Vehicle safety system broken

The state’s vehicle safety inspection system is badly broken and needs to be fixed.

My much-loved car is now 8 and I’ve enjoyed seven years of cheap, easy safety checks.

This year was an eye-opener.

A few warning lights and codes have started coming on. I took the car back to the dealer service department and they told me that I needed to clear all the lights to pass inspection.

As they worked on the car for another day, I downloaded the inspector’s manual from the state website.

I had to read to the service workers that the anti-lock braking system does not have to function to pass the inspection.They were not aware.

We have a system where the less a service department knows about the actual inspection require- ments, the more money it makes.

I’ve had enough. I’m getting a new car. I know that my future cheap, easy safety checks will be subsidized by unrequired repairs on older vehicles.

This system encourages dishonesty and preys on the poor, and the state is complicit.

Keith Webster
Kaneohe

SB1 testimonies mesmerizing

I want to thank the House Judiciary and Finance committees for allowing the people of Hawaii to share their views and testimonies on Senate Bill 1.

I especially want to thank Olelo for televising the hearings.

Our family started watching the testimonies from Oct. 28, when the session began.

We continued to watch the hearings each evening.

We have been totally mesmerized by all of the testimonies.

It was really nice to see that Hawaii has so many people of faith.

Obviously, the newspaper, television reports and polls seem to tell us differently.

I hope Olelo continues to broadcast any additional hearings this week.

Julie Nagamine
Kailua

Religious ‘truth’ of dubious value

Much of the opposition to same-sex marriage is based upon religious teachings, which are claimed to inveigh against same-sex marriage.

These biblical teachings are said to have been "revealed."

The "revealed truths" of the different religious faiths are, in many instances, mutually incompatible, not universally accepted by all faiths. They certainly are not what we mean when we rationally speak of truth.

Rational truth is arrived at more modestly through skeptical questioning, seeking and examining evidence, real world facts and finding demonstrable outcomes.

Those religiously revealed "truths" were arrived at by several means.

Abraham and Moses heard the voice of the Lord speaking to them. St. Paul’s revelation was beamed to him in the sun’s rays. Muhammad received a message from the Angel Gabriel. Gautama Buddha’s truth came to him while sitting under a tree.

In a civil suit, what weight should be given to these truths?

Norman MacRitchie
Piikoi

Wild kolea best left on their own

As a state wildlife biologist and local resident who values the cultural and natural beauty of our native birds, I was shocked to read your "Ocean Watch" column in which the feeding and habituation to humans of a kolea was promoted ("Plovers and people do well living close to each other," Nov. 4).

Though I understand writer Susan Scott’s desire to connect with wildlife, the act of feeding this wild bird eggs and reveling in its habituation to being fed by humans is troubling.

Most people in the wildlife profession know that when wild animals become accustomed to handouts, they lose their natural fear of humans and can become an aggressive nuisance.

Though Ms. Scott enjoys having the kolea beg at her door, her neighbors may not.

In addition, though her dog may be a "gentle old dog," most dogs would readily chase or attack a bird.

For these and other reasons, the feeding of wildlife should not be promoted by Ms. Scott or your newspaper.

Norma Creps
Kailua

Cemetery loses a great leader

I was sorry to hear of Gene Castagnetti’s retirement from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl.

A true American hero.

Leave it to the government to micromanage a dedicated veteran who has dedicated his life to helping veterans and their families.

I have known Mr. Castagnetti for many years. I have always found him to be a class act, a man I have respected for a long time.

I wish him much success in his future endeavors.

Morris DeRego
Waipahu

Electric utilities obstructing PV

Why are the Hawaii electric utilities dragging their feet by slowing the installation of additional photovoltaic systems by home- owners ("Solar saturation proves costly," Star-Advertiser, Oct. 27)?

Hawaii has a stated goal, under the 2008 Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative, of using renewable sources to produce 40 percent of our electricity by 2030.

Hundreds of customers are standing in line ready to help.

Do the utilities think this goal will be reached by magic?

As I understand it, the utilities are afraid that more energy could be streaming into some circuits than can currently be handled. This "problem" should have been foreseen four to five years ago, when typical electricity bills went from $150 to $20 after PV installation.

Hawaii’s utility companies have the primary responsibility of solving the technical issues standing in the way of a clean electricity future. They owe the community a well-researched, forward-looking plan that meets or exceeds Hawaii’s stated energy goals.

Jan Pappas
Aiea

Bill would help cut electric costs

Alex Tiller rightly brings attention to "community solar" programs as an innovative way to continue making solar power available to more people ("Solar gardens aim to offer PV for all," Island Voices, Star-Advertiser, Nov. 3).

The basic idea is to allow utility customers, including renters and others who don’t control their rooftops, to collectively own solar projects that produce energy for the utility in exchange for credit on their electricity bills.

This is great for folks who don’t have adequate roof space or have shaded roofs, or who simply want to own a modest amount of solar, but still want to reduce their electricity bills.

I’m working on legislation to establish the Hawaii Community-Based Renewable Energy Program.

This would enable utility customers to acquire an interest in a community renewable energy facility for the purpose of receiving a credit that offsets all or a portion of their electric utility bill.

I’m hopeful we can get it passed in 2014.

Sen. Mike Gabbard
Chairman, Senate Energy and Environment Committee