Stadium has expenses, too

The Star-Advertiser’s Big Q of May 19 asked readers whether the University of Hawaii athletic department should receive revenue from parking, con- cession and signage fees, as well as the logo merchandise sales from the Stadium Authority. The result was 81 percent voting yes.

Will these same respondents be OK with an additional maintenance and operation fee to be established by the Stadium Authority to take care of the stadium, since it would no longer be receiving income from the concessions? Or would they be OK with adding these overhead costs to the event ticket costs and raising the rental fee for the stadium?

Remember, there is no such thing as a free lunch. Somehow, everything has to be paid for.

Ernest Y. Suemoto
Mililani

Jay made right decision after all

A few months after my letter criticizing University of Hawaii Athletic Director Ben Jay for his decision to rename all UH men’s teams the "Warriors," I would now like to praise him.

It took a lot of fortitude for him to reconsider that horrificdecision and reinstate the "Rainbow."

"Rainbow Warriors"defines where we are from, while "Warriors"does not,and even makes me feel detached from my alma mater.

Now to find a way to help the athletic department financially. Dramatic changes to the one-sided deal with Aloha Stadium would be a good start.Maybe the Stadium Authority will finally cut UH in on the profits. Perhaps also a mass boycott of merchandise and concession sales from which UH receives no cut would help change things.

Again, many thanks to Jay for reinstating "Rainbow," which had no business being dropped in the first place.

Go ‘Bows!

Jim Gardner
Kaimuki

Don’t mess with UH traditions

I am a longtime University of Hawaii Rainbows fan who is elated that Athletic Director Ben Jay finally came to his senses and relented in keeping the nickname Rainbows. The term is a UH tradition that should never be messed with.

Jay owes the university, alumni and for that matter, all of Hawaii, a formal apology. Who do these people from the mainland (June Jones included) think they are? Fresh off the boat, they think that they can change decades of tradition?

If Jay was the AD at, say, the University of Southern California, would he ever dare try and change the nickname Trojans because it brought to mind a popular brand of condoms?

So why did Jay think that he had the right to go mess with our Rainbows?

Roy Nakama
Waialae-Kahala

City taxing us enough already

We have already paid for roads, sewers and a multitude of other fees that are nickel-and-diming us to death. Now Mayor Kirk Caldwell says we may need to pay more in property taxes?

You have got to be kidding. Cut the non-essential services, cut salaries, cut jobs. Do you think the private sector is hiring in anything but minimal, low- paying jobs? This is pure mismanagement on all fronts.

Mike Gallagher
Kailua

IRS should not be political tool

James B. Young tries to defend the Internal Revenue Service’s screening of conservative groups for their tax-exempt applications to the IRS ("IRS just doing its job of screening groups," Star-Advertiser, Letters, May 19).

The problem is, the IRS has no authority, nor should it have a nudge from the current or any administration, to develop an "enemies list" of those to inti- midate.

It should send a chill to all taxpayers to believe anyone or any group can be singled out for special treatment by the IRS. The fact that President Barack Obama’s brother, Malik Obama, was able to get an approved tax-exempt status in about 30 days for the Barack H. Obama foundation in Kenya should be a red flag.

The fact that it was retroactive to contributions from 2009 also shows special treatment.

Pam L. Smith
Ewa Beach

Hawaii great but Texas beckons

Hawaii has great weather and wonderful people. So why am I leaving here for the mainland (most likely somewhere in Texas)?

The short answer:

More freedom.

The longer, more specific answer:

» Top marginal state income tax rate for Hawaii: 11 percent. For Texas: 0 percent.

» Average monthly two-bedroom apartment rental rates, top 10 zip codes, Honolulu (rent.com): $1,940-$2,330. For Austin, Texas: $710-$1,010.

» Freedom ranking index (freedominthe50states.org) for Hawaii: Find a job, 49th (out of 50 states); fiscal, 49th; personal, 45th; regulatory, 41st. For Texas: Find a job, fifth; fiscal, 10th; personal, 31st; regulatory, 24th.

Jim Henshaw
Chairman, Libertarian Party of Hawaii

Gaps remain in vehicle safety

We all applaud the actions of the state House, Senate and the governor for passing the new seatbelt safety law. This will surely reduce the number of fatalities and injuries on our roads.

That said, would any representative of either the House, the Senate or the governor’s office explain why we do not have mandatory helmet laws and permit people to ride in the back of pickup trucks? It makes no sense.

I hope a representative will have the courage to speak up.

Richard M. Smylie
Hawaii Kai

Shine more light on state finances

A big hurrah for the Star-Advertiser’s reporting on Hawaii’s current sorry state of affairs.

As an example, a recent lead article highlighted the incompetency and mismanagement ofpublic funds by the Department of Transportation for the Honolulu airport ("State officials slack on costs, contracts," Star-Advertiser, May 16).

Taxpayers would otherwise not have known of the serious cost and contracting expenses.

Hawaii is trapped in a cloud of mediocrity due to the lack of cost analysis, accountability and consequences. The Star-Adver- tiser is doing the community an important public service exposing these deficiencies. Follow-up reporting is necessary to keep taxpayers informed.

Tony Locascio
Waikiki

Waikiki stretch is traffic hazard

Want happy tourists?

Then do not allow the Hilton Hawaiian Village to expand and further chokethe Kalia-to-Ala Moana walk even more. Sometimes residents and tourists must step into Ala Moana to get by each other in addition to being gassed at a corner by the four, five, even six Oli Oli, ANA, JAL and Waikiki trollies and buses, most with no passengers.

Can’t tourism authorities figure out a way to consolidate these ubiquitous tourist buses? This is not paradise.

James A.Lenz
Waikiki