CRIME

3-STRIKES PROPOSAL DOESN'T MAKE SENSE

Call me crazy, but if a person commits a crime, regardless of it being violent or not, doesn't this three-strikes proposal suggest that it's OK to commit a crime once because the offender would have two more chances before he is incarcerated indefinitely?

We are raised to believe that committing a crime, period, is bad and should not be condoned.

This idea of three strikes does not work, for anyone. Must the public be exposed to offenders who are out on strike two? Doesn't this breach any safety measures? Must people in the community be vulnerable to an offender who's about to commit strike three?

OFFENSIVE

KEEP UP GOOD WORK AGAINST THOSE UGLY ADS

Many thanks to those who helped get the ugly ads in the airport parking structure removed.

As a resident of Kailua for more than 30 years, I appreciate the efforts of The Advertiser editorial staff, Town Outdoor Circle and Lani-Kailua Outdoor Circle in keeping our environment clean, green and beautiful.

The mobile advertising, the billboards, the aerial advertising, the ugly sandwich boards that litter the sidewalks — all are so offensive and out of control on the Mainland.

Keep up the good work in Hawai'i to prevent the same thing from happening here.

AIRPORT

BUSES DON'T ACCEPT OVERSIZED BAGGAGE

Michael Chandler's complaint (Letters, Feb. 1) that TheBus doesn't allow baggage on board is one we hear periodically from people who fail to check the rules before attempting to ride.

TheBus is a municipal bus system geared toward continuous on-and-off passenger turnover. TheBus has never allowed objects larger than what can fit on the passenger's lap or under the seat.

We do not have specially designated buses for "airport" service. The routes that serve the airport are regular routes with standard regular transit buses designed for commuters — workers, primarily in the case of the airport. These routes continue on to other destinations.

There are commercial "airporter" services available that do have specially designed vehicles that accommodate travelers and their baggage. We are prohibited by law from competing directly with private firms.

A quick check of thebus.org Web site or a call to our TheBus Customer Service line at 848-4500 would have saved Mr. Chandler the inconvenience he experienced. Our Web site includes this link: ground transportation from Honolulu Airport and information on the state Airports Division Web site.

DISTRACTIONS

BILLBOARD TRUCKS MUST BE STOPPED

Attention, lawmakers: Hawai'i's drivers need the freedom to focus their attention on driving without the distraction of billboard trucks with their ever-changing enticements.

If traffic issues are a concern of yours, please do not allow these purposely attractive nuisances to add to the traffic situation here.

ENERGY BOON

SOLAR POWER PLANT STORY WAS UNDERPLAYED

It was a small article somewhat buried on the bottom of page A3 of your Feb. 13 issue, and nowhere to be found on your Web site. But the article titled "Solar power plant going up" was one of the most important news items of the day.

An energy company in Nevada actually broke ground on a solar photovoltaic electric power plant that will power 40,000 homes. It will be ready to operate one year from now. What will we be using to generate our electricity one year from now?

Our electric rates are more than double those of Nevada. Our state alternative-energy goals are lower than the oil state of Texas, while multimillions of our dollars go out of state for oil. Our O'ahu electric company is proposing a new oil-fired power plant. Homeowners' tax credits for solar electric systems are $1,750 in Hawai'i, but up to $10,000 in California. New local military housing will be powered by photovoltaics.

Maybe your small article should have been the front-page headline.

MANOA

USE HUMANE METHOD TO DEAL WITH FERAL PIGS

Irresponsible statements by Rep. Kirk Caldwell that pigs may have caused the devastation of the Halloween Flood in 2004 have no basis in fact — and his description that the back of Manoa Valley smells like a pig sty leads me to believe that he has never visited a pig farm.

Pigs have long been demonized by vocal environmentalists; if their plan is to extirpate feral pigs, why not pursue a humane method? Rather than paying a bounty on their corpses, we suggest that the state use the money to fund research to control reproduction.

This methodology has been used successfully with elephants, wild horses and white-tailed deer. Immuno-contraception could control goat, sheep and other animal populations that have been introduced as hunting targets in the past and that are considered dangerous by some to the Hawaiian environment.

Compassion for sentient beings is more important than preserving the forest because without an ability to empathize with others, especially when we have other, nonlethal options, we will be condemned by future generations for cruelty, myopia and single-mindedness.

ASSESSMENT CAP

PROPERTY TAX RELIEF SHOULD BE ON BALLOT

I was disappointed that the Honolulu Charter Commission recently rejected a proposal that would have given voters the power to make property tax relief a reality.

Property owners on O'ahu missed a perfect opportunity to set a cap of assessed property values at 2004 levels. I have no doubt that the amendment to the City Charter would have passed had it been added to the November ballot.

This was probably our only chance to reduce our ridiculously inflated city property tax assessments. There is still time before the November election. Let's give residents suffering under double-digit property tax increases the chance to be heard.

MATSUDA RIGHT

MANY WOULD BENEFIT FROM UARC AT UH

Considering the obvious benefits to all that flow by locating a University Affiliated Research Center at UH, there exists a confounding mystery for many as to why it has become so controversial. After a careful reading of Fujio Matsuda's Focus piece in the Feb. 12 paper, the mystery grows. Dr. Matsuda incisively explains the "cons" as argued by some as well as the "pros." The "cons" seem manageable, and the "pros" speak for themselves.

It will be said that after a career in the Navy, I do not qualify as an unbiased observer. I heartily endorse the UARC not because of my background, but because of unquestionable benefit to individuals, the university, Hawai'i, the military and the nation. If it works for many of our prestigious universities, why not for the University of Hawai'i? We all lose if reflex negativism to concepts involving the military deny us this windfall.

Dr. Matsuda has performed a public service by providing sharp focus on the opportunities inherent in the proposed UARC.

TOUGHER LAW

KCC STUDENTS IGNORE NO-SMOKING WARNING

At Kapi'olani Community College in the Ilima Building, I notice that there are warning signs that clearly state no smoking within the building or at least 20 feet away from the building. However, most student smokers don't follow this rule, causing unwanted pollution; it makes non-smokers who were at that spot first want to leave.

I know that the 2006 secondhand smoking bill would protect only enclosed public places and places of employment. But I think a law should really be enforced on big public areas, such as malls and all schools.

Smoking on campus sidewalks and the parking lot is not a problem for me. But smoking where there are a lot of people studying and eating could be a potential health problem.