Don’t let money rule political campaigns

The Star-Advertiser’s editorial, "Limit power of money in elections," is right on the mark (Star-Advertiser, Our View, Oct. 9). The Supreme Court’s McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission case threatens to unleash even more unregulated money into political campaigns, further undermining established campaign donation and spending limits.

The only effective remedy is a U.S. constitutional amendment that would establish two critical points:

First, only human beings (in legal terms, "natural persons") have inalienable rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Corporations and other entities do not enjoy such rights, and are subject to regulation.

Second, money is not identical to speech, and appropriate regulation of campaign spending and donations does not infringe on First Amendment rights.

The Hawaii State Legislature and Honolulu City Council have passed resolutions favoring such an amendment. Several versions have been introduced in Congress.

We must urge our congressional delegation to persuade their colleagues to make this happen.

Will Best
Waikiki

Live near the ocean at your own peril

Homeowners who build close to the beach do so at their own peril. Most of us want to enjoy the scenic ocean view at our doorsteps but we live inland for a reason. Even old-time Hawaiians knew better than to build near the ocean.

I remember throw-net fishing on the Leeward Coast and sometimes at the now-called "Sharks Cove." Back then, in the mid-’40s, the ocean was deeper, the color of the sea a deeper blue and the waters more turbulent. I think the shallower seas today have changed the dynamics of wave action, causing erosion at a faster pace.

Any manmade barrier would only be temporary. Homeowners are fighting a losing battle.

Lawrence Makishima
Pearl City

Government can’t resolve beach erosion

Erosion of coastal beach lines has been in the news these past few weeks. Why do people who live on coastal sea lines blame the government for these disasters when it is part of nature’s work? The people chose to live there without ever imagining what the future holds.

In the September 2013 issue of the National Geographic magazine is an article on "the rising seas." Climate warming is one of the causes of the sea rising. The article mentioned the effects: If all the ice would melt, that would change the shape of the world.

There are 136 large cities now at risk, 40 million people in those cities are at risk, and $3 trillion in assets are at risk.

The handwriting is on the wall. The question is not if it happens, but when. Be aware, be prepared. Scientists and geologists have studied these factors and there already signs of what is to come.

Philip K. Ho
Kuakini

Water bills provide only confusion

I think Ernest Lau, chief engineer and water manager of the Board of Water Supply, needs to do a top-down review of the entire way the BWS does business. The high incidence of estimated bills recently is only symptomatic of a deeply flawed system.

My most recent bill was for 24 days — what part of monthly billing period does 24 days fall into? Since the monthly cutover in January I have had other monthly billing periods as high as 35 days and as low as 24.

Because the monthly billing period is all over the map, it renders the usage summary on the front page of the bill virtually useless. Hawaiian Electric Co., to its credit, provides a kilowatt hour-per-day breakdown as well as a cost-per-day breakdown. This is very useful information.

Comparing usage on a 24-day billing period with a 35-day periods tells me something I already know — I used more water during the 35 day period. You need to break out your calculator if you want any meaningful usage data.

Kevin D. Connelly
Waialae Nui

Charge fee for oversized carry-ons

The description of overhead-bin chaos in "Airlines find a lucrative market in overhead bins" was understated (Star-Advertiser, Oct. 14).

I recently returned from a JFK-SFO flight that featured a bag struggle on steroids. A young lady boarded with a knapsack half as big as herself. She didn’t discover her error until she was at the back of the plane, and had to fight the incoming human tide like a salmon swimming upstream. Several other bags were ludicrously large, causing similar upstream struggles. The cabin mood soured and takeoff was delayed.

Airlines should have employees to survey boarding lines, intercept oversized bags and check them in on the spot. And, how about addressing the fact that those diverting the bags from luggage are getting a free ride by avoiding the $25 fee? Since the bags are not full-sized, a $10 charge might be appropriate. When the airlines send out pre-board notices via email, they’d describe the $10 policy in big, bold letters so no one could claim ignorance.

Howard C. Wiig
Manoa

Find innovative ways to track ag thieves

Thank you for your in-depth article on stolen crops ("Thieving off the land," Star-Advertiser, Oct. 27). It’s a plague. We need to propose solutions to this problem.

When my Waimanalo nursery was robbed, I was fortunate to get news coverage on two of the major television channels. We are all facing the same problem, on farms and in our neighborhoods.

Perhaps the Star-Advertiser and the community could support Ken Kamiya’s proposal to ease the permitting process for dwellings on remote farm land.

The Kuliouou-Kalani Iki Neighborhood Board proposed expanding crime mapping to include daily arrests. When the idea was first proposed in 2000, Hawaii was not a leader in technology as it is now. This would improve public awareness, increase teamwork and enhance safety by allowing communities to track the disposition of cases. Many of our elected officials support this idea.

Kevin and Susan Mulkern
Mulkern Landscaping & Nursery

Mitigate effects of Schofield wildfires

In recent weeks, the U.S. Army at Schofield Barracks experienced two ecologically and environmentally damaging wildfires within our community at Helemano and Schofield.

At the North Shore Neighborhood Board meeting, I recommended to the Army that immediate action be taken to mitigate flooding and contamination to our rivers, ocean and the Waianae mountains due to soil erosion.

Because of a recent case of Staphylococcus in the ocean, there is urgency for the Army to obtain the necessary resources from the appropriate agencies to re-plant, re-forest and re-seed the fire-ravaged areas that are now barren and susceptible to runoff from contaminated soil.

Jake Ng
Haleiwa

How about huge rallies for the poor?

Hearings over the same-sex marriage bill before the state Legislature have been marked by a massive outpouring of the religious conviction that same-sex marriage is immoral. Even though I disagree with the political position, public involvement in the legislative process is healthy and important. But, I want to know where these people have been all this time?

I do not recall a single word attributed to Jesus about same-sex marriage. However, I do recall many instances of Jesus instructing to feed the poor, to care for the sick and to be peacemakers.

This year, needy families are poised to lose as much as $76 billion in food assistance.

New Hope Church has shown us all how many people they can get into the streets. Now the only question is why they will do that in support of tradition, but not in support of the hungry, the poor and the meek?

Christiaan Mitchell
Manoa