Too many vehicles on road illegally

Glen S. Arakaki’s comment, “You get what you pay for,” applies to those who do pay (“Hike weight tax, too, to pay for fixing roads,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, March 10).

For the most part, drivers pay their fair share of driving on our state roads. However, I’ve seen more than a few vehicles with expired registration and safety checks driving our roads with no guilt for using the road as those who do pay for that privilege.

I’m not sure what the registration penalty is for those who fail to bring their vehicles up to date, but whatever the fee is, it should be increased.

Electricity, gas and water have a payment due date and they will cut you off promptly if no payment is received. Yet I’ve seen drivers drive for months, if not years, with no current tags.

Maybe an occasional tag check by the Honolulu Police Department is a financially sound move for the state and city, as well as clearing our roads for those who pay for the privilege of driving. 

Bob Uyeda
Waianae

U.S. seems hooked on overspending

Our federal government spends a trillion dollars more than it collects in taxes each year.

The recent forced cut of $85 billion resulted in cuts to the military, closure of White House tours and projected hundreds of thousands of job losses including teachers, law enforcement personnel and firefighters. 

Does this mean that our country cannot operate without massive deficit spending forever?

The future of our country looks bleak.

Warren Fukushima
Pearl City

Gun study showed bias of researchers

Your editorial comment on the Journal of the American Medical Association study on gun violence is spot on (“Back to the research board,” Star-Advertiser, Off the News, March 8).

The authors use the Brady Campaign analyses of what constitutes an effective gun law. Talk about letting the fox guard the henhouse. This kind of biased research is what led Congress to remove Centers for Disease Control funding of gun control advocacy in the 1990s.

The authors do conclude properly that “our study could not determine a cause-and-effect relationship.”

For the majority of states, the driving factor of overall rate of firearms-related deaths was the suicide rate. There appears to be a mental health issue there.

It is funny that the reference list they provided did not go directly to the FBI database for crime and statistics, nor did they review any studies with opposing viewpoints.

Brandon Leong
NRA-certified firearms instructor

Honouliuli visit was enlightening

Learning in a normal classroom setting can have its shortcomings. By visiting the Honouliuli site, I felt the real emotions and hardships that the internees experienced (“The untold story of Honouliuli Internment Camp,” Star-Advertiser, March 1).

Seeing the remnants of buildings and hearing true stories of families who went through this traumatic experience taught me that we must stand up to social injustices.

As American citizens, we are promised many things through the Constitution, but the most important thing we are promised is our freedom.

Let my generation never force its own citizens into situations where their rights to freedom are completely forgotten. May my generation never make these same mistakes.

Keala Parker-Lee
Class of 2014, Sacred Hearts Academy

Kailua ideal for red-light cameras

I am much older now and I drive the speed limit, but I would rather drive into Honolulu than Kailua, where I live.

The number of tourists who are upon bicycles or on foot, particularly at crosswalks, is almost mind-boggling these days.

Pedestrian traffic in Kailua has reached such high levels, combined with the enormous amount of vehicular traffic, that it is a disaster in the making. Running stop signs or failure to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks in Kailua is now a common experience, along with speeding drivers.

I am all for traffic cameras in Kailua. A zero-tolerance zone such as Arizona uses should be issued for all of Kailua, where the speed limit is 25 mph.

Mike Gallagher
Kailua

Teachers should take to strike line

It’s about time that the teachers take a stand and strike.

It seems that our governor and Department of Education don’t feel that the union is strong enough to stand up for what teachers believe in and hope to eliminate collective bargaining. which will leave the union without a leg to stand on.

Band together. Strike.

Allan Yap
Salt Lake

Spiked lug nuts not all optional

The proposed House and Senate bills regarding spiked lug nuts and other sharp “dangerous wheel” spinners should consider an original-manufacturer equipment exclusion.

The 1960s era Austin Healey had knockoff spinners that would exceed the proposed rules. Those spinners are actually required to hold the wheels on. I believe Jaguar and classic MG autos would also fail the “dangerous wheels” criteria.

The vintage 1965 Mustang I still have has the original faux knockoff wheel spinners as part of the equipment included when I purchased the car. These covers would exceed either version of the proposed bills.

I agree that the added-on extended spiked lug nuts pictured in the article, “HPD seeks ban on spiked lug nut covers” (Star-Advertiser, March 8) could cause injury.

I am unaware of any actual problems caused by wheel equipment provided by the original car manufacturers.

Mike Bremner
Waialae Iki