Arizona Memorial tours jump ticket line

For years everyone attending the free USS Arizona Memorial tours had to stand in the same line to get tickets on a first come first served basis.

Recently the National Park Service has come to an agreement to allow certain tours to get reserved tours.

This is good for the commercial tours.

But it is horrible for anyone taking a shuttle, a bus or a private vehicle.

Now anyone who goes to the memorial other than those taking expensive tours has to wait much longer in the line for tickets.

The system worked great for years.

Change it back to make it fair for everyone.

David Soule
Mililani

Politics, lawsuits cause unnecessary rail delays

Richard Borreca underscores the modern-day problem of injecting politics and lawsuits into public works projects, and the potential for both to cause unnecessary delays ("City rail plan taking longer to build than Great Pyramid," Star-Advertiser, July 15).

That’s one of the key reasons that 63 percent of Oahu voters last November approved amending the city charter to create a semi-autonomous transit authority to move the rail project forward efficiently.

The facts about the project costs need to be clear. It has not risen from $3 billion to $5.3 billion. The original cost estimate was measured in 2006 dollars. Since the project will be built over a period of several years, the latest cost was provided in "year of expenditure" dollars that are adjusted to reflect inflation and finance costs.

Borreca got something right: the opponents have yet to come up with a realistic alternative.

Delivering rail on time and on budget will provide a sensible alternative to congested streets and highways and a smart transportation option that future generations can rely on.

Toru Hamayasu
Interim executive director, Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART)

Nothing ‘blighted’ about Pearl City

Richard Borreca refers to making "already blighted areas such as Pearl City anything more than bigger strip mall developments" ("City rail plan taking longer to build than Great Pyramid," Star-Advertiser, July 15).

Is Pearl City considered a blighted area? If it was, wouldn’t a strip mall be an improvement? I have many friends who proudly live in Pearl City and they may be shocked to find out they reside in the midst of blight. I thought maybe Borreca meant to say areas of blight within Pearl City. But it can’t be, because I know for a fact there is no blight in Pearl City. I’ve been to Detroit.

Mark Ida
Salt Lake

Save taxpayer money by reducing hang-ups

One thing certain in this debt debate, Hawaii will be receiving fewer funds from the federal government and the neediest of our community will be greatly affected. We need to reexamine some of society’s collective hang-ups and start the discussion for either reducing expenditures or raising new revenues.

» Reduce our prison population by taking nonviolent and drug crimes out of the court system and stop incarcerating these people; treat marijuana the same way we treat tobacco and alcohol.

» Accept the fact that many people gamble and legalize it.

» Decriminalize prostitution and educate young people involved in it on prostitution’s many negative and exploitative effects.

» Legalize gay marriage.

» Tax the real estate holdings of religious institutions.

» Stop killing innovation and growth through over regulation and legislation — a la the Hawaii Superferry.

» Support tourism aggressively until another industry can replace it.

» Refurbish before new construction — ala Aloha Stadium.

Chuck Cohen
Honolulu

Don’t demand more for less from teachers

How can the federal government issue so many projects for teachers to bring up student test scores and then expect the state to cut its budget, taking away funds from education programs?

The teachers are working under pressure with fewer funds, less time (more furlough days) and more expectations. Their work goes unnoticed beyond the school itself. Their work with the students is immeasurable.

Don’t make their efforts go in vain. Don’t make the teachers feel they have failed. Don’t make the students feel they are failures.

Those who make demands of teachers should also have taught.

Elsa Agena
Kailua