SCRAP PLANS

HCDA'S GRAND VISION HAS DETERIORATED

The creation of the Hawai'i Community Development Authority was well-intentioned. Thanks to its efforts, Honolulu residents now have balanced recreational options between large, open spaces at Kaka'ako Waterfront Park and thriving shops at Victoria Ward Centers.

It is unfortunate that the HCDA's grand vision has deteriorated into unnecessary and unwanted development.

Overwhelming community opposition should be sufficient reason for the HCDA to scrap its plans for the massive A&B development.

ROAD, WATER

FIX THE WILSON TUNNEL

Many thanks to Robbie Dingeman's "Bureaucracy Buster" article about the Wilson Tunnel. I could not agree more with other readers who have complained about the tunnel. The road surface is so rough that my new car rattles like crazy in the Honolulu-bound lanes. The water streaming down the nice new tiles is most unfortunate. I sincerely hope the state forces the contractor to fix the many problems before accepting the job.

NORTH SHORE

TOO MUCH OF HIGH-SURF AREA IS BEING TAPED OFF

Winter waves are here again on the North Shore. I understand the safety issues and the need to tape off beach areas to prevent people from venturing into the water and being injured or swept away.

However, taping off the entire park area of Shark's Cove and Three Tables Beach, blocking access to the bike path and forcing pedestrians and bicyclists into the busy traffic on the road seems excessive.

In the past, the parking lot and grassy area of Waimea Bay have been closed due to high surf, again excessive, considering the waves do not wash up onto the grass and into the parking lot. This takes away precious ocean views and parking on the North Shore unnecessarily.

I also wonder who is responsible for taking down the tape after the swell has dropped because too many times in the past the yellow and red tape ends up on the side of the road, tangled in bushes and on the beaches along with the rest of the litter.

DRIVER'S LICENSE

ROAD TEST SHOULD BE MORE CONVENIENT

A friend of mine needs to take a road test for her driver's license in Hawai'i. The first appointment available is Feb. 6. Her alternative is to get in line at 9 p.m., wait all night and hope for a walk-in appointment the next day.

I called California and asked for the first appointment in a city in Orange County. Answer: Dec. 7.

Has our driver's licensing branch considered looking into how other states make this required service workable for their citizens?

NAVY CONTRACT

RESEARCH CENTER WOULD BE ANATHEMA

The Faculty Senate of the University of Hawai'i's Manoa campus dealt a severe setback to the proposed Navy research center planned for the Manoa campus.

The Faculty Senate, representing the entire faculty at Manoa, voted by a resounding 31-18 majority to ask the administration to reject the proposed Navy contract. If the administration concurs with the faculty's position, that will be the end of it.

The Faculty Senate resolution gave numerous good reasons for recommending rejection of the contract. The most fundamental of these was the reminder that the university is a scholarly community that is "governed by the highest ethical standards and humane values."

In view of earlier unjust wars fought by the United States, such as in Vietnam, Cambodia, Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, Somalia and Kosovo, our present war in Iraq is only the latest of a series, but it is the very worst by the yardsticks of White House mendacity, cynicism, hypocrisy and arrogance.

For this university to be collaborating with the Pentagon in its current mode would be a total negation of "the highest ethical standards and humane values" to which our Faculty Senate called attention.

SINGAPORE OFFERS SOLUTIONS FOR MANY OF ISLES' PROBLEMS

Recent letters on homeless in Hawai'i have pointed to Singapore as a best practice in dealing with urban planning challenges in geographically limited spaces. However, there are many other Singaporean best practices Hawai'i could consider, but it would require serious government/community effort to review and implement them. For example:

It may be that none of the above Singaporean practices are appropriate to Hawai'i. However, Hawai'i should take a serious and coordinated approach in dealing with its challenges rather than falling into decline due to inaction and indecision.

STATE RELIEF

EARNED INCOME TAX CREDIT IS BEST

As the legislative session approaches, it is likely that policymakers will again evaluate the merits of providing relief to Hawai'i's taxpayers.

During the 2005 session, opinions in these pages varied among competing proposals. Increasing the standard deduction and adopting a refundable state earned income tax credit are the two most prominently discussed proposals. While both options have merit, if the intent is to provide relief to low-income working families, the best strategy would be a state EITC.

The EITC has two very powerful characteristics that are worth noting:

As individuals' incomes grow, they become ineligible for many social benefits such as government-sponsored healthcare and food stamps. The EITC cushions this transition to help people stay employed and move toward financial independence. In this sense, it makes work pay.

In 2003, the federal EITC raised approximately 4.4 million people out of poverty, including 2.4 million children. It is easy to see how the EITC helps struggling working families to become thriving families and members of their communities. A state EITC would provide additional tax relief for families faced with the high cost of living in Hawai'i.

The primary opponent of a state EITC argues that research shows this is not good tax policy for Hawai'i. In fact, the only research that we are aware of that compares the different tax-relief measures shows that a state EITC would have a greater impact on low-income working families than any other proposal.

The EITC has been mistakenly called "back-door welfare," and opponents claim that it is subject to abuse. The EITC creates a strong incentive to work without the reliance on government assistance; this is the exact opposite of welfare.

While the EITC is not perfect, the Internal Revenue Service's taxpayer advocate doesn't think the EITC is a major problem in the tax code, and has repeatedly questioned the research methods of a 2002 study that identified overpayment as a concern. This dated and discredited study is the only review of EITC overpayment, and many agree that its claims are overblown, yet naysayers continue to cite it as "evidence" of EITC fraud and abuse.

If the goal is to provide tax relief to those who need it most, there are no rational arguments against a refundable state EITC in Hawai'i. The EITC has broad bipartisan support across the country, and supporting a policy that creates more working families while significantly reducing poverty is a strategy that all elected officials should want to champion.