FUNDING LOSS

HAWAI'I'S AIDS UNIT HAS SAVED MANY LIVES

I am deeply saddened to read that the valuable AIDS Clinical Trials Unit will lose funding and faces a shutdown. This unit is critical for caring for the HIV/AIDS community in the state.

I was involved with the clinical trials during the many years I lived in Hawai'i. Dr. Cecilia Shikuma, Kyle and the rest of her team saved my life. I was also involved in other aspects of the HIV/AIDS community, and personally saw clients coming back from death's door to live quality lives.

Do not close this clinic. Hawai'i needs it!

RICHARDS CONTROVERSY

RACIST WORD ALSO USED BY BLACK ENTERTAINERS

Michael Richards, aka Kramer from the "Seinfeld" show, has hired a media consultant to help his career after his tirade at the Laugh Factory. More appropriately, he needs a coroner for a career autopsy after being caught on tape.

Following in Mel Gibson's footsteps, both were "role-playing" and not really racist, according to their agents. I don't buy it.

But, Jesse Jackson now weighs in with his tried-and-true role as champion for the black community, saying use of the "n-word" is always wrong. Really?

Anyone catch any of Samuel L. Jackson's movies? In "Pulp Fiction," he calls Ving Rhames and John Travolta the "n-word" every sentence. Watch HBO? There's Kat Williams in the "Pimp Chronicles" using the "n-word" every syllable. On "Def Comedy Jam" every black standup comedian starts with the "n-word."

Bill Cosby never said it.

Eddie Murphy was too busy using the "f-word" to expand his vocabulary.

The Rev. Jackson should clean his own house before he condemns Kramer.

MEDICARE

DRUG COVERAGE PLAN HAS 2 MAJOR PROBLEMS

In his commentary on Nov. 29, Jonah Goldberg wrote about Medicare part D and described his truth about the program. He conveniently omitted two problems with this program that would have given us "The Truth."

First, Congress passed legislation that would not allow the government to collectively barter for lower prices for these drugs.

Second, there is the hole in our coverage of about $3,000, which we must pay after a certain amount of coverage has been used. Participants are beginning to understand Part D is not what they thought it was.

I would ask Mr. Goldberg if the program were allowed to barter, would the hole in coverage exist? Thus saving us that $3,000. The article states that $13 billion has been saved. Well, maybe it could have been $26 billion with the ability to barter.

When the Democrats fix the barter problem and the hole in coverage, just maybe the cynics whom Mr. Goldberg talks about will be quieted. What do you think?

VACATION RENTALS

NOTHING SENSIBLE AT ALL ABOUT KAILUA'S B&BS

We find nothing at all sensible in Angie Larson's commentary, "Kailua B&Bs provide sensible alternative" (Nov. 21).

It is hardly sensible to foul our residential community with nuisances stemming from illegal, short-term vacation rentals. It is hardly sensible to oversaturate community infrastructure and facilities with unplanned population increases. It is hardly sensible to invite increased crime that comes with transiency (one illegal rental on Mrs. Larson's street has been burglarized eight times).

Those looking for an alternative to a pleasant residential environment might find it easier to move to Waikiki rather than trying to move Waikiki to Kailua.

The majority of Kailua residents sensibly need no alternative to their desirable residential environment. They want to enjoy it and preserve it for the enjoyment of future residents.

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT

'EWA NEEDS ROAD TO FARRINGTON HIGHWAY

I would like to see a road from Farrington Highway to Renton Road. The current road built inside 'Ewa only bottles up traffic. We need to look at building a road to Farrington Highway. The amount of fuel being used by the thousands of motorists who sit in traffic should be a concern to our governor and mayor.

How can we save energy with this problem? And what happened to the money allocated for this road?

FIXED GUIDEWAY IS ANSWER TO TRAFFIC WOES

Did anyone notice? Damage to a pedestrian bridge over the H-1 Freeway in 'Aiea caused an islandwide repercussion: "Black Tuesday." People were stuck on the freeway for hours, diverted traffic slogged along the Windward side and North Shore, hotels were packed and students were backlogged with homework for the next week or more.

The Pali Highway closure due to a major landslide delayed traffic a bit that day.

There's no doubt that a fixed guideway from Downtown to the Leeward side is a necessary element of our transportation network. More buses will just be stuck in the same gridlock. More highways mean more cars on the road, more pollution and more noise. And when there's a major issue on the highway, it just means more stuck cars. We need a true alternative, and a fixed-guideway system can provide that.

HONOLULU NEEDS RAIL, IT'S TIME TO GET GOING

As a longtime resident of Ho-nolulu who has watched the exponential growth of cars on O'ahu, I do not now understand how some people feel the need to continue to pick away at the vitally needed rail transit project.

Enough is enough! Let's get on with this important project and stick to the proposed schedule.

We don't seem to be able to limit the number of cars on our roads, nor will we ever be able to build enough highways to accommodate them. Thus, we need a viable non-auto alternative for our citizens to choose from when O'ahu goes into total gridlock 10 years from now (or sooner). And, who really wants more fossil fuel-burning cars on O'ahu anyway?

Honolulu needs the original rail transit system proposed by the mayor, not a shortened one.

Yes, it will cost the taxpayers a lot, but if we don't do it now, our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will have to pay far more for it, and will wonder why we stuck them with such a mess.

The City Council must not downsize or delay this important project.

CITIZENS SHOULD NOT BE TAXED BEFORE RAIL BUILT

Thank God for Charles Djou. We need more legislators to step up and call this rail project just what it is — a reward to the unions for keeping the Demo-crats in power.

As a small-business owner, the proposed tax increase will cost me about 5 percent of my income, taking food off my family's table for a rail system that will benefit no one but the unions that build and operate it.

It's also good to see former Gov. Ben Cayetano putting partisan politics aside to try to help our citizens from being taxed before they even know if we are building this thing.

What will happen to all those taxes they plan to collect if the rail doesn't go through?

28-MILE RAIL ROUTE MAKES THE MOST SENSE

I wish more City Council members had come to Kapolei last week to hear our concerns about traffic and our support for rail. While we welcome all transportation projects that will improve congestion in 'Ewa, of the four alternatives proposed by the city, the only one that makes sense in the long term is rail transit.

Two-lane elevated toll roads are not the answer because it just puts more cars on the road. When you exit the toll road, you'll find yourself stuck in traffic trying to get to your destination. And at $8 each way, Leeward residents would be penalized because they are the likeliest to use these roads. In fairness, if we charge tolls for West O'ahu residents, shouldn't we start charging tolls for Windward residents to use the Pali, Likelike and H-3? And for Honolulu residents who use Kalaniana'ole Highway, Moanalua Freeway and H-1?

The best solution is a full 28-mile route that links Kapolei to Downtown Honolulu and the University of Hawai'i-Manoa.

WINDWARD FOLK SHOULD CONSIDER SEPARATE CITY

With a costly rail system infrastructure on the horizon, residents of Windward O'ahu (including Hawai'i Kai) should consider the feasibility of creating their own municipality. Special needs of these communities have often taken a backseat to the demands of more densely populated areas.

Police, fire protection, refuse collection, transportation and administrative services would have to be assumed and financially supported by locally collected taxes. I think the Windward people, being more fiscally conservative, would be up to the task.

VETERANS

GUARD, RESERVISTS SHOULD KEEP BENEFITS

I'm hoping to make the public aware of a travesty that is being done to National Guard and Reserve veterans who've returned home from either Iraq or Afghanistan.

In a time when more and more National Guard and Reserve troops are being activated, their entitlement to benefits, notably education, falters in comparison to their active-duty counterparts. These guardsmen and reservists undertake the same risks and sacrifice as their active-duty counterparts, yet are treated like second-class citizens when it comes to education benefits.

An active-duty soldier has up to 10 years after leaving the service to utilize the Montgomery GI Bill, while guardsmen and reservists lose any entitlement to benefits upon leaving the service.

Hawai'i soldiers were activated for 18 months and cannot claim educational assistance for those lost months. How can the National Guard tout educational assistance as a benefit when attempts at secondary education are susceptible to interruption by deployment with no possibility of recouping lost months? Why shouldn't guardsmen and reservists be able to take their benefits with them after service?