Letters to the Editor | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Letter: Empty homes tax solves for supply and demand

None — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

The cost of housing is a function of supply and demand. Demand from investors and nonresidents has driven up the price of residential real estate so that most Hawaii residents cannot afford to buy a home. Rental costs have also increased.

Letter: Biden pardon was right choice in light of Trump

None — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Just a word of support for President Biden and his decision to pardon his son. I don’t believe he lied when he said he wouldn’t. When it became apparent who the next president would be, he had a choice to make: Save Hunter or leave his fate to the next man who shows no compunction to do cruel and illegal things.

Letter: Proposed tax is blatant government overreach

None — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

I disagree with your editorial in support of the empty homes tax (“It is time to pass ‘empty homes tax,’” Star-Advertiser, Our View, Dec. 2). I am a widower living in a four-bedroom home. While I have children living on Oahu, none presently live with me. My fear is that the City Council will move on to an underutilized homes tax.

Letter: Marines’ missile system a shot in wrong direction

None — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Regarding your Tuesday article on the Marine Corps NMESIS with the 3rd Littoral Combat Team: Shibai is what will happen to the Marines sitting out on some island with their naval strike missile (“Isle Marines first to get ‘ship-killing’ missile launcher,” Star- Advertiser, Dec. 3). The Chinese will neutralize them in a heartbeat with their long-range missiles.

Letter: Isle motorcycle clubs roll out the holiday joy

None — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Christmas is a-comin’ and how do I know? One-thousand-one motorcycles passed below my apartment on the first Sunday of December. The riders were in sharp formation and for sure had spent the previous day polishing their bikes and wrapping a Christmas gift or two for some child to enhance his and her holiday.

Letter: Legalizing marijuana would leave state stoned

None — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

A cottage industry for marijuana establishes Hawaii as a gateway drug locale like Amsterdam. When California legalized marijuana, a host of issues arose, including organized crime profiteering and shored tax payments. And using schools as a perimeter zone for county legal sales is shameful. THC in the bloodstream has scientific basis, establishes evidence for the impaired driver to determine if marijuana was being used in the vehicle also.

Letter: Proper safety gear a must for all offshore activities

None — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

The recent rescues of kayakers off Oahu shores, including a Kamehameha student, need to be a wake-up call to the increasing number of kayakers, windsurfers, kiteboarders and others who have had gear failure or exhaustion.

Letter: Fentanyl in spotlight as both scourge and savior

None — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

While the drug fentanyl has become the scourge of our country, we should be reminded that hospitals across the U.S. make frequent and legitimate use of this medication.

Letter: Myeni case reveals HPD officer shortcomings

None — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

The video released of the Honolulu Police Department officers contacting Lindani Myeni shows the officers did not announce themselves before pointing their guns at him, shining flashlights and demanding that he get down on the ground.

Letter: Simple bridge preferable to Ala Wai monstrosity

None — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Thank you to reporter Andrew Gomes for his article about the “world class” $17.8 million pedestrian bridge in Kakaako. He kindly provided a mental link between that bridge and the proposed $63.3 million pedestrian bridge over the Ala Wai Canal, described earlier by reporter Ian Bauer.

Letter: Remote village could solve homeless problem

None — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

There is no question that homelessness is a complex topic. It needs a layered solution. Try this: Clear unused land off H-2; add tents, port-a-potties and utilities; put up tents; and bus our homeless there. It will be far enough that they rely on buses to get back into town.

Letter: Two all-American staples show shades of socialism

None — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Recent letters on socialism have been very interesting. I’m not necessarily advocating socialism, but we all need to build our views on facts.

Letter: A better alternative to the empty-homes tax

None — Wed, 04 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

In the discussion over the empty-homes tax, I’ve seen very little coverage on how it would be enforced. Given the city’s record on enforcing illegal vacation rentals, I can’t imagine it will be effective or efficient.

Letter: International visitors met with poor airport layout

None — Wed, 04 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

Your front-page article regarding expediting Japanese travel misses a major issue: Honolulu’s awkward shuttle ride from the plane to customs and dismal luggage facilities. Having made recent trips to the Philippines, Korea and Japan, my personal observation is that Honolulu Customs is now often fast and efficient, providing me no personal incentive to use Global Entry.

Letter: Government grift likely cause of bloated rail fail

None — Wed, 04 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

It was encouraging to read Kaitlyn Duropan’s article, “Rail’s failures overburden residents” (Star-Advertiser, Raise Your Hand, Dec. 1). For a high school sophomore, she is remarkably cogent and insightful. She laid out how the rail system is unwanted and unsustainable due to costs.

Letter: Renewable energy key to island independence

None — Wed, 04 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

When I see solar panels, I think energy independence.

Letter: Salvation Army service was one to remember

None — Wed, 04 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

I just wanted to extend my deepest appreciation for the Salvation Army’s 52nd annual Thanksgiving dinner. In addition to the amazing food and exceptional entertainment, the ambiance was magical — there was so much love in the air it brought many of us to tears.

Letter: Solve divisive problems by seeing common good

None — Wed, 04 Dec 2024 10:05:00 +0000

The Star-Advertiser has thoughtfully published many commentaries about the post-election, which describe a divided America. From the hostile relationship between our two major political parties, to the Trump followers who seem to operate from a completely different value structure, to citizens fostering political and religious polarity. From the war between Palestine and Israel to the war between Ukraine and Russia, the world is also divided.

Letter: DHHL put cart before horse with new project