POLITICAL STANDARDS

'THE BEV BAR' NO GOOD

Let's review: Rep. Bev Harbin has misdemeanor convictions for writing bad checks and misdemeanor convictions for reckless driving. She has a bundle of unpaid taxes, which she has concealed. Now she wants to set the standard for acceptable behavior by a public official?

Would this be increasing or lowering the standard? Bev, resign before you give politicians a bad name.

WIND FARM

WINDMILLS WORK BOTH IN FUNCTION AND FORM

People elected our mayor in part for his vision.

It's too bad he and others cannot see the beauty of windmills.

The beauty of their gracefulness in appearance and usefulness as an alternative energy resource.

Perhaps he and others will change their minds when we have rolling blackouts at ever increasing intervals. Then again, maybe not.

KAHEKILI

CONTRAFLOW COULD STILL HAVE COUNTRY-LIKE FEEL

Let's introduce contraflow to the Kahekili Highway and bring the country back to Kahalu'u.

As a Kahalu'u Neighborhood Board member, does Richard Vermeesch truly represent his constituents, or is he more interested in pursuing his own traffic jam vision ("Could contraflow spoil Kahalu'u?" Sept. 26)?

Does a "country" setting have bumper-to-bumper traffic like the Kahekili Highway does each morning and evening? It feels like city to me.

Furthermore, claiming that contraflow will bring high-speed traffic makes no sense, when one considers all the high-speed traffic that already exists.

This constituent believes a contraflow lane that successfully reduces city-like traffic jams will actually bring a country feel back to Kahalu'u, rather than take it away.

ID THEFT

BILLS TO BE SUBMITTED AGAIN FOR CREDIT FREEZE

A Sept. 27 letter ("Credit freeze only way to protect consumers") urges that Hawai'i adopt California's identity theft law and questions why the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs is spending tax money on public service announcements about stopping ID theft.

DCCA wholeheartedly agrees that Hawai'i should pass a security freeze law similar to California's. In fact, that is precisely what we proposed last year to the Legislature (House Bill 655/Senate Bill 764).

Such a law would enable victims of identity theft to put a freeze on their credit reports, so identity thieves will not be able to obtain credit in their victims' names.

Unfortunately, the Legislature failed to pass those bills.

We plan to submit the same bills to the Legislature in January. Public support would be most welcome, and could make the difference in getting the bills passed.

The letter writer is mistaken about DCCA spending tax money on public service announcements. These announcements were paid for with monies obtained in settlement of lawsuits brought by the department's Office of Consumer Protection on behalf of consumers.

We believe strongly that public awareness is a necessary ingredient to addressing the identity theft problem, and that it is appropriate to use the proceeds of these lawsuits for that purpose. The fact that people remember these announcements and that they are talking about them is indicative, we believe, that they are effective.

KAMILONUI

STOP DESPOILMENT OF HAWAI'I KAI LAND

Regarding your Sept. 28 editorial on Kamilonui Valley, isn't Hawai'i Kai despoiled enough as is? The first "Peninsula" section built resembles an Army barracks. It's gotten worse.

Is there no one, Charles Djou included, who will stop this? Are we the new urban core? The hideous Peninsula development reminds me of the city centers of my native Boston in the early 1900s, which were developed to house the long lines of immigrants coming to shore seeking work. Double and triple deckers. Is this what anyone intended for Lunalilo Home Road?

PUMP PRICES

GAS CAP WAS UNFAIRLY FORCED ON 'GUINEA PIGS'

This poorly-thought-out gas cap needs to be repealed.

It has radically changed the pricing structure here for the worse. I have lived here my entire life and never seen prices jump 25 cents or 44 cents in a week. Hence, buying habits have changed. I find it annoying that I have to fight the lines to get gas now, thanks to this gas cap.

The people who suffer are the citizens of this state, who are being used as "guinea pigs" for the Democrats to stick it to the big bad oil companies. Democratic legislators ignored all the warning signs that this would be a disaster waiting to happen. I, for one, will never vote Democrat in this state ever again because the Democrats shoved these Communistinspired price controls on us. It appears the People's Republic of Hawai'i is alive and well.

KAWAI NUI MARSH

KEEP NEW ROAD NAME SIMPLE IN MEANING

What do all those suggested Hawaiian names mean for the road along the beautiful Kawai Nui Marsh?

When I first saw that someone was seeking a good name, I got out my "Hawaiian Dictionary" and "Place Names of Hawaii" and named it Ala Nenelu, literally Marsh Road.

But when I read that list of names in the paper, I thought perhaps Kawai Nui should be part of its name, so how about Ala Nenelu ke Kawainui?

Let's keep it simple.

I love that marsh road and am tired of hearing it called the Dump Road.