Are tacky houses price of paradise?

The recent commentary by Anthony Aalto of the Sierra Club Oahu Group references the peril facing Oahu by developers petitioning the state Land Use Commission to permit housing and commercial development of scarce, prime farming land ("Save Oahu farmlands by redirecting housing to urban core," Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Oct. 19).

All of the effort at sustainability of local resources is being undermined by the developers’ intent on using existing valuable land to the detriment of the community and to enhance their bottom line. Without the produce of this farmland, we become more dependent on the mainland and incur increasingly higher costs to the consumer for transportation and distribution. We have a choice of rejecting the developers’ petitions and for them to propose alternatives, in other less-affected areas, or seeing our community transformed into rows of ticky tacky houses and bland commercial centers. Is this the price of "paradise"?

Tony Locascio
Waikiki

Hawaii housing too costly for homeless

There is no mystery as to why our streets are cluttered with homeless people and their belongings but streets in St. Louis are not ("Homeless not seen during St. Louis trip," Star-Advertiser, Letters, Oct. 18).

City, county and state definitions of "affordable housing" begin with rentals in excess of $1,000, which is clearly neither affordable to 80 percent of Social Security pensioners, nor 100 percent of those earning minimum wage.

The mean income for the entire nation was $26,364, so affordable housing in Hawaii is really affordable only to those earning the mean or greater.

Likewise, there is no mystery why U.S. health care is the most expensive in the world, yet the worst among developed nations: Our health care is for profit.

Profit is made by prescribing drugs and placebos, biopsies, lab tests, unnecessary surgeries and, of course, scheduling follow-up visits which require several hours waiting for less than 10 minutes of the doctor’s time.

Rico Leffanta
Honolulu

Permission not needed to protest

Carolyn Hadfield of World Can’t Wait said that their APEC protest won’t be seen (Star-Advertiser, The Last Word, Oct. 21).

I’m a product of the ’60s and we never needed permission to protest or demonstrate. As long as you do it non-violently and peacefully, it is everyone’s right to protest. You don’t need permission. What if the tea party forefathers had asked the British if it was okay to demonstrate in Boston? The British would have responded by saying that you had to take your protest to Cape Hatteras. Where would this country be today?

Tom Baca
Mililani

Attack real issues, not marijuana

What kind of agenda allows federal agents to be assigned to busting up the legal marijuana trade in California when at the same time there is no funding available to fill the ranks of agents who monitor our environment or protect our agriculture from the constant and pervasive threat of disease, insects and invasive plants?

Where are our priorities and why can’t we learn from our past? The federal government needs to end its attack on states’ rights and embrace the positive side of administration — that’s how you find the real jobs.

Kelly Greenwell
Kailua-Kona

Obama needs to compromise more

James "Kimo" Rosen makes the argument that the reason President Barack Obama hasn’t been able to do more is because Republicans in Congress block his efforts in order to make him look like a failure ("Obama deserves credit for successes," Star-Advertiser, Letters, Oct. 25). While this may be true, the more important question is why they block his proposals.

One obvious reason is the philosophical difference between Republicans and the president. Republicans don’t want the government to be taking care of everyone’s problems and paying immense borrowed monies to do so when we’re broke. The other reason for the existing stalemate is Obama’s arrogance. He continually insinuates that those in Congress who oppose him are jerks and should be voted out. This approach is certain to make enemies and is not the way to get any job done. We need a president who can compromise and bring people together.

Robert Rau
Honolulu

Cut defense budget to strengthen USA

The debate in Washington affects all of us here in Hawaii. We are dealing with cutbacks in funding for schools, national parks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

One big way that Congress and Hawaii’s congressional delegation can address the escalating deficit and debt is to cut the Pentagon budget by at least $1 trillion over the next 10 years.

If the federal government keeps increasing spending on wars and military contractors, then there will be even less money available for other urgent priorities here in the USA.

Alan Young
Hilo

Customs personnel should show aloha

The state project that polishes the airport is great for eye appeal. But can’t the personnel in the arrival and immigration/customs areas be more friendly and helpful and perform their jobs with aloha? That would make the Hawaiian experience more memorable.

Edwin Hayashi
Honolulu