GASOLINE COSTS

TO TAKE CONTROL OF OIL PRICES, CUT DEMAND

I just read that the oil cartels of the Middle East are planning to cut oil production if the price of oil doesn't go up. They want it between $70 to $90 per barrel.

We want it as low as possible. How to do it? Drive less.

That is what drivers on the Mainland are doing, and by doing that we are hurting the Middle East's ambitions to get the prices higher. We can fight back!

This is how we can win overall: Carpool, take TheBus, ride a bike and if you drive on all hills you come down to even residential roads, put your vehicle in neutral. By just doing that I have improved my mileage from 18 mpg to 21 mpg. Try it — you have nothing to lose but a bigger gas bill, and you will give yourselves your own "stimulus package" monthly Hawaiian-style.

EXPLANATION NEEDED ON PRICING AT PUMPS

According to the Web site Hawaiigasprices.com, Costco in Kailua-Kona is selling gas for a dollar a gallon less than on Maui.

Costco gas is shipped to Hilo and trucked to Kona. Costco brings in gas to Kaua'i via 11,000-gallon fuel cells shipped by Young Brothers, the least-efficient way to transport gas and yet it is 50 cents a gallon lower there than on Maui. Costco on O'ahu is as much as 80 cents lower than some retail stations.

Costco gets gas from Aloha Petroleum, who gets gas from Chevron. Come on, governor, how much transparency do you need? Look at the military gas prices.

NOISE

Coqui frogs targeted; why not roosters?

The recent media blitz focusing attention on the loud coqui frogs (70 decibels) "rivaling the sound of a lawnmower or chainsaw" in Kailua provided me with a moment of pure jealousy.

Why frogs and not roosters, I pondered? Measured by decibels, the crow of a rooster (85 decibels) is somewhere between freeway traffic and the roar of a diesel freight train running at high speed.

The eight roosters outside my bedroom window are more like the speeding freight train, except that they don't go anywhere. It is not so much the pitch or loudness of a sound that makes it unbearable, it's the repetitive nature, the distraction it causes and the lack of control over it.

It's illegal to kill roosters in Honolulu, (not that I would, I'm just saying) and there is very little enforcement by the city or state regarding the crowing roosters in Kalihi.

Yet, they are going after those poor little noisy frogs with a vendetta. I would like to trade the roosters in Kalihi with the frogs in Kailua, please.

PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA

ANTI-GUN POSITION SHOULD NOT BE SURPRISE

Regarding The Advertiser's Nov. 8 Page A3 headline, "Panic buying seen at gun shops."

Only hours after Barack Obama was declared president-elect, his Web site, change.gov, outlined his agenda on firearms.

He plans a permanent Brady Bill ban, replacing the previously sunset ban on military look-a-like semi-auto firearms and magazines, and three other restrictions on private firearms ownership directly drawn from the Brady Campaign Against Gun Violence wish list.

His anti-gun attitude is not a surprise to anyone other than those who believed his campaign rhetoric alleging support for their Second Amendment rights. Both he and Vice President-elect Joe Biden have a long history of votes against those rights.

NRA and the Hawaii Rifle Association advised their members of this voting history and predicted their immediate agenda.

Increased sales of threatened firearms no more represents "panic" buying than does stocking up on batteries, etc., when a hurricane threatens.

MOTORCYCLE SAFETY

LEGISLATION AND REAL ENFORCEMENT NEEDED

Having survived a 55 mph broadside motorcycle collision with an automobile in my youth, I highly concur with the recommendations of Dr. Daniel Smith (Letter, Nov. 7) regarding helmets. Had it not been for the protective clothing and helmet (which shattered) I would not be here today.

I encourage every rider or potential rider to take a motorcycle safety course, to dress appropriately, to drive courteously and defensively, and to obey existing laws to reduce the risk of potential injury on our public roads. This is especially true in light of the increased traffic and more people seeking relief from higher fuel prices by purchasing motorcycles or mopeds.

Yes, you weekend cruisers or daily commuters may think that you look cool or confident, but in reality you are an accident waiting to happen and exhibit a lack of brains (perhaps literally one day).

How will your family and friends feel at your loss? What about the medical and funeral expenses, the higher insurance premiums, the unnecessary use of taxes for emergency services or repairs to property as the result of your "freedom" to jeopardize all of our lives?

Immediate legislation and real enforcement is required to protect personal and public safety. Until then, don't be a statistic. Happy riding!

RAIL

AIRPORT LINK IS NOT A PRIORITY FOR RESIDENTS

I was upset to read that the City Council is considering changing the proposed rail route to bypass the Salt Lake community for a stop at the airport.

The rail is supposed to help improve quality of life for our local residents. Bypassing Salt Lake for an airport destination sounds suspiciously like catering to tourists.

The people who need rail and who will ride rail are in Salt Lake.

Building a line to the airport is not a priority for our hard-working people who are tired of being trapped in traffic, whether in a car or a bus.

Councilman Charles Djou says we should "make sure we do this and do it right." Doing the right thing means staying with the route that was worked out by the City Council. This is a political bait-and-switch, and I'm very unhappy with Councilman Djou.