Letters to the Editor
Who really are the racist ones in America?
I love the way that our most recent former president and Oprah Winfrey and so many other filthy rich celebrities complain about how racist America is. Barack Obama was elected by massive numbers of white people, only to criticize them for being racists shortly after he was elected, and the entire time he was in office. Winfrey is filthy rich, thanks to a majority of white women, but still has no problem telling America how racist we are. Who buys Beyonce’s music?
These are just three of many examples of the stories we are told and so many people actually believe, regardless of what they can see with their own eyes. What a shame. Who is really racist?
Facts matter.
Valerie Sisneros
Haiku
*****
Council’s ban on foam containers shortsighted
Auwe, Maui County Council.
I heard you pushed through the ban on all foam containers products and did not even care about costs to residents or businesses. You believe that the cost for the other kind, more expensive compostable containers is a pass-through cost to people like me, so no worries.
Plus, I hear no one talked about how schools and the county’s senior programs like Meals on Wheels are going to deal with this.
Ezra K. Ka, Owner
Mill Yard Hamburger Steak House
Wailuku
*****
Roundabouts would ease West Maui traffic woes
Although there may be no quick solution to traffic woes, there may be an easy solution. It’s time for the Launiupoko traffic signal to be replaced with a roundabout.
After reading the May 14 Maui News pali traffic article and a May 16 Viewpoint, it’s my opinion that the solutions presented in both articles will not significantly improve the horrendous West Maui traffic woes.
Increasing bus services, offering bike sharing, adding a ferry service and building a $1 billion bypass road are all good brainstorming ideas, but I believe the most practical solution is converting existing traffic signals to roundabouts. Roundabouts would save the state Department of Transportation a significant amount of money and it was not even mentioned as a possible solution from the director of the state DOT.
I support collaborative approaches to tackling traffic congestion as long as they make sense for our local taxpayers and daily commuters.
Alex Haller
Haiku
*****
State DOT director out of touch with reality
The state Department of Transportation director’s Viewpoint (The Maui News, May 16) shows how far out of touch he is with reality. While I agree that there is no quick and easy fix to the traffic problem getting back and forth to Lahaina, I find some of his proposals absolutely ludicrous.
First, let’s seriously consider the proposed ferry service. Do he and others that have proposed this idea really believe people will line up to pay money to take a trip that will last longer than driving the pali (short of a fatal accident closing the road)? That’s crazier than the idea of the light rail proposed in Honolulu.
Next is the idea of widening Kahekili Highway. Evidently he’s never been on this road to experience the sheer cliffs it weaves along. Though I’m not an engineer, I expect this idea would be less safe, more burdensome on the environment and at least as expensive as tunneling through Iao Valley.
I’m also confused as to what role smart land use would play. Additional development is going to cause additional traffic across that vital lifeline. Is he perhaps suggesting we quit developing on the west side?
Having lived in Honolulu for two years and spending hours basically parked in six lanes of traffic on the H-1, I find the pali highway a pleasure to drive.
Larry Quimby
Lahaina
*****
Bureaucrats will never solve traffic congestion
Excuses on top of more excuses for incompetent, small-thinking bureaucrats that can’t formulate a plan to stop the flooding on South Kihei Road that they have worked on for 10 years. How could we expect these same people could ever formulate a plan for the traffic congestion to and from Lahaina?
What is even more amazing to me is all the letter writers who want more of their affairs being handed to people who have no vested interest in their well-being other than getting re-elected to public office or remaining in a job they are not competent in doing.
The solution to eliminating the traffic problem is simple. Let private enterprise build the road. How? Build the new road as a toll road. Issue municipal bonds to fund the project to be repaid by the tolls collected. Most states have gone to this solution to get new roads built. I’ll bet the cost to build the road will be half of what the mayor is telling us.
Let’s get the bureaucracy out of our lives and let’s make the decision only we can make that allows us to make our lives better.
Why people want more of the same is a mystery to me. After all, if you’re not smart enough to make your own decisions, how can you possibly be smart enough to elect somebody that can?
Fred Pieracci
Kihei