Letters to the Editor
Condemning private property is wrong
Shame on City Council members for voting to condemn a landowner's property in Kahalu'u without adequate compensation.
If the Murakamis wanted part of Gensiro Kawamoto's property for a driveway, Kawamoto at the very least should have gotten part of the Murakamis' property in exchange — none of this $10-per-parcel deal.
At today's real estate prices, Kawamoto got robbed.
I have been using City & County property for years. Does that mean I can get the property from the city for 10 bucks, too?
Wayne Chun
Campaigns should be publically financed
Yes, legislators are considering some important campaign finance reforms, and we certainly do need them, as recent scandals and convictions have shown.
But what is happening about public funding? When our elected officials get really serious about change, then we voters will be offered the option of publicly funded campaigns.
Public funding means we pay for campaigns with our taxes. Some object to this because they do not want their tax dollars going to elect politicians. But think about this: We are already paying for campaigns. We pay and pay and pay because every dollar — or should I say every billion dollars — is passed on to us in higher prices for everything we use, such as all petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, food, clothing and everything. And they, the fat-cat contributors, get the special deals.
What an incredible return on their investment. We voters just get stuck with the bill.
Let's get our money's worth and pay for campaigns directly. It is cheaper, cleaner, and our elected officials would have to answer only to us, the voters. Boy, would that be a change from business as usual.
Laure Dillon
Traffic flow depends on driving conditions
On Feb. 7, the day our state Senate debated the "traffic cam," I drove from Honolulu to Kailua via Pali Highway around 5 p.m. From School Street to Wyllie Street, the traffic moved at 45 to 47 mph, according to my speedometer. From Wyllie Street to Waokanaka Street, traffic flowed at 40 to 42 mph. The posted speed in this corridor is 35 mph.
From Waokanaka Street to the Pali Tunnels, traffic moved at 54 to 56 mph in a zone posted at 45 mph. Through the tunnel to Kamehameha Highway on the Windward side, traffic moved variably from 45 to 50 mph, where the posted speed is 35 mph. The weather was clear and the roads dry.
The next day, which was quite stormy, traffic at the same time moved at 35 mph from School Street to Wyllie Street; 30 mph to Waokanaka Street; and 40 to 45 mph from Waokanaka Street to Kamehameha Highway.
For decades, the collective wisdom of drivers has established what speeds are safe for existing conditions on the Pali Highway and other thoroughfares, irrespective of posted limits. That's why we need police to evaluate general traffic patterns and get unsafe drivers off the road.
Rick Klemm
State quarantine laws only promote smuggling
The animal quarantine laws in place in Hawai'i are archaic and do nothing but promote smuggling of animals.
I have two cats that I unfortunately left on the Mainland because I cannot afford to quarantine both animals. I would also never put my cats through such a stressful event. Believe me, I've thought of smuggling them into Hawai'i. How ridiculous is that?
If an animal has continuously received rabies shots and passed blood tests, I do not understand why quarantine is necessary. I urge any pet owner who has had to deal with this, or any animal lover, to write our senators and tell them to wake up and act on Senate Bill 2267 to modernize animal quarantine laws.
Terri Hurst
Religion deserves honor, but separately
Bravo, Mitch Kahle.
My tax dollars should not support religion, nor does public policy need to be formed by an anxiousness about life after death and spiritual perpetuity.
Good neighborliness, compassion and the wisdom of forgiveness are far more meaningful when there is a true appreciation of differences and a respect for alternate points of view. They are done a disservice when bundled up with an arrogant and condescending "I will pray for you" attitude, particularly from a tradition rejected by the majority of people in the world.
Religion and spirituality deserve an honored place in the human experience and in American culture, but history has repeatedly shown that humans cannot be trusted as its political or social stewards. The strength of America is born of that humility; let us not forget that.
Lorrin Kim
