Subsidized goods involve social loss

Shame on lawmakers who forced Hawaii to use ethanol.

Rich investors, who are always interested in producing things sold with government subsidies and mandates regardless of cost, were heard. A voice for the desperately hungry doesn’t exist.

Here’s why government subsidies and mandates are always evil: When a thing sells for a profit in a free market, it means the thing has more value than the labor and resources consumed in making it. There is more than before.

When a thing sells for a loss, it means the thing has less value than the things used up making it. There is ever less than before. And things that can only be sold with government subsidies or mandates are the worst kind of loss.

George L. Berish
Kakaako

PV owners are not being subsidized

A few years ago, I spent almost $30,000 for a photovoltaic (PV) system for our home.

Last year, we generated more electricity than we used. Our average monthly electric bill was about $30.

Hawaiian Electric Co. got the excess electricity that we generated at no cost and resold it to non-PV customers, but HECO is claiming that these customers are subsidizing my PV system?

I smell a rat!

Phil Yasuda
Kapolei

HART should seek remaining bids now

Why is the city waiting until the end of the year to put out bids to complete rail?

The engineering studies have been completed, although these taxpayer-funded studies have not been made available to the public.

Building elevated heavy rail in a congested city and mostly on landfill and with buried utilities is fundamentally more complicated than putting columns on empty farmland.

The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation was so wrong in estimating the cost of the stations — by 63 percent to 74 percent when the bids came in. Did the engineering studies already reveal that the $1.3 billion budgeted is frighteningly inadequate? Is that why HART wants to delay finding out the total cost as long as possible?

Why aren’t they anxious to find out the actual cost of the remainder? If they’re off by "only" 63 percent, that’s "only" $819 million to add to the $910 million over budget. But what if they’re off by 200 percent? Even 400 percent more is not unimaginable without actual bids.

Pearl Johnson
Pauoa Valley

It was easy to see rail would be fiasco

While there is no official Oscar presented in this category, if there were, the Oscar for Acting Totally Shocked would go to the mayor and many of our legislators.

Former Gov. Ben Cayetano, University of Hawaii law professor Randy Roth, and businessman Cliff Slater, among many, warned that rail was a complete fiasco, and that cost overruns would be hideous.

Surprise! They were correct. Not only are the cost overruns egregious, we are seeing that people are actually losing jobs and businesses are being ruined by the construction, which is preventing access to their places of business.

And who is surprised that the "temporary" tax to pay for it will probably no longer be temporary? Not I. I am just a civilian and I saw it coming from day one.

Am I brilliant, or are our legislators incompetent?

Sandy Gottesman
Moiliili

City-financed band is a true treasure

For many years now, my wife and I have visited Hawaii and are attracted to return by the prevailing aloha spirit here.

One of the true treasures and hidden gems we have found in Honolulu is the Royal Hawaiian Band, under the outstanding leadership of director Clarke Bright.

This marvelous group of amazingly gifted musicians adds a wonderful and unique spice and flavor to Hawaii that is without an equal anywhere else we have encountered.

The City and County of Hono-lulu should be commended for an unwavering commitment to continued funding for this hugely important local asset.

W. Douglas Albright
Greensboro, N.C.

More of us should heed our kupuna

Kudos to Janet Grace ("Practice aloha by respecting kupuna," Star-Advertiser, Letters, Feb. 24).

Her support and encouragement for our kupuna is most appreciative.

More of us should take heed of our aging kupuna and give them the attention that they deserve for their sound judgment and their wise and kindly counsel.

Lehua McColgan
Kaimuki

What’s not to love about America?

Why would President Barack Obama not love America?

He is living in a free society thatpermits people like Rudy Giuliani to mouth off utter nonsense — in public.

And then the media lap up that nonsense and dwell on it at length.

Great.

And what else is there not to love?

We are living in a gun-toting society. Every year, 25,000 of Americans get killed by our guns.

Now we want to increase the number of guns. Why? We need to defend ourselves.

And America’s highways are falling apart ("Falling apart," Star-Advertiser, Feb. 22).

A 200-mile span of Interstate 70 needs only $2 billion to $4 billion dollars to rebuild (never mind the rest of the nation’s neglected infrastructure, like bridges, airports and trains).

We keep making wars that we lose, but keep our armaments industry busy.

What else is there not to love?

Gerhard C. Hamm
Waialae Iki