It is really tragic that the city is forced to spend much-needed funds to prepare for the same kind of mindless foes of rail that killed our Superferry. Have these naysayers tried to drive anywhere lately? Have they tried the "freeway" at crunch time? There are just too many cars (most with one person) for this small island.

These foes of progress are costing us needed funds and hopefully not another advance in transportation. Why don't they do an environmental impact study of having thousands of cars producing gridlock?

NANCY BEY LITTLE | Makiki

LAWSUIT WILL BE A TAXPAYER BURDEN

It's a shame that the city may have to spend taxpayers' money on a possible lawsuit from rail opponents. This is unnecessary. The people have spoken and voted to build rail. This is the democratic process and whether you agree with rail or not, the decision is made.
Living in Käneohe, I remember the lengthy legal challenges and delays to building H-3 across the Koolau. In the end, it only increased the cost of the highway and it cost the taxpayers more money.

DIANNA LEE | Käneohe

FURLOUGHS

PUBLIC APPRECIATES TEACHERS' SACRIFICE

As more information becomes available it is truly unfortunate that the willingness of teachers to sacrifice for their students and the public was overruled by those negotiators who wanted the public to suffer also.

What a lesson to teach our children.

Fortunately this negative thinking is not shared by the men and women who sacrifice daily by serving in the armed forces, public safety, caregivers, volunteers and others.

These people sacrifice so that others will not suffer.

Teachers, the public appreciates your sacrifice and commitment to educating our children.

HSTA and the state should negotiate and reduce the number of teaching days lost with other days that do not impact students.

If days of school must be canceled, then Friday cancellation should be changed to another day of the week when there is less afterschool activity such as sports events, social and other activities that are scheduled to occur during the weekend.

As the public is always asked to participate by voting, teachers, please vote when it is time to elect new leadership for HSTA.

LEONARD LEONG | Honolulu

CARBON TAX

CONSUMERS WOULD BE HIT HARD BY TAX

Sen. Gary Hooser (Commentary, Oct. 9) proposed new taxes, including a carbon tax, to address Hawaii's budget and discourage what he called unhealthy behaviors. Before we jump on that bandwagon, Hawaii consumers should take a look at how a carbon tax might impact them.

We live in a carbon-based world — a carbon tax would be a new tax on everyone who drives a car or uses electricity. What are the unhealthy behaviors Sen. Hooser wants to change with a carbon tax? Driving to work or school, going to the grocery store and generating electricity for homes and businesses are just a few.

A carbon tax represents a radical restructuring of the tax system that would ripple through our economy with potentially devastating impact.

In my business, transportation costs count for a hefty percentage of operating expenses. And we have already been impacted by the recession. I am proud of the resiliency our employees have shown in these tough times. It pains me to think the day might come that we would have to lay anyone off.

Politicians who blithely say more taxes are the answer to the state's budget mess should think hard about the people paying those taxes.

BYRON GREGORY | Area manager, Swagelok Hawaii

MARIJUANA

NEW POLICY A STEP IN RIGHT DIRECTION

Mahalo to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder for his new policy on medical marijuana. For years, I have thought it was a waste of taxpayers' money to put people in prison for marijuana.

The authoritative LaGuardia report, published in 1944 by the New York Academy of Medicine, concludes that marijuana is not addictive in the medical sense of the word, is relatively harmless, and largely demonized in the media. In the mid-1980s, reports circulated that marijuana would cause birth defects. I think this is largely false because we have not experienced a large increase in the number of birth defects, even though civil disobedience of marijuana laws is quite common.

The marijuana black market is huge — probably around $50 billion per year in this country. I think we should legalize marijuana and tax it like we do liquor.

PHIL ROBERTSON | Kailua

HGEA BARGAINING

MAYORS STEPPED UP TOGETHER, FILLED VOID

I'm puzzled by the egregiously reckless misstatements in David Shapiro's Oct. 21 column about collective bargaining with HGEA. I wonder whether his dubious conclusions were fueled by anything besides personal pique. He certainly didn't have his facts straight.

Shapiro wrote: "Lingle was sandbagged at virtually every step by grandstanding mayors led by Honolulu's Mufi Hannemann, who all but sat on the union side of the bargaining table to make themselves look good at the governor's expense ... "

That's simply not true. As a direct participant in these difficult negotiations, I assure you that there were significant disagreements that required careful and sincere negotiations based on facts and reason — not empty rhetoric and reckless posturing.

In the past, the state's ability to impose decisions by gaining the support of a single mayor essentially left the counties with no real voice. For the first time, the mayors pulled together to ensure county interests were not ignored or overshadowed. This was very effective.

The governor's inexplicable refusal to participate in key bargaining sessions greatly hampered progress and left a leadership vacuum that had to be filled. The mayors stepped up, and the result was a fair deal. To suggest otherwise is just hogwash.

KENNETH Y. NAKAMATSU | Director, Honolulu Department of Human Resources