Levy admits our society has become dangerously addicted to carbon fuel to run the engines of unsustainable economic growth. Yet, as is so common in addiction, the writer is in denial both about who is responsible for the predicament and about the potential for behavioral change to solve the problem.

Rather than look inward at his own behaviors, Levy blames those like commentator Masako Cordray who propose collective solutions to societal problems. A truly "conservative" response would have us each take "personal responsibility" for our over-consumptive lifestyles.

Unfortunately, our economy and culture give us little in the way of sustainable alternatives to consumerism. That can be changed by implementing market incentives and disincentives to lead us toward sustainability. Tax exemptions for renewable and distributed energy production and efficiency are one way.

But to wean us off our dependency, we must either implement aggressive taxes to discourage consumption, or we can maintain a constant war footing and create more backlash from more bin Ladens.

Positive change will not come easily, but waiting will be far more dangerous.

Keola Kamaunu
Kalihi

Neighborhood boards involve the community

Regarding your editorial of Dec. 29 on the viability of neighborhood boards: I believe the board system is alive and well and in no danger of expiring.

Each board has its own vitality, character and issues. One cannot generalize from one board's problems to mean that all the boards are having problems filling vacancies and that there is no interest in the system or process.

There are few places in the U.S. where an average citizen can talk directly to his city and state representatives and discuss issues of local importance in his own community instead of having to go downtown. Because of the neighborhood board system, most in our area feel empowered to come to our meetings and speak to issues that concern them.

Adding another layer of government (as suggested in the editorial) would only serve to alienate the public from a system that many already feel is unwieldy. The current board system offers a safe, community-based forum for anyone to have his voice heard.

Kathleen M. Pahinui
Chairwoman
North Shore Neighborhood Board #27

Money from gambling won't help education

This sounds like the same spiel we got in Florida before the lottery was approved: "The profit that the state makes from the lottery goes to education."

Everyone who voted for it assumed that the education budget would greatly increase, which didn't happen. Be careful what they say before the vote because we are getting the same lies as we got in Florida but from different liars.

Edwin Corl

Support legislation against cockfighting

The fact, according to your article on Dec. 30, that cockfighters are paying $8,000 a month to a Washington lobbyist to further their goals is not surprising. Though phrases such as "culture" and "tradition" frequently flow from the mouths of those who support this brutal blood sport, the truth is that cockfighting is a business.

Gamecock breeders, cockfight promoters and everyone else involved in cockfighting support these acts of cruelty because it is a lucrative venture, however inhumane.

Cockfighting is illegal in 47 states, and it is reassuring that the vast number of people throughout our country are opposed to it. Ninety-one percent of O'ahu residents responding to a public opinion poll believed that cockfighting is cruelty to animals. That was instrumental in getting a new ordinance on O'ahu making it easier to prosecute cockfighters charged with breaking the law.

O'ahu residents can make an even bigger impact, in Hawai'i and across the nation, by taking a few minutes to contact their representatives in the U.S. Senate and House to support the legislation being proposed to stop interstate shipment of gamecocks, making it even more difficult for cockfights to continue. We welcome calls from anyone wanting to join the efforts to put an end to this inhumane activity.

Pamela Burns
President and CEO
Hawaiian Humane Society

It's easy to see why cameras are unethical

The use of laser cameras to catch O'ahu's speeding criminals is a great system for increasing the state's revenues, but if the state gave a bounty to our police officers for each speeding citation issued, we probably would have a tremendous increase in citations, too, and for much less than we are paying for the new system.

How many of O'ahu's residents would remain silent if that happened? Not many, because if police got a bounty for each citation issued, there would be an avalanche of public outcry. Unfair and unethical would be the rallying cry of O'ahu's driving public.

So what's the difference between paying a bounty to a private company for each citation issued and paying our underpaid police force? Nothing. It's just as unfair and unethical.

John Sylvester

Vehicle slowpokes are the real problem

Recently, I merged into H-1 from Pearl City heading toward Waikele only to be stuck behind a guy going 35 miles per hour. Talk about dangerous! Everyone behind him switched to the next lane to go around, trying to accelerate to match that lane's speed.

It isn't the speeders who are the problem; it's those who can't even manage to drive fast enough to meet the minimum-speed limit.

Let's see the traffic cameras target the more dangerous drivers.

John Duncan

IslandAir will get much-needed facelift

Here is one paying customer and frequent flier who is happy, nay exhilarated, about the merger between Hawaiian and Aloha airlines.

If Greg Brenneman can bring back Continental Airlines from the brink of commercial extinction, then most certainly he will be able to do wonders and fix this third-, no fourth-, rate organization called IslandAir.

Ah, yes, you can say that my past experiences with IslandAir have left a chronic bad taste in my mouth. For the sake of brevity, I'll attribute these experiences to the numerous delays, inhospitable customer service ("not my fault" attitudes) and inconsistent reliability with flying on IslandAir.

I more than welcome a raise in the fare of prices if it means that I can expect on-time reliability and professional customer service.

They say that the merger will take place in six months. I wish it were now.

R. Olive

Unequal treatment

As I watch the Aloha jet and the Hawaiian jet race toward each other for a merger, I see the current CEOs of each airline bail out, comfy in their dazzling golden parachutes. But I also see a bunch of devoted workers from both companies being pushed out of their jets, kicking and screaming, sadly holding on to their severance lead balloons.