MARITIME MUSEUM

TERRIBLE WASTE TO SCUTTLE HISTORIC FALLS OF CLYDE

Surely there must be some way to save the Falls of Clyde.

Tourists and locals alike will be sorely disappointed if her historic masts no longer rise above the harbor.

A real entrepreneur could refurbish the ship, hire a crew and run very exciting adventure sailings in the Islands. I'll buy the first ticket.

Couldn't the vessel be sailed or towed to a foreign port where refurbishing would cost less? Or, couldn't the Navy League or the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard take on the repair projects as a public service?

Sending this symbol of our maritime past to the bottom of the ocean would be such a terrible waste.

As a last resort, I'll bet it would command a very high bid on eBay. C'mon, let's brainstorm this.

RAIL DEBATE

MANY ADVANTAGES TO VANCOUVER RAIL SYSTEM

One of the reasons my husband and I decided to purchase property in Vancouver and plan to spend time there was the Vancouver light rail. We bought in downtown Vancouver and on our visits do not rent a car and really enjoy the advantages of the rail.

The disadvantages that Ray Cherrier lays out in his July 26 letter are small when one looks at the advantages. No parking? Only downtown is there no parking and that is where it is not needed.

So there is crime and extra security is needed. We have not encountered any crime, ever. Certainly there is much security demanded on our highways for drunk driving and speeding. As far as spending millions to install gates to take the money, why is that a problem? Every rail system has gates to sell tickets. Even if Vancouver decided to let people ride free, the advantages of taking that many automobiles off Vancouver's crowded streets would make it worth it.

The challenges of having light rail are small when compared with the many advantages.

I have spoken with many Canadians who live in downtown Vancouver and have yet to find one who does not consider Vancouver light rail one of the main reasons they live there.

WANT MASS TRANSIT? HOP ONTO A CITY BUS

To everyone wanting mass transit as soon as possible, try riding TheBus.

It's here, it's affordable, it can almost take you from your doorstep to your workplace without even using your car keys.

If all mass transit enthusiasts engage in this behavior now, perhaps we won't need all the studies about ridership and reduced traffic congestion.

The city could not only save money but generate income for TheBus as well. What a concept for our politicians to ponder.

HONOLULU COULD LEARN FROM MAINLAND CITIES

I was born and raised in Hawai'i and attend college on the Mainland.

I recently came home for a visit. I am amazed at how quickly the island has grown and changed in such a short time. There are so many new condo buildings in Ala Moana, and lots of new homes in 'Ewa. Driving around, it seems traffic has gotten much worse. Something has to be done about it. People need other ways to get around, especially in town.

On the Mainland, I don't own a car and I take public transit everywhere. Like many modern cities, Pittsburgh has a good system of buses and trains, and you don't need a car to get around. Honolulu can learn from other cities that have built successful transit systems.

I read in the papers about an effort to stop the rail project. This is unfortunate and regressive thinking.

With gasoline more than $4 a gallon, more people will want to leave their cars at home and start taking transit. Besides saving money, it's also better for the environment. People should realize how important good transportation infrastructure is for our future, and how we accommodate the growth and changes that will surely come.

Hopefully when I am back home in a few years, Honolulu will have started the rail project and taken the right direction.

CITY CHARTER SHOULD BE AMENDED FOR RAIL VOTE

I take issue with The Advertiser's conclusion in a July 20 editorial that "a city charter is the wrong vehicle for a rail initiative."

The wrong move would be to not give a charter amendment proper consideration for arguably the most expensive public works project in Honolulu's history.

Too much is riding on this controversial project for Honolulu officials to not consider amending the City Charter so the rail transit issue can be on the November ballot.

I applaud Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona for having the guts to raise the issue.

O'AHU IS NEARING ITS DEVELOPMENT LIMIT

A lot of people are missing the point regarding the rail debate. The perceived need for a rail system is a symptom of a bigger problem: the over-development of the 'Ewa district.

Building rail to take pressure off of the growing traffic problem will only encourage more development, resulting in an even bigger traffic problem down the road. The new housing projects that have started, or have been drawn up on plans, most likely have made the proposed rail system obsolete before it has even begun. It is not hard to imagine rail usage running at full capacity while the nearby H-1 continues to be gridlocked during rush hour.

Spending billions of taxpayer dollars on a proposed solution that will in time only nurture the underlying problem is a self-defeating exercise in futility.

If an outright ban on continued development is too much of a political hot potato, market forces could take care of the problem for free. If people cannot tolerate the commuting conditions, they may not choose to purchase the new homes being built and developers will stop looking at vacant land as being a potential source of personal wealth.

O'ahu is an island of limited size; therefore development must also have a limit. The current discussion over the rail issue is a very clear sign that the limit is nearing.

DECREASED REVENUE

DJOU IS SKEWING CITY BUDGET INFORMATION

I appreciated Peter Boylan's July 31 article describing efforts to address the budgetary impact of diminishing revenues and spiraling electricity and fuel costs. The article correctly pointed out that the economic downturn has affected states and municipalities across the nation, as well as the federal government.

I also appreciated both City Council Chairwoman Barbara Marshall and Council Budget Chairman Todd Apo acknowledging the Hannemann administration's methodical and deliberate efforts at addressing the changed fiscal environment.

However, I am seriously concerned that Councilmember Charles Djou continually skews figures by claiming the city's budget has grown to $2.7 billion.

As he well knows, the city has both an operating budget and a capital budget — which Djou combines to suit his agenda. The city's capital budget is largely financed with bonds, where costs are spread over 20 years.

As Djou knows, the capital budget had to increase because we needed to fix long-neglected sewer and road systems, including serious problems in the East O'ahu district he represents.

Smaller increases to the city's operating budget are mainly due to fixed costs, such as debt service and contractually mandated pay raises.

Where possible, the mayor has directed spending to address the public's demand for more and better basic services, such as police and fire protection and maintenance of park facilities.

Djou should be honest with the public, admit that paying for these basic services comes at a cost and stop spouting misleading information.

While he's quick to demand city services for his district, it should be noted he has never voted for a budget to fund those services.

INTERNET

HANNEMANN REACHING OUT TO YOUNG VOTERS

While I appreciated reading David Shapiro's column in Wednesday's Advertiser about local politicians' forays into the Internet world, I would like to point to our campaign's other efforts to reach out to young voters — efforts that I believe will translate into my friends and colleagues becoming more informed and more involved in the election.

At the Hannemann campaign, we've been tapping into another social networking site, Facebook, to engage and empower Hawai'i's young voters. The mayor has been friended by hundreds of young people on O'ahu — the vast majority of them college or high school students interested in learning more about the campaign

Our efforts have paid off: We've been able to recruit many young volunteers through online social networking, and our team of high school and college students continues to develop new ways to reach out to young voters, whether online or offline.

Our well-attended "Youth for Mufi" coffee hour last Monday was exclusively promoted on Facebook, and we plan to put on several more events throughout the rest of the summer to turn the online buzz into real-world participation.

The Internet has given politicians a new way to engage young people in the political process, and Mufi Hannemann stands out as a politician who has been successful in reaching out to and informing Hawai'i's young voters.

See it for yourself at www.votemufi.com.