‘Snow birds’ spend more

Guests renting vacation rentals may spend less per evening than if they stayed at a hotel, but many spend far more for their Hawaii vacation than a person staying in a hotel here for two weeks.

Huge numbers of retired "snow birds" want a warm place for four winter months, with reasonably priced accommodation.

A $300 per evening hotel room isn’t reasonable, but a $125 per evening vacation rental is.

A hotel stay of 14 nights at $300 per evening contributes $4,200 plus $586 taxes.

Staying four months at $125 per evening, contributes $15,208, plus $2,123 taxes.

In total, Hawaii hotels may still contribute much of the general excise and transient accommodation taxes. However, for longer stays, the market is moving against hotels.

Just ensure that everyone renting out accommodation pays their fair share of taxes. Make it too difficult for property owners to provide vacation rentals, and snow birds will go elsewhere.

Terry Duncan
Diamond Head

At-grade rail never hindered

It is extremely embarrassing that city Transportation Director Michael D. Formby would attempt to deceive the public ("At-grade train wouldn’t help," Letters, Star-Advertiser, April 3).

He should know that at-grade rail is not hindered by traffic at any point.

At-grade rail such as MAX in Portland, Ore., runs entirely within its own right of way. Other vehicles that would cross rail are controlled by stop lights and crossing barriers. At no time is there any competition between vehicles and MAX.

The gridlock we experienced on April 1 would not have affected at-grade rail at all. Honolulu decided to build the most expensive elevated heavy rail system in the U.S. for reasons other than "fast and reliable," as stated.

There is no logical reason that Honolulu could not have built at-grade rail.

Shirley Gibbs
Kaneohe

Traffic proves need for rail

Just how short are people’s memories?

» March 28, in L.A.: 21 people injured when L.A. Metro light-rail commuter train collides with a car and derails.

» March 31, in Honolulu: Pau hana traffic at a standstill after both ZipMobiles are out of service.

» April 17, in Honolulu letter to the editor: Thomas Black still wants light rail for Honolulu ("Use rail savings for desalination").

Traffic accidents with light rail are absolutely guaranteed to happen. Future shutdowns on the H-1 freeway are also another absolute.

Honolulu’s rail system will absolutely avoid both these certainties while providing a real alternative to trapped Honolulu commuters.

Sam Gillie
Hawaii Kai

Tax laws fuel widening divide

More of our people at the bottom can no longer possibly afford housing.

More homeless are living on the streets.

More mentally ill are on the streets, denied the help they desperately need as "short-term cutbacks" become permanent.

Instead of anywhere near adequate funding for programs specifically designed to help the homeless (like "Housing First"), huge sums of taxpayer dollars are tragically wasted on political corruption and homeless-related police actions, overcrowded jails and drug enforcement.

Those with the largest incomes pay less taxes than the poor.

Republican legislators calling themselves Democrats vote for even more tax breaks for the rich.

Those at the top of the economic income ladder need to be taxed more, not less, so we can uplift our poorest citizens.

They can then aspire to become working citizens — taxpayers themselves.

David and Evelyn Cannell
Waipahu

Queen’s added inpatient beds

We read with great interest Allison Schaefers’ article on homelessness ("More homeless living on streets," Star-Advertiser, April 21).

We would like to correct one factual error. Contrary to what was stated in a quote attributed to a mental-health services executive, The Queen’s Medical Center has not cut any psychiatric inpatient beds. The truth is quite the opposite.

Since 2013, The Queen’s Medical Center has doubled its number of beds for acute adult inpatient psychiatric care, while continuing to provide 24/7 psychiatric emergency services and child and adolescent inpatient psychiatric care as well.

Anthony Guerrero, M.D., Child and adult psychiatrist
Barry Carlton, M.D., Chief of Psychiatry
The Queen’s Medical Center