I’m happy for the Hawaii Youth Soccer Association and its supporters that the bill to set up a fund to collect cash to maintain the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park was passed ("Bill for soccer park fund passes," Star-Advertiser, June 5).

Former Mayor Jeremy Harris created problems regarding the Waipio soccer operations when he promised that the facility would be cared for by the private sector. However, this wasn’t the case. He actually expected the local soccer groups to pick up the tab for maintenance and operation costs.

By having the special fund, HYSA and its supporters can now handle the revenues instead of the revenues going into the general city fund. They have the upper hand in prioritizing capital improvements versus a lengthy process by the city.

It’s only fair that the revenues go toward maintaining the park versus other city services.

Alexis M. Liftee
Nuuanu

Telescopes actually a spiritual venture

Reading recently what Gov. David Ige said about the wonderful new telescope being put on the top of Mauna Kea, and the highly useful telescopes already there, I realized that instead of "not honoring the mountain" with the telescopes, we are truly honoring what Mauna Kea stands for: unity, knowledge, beauty, holiness and spirituality.

The ancient Hawaiians used the stars to guide them to their and our incredible island home, and we are honoring not only these very same ancients, but Mauna Kea as well, by allowing these telescopes to be there to discover even more about our heavens.

It seems like a perfect circle of the unity, knowledge, beauty, holiness and spirituality, that is already here.

Pamela A. Larsen
Waialae Nui Ridge

Reaction of youthat concert gratifying

I enjoyed the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra’s performances of Byron Yasui’s Concerto for ‘Ukulele and Orchestra with Jake Shimabukuro, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1.

Yasui, Shimabukuro and Maestro JoAnn Falletta did a fantastic job of projecting the ukulele into the symphonic literature. And then, Mahler — birdcalls, folk songs, waltzes, klezmer laughs and whines, lyrical string passages, stirring brass fanfares — what’s not to like?

Many people in the audience came to hear Shimabukuro, and they loved what they heard. They stayed for the Mahler — and, again, they loved what they heard. Those outbursts of applause after the symphony’s early movements were not coming from my generation of concert attendees.

They were coming from the elementary through high-school students in the audience. They may not have understood concert hall protocol, but they sure understood the music.

Mahalo nui loa to the music educators in Hawaii for transmitting their passion for both local and global music to the rising generations of our society.

Hank Trapido-Rosenthal
Manoa

No one ashamed Connector failed?

Only government can waste astonishing sums of money without blushing. It took 73 employees, spending $130 million, simply to enroll 40,000 people for Obamacare. That’s nearly $3,300 for each enrollee.

And now, with very little to show for all those disappearing dollars, those 73 employees will now squander another $30 million simply to transfer the files to the feds.

Sen. Sam Slom called this disgraceful mess a "boondoggle." I’d say it’s an outrageous $160 million rat hole.

John M. Corboy
Mililani

Connector money was poorly spent

Gee, what a surprise that the Hawaii Health Connector has failed ("Hawaii’s health insurance exchange pau," Star-Advertiser, June 5).

Its executives wasted $130 million and expect to spend another $30 million to close it down — all for the approximately 40,000 people who signed up.

It would have been cheaper to just give those people the insurance for life.

Now many who signed up are going to be notified of their new premiums, which could be up to 50 percent more expensive.

Anyone who thought or thinks Obamacare is good should have their head examined.

Carl Bergantz
Kaneohe

Drone usage needs to be regulated

I can’t believe that people in Hawaii are not raising a stink about drone usage by the general public.

My friend and I attended the concert on the great lawn of the Hilton Hawaiian Village a few weeks ago and several drones were flying above us — I presume to take photos of the event and also the fireworks that followed.

How do we know when something life-threatening is about to occur or how do we know if our personal identities are being recorded or stolen by these flying drones?

All things good and bad in the technological world these days are possible.

A prime example is the drone with radioactive material that landed on the prime minister’s building in Japan, to say nothing of the one landing on the White House grounds. Scary.

Drones, while they may have their useful purposes and may be fun to operate and fly, need to be regulated.

We’re not talking kites with rag tails.

Margy Behling
Kapahulu