Police can help with B&B issues
Pauline Mac Neil overlooks the obvious ("B&B proposal not a solution," Star-Advertiser, Letters, March 18).
Calling the police is a very appropriate response to noise in the neighborhood. Police respond regularly to complaints of neighborhood noise, most from local residents. A complaint is all they need to knock on the door and make it quiet. Likewise illegal parking.
In 2009, the Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting testified that it had received three complaints regarding owner-occupied B&Bs on Oahu during the previous year.
One complaint was a parking issue. Two complaints were regarding non-permitted rentals.
Is this justification for trashing the Kailua town economy? It makes no sense whatsoever to prohibit a $1.49 billion industry on Oahu because of three complaints.
Resolution 15-72 eliminates all but one of those complaints. That works for me.
Will Page
Kailua
Police should try fishing nets
When I see a news story about someone who is not complying with half a dozen police officers and they are unable to bring him down with a stun gun or rubber bullets, they either choke him to death or shoot and kill him.
I think there has to be a better way.
I have seen fishermen throw nets to catch fish and wonder why a net can’t be used to catch a disorderly person.
I bet cities would see less litigation and heftyfinancial payouts to families of felons who were killed when it wasn’t necessary.
Ed Burns
Mililani
Do more to stop fatalities at bay
Thank you for your excellent editorial and wake-up call about the dangers of our beautiful Hanauma Bay ("More safeguards for Hanauma Bay," Star-Advertiser, Our View, March 17).
You clearly pointed out the high-risk group that needs to take more precautions while at the bay, namely the 96 percent who are tourists; 65 percent who are over 50 years of age; and 70 percent who are non-Americans.
Three drownings per year for the past 10 years is simply too high a statistic.
A beefed-up video stressing safety, stationing lifeguard towers so outer areas of the park are visible, making the areas "off limits" and more signage and warnings could go a long way.
But ultimately this information needs to get into the airplane videos that are shown just before landing. If not, we will continue to fulfill the state Department of Health conclusion that snorkeling is the most lethal ocean activity in the entire state of Hawaii.
Rep. Gene Ward
Hawaii Kai
Cut losses now on rail system
When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.
Our Oahu rail project needs to stop the awesome cost overruns that will double or triple if we don’t adopt "Plan B," which, as other letter writers have suggested, is: Stop the rail at Middle Street or Aloha Stadium.
Cut your losses.
If we don’t, the 0.5 percent general excise tax surcharge, which hurts the poor the most, will go on forever and very likely increase.
The current cost overrun will grow immensely and breed a culture that says a "little more" overrun won’t hurt. Hah!
When will we ever learn?
Let’s avoid the ugliness of the rail project in our urban core.
Also needed are ways to curb Oahu’s population growth. One way seldom mentioned is to foster migration out of state. Many local folks who’ve emigrated to Las Vegas, for example, are happy.
Alan Matsuda
Hawaii Kai
Ige is supposed to represent us
I thought for a minute I was delusional:
The governor "tests his relationship with his former Senate colleagues" ("Choice of Ching divides Senate," Star-Advertiser, March 17)?
HIS relationship?
There I go again, thinking the elected representatives actually represent their constituents.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources operated smoothly and efficiently under William Aila for years.
What happened to "If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it"?
Is this going to be the same old, same old buddy-buddy system that has prevailed among the politicians since Caesar had a falling out with Brutus and Cassius?
When will the next lobbyist be nominated for an important post?
No experience necessary.
Donna Wiecking
Kailua
