Politicians help only themselves

Some of our City Council members seem to be capable of talking out of both sides of their mouths.

First, they support bills designed to prevent Waikiki’s vagrants and other troubled individuals from taking over our sidewalks. Then they don’t.

It’s pure politics, plain and simple, as rivals for their party’s congressional nomination say one thing in public and do another in the relative privacy of the Zoning and Planning Committee dominated by suburban Council members.

The so-called "sit-lie" and public urination/defecation bills, for example, would have helped Honolulu police prevent the blighting of Waikiki’s reputation as a world-class tourist destination. But the politicians seem to have their eyes set on Washington, not on the plight of our city and state’s economic engine. They’re worried about their own jobs, but not ours.

Mark Smith
Waikiki

Ala Moana will be traffic central

Rest assured that the Ala Moana Center rail station will create the worst traffic congestion Honolulu has ever seen.

Taxis, city buses, and hotel/Waikiki vans will vie with private vehicles on the already congested Kapiolani Boulevard to accumulate at the station.

Leaving the station, this added traffic will have to either turn right to Ala Moana Boulevard and left to Waikiki, or proceed Diamond Head on Kapiolani Boulevard through one of Honolulu’s busiest intersections — Kapiolani and Kalakaua — to use the antiquated Kalakaua or McCully bridges.

Adding to the nightmare will be the commuters, either in vehicles to be dropped off or parked, and the normally heavy traffic of Ala Moana Center shoppers. While the project may ease the commute from the Ewa side, it will create a monstrous gridlock from Ala Moana to Waikiki.

Roger D. Van Cleve
Waikiki

Using rail after a flight is fine

Recent letters have scoffed at the idea that tourists might use Hono-lulu’s rail system to get to Waikiki. Really?

In May I flew nonstop from Honolulu to Newark, N.J. On arrival, I got on a bus that took me to New York City, then switched to the subway to get where I was going.

Early the next morning, I flew from Newark to London. On arrival, I got on the subway, then switched to the train system to get to where I was going.

And yes, I "schlepped my own luggage" throughout, despite being jet-lagged. Having just done this myself, I dispute that visitors to Honolulu would somehow not be capable of the same thing.

DeSoto Brown
Kapahulu

Insanity quote applies to DLNR

It was interesting and a bit scary to see two things nearly side by side in your Sunday Insight section.

First, the cartoon with Einstein’s definition of insanity — doing the same thing and expecting a different result — and then the letter pointing out that a solution to the Kaneohe "Stairway to Heaven" (Haiku Stairs) problems will only come if the access and parking is away from residences.

This is at the same time that the state Department of Land and Natural Resources is planning a new trail and parking lot within a few feet of homes on Kailua’s Hamakua Drive as part of the Kawainui-Hamakua Marsh master plan. Expecting different results?

Chuck Prentiss
Chairman, Kailua Neighborhood Board

Pot legalization gaining support

Hallelujah, wowzer and other expressions of joy and surprise: Sunday’s New York Times ran a lead editorial calling for the legalization of marijuana.

It links this idea to the U.S. repeal of alcohol prohibition in 1933 and will follow up with more editorials and stories highlighting different aspects of the issue.

Is this the famous tipping point we keep hearing about? It reminds me of when the Times came out against the Vietnam War and how that reflected or perhaps led the change in American public opinion.

Overnight, this moves the discussion from the fringe to the mainstream and will certainly help the initiative races in Oregon and Alaska — and hopefully embolden certain state legislatures as well.

Pamela G. Lichty
President, Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii

Tax Department needs some help

Reading the article of Tax Department problems was sad and funny for me ("Incorrect notices demand money from timely taxpayers," Star-Advertiser, July 25).

Sad, because I supervise the processing of multiple companies’ general excise taxes, which means that the incoherent notices I’ve received lately are just that. Funny, because of the department’s explanation that, "This is not the type of system we want to rush."

Really? Here’s a system that’s been broken for 15 years — and three years and $3.5 million isn’t enough to just figure out what vendor to use?

Then the kicker: The state and federal governments used the same CGI vendor for the Obamacare websites. At least Mississippi got $187 million back from CGI — but we decided to use that company again.

I called the Tax Department and talked to one of the 10 poor people taking the 328,000 calls. He said a requisition is out for a new system. Let’s hope it doesn’t take another three years, and the system won’t be broken for 15 years before it’s replaced.

Mark Greene
Accounting manager, Island Movers

Walmart good for downtown

Last week’s opinion section featured two writers who do not live downtown, each writing about the new Walmart there but missing the point ("New Walmart welcome, or not," Island Voices, July 21).

The simple fact is that Walmart, along with Ross, Longs Drugs (two locations), 7-Eleven, and soon Walgreens, have brought retailing back to downtown, seven days a week.Walmart has returned a couple hundred jobs to Fort Street that went away with Payless ShoeSource and Macy’s.

Liberal and progressive folks like to excoriate Walmart for low wages benefits — but it was Walmart who made a huge investment in downtown; no one else apparently was interested.All of us, liberal and conservative alike, appreciate having it open seven days a week.

Willis Moore
Downtown Honolulu

Hospitals fixated on bottom line

It is a tragedy that public hospitals, like many private ones, seem to be controlled by people who operate with the mentality of accountants, rather than having the focus of taking care of sick people with compassion ("Shortfall ails public hospitals, Star-Advertiser, July 13).

Alice Hall and her Hawaii Health Systems Corp. are stumbling down the well-worn, unimaginative path illustrated in Victoria Sweet’s story of the downfall of San Francisco’s Laguna Honda Hospital in her book, "God’s Hotel." This book should be required reading for business-school trained folks who inflict their cost-saving methods on patients and hospital staff.

Jim Blattau, M.D.
Haleiwa