Governor to Workforce: Tell Your Kids to go Play in the Street
Dear Editor, November 26, 2013
In response to Mr Lock's article "Now is the Best Time to Build more Affordable Housing in Kaka’ako", the Governor and the Hawaii Community Development Association have no intention of providing sufficient affordable housing or adequate public infrastructure for the majority of the workforce in Kaka’ako.
For example, “Workforce Housing” at 801 South St. requires a minimum yearly income of $86,000 to qualify, yet 75% of Hawai’i households make less than $75,000 per year. The Workforce-eligible buyer can flip the unit after only one year, setting up ripe opportunity for investment buyers to escalate prices.
The politically appointed HCDA sets rules allowing developers to use variances that DOUBLE Hawai’i maximum density rules, provide severely inadequate recreation areas for families by including the lobby and grassy areas along the driveway and Kapiolani and South Street to be defined within recreation space, and exempting the builder from green building, parking access, building placement, parking structure, and Kapiolani frontage standards.
The message is clear to me, let upper class "Workforce Keiki " play on Kapiolani Blvd. or South St. approved by the Governor and HCDA. This attitude seems to be the prevalent design philosophy for Kaka’ako development also.
George Outlaw
Kaka’ako, Oahu
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Christians Must Vote
Dear Editor, November 15, 2013
Religious leaders should not have been saying, “It doesn’t matter who wins the election because everything is in God’s hands.” Instead, as faithful stewards of all that God has given us, we are duty bound by faith to put people of God into elective office to lead Man’s world toward Heaven.
It does matter to God whom you put into office when using your God given free will. Churches have let God down by letting such an anti-Christian element influence government so much.
Decades of churches keeping themselves above election politics has backfired. They now face an ever increasingly nonbelieving government that overwhelmingly voted for same sex marriage and even denied the people the right to vote despite the vast majority of public testimonies against same sex marriage.
Yes, as Christians, we are citizens of Heaven but we have a dual citizenship that requires voting as Christians in this world (Hawaii is just about last place in U.S. voter turnout which is what the Enemy wants).
Actually, marriage is not specifically defined in the Bible, the real problem is that a judge or Supreme Court could strike down any protection churches and believers have if the other side has enough influence.
With eyes toward Heaven, we missed what was right in front of us.
Leighton Loo
Honolulu, Oahu
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Listen closely and you will hear it: “Remember November, Remember November.”
Dear Editor, November 13, 2013
The message was received loud and clear from Governor Abercrombie to pass Senate Bill 1 at any cost.
It didn’t matter the people of Hawaii were mislead by our State Elections Office in the 1998 Constitutional Amendment vote by their interpretation that a yes vote was preserving marriage between 1 man and 1 women ONLY.
It didn’t matter our current legislators voted to establish a Task Force to examine how same sex marriage would impact Hawaii AND they voted against a Special Session. Both unilaterally canceled by Gov. Abercrombie. Instead the Governor called the Special Session that ended up costing the taxpayers $72,000.
It didn’t matter outer islander’s thoughts and ideas were not heard.
Gov. Abercrombie, the means don’t justify the end. In fact it is you that can take full credit for dividing our people and fueling distrust of our government second to The Overthrow. Once again lead by someone of my skin color. For that I apologize to the Hawaiian People.
I’ve learned a big lesson from this. Don’t just vote the “party ticket”, vote for the person. Somehow I don’t believe Duke Aiona would of turned a blind eye or deaf ear to the cries of the people.
Now we are expected to move forward and go along with this national trend. It is what it is. Oh wait, I think I hear something in the not too far distance. A steady haunting chant. Listen closely and you will hear it, “Remember November, Remember November.”
C. Moore
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
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Hawaii Health Connector stories -- thank you!!
Dear Editor, November 6, 2013
Just a big Mahalo for your coverage of this issue. Not sure why, but the mainstream media is not hitting it very hard.
It's been an unbelievable mess since October 1st. I have been struggling to get my family signed up from the beginning and have encountered one problem after another. Finally got our benefits application submitted (on paper) and reviewed. Now trying to create a new user account on the Hawaii Connector site, but the application has not been working for me for three days. They acknowledged the problem today -- they cannot accept new users until further notice. Support person said they will call my phone when it is fixed, and I can keep trying. (Support phone is pretty good. Easy to access a real person, and they are friendly and seem quite competent, under the circumstances.)
Sorry for the rant. I'm a retired IT analyst and I know a bit about how these systems work from the other side. So it's really frustrating. But just wanted to express appreciation for your work!
Stan Froseth
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
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Marriage: Family Beat Herd Long Ago
Dear Editor: November 3, 2013
Not the punch It once Had, but maybe stronger.
Richard Borreca proclaimed marriage supporters don't pack the same punch they once had. But he forgets not-the-same can also mean more than they ever had.
I don't deny the Political Might of those seeking to wrap themselves in the aura of a Union all the World's True Religions and Great Philosophies defined, made sacred and proved valuable* to humanity centuries before humans invented secular government who borrows it today.
[*Our branch of humanity organized itself around the family unit — a permanent bond dedicated to conceiving and raising children. The other branch — Neanderthals — stayed with the Alpha-led herd model. We are here. They went extinct.]
But Might, when Wrong, can fall to Right. And claiming a hubris-soaked government panel has a right to scribble over the definition of Marriage is Wrong. Borrowers have no right to damage a thing they borrow. Do they?
And none can deny secular government borrowed Marriage from the World's True Religions and Great Philosophies, because they defined it centuries before humans invented Government to borrow it.
So, as its borrower, secular government has no more right to scribble over Marriage's definition than I have to scribble over passages of a borrowed Koran, just because I feel wise enough to write it better.
Unless of course you believe Might makes Right. I pray not.
Sincerely,
George Berish
Honolulu, Oahu