LINGLE GIVING MIXED MESSAGE ON GASOLINE

Does Gov. Linda Lingle speak with forked tongue?

She says no to bumping the per-barrel tax on oil up a dollar because that would add 3 cents to the cost of a gallon of gas, which would hurt working folks because they spend a larger portion of their income than the well-off filling their tanks.

But she has already said yes to reimposing the double-taxation GET on the sale of gasoline, which now costs us about a dime more a gallon. Same tongue, two forks?

Victor Meyers | Kailua

OLD HAWAI'I

BRING BACK SWEET DAYS OF 1950S

All this news about bad recession times, furloughs and layoffs makes me wish for the Good Old Hawai'i in the 1950s. Bring back Duke Kahanamoku's surfing world; Don the Beachcomber; Trader Vic; Canlis and Coco's restaurants; ti-leaf-shirted hula girls; excitement of Lurline coming in at Aloha Tower; hearing Alfred Apaka, Genoa Keawe sing and Gabby Pahinui's slack-key guitar; plumeria and carnation lei, 50 cents each or three for a dollar; cone sushi for 5 cents, barbecue sticks for 10 cents, bowl of saimin for 15 cents, won ton mein 25 cents. The Old Hawai'i of 1950s, I do seek!

Franklin Kam | Waikiki

HIGH TECHNOLOGY

HAWAI'I DAMAGES TRUST WITH INVESTORS

Rep. Isaac Choy's commentary in the Monday Advertiser ("Scaled-back tax credits still allow sector to grow") is an obvious attempt at self-promotion that completely misses the damage that Senate Bill 199 caused. Certainly it is true that Hawai'i's high-tech tax credits remain generous. But once again Hawai'i has changed the rules of the game in the middle — and this is what deters investment.

Local high-net-worth individuals will find other, less productive ways to dodge state taxes (the total benefit to the state will be far less than Rep. Choy would like you to believe).

Act 221 was not perfect, but it was effective. It had only one more year to play out, which would have allowed a reasonable amount of time to carefully consider an improved version (there is no question that better reporting is required). Instead, as before, we have demonstrated to the rest of the country that Hawai'i is not a state that you can trust in the long run.

Will the high-tech industry survive? Sure, but this will certainly slow us down — not because of the money, because of the action.

Ken Berkun | President, Labels That Talk

TRAFFIC SAFETY

'ACCIDENT' CAUSERS SHOULD GET FINED

One of the worst hazards we have on O'ahu's roads is not the deplorable condition of the roadways, but the unacceptable driving habits of so many citizens.

Not a day goes by that, on my way home from work, I hear on the radio that such-and-such a road is blocked, or that there are delays on various freeways due to an accident. Frequently one side of a tunnel is closed because someone caused an accident. How on earth can an accident happen in a straight lane in a tunnel ?

Accidents do not happen, they are caused. Whether by inattention, or by deliberately cutting off another vehicle, those causing these "accidents" should be held responsible and heavily fined.

Perhaps a good starting point would be $1,000 for an incident causing traffic tie-ups, to $5,000 for causing serious bodily harm.

Bryan Geoffrey | Kane'ohe

TRUCK-BED RIDING

ANOTHER ACCIDENT, STILL NO CRACKDOWN

This past weekend, there was yet another death as a result of riding in a truck bed.

I have, for many years, wondered why it is not against the law to be riding in a truck bed — after all, trucks are not equipped with seat belts, so what would make the beds appropriate under the "Click It or Ticket" law?

So my question would be this: How many more accidents will it take before the "Click It or Ticket" law will apply to all vehicles (including police vehicles)?

Gail Simao | 'Aiea

SWINE FLU

STATE SHOULD LOOK INTO INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

It was very wise and thoughtful of your newspaper to remind us citizens of the ever-growing concerns over the H1N1 flu virus. Having been deeply involved with this illness, I still keep up with what is going on thanks to your reporting.

Hawai'i has ever-growing numbers of cases. Sadly, there have been deaths associated with this flu strain.

I was personally informed of an International Swine Flu Conference Aug. 19-20 in Washington, D.C. There are breakout sessions that cover political, educational, business and other areas. It would merit our state's investigation to determine whether our participation is worthwhile.

Charles Naumu | Principal, 'Anuenue School

STATE SHOULD BE TAKING PRECAUTIONS

As of July 17, there were more than 40,000 cases of swine flu reported in the United States, according to the CDC. Hawai'i has more than 1,000 reported cases or 2.5 percent of the swine flu cases in the U.S. The population of Hawai'i represents only 0.4 percent of the nation, which means we have a very disproportionate ratio of infected people compared to the rest of the nation.

Because we live in an isolated area with a high density of people on O'ahu, it is easy to see why and how the swine flu cases spread to so many people. While the swine flu has had limited mortality rates compared to regular flu, this may not always be the case as the flu mutates and gains resistance to the current drugs being used to combat it.

I certainly hope the state Department of Health is taking notice of the high rate of infection and is taking action to study ways to limit and combat its spread amongst the general population.

Jon Shimamoto | Mililani