Balance is solution to saving Kailua

New York Times journalist and former resident Lawrence Downes recently penned an article about Kailua that prompted battling commentaries: one encouraging more tourists in Kailua, the other shunning them.

Kailua businesses can benefit from tourist revenue. However, traffic has become so bad that it can impede emergency access, residents pay for rescuing more kayak renters, busloads of beachgoers add to the strain on our marine ecosystems, and the battle between residents and vacation rentals rages on.

The question is not how we feel about tourists, but how we restore the balance between an increasing focus on the needs of tourism and a forgotten focus on the needs of our community. We must look out for our families living in Kailua and address tourism’s impact on our community — otherwise quality of life in our town will suffer for residents and tourists alike.

Already Downes describes Kailua to visitors this way: "Gentrification and tourists are creeping in. Go while you can."

Rep. Chris Lee
District 51 (Lanikai-Waimanalo)

Kailua residents could have it worse

It is difficult to feel compassion for Kailua residents complaining about vacation rentals when those same residents have absolutely no compassion for those of us living in Waikiki.

Substitute "hotel/timeshare" for "vacation rental" and you could be describing our situation and declining quality of life.

Along with the normal city sounds related to traffic, sirens, car alarms, back-up beepers, etc., which most of us pretty much accept as normal life in the city, we have, over time, had to put up with continuing noisy hotel/timeshare neighbors like the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

I can’t begin to tell you how many times noisy guests in the Hilton’s Waikikian timeshare tower finally go to bed just when I am getting up at 5 a.m. Complaints regarding their nightly luaus continue to be dismissed by city authorities.

Sound familiar, Kailua?

David W. Perrigo
Honolulu

America has fallen into moral abyss

When we first learned about the torture going on at Abu Ghraib, I expressed my shock to a friend about this violation of international law. He assured me it was just a few bad apples — certainly not government policy.

Then we learned that it was approved at the highest levels of our government.

Now we have the assassination of a U.S. citizen, carried out on the orders of the U.S. president. This moral and unconstitutional atrocity is accepted with barely a shrug of the shoulders.

It seems that our country is not on a slippery slope toward lawlessness. It has fallen into the abyss.

Bob Miyake-Stoner
Aiea

Cataluna article was petty and toxic

The Lee Cataluna commentary reflects the standard of toxic opinion characteristic of mainland media which continues to divide our citizenry ("Governor shows no aloha for isle tourism industry," Star-Advertiser, Sept. 25).

I personally know Gov. Neil Abercrombie and Dr. Nancie Caraway, and they are totally committed to improving our lives in Hawaii. They do not deserve these attacks.

Abercrombie works from sunrise past sunset, at least six and often seven days a week, consistently putting the needs of our citizens before "politics as usual."

The Cataluna commentary is reminiscent of Mufi Hannemann’s tactics used in his primary campaign. Hawaii voters rejected his toxic rhetoric, and we need to continue to reject commentaries that are petty, personal attacks on elected officials, or anyone else for that matter. Neil and Nancie don’t deserve this.

Nancy Peacock
Manoa

Develop Sand Island for broad public use

The beauty of Sand Island is its unobstructed view from the shoreline to the ocean.

Building piers for boats along the shoreline is not the kind of development that would be suitable for this shoreline. A swimming and picnicking type of setting like Ala Moana Beach Park and Waikiki Beach would be much more desirable.

Private and commercial development should never be allowed. This land is for the people and should be developed only for the people’s recreational use.

To the state Land Board: Do not ever sell or give away the people’s land to private entities. Develop Sand Island for the people’s recreational use, and no boat harbor.

Roy Tanaka
Honolulu

Do-gooders killing Hawaii’s economy

Here we go again with the "do-gooders." Now it’s to reject live pork shipment into Hawaii.

First it was the Superferry, then the development of Ho’opili and Koa Ridge, and now rejection of live pork shipments.

These individuals are killing the economy by wiping out jobs, just when we need them the most.

Come on, people, look at the big picture and don’t try to force us kalua-loving Hawaiians to become vegans.

You guys are doing the opposite of what this economy needs now.

Gary H. Watanabe
Waipahu