TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS

PHOTO ENFORCEMENT IS NEEDED ON O'AHU ROADS

The Sept. 18 front-page story, "Scofflaws driving alone hogging H-1 HOV lane," is a sad commentary on the state of our state and the qualifications of our elected officials. After how many years and how many complaints, it still took the media to report what the rest of us already knew. The HOV lane is a failure.

Drivers who habitually break the law know they will not be stopped where there is no shoulder lane because, as the paper pointed out, there is no place to pull them over.

This is a perfect example of the need for some type of photo-enforcement program. It is used in various forms in many cities, states and foreign countries. However, the shabby and unethical way it was tried earlier here resulted in such an uproar that none of our politicians has the courage to bring it to the table again.

Our traffic code should be rewritten so that the registered owner of vehicles is responsible for violations committed by that vehicle regardless of who is driving.

We need traffic cameras so that citations can be mailed to the registered owner along with a photograph of the incident. Cameras could be used to catch red-light runners and crosswalk violators.

It is time our elected officials took a proactive stance.

HPD should be required to obey all traffic laws, in particular speed limits. By doing so, any vehicle passing an HPD vehicle (not on a run with lights/siren) would automatically be guilty of a speed violation.

GENERAL ELECTION

CANDIDATES MUST KEEP CAMPAIGNS POSITIVE

I was delighted to see the people have spoken. The mayoral race still remains a question mark, and thanks to the voters, we still have a voice to choose. Bravo!

In addition, I would request the candidates keep a positive aspect to their campaigns.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

HIGHER TAX ON OIL, GAS A WIN-WIN SITUATION

How can Hawai'i cut pollution and traffic congestion, ensure packed ridership on Mufi Hannemann's fixed rail, take the lead in alternative energy, and stop wasting billions on oil imports? Do what advanced economies around the world have done — raise consumption taxes on oil and gas.

High oil-tax countries like Japan and Germany are decades ahead of the U.S. in energy efficiency, are reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and lead the world in alternative energy technologies and utilization. These countries are not destroying their domestic economy by piling up debt to fund excessive oil imports.

To counter the burden of higher oil taxes, Hawai'i could lower other taxes by an equal amount. For example, a $2 per gallon state tax on oil/gasoline consumed by cars and electric power plants would pay for both a drastic reduction in wage taxes and elimination of the general excise tax on food.

To help ensure fairness, a majority of the wage tax breaks (credits where necessary) would go to lower-income working households and commercial vehicle drivers. This tax realignment (not increase) would reward workers with higher after-tax pay, drastically reduce traffic and trigger a boom in locally produced alternative energy, thereby creating thousands of new jobs — as solar, wind and bio-fuels achieve cost competitiveness and cut our dependence on imported oil.

For a brighter, greener future, let's get rid of high taxes on Hawai'i's labor force and food supply and tax oil instead.

TRANSIT

RAIL IS A BLACK HOLE WE WILL POUR TAXES INTO

We cannot afford rail. Without rail, my property tax (I live in an old neighborhood) went from $1,008 in 2004 (when Mufi Hannemann became mayor) to $1,548 in 2007, a 54 percent increase.

My bimonthly sewer charge went from $49.70 in 2004 to $88.94 in my July 2008 bill, a 79 percent increase. Mufi says the federal government will pay for part of rail, yet refuses to say that it will not necessitate increasing our property taxes. The federal government is projecting a huge deficit this year. The Federal Highway Fund is in trouble.

In five years, I will be retired and living on a fixed income. I do not need another black hole to pour my taxes into. Selfish? Perhaps, but I need to protect what little money I will have when I retire. The government will not hesitate to put a lien on my house should I have trouble paying these taxes.

Mufi cannot even commit to seeing this project through, because he cannot even commit to another full four-year term as mayor. Isn't there something wrong with this picture?

REX JOHNSON

HTA LEADER BEING PILLORIED FOR HIS LAPSES

Our feeding-frenzied media just won't give up. While I don't defend Rex Johnson's improper use of e-mail (which I suspect is far more rampant than believed), he is being pilloried unmercifully for these lapses.

Mr. Johnson has been punished for his crime, and the Hawai'i Tourism Authority felt that he was still an asset and so chose not to dismiss him.

To bring up these other issues at this time seems rather like a vendetta. Leave the poor man alone and let him do his job.

With tourism in trouble around here, an experienced manager at the helm of the HTA is more essential than ever.

ENVIRONMENT

CRITICISM OF MAYOR'S RECORD WAS OFF BASE

The Sierra Club, the folks who brought us the bottle tax, should get its facts straight. Randy Ching's Sept. 16 letter criticizing Mayor Mufi Hannemann's environmental record is off base.

When Mayor Hannemann took office, there was no curbside recycling program on O'ahu. Former Mayor Jeremy Harris' recycling program fell apart because he attempted to force its expansion despite a labor dispute and warnings about operational problems. Mayor Hannemann straightened out this mess, worked with the United Public Workers to address its members' concerns, and is expanding a recycling program islandwide.

Ching's claim that the city's energy consumption has "surged" was disingenuous. He neglected to mention that increased electricity use is due to the addition of important new facilities that protect public health and safety. These include a major sewage disinfection unit at the Sand Island Wastewater Treatment Plant, the new Honolulu Fire Department headquarters, and the East Honolulu Police Station. Still, Honolulu has the lowest carbon footprint of any city in the U.S.

Sewage spills have declined under Mayor Hannemann's administration. He dedicated more money to sewer work during three years than others did over 10 years, and is scheduled to appropriate $1.5 billion for the next six years.

Mayor Hannemann is working very hard to build a sustainable future for all of Honolulu. It's very troubling that a few self-styled "environmentalists" simply refuse to acknowledge any of his important achievements, though they do back the city's plans for rail transit.

VICE PRESIDENT

PALIN MORE QUALIFIED THAN MOST NOMINEES

Enough of this noise about Gov. Sarah Palin's qualifications to serve as vice president. She is more qualified than 26 of the last 30 vice presidential nominees.