HONOLULU NOT AS CONDUCIVE AS OTHERS

I'm tired of reading about the rail systems of other cities. This is not Phoenix, Charlotte, Salt Lake or Puerto Rico; it's Honolulu. Their light rail systems were built when the economy was good. We're building our expensive elevated rail system now, when the economy is in a bad recession and getting worse. Why not show the rails that are not working?

Is the cost of living in those other cities as high as Honolulu? Our taxes are already high and the rail tax will increase (them) even more. The rail will transport many Honoluluans to the poor house, mark my word.

Our bus company is the best in the nation and services the entire island, yet it's not used by most of the resident population. Here, the car is a major part of our independent lifestyle and most households have at least two vehicles or more. If they don't use the bus, I don't think they'll use the rail. The politicians who voted for it sure won't.

Finally, are these other cities as beautiful as Honolulu? I wonder how many tourist photographs will be ruined by this elevated ugliness in paradise? Soon, they'll go elsewhere to find beauty.

MAUI HUMANE SOCIETY

PRESIDENT REFLECTS DEEPER ISSUES

The recent statement of Anthony Levoy, board president of the Maui Humane Society, is reprehensible and unbelievably ignorant. Levoy attributes the challenges to MHS' female CEO to former board members who "wouldn't put aside their personality conflicts." He explains that "these things will happen when you have females judging females." With the attitude reflected by its board president, it is no wonder that MHS is in trouble.

A turnover of 80 percent in a fiscal year is certainly cause for alarm and, frankly, dismal. In my experience, situations like this can often be traced directly to the leadership of the organization. It is a board member's duty to ask questions about operations and morale in the face of such obvious chaos. To suggest that women are incapable of making independent, objective decisions when another woman might be the cause of the problem is simply insulting and extremely offensive.

It sounds like the Maui Humane Society has deeper problems than the obvious ones. Anthony Levoy should resign.

STATE EMPLOYEES

LINGLE'S TARGETING DOESN'T MAKE SENSE

Hawai'i has often been criticized for having a bloated state government, grown all out of proportion to the size of our state. But consider for a moment that the state and the four counties are basically the last stable employers left in town right now. Shouldn't we be trying to maintain this functioning workforce, with its operating economy, instead of eroding it by putting hundreds, perhaps thousands, of these people out of work?

As a state employee and taxpayer, I can't understand why the governor would target a few thousand people — to cut their pay, to raise medical premiums, etc., to try to balance the budget.

She says she's helping the taxpayers, but she's only focusing on one group of people — the state workers (who are also taxpayers).

I believe if the general excise tax was raised, this would be a fairer distribution of everyone taking their part to help with balancing the budget instead of making a few thousand people carry that burden.

CLEAN ELECTIONS

WHAT BETTER TIME TO IMPLEMENT BILL?

I'm writing because I feel that our legislators are trying to pull the wool over our eyes. The money to run clean elections is available already and by law cannot be used for anything else.

They are telling us that because of our economic situation that now would be a bad time to implement the bill that many of them signed in the first place. What better time than now? These same politics are what got us all in this mess in the first place.

The real reason that they want to delay the bill is possibly because they are connected to special interest groups. Maybe they are afraid they will lose their positions if the public is more fairly represented.

Whatever the reason, I for one say no way, no delay.

GENERAL MOTORS

OBAMA ACTION ON CEO IS SCARY STUFF

Is it just me or is something odd about President Obama firing the CEO of General Motors? The press doesn't seem to mind. The president firing a private citizen should make everybody shake in their boots.

Funny thing about this is when President Bush fired his lawyers, the press, including this paper, raised Cain. The press said he didn't have the right to do it without Congress' approval, in spite of the fact that he was in the right to do it.

The attorneys worked at the "president's pleasure." Private citizens (CEOs) work for the stockholders. This is quite a precedent, scary stuff.

ALOHA STADIUM

FIRST-CLASS PARKING LOT SHOULD BE PRIORITY

One of the most important things to consider when rebuilding Aloha Stadium is parking spaces. At present parking spaces look like an old countryside parking lot.

Grounds around the stadium should be leveled and a second deck installed. Entrance into the stadium could also proceed from the second deck.

If the first deck can hold 8,000 cars the second deck could also hold 8,000 cars. The number of cars would double per game. The revenue generated could be used as maintenance and upkeep of the stadium.

A first-class stadium should have a first-class parking lot. Perhaps the Pro Bowl would approve. Best of all, the fans won't have to park all over the creation.