Sign wavers are ambassadors

Politicians must be aware ofwhomthey let sign wave on their behalf. Each sign waver is a direct reflection of the candidate they represent.

I was recently riding my bicycle through Kapaa townwhen I came upon many sign wavers. One sign waver was very rude to me and purposely blocked me on the sidewalk and said a few choice words.

I said nothing and proceededon my way. I am not going to say who this person was sign waving for. However, because of this one person,thatcandidatehasno chance of getting my vote.

Candidates, be careful who sign-waves for you. There are times that a sign waver can cause more harm than good.

James "Kimo" Rosen
Kapaa, Kauai

Too many people is major problem

It seems everywhere you look today, people are concerned about the environmental problems the world is facing: global warming, our carbon footprint, lack of pure drinking water; the list goes on.

But what is not politically correct to address is the cause of these problems. It’s people. It’s overpopulation. Just look at our own islands. The quality of life in Hawaii is degrading because more people are competing for fewer resources in a limited time frame.

It is not rocket science. If you add to the population, you add to the global problem. But we cannot talk about that, can we?

That is one hot potatothe politiciansavoid, and the average citizen can’t see the writing on the wall.

Solution: If you can’t feed them, don’t breed them.

Deane Gonzalez
Hawaii Kai

Rosenblum gets a sweet deal

Did I read this correctly ("Ex-HECO chief to get $551K as consultant," Star-Advertiser, Oct. 15)?

Hawaiian Electric Co. is paying former president and CEO Dick Rosenblum $551,000 for six months of work to be an "adviser" to HECO chairwoman Connie Lau immediately after he retires on Jan. 5.

So you have a current chairwoman, Lau, who has seemingly thwarted our state in its move toward energy independence, hiring Rosenblum to advise her on things she already knows or could be advised of between now and Rosenblum’s retirement.

I don’t get it. Something smells. Hopefully the public and the state Public Utilities Commission smell something, too.

Orson Moon
Aiea

Consider cutting parking spaces

Joan Novales frets that allowing Kakaako developers to reduce the number of parking spaces they’re forced to build will clog our streets with badly parked vehicles ("High-rise areas still have cars," Star-Advertiser, Letters, Oct. 15).

While there may be costs associated with policing poor parking, these expenses are nothing compared to the true costs of adding more parking to Honolulu.

The truth is parking structures are hideously expensive to maintain, they gobble up land that could be used for housing, and they make rent more expensive for everyone.

A recent study in Seattle by the Sightline Institute estimated that it cost landlords $246 per apartment per month to maintain the average parking structure.

And what’s worse is that much of this parking wasn’t really needed — 37 percent of it was empty at night.

Given these facts, leading cities such as New York and Portland are considering significantly reducing the parking they require in new developments.

Honolulu should do the same.

Richard G. Galluzzi
Makiki

PV owners being mistreated?

It seems Hawaiian Electric Co. has managed to pit photovoltaic owners against non-photovoltaic owners.

The erroneous assumption is PV owners are not paying their fair share because they are not buying enough energy. What happened to decoupling?

Saying to get off the grid if you do not like it ignores the fact that if 11 percent of the grid’s users got off and stopped paying the minimum, that cost would have to be absorbed by the remaining 89 percent. Seventeen dollars may be too little, but $71 is too much, and it is unfair to make people pay more for using less.

Michael B. Moore
Kapalama