State programs need to prove their worth

We are all pleased to hear that the homicides and possible homicides of young children in Hawaii have declined in recent years, but is it because of the programs to prevent child abuse, including the substance abuse counseling, parenting education and in-home support services, as state Rep. John Mizuno says ("Budget cuts raise concerns family violence will worsen," Star-Advertiser, Jan. 19)?

Possibly yes, possibly no.

We, as taxpayers, would like some measurable data that show these programs are viable and doing what they are supposed to do. Otherwise, they should be defunded and terminated.

We would like to know what the Department of Health’s Injury Prevention and Control Program does. What is their program, how is it performed, who benefits, how is it measured, and what is the data to support their existence? Just having departments and programs, and throwing taxpayer money at problems, does not mean that they are beneficial or the money is spent in the most advantageous way.

Gary R. Johnson
Kaneohe

HECO executive offers lame excuses

Hawaiian Electric Co. has launched an advertising campaign designed to rationalize rate increases of 50 percent per kilowatt hour over the past year. (Commercial rates increased 46.2 percent.)

Robbie Alm, HECO executive vice-president, in staged television ads, attributes rate increases directly to the price of oil per barrel and our dependency on fossil fuels. He also invokes the impact of Japan’s earthquake, China’s growing economy, etc.

If fuel transportation costs influence rates, then it should reflect in gasoline prices. The average price of regular gasoline in Honolulu increased from $3.56 per gallon in January 2011 to $3.86 in January 2012 (an 8.5 percent increase). While gasoline prices fluctuated significantly during 2011, they reflected supply and demand, and global economic and competitive industrial factors in a timely fashion.

In contrast, HECO’s commercial rates increased every month during 2011 independent of economic factors. So, while the economy struggles, and unemployment remains high, HECO takes advantage of its monopoly status while offering inadequate excuses such as those from Alm.

Edward Voss
Hawaii Kai

HECO ads insulting and waste of money

I just love the new Hawaiian Electric Co. television commercials where they do us all a huge favor by telling us how we can save money on our electric bills — use less electricity. Wow! Who would have thought? Turn off the air conditioner, get rid of the second refrigerator, don’t use hot water and save money. Thank you for that enlightening information.

Perhaps you could really do us a favor by cutting out stupid television commercials and passing the savings on to your customers.

James Fernandez
Ala Moana

Alter building code to cut energy usage

Our current residential high-rise building codes needlessly waste electricity.

Consider that every single one of the new high-rise buildings built in the last decade in Kakaako was constructed with windows that tilt out only slightly. Consequently, residents keep windows closed and rely on air conditioning.

Why are we constructing buildings with windows that barely open?

In Hawaii, air conditioning accounts for about half of high-rise electricity use. The building codes should require that windows fully open so that residents can at least have the option of using the natural ventilation of our trade winds.

In terms of meeting our stated goal to reduce oil consumption, this relatively simple building code change seems like low-hanging fruit we ought to pick.

Richard Manetta
Honolulu

Hawaii taxpayers to get soaked again

Question: What would you sell next to the people who anted up $350 million to build a convention center for the hotel/tourism interests?

Answer: a $5.3 billion invasive train of questionable utility and parentage for the landed/construction interests.

Richard Y. Will
Waikiki

Obama should return peace prize

Let’s hope that if President Barack Obama decides to attack Iran — making this at least the fourth overt attack (and unknown numbers of covert ones) on another nation carried out during his administration — he will at least have the decorum to return the Nobel Peace Prize and exchange it for something more apt, like a "No Peace Prize."

Shelly Brown and John Dai
Honolulu

Put people to work sooner, not later

I applaud state lawmakers’ efforts to try to jump-start the construction industry by investing $500 million on repair and maintenance projects. These are the kinds of jobs we need to get people back to work.

The senators are right in wanting to focus on projects that do not require an approval process, which can be lengthy and time-consuming. In the time it takes to authorize major projects, more and more construction workers could lose their jobs.

While the economic picture is slowly starting to look brighter, it’s not moving fast enough. We need to do something now to get our workers off the bench.

Shannon Custodio
Liliha