

In tough times like these, people like Shinn should reexamine the impact of their beliefs and consider the waste and destruction their misguided policies have wrought on society. If they’d cooperate to find a way to minimize the negatives of drug use, this whole argument could be over, like the one over alcohol prohibition.

Keith Brilhart
Honolulu

Review your home insurance

There has been much excellent information published on disaster and hurricane preparedness. Folks might want to inspect their insurance policies, as they could be in for a surprise, as I was.

Regarding interior damage to a home, only damage caused by debris or water coming through a wall or roof is covered, not what would come through a window. Hmmm, which is more likely? Window coverings or shutters may be the only "coverage" one has against interior damage.

Jonas Navickas
Punaluu