PROPERTY TAXES

GAP BETWEEN RICH, POOR BECOMING ABYSS

After finally retiring on a small pension and owning my own home, I might as well just sign the title over to the City and County of Honolulu. We might as well be renting our homes from the city.

When landlords are forced to pass all these inflationary costs on to their tenants, this whole island will become a "tent city." The gap between rich and poor is turning into an abyss.

Tax the greedy real estate speculators who own multiple homes and turn them over for profit. Leave those of us who live in our one home out of this fluxing tax rate rape.

PROPERTY TAX

HAWAI'I NOW NEEDS A PROPOSITION 13

My property tax increased nearly 50 percent in 2005 over 2004. Based on the new assessment, it will increase almost 100 percent in 2006 over 2005.

Years ago, California found itself in the same category of rapidly rising assessments and taxes. The people demanded relief, resulting in Proposition 13 limiting tax increases. It appears that Hawai'i now needs a similar proposition to protect property owners from extensive tax increases.

If the City and County of Ho-nolulu wants increased property tax revenue, it should look at taxing the property upon sale with a percentage of the sale price instead of placing the entire tax burden on homeowners.

LITTLE INCONVENIENCE

MARATHON'S LOGISTICS ARE HANDLED VERY WELL

I have lived on the makai side of Kalaniana'ole Highway for the last 20 years, so I feel very qualified to comment on the impact of the Honolulu Marathon on residents because the runners pass by my driveway every year.

I have never felt that the marathon was a major inconvenience for me or my family. We park our cars across the street ahead of time, and by noon the traffic is flowing again.

This is in contrast to the inconvenience of traffic accidents, which often tie up traffic in both directions for hours. At least you can plan for the marathon.

The logistics of the marathon are handled very well, including the cleanup, and I pick up those discarded yellow sponges each year and reuse them for cleaning. I enjoy watching the race from my driveway, especially the frontrunners.

I'm sorry that in Hawai'i today there are more and more people who complain about tourists and have little aloha for visitors. These people seem to be unwilling to share our beautiful Islands and culture with others. I suspect that many of these people do not realize what life would be like without the tourist dollar. They should visit other less prosperous Pacific islands and see what subsistence-level quality of life is really like before being so negative about the impact of tourism.

Count me as a long-time resident who believes that the Ho-nolulu Marathon is a well-run event and a wonderful opportunity to share the best of what Hawai'i has to offer.

BIRTH OF JESUS

GET WITH THE PROGRAM: IT'S MERRY CHRISTMAS

Why are so many people — especially so-called Christians — afraid or intimidated of saying "Merry Christmas"?

As any student of the Bible would know, it is not a secret to us that Jesus was born in the fall. However, due to a long pagan story of changes, Christians for centuries have embraced Dec. 25 as the day we celebrate and memorialize the birth of Jesus. Even the secular historian Josephus recognized the man Jesus as well as the Islamic religion.

But here we are in the middle of the Christmas season, and all of a sudden it is "taboo" to say "Merry Christmas"? Why? If it weren't for Jesus' birth, there would be no Christmas, anyway.

"Happy Holidays" sounds like a weird thing to say only during this time of the year. Why is that? Isn't any holiday in which we get to take off work and get paid for it a Happy Holiday? If not, then why are smiles on our faces at the beach, shopping malls, playgrounds, parks, etc. on those days? It is a happy day, right?

Please, people, relax, take a breath and enjoy the real reason for this particular season. His name is Jesus. Merry Christmas to all with our deepest aloha.

MIXED MESSAGE

SEASON'S GREETINGS

To all atheists, evolutionists and agnostics, Merry Christmas!

'DO NO HARM'

PSYCHOLOGISTS ALSO HAVE STRICT STANDARDS

Nancy Sherman's Dec. 14 article, "Playing medical mind games at Gitmo," suggests that the ethical mandate "Do no harm" distinguishes the practice of psychiatry from that of psychology.

This is not true. The ethical standards for psychologists are both strict and clear. Principle A in the psychologists' ethics code is beneficence and non-maleficence: Do good and do no harm.

These ethical mandates are paramount when psychologists do their work, in all of their professional activities.

The 2005 Report of the American Psychological Association Task Force on the involvement of psychologists in national security activities, including those at Guantanamo Bay, highlights the strict ethical boundaries that the organization sets for its members.

Psychologists are bound by the rule: Torture or other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment are never acceptable.

OUTDOOR CIRCLE

ENVIRONMENT KUDOS

The Outdoor Circle gets our vote. It has diligently kept billboards out of our island and kept our surroundings beautiful by monitoring these ugly signs.