Time to hike city’s vehicle fuel tax

Our city is like a homeowners association where residents pay a maintenance fee for shared amenities.

Homeowners associations periodically raise their maintenance fee due to rising costs and inflation. The fuel tax, which is the maintenance fee for our roadways, has stayed the same for the past 24 years. It’s a safe bet to say that no homeowners association has kept its maintenance fee the same for 24 years.

It’s unreasonable to expect the fuel tax to remain the same, considering inflation over 24 years means increased roadway maintenance costs. Also, technology has advanced and cars are more fuel-efficient. Cars traveling more miles on less gas means more wear and tear to our roadways while the amount of tax collected is less or, at best, the same.

The City Council needs to seriously consider passing Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s proposed fuel tax increase in order to adequately fund roadway maintenance.

Randall Yong
Aiea

Hanohano remarks like noxious fumes

Of course Hawaii is not the quintessential land of aloha and diversity as we would like the world to think.

When reading this story, especially from someone in state Rep. Faye Hanohano’s position, my heart ached as old prejudices and discriminations faced during my youth and later years resurfaced ("House member insults ethnic groups," Star-Advertiser, Feb. 28).

Hanohano’s vile and noxious words are like the noxious fumes and gases from the Waste Management landfill.However, Akua will bring his beautiful tradewinds to send them into oblivion.

Perhaps an ethics committee will send Hanohano on her way as well.

Noella A. Takai
Makiki

Higher wage floor good for economy

Profit for a business depends on consumers who can buy its products and services.

Most consumers are wage earners who spend money after paying for necessities. A sustainable lifestyle requires that housing costs be no higher than one-third of one’s income.

At $7.25 per hour, yearly income from a 40-hour-a-week job is $15,080 before taxes. The one-third annual housing allowance is $5,027, or $418.90 for monthly rent.

At $9.25 per hour, the yearly income is $19,240 before taxes. The one-third annual housing allowance is $6,413, or $534.41 for monthly rent.

An Oahu studio starts at about $500 a month.An Oahu one-bedroom apartment begins at $800. They are hard to find.

Housing is a necessity. Full-time workers should be able to cover their needs and have money left over to enjoy their life. It is good for labor, business and the economy.

Mary A. Guinger
Kailua

Labeling GMO food doesn’t seem hard

Rep.James Tokioka is misspeaking when he says that Whole Foods labels genetically modified (GMO) foods ("Anti-GMO advocates win battle, likely will lose war," Star-Advertiser, March 4).

I called the Kahala Whole Foods store and was told it labels some shelves and foods as non-GMO, but it doesn’t label GMO foods. For those of us concerned about GMO foods, labeling non-GMO foods is not a solution. Unlabeled foods could be either conventionally grown or GMO — we still won’t know.

There are only eight GMO crops currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the U.S: corn, soybeans, sugar beets, some Hawaiian papaya, canola, cottonseed and some zucchini and squash.

Every farmer knows whether he or she is growing a GMO crop. We label Hawaiian Rainbow papaya as GMO for export to Japan (the Japanese require it) with no apparent difficulty. Why is it so difficult to label these few GMO whole foods for consumers in Hawaii?

Jan Pappas
Aiea

UH athletic director on the right track

I like the direction University of Hawaii Athletic Director Ben Jay is going ("UH might lower football ticket prices," Star-Advertiser, Feb. 27). He is focused and determined. We need that, and he needs public support to make this work.

Jay said, "I want it to be a football Saturday. I want it to be interesting."

First, bring back the team entering the field running, bring back the band and the "Hawaii Five-0" theme song.

Second, improve the music with some of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s variety.

Third, show the other conference teams and top 25 scores on the scoreboard throughout the game.

Fourth, televise all home and away games in Hawaii for no charge.

Last, open Gate 2 at the same time other gates open. Our tailgate gatherings are cut short!

Mike LeHouck
Hawaii Kai

Why can’t women be Warriors, too?

I’m going to have to respectfully disagree with Gene Freitas’ letter in support of the University of Hawaii’s Warrior/Rainbow Wahine team naming plan ("Jay made right call on UH team names," Star-Advertiser, Letters, March 4).

Freitas reasons that "in Hawaii’s past, there were men called warriors," so it makes sense to name the men’s team Warriors, making it easier "to recruit good, tough athletes to play for Hawaii."

That may be all well and good for finding football players, but what about the message it sends to all the strong, competitive young women who want to represent UH? Why can’t they be Warriors. too?

Unfortunately Ben Jay’s naming scheme institutionalizes the sexism of the past and doesn’t look to the future where the measure of a warrior is found in a person’s heart, not his or her gender. (And, just as an aside, I’m pretty sure Rainbows aren’t gender specific.)

Alika Campbell
Kailua