UHPA and HGEA are very different

We at the Hawaii Government Employees Association take exception to the conclusion of your Nov. 29 editorial, which suggests HGEA "glean from the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly’s successful negotiation with the UH administration" ("‘Favored nation’ stirs labor pains," Star-Advertiser, Our View, Nov. 29).

While we have the utmost respect for the UHPA, I’m certain they would agree that negotiations between their union and the University of Hawaii are far different from HGEA’s negotiations, which involves multiple bargaining units and multiple employers.

UHPA and UH were able to agree to a contract that the university budget can afford. Most of our members are paid out of the state general fund, which has been facing projected shortfalls.

And during the 2009-2011 contract negotiations, HGEA did, in fact, propose a four-year contract to Gov. Linda Lingle, who rejected it outright.

It’s unfortunate that your conclusion was baseless and you misled your readers by offering bargaining advice without the benefit of bargaining experience. Your readers deserve better.

Randy Perreira
Executive director, HGEA/AFSCME Local 152

Commentary unfair to OWS movement

David Ridneour’s commentary is a disgraceful use of name-calling to describe the 99 percent that Occupy Wall Street protesters are attempting to represent ("The only nerve struck by the 99 percenters is the gag reflex," Star-Advertiser, Dec. 5).

How ridiculous to assume that if the protester is employed, he or she cannot protest for jobs for the unemployed.

As for his view that the socially and morally unacceptable behavior of a few protesters damns a movement and eliminates the reader from the 99 percent by association with that poor behavior: Bah! There would be no registered Democrats or Republicans if that were the case.

The longer the OWS movement goes on and the more I read about it, the more I am convinced that I am the 99 percent — and furthermore, 100 percent of my friends and family are as well. There is something terribly broken in this country, and perhaps history will look back on this movement as the catalyst to a change that helps us regain our footing as the best and most compassionate free democratic nation on earth.

Mary Welsh
Honolulu

Common sense can reduce accidents

We can reduce accidents if people use common sense.

People still use their cellphones while driving their cars, walking in the crosswalks, even riding their bicycles. People should focus not on their cell phone, but their lives.

Patrick Carvalho
Honolulu

Floating bonds just adds to our debt

Gov. Neil Abercrombie is proud that he floated a bond issue to pay back the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund. Give me a break. Now we’ll be paying it back with interest, but the key word is we.

A debt is a debt no matter what you call it, and playing word games can’t change that.

He is now playing the Washington money-shuffling game with our state money. Shame on Abercrombie and his administration.

Ronald Torngren
Mililani

Target tax credits to individuals

I enjoyed reading the interview with Mark Glick and agree with him on the targeted tax credits for individuals to encourage private investment in alternative energy ("Mark Glick," Star-Advertiser, Name in the News, Dec. 2).

However, when questioned about the recent Solyndra scandal, he dismissed it as "demagoguery." I disagree. This is crony capitalism at its worst and it demonstrates again that the government’s role as venture capitalists should be avoided.

Targeted tax credits given to individual homeowners ensure that incentives are not wasted on politically connected campaign donors using taxpayer dollars for failed business models.

Michael Barnette
Honolulu

Homeless get free cleaning services

Regarding "Crackdown needed on some homeless," (Star-Advertiser, Letters, Dec. 5), I personally have had to clean up almost daily the human waste (trash, garbage and/or fecal matter and urine) in Waikiki left behind by homeless individuals who have a total disrespect for others in every aspect.

It must be nice to have a cleaning service for free. That means part of the taxes I pay I actually get back to clean up and make a safe and livable area for them, and only them.

Stephen C. Roddy
Kailua

Someone must pay for ‘free’ bus rides

In response to "Don’t wait for rail, make TheBus free" (Star-Advertiser, Letters, Dec. 4), it sounds like a nice idea to make the bus "free," but it’s not logical.

TheBus is government-run, funded by taxpayer money. You can’t make TheBus "free" because the money has to come from somewhere, which is from taxes. It’s like the government saying "free" health care. Everything comes at a cost.

We don’t need the government to spend more in "public goods" and increase its debt.

Janae Rasmussen
Kailua