Only winners at Merrie Monarch

Having lived on Oahu since 1984, I have eagerly anticipated watching the Merrie Monarch hula festival. While not ever seeing it in person, I rejoice in my heart when I see these beautiful young people and their kumu chant, sing, dress and dance so elegantly. I have one regret about it, though: It is made to be a competition. Let’s do away with that aspect.

If all the halau dressed the same way, danced to the same song, sung the same way by the same musicians, then they possibly could be compared to each other. But they are all different. 

Every nuance, every smile and facial expression of the dancers, the dress, the mele are all individual art forms. They cannot, nor should not, be compared to one another.  And even more, winners and losers should not be the result of at least a year’s, if not a lifetime, of preparation.  

The important lesson of the Merrie Monarch: There are no losers. They are all winners!

Dave Verret
Mililani

HEI executive paid too much

I find it curious that Hawaii residents pay approximately three times as much for electricity as folks on the mainland, and the CEO of Hawaiian Electric Industries has the highest pay among chief executives on our beautiful islands for the third year in a row ("Isle CEOs’ compensation sank 7% in 2013," Star-Advertiser, April 20)? 

I think it’s a crime (or should be) that HECO didn’t make the transition to a cleaner and less expensive fuel for our power generation a long time ago. And to think that their chief executive officer is compensated so highly as if she’s doing an excellent job. 

Frederick Connolly
Ala Moana

Rail ‘alligator’ devours dollars

Regarding your editorial calling for details on rail funding ("Rail funding details needed," Star-Advertiser, Our View, April 9): Please refer to your Dec. 24 editorial calling for tougher Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation oversight ("HART oversight must be tougher, Star-Advertiser, Our View) and the Dec. 29 editorial cartoon depicting HART CEO Dan Grabauskas asking taxpayers to "move along, nothing to see here" while, in the background, money is being poured into a gaping hole next to a "rail" sign. 

When viewed alongside the earlier clippings, the true nature of this project can hardly be denied.

In real estate, we would have called the rail project an "alligator," a ravenous monster that will devour every dollar it can get, at the expense of other public necessities. When the courts recently ruled against the last objections filed in an effort to save us from this financial calamity, the relative few who stood to actually gain something breathed a collective sigh of relief:"We have rail at last."

No, we do not have rail. Rail has us!

Robert Paddock
Hawaii Kai

No reason to stop ads on buses

Why fight the idea of having ads on buses? 

The buses are going to be there on the road with or without an ad on the side. If this will generate revenue for the bus operation, then it is an idea that has merit. Consumers can either read the ads or ignore them. There are trucks, tour buses and many other vehicles on the road already with ads on them.  

The idea that the ads will be a blight on the scenic beauty of Oahu is laughable. We do not live on a tropical island paradise anymore, we live in a concrete jungle. Ads on buses will have little effect on that.

Gregory A. Poole
Mililani

Marine’s story a disgrace

The story about Nathaniel Cosby, a Marine who admitted he killed Ivanice Harris because he had to defend himself, is amazingly ridiculous ("Marine admits killing prostitute," Star-Advertiser, April 24).  

His story is as amazingly ridiculous as the captain of the Costa Concordia, who said he abandoned ship because he fell off the ship into a lifeboat.

Cosby’s story is a disgrace to all Marines who are more brave, intelligent and honest.

Nancy Manali-Leonardo
Waikiki