Letters to the Editor
Understanding needed when accidents occur
As a U.S. serviceman, I take great offense to Kyle Kajihiro's April 3 Island Voices commentary decrying U.S. "militarism" in Hawai'i and abroad.
Kajihiro and others of similar opinions have been living under the protection of the U.S. military for so long they seem to have forgotten that Hawai'i has some very unfriendly neighbors, like China or North Korea.
Much blood has been shed in war and in peacetime training to ensure that the residents of this beautiful state will never live in fear of seeing hostile aircraft overhead, enemy warships off the coast or foreign soldiers storming the beaches.
How about some understanding when the inevitable unfortunate accident occurs?
Tommy Atkins
Two bones to pick with HSTA, Cayetano
I am upset that the HSTA does not educate the public better on the 22 percent pay raise.
The teachers are not asking for a 22 percent pay raise; they are asking for 22 percent for the last two years where there has been no contract, and over the next four years. Thus, the 22 percent is over a six-year period.
The second concern I have is with Gov. Cayetano. I used to respect him; now I believe his legacy will be the governor who used false statistics. The people are not stupid. For the governor to tell us our teachers are among the best paid in the nation, that they rank 14th, is ridiculous.
Rich Behrens
Retrofitting condos for sprinklers critical
Regarding George Pevarnik's April 9 letter: I am a firefighter. That's my job, period.
It certainly would be nice if that sentence were the simpleton's answer to my job description. Fortunately, it is not. Our job is a myriad of responsibilities and challenges, triumphs and tragedies.
One of our greatest duties to the public we are pledged to serve is to educate. If retrofitting sprinklers is to be the act that saves one person's life, there is no unjustified cost. Period.
Affordability? Granted, some may not be able to shoulder the cost of an expensive retrofit, but hopefully we can work with government to expedite the change and save the condo owners. It is never too late for change.
My brother and sister firefighters get paid to go into harm's way, but that's not our only job.
Finally, City Council members, read this too: We cannot afford not to discuss retrofitting. Period.
Mark Marciel
Campaign finance reform is still alive
Once again a small state Senate group stopped state campaign finance reform, but the effort has been revived on the Senate floor.
HB 169 would cut the connection between campaign contributors and politicians by setting up a publicly funded election pilot program in the 2002 Honolulu City Council race, using money that taxpayers have already voluntarily checked off on their tax forms.
Candidates would qualify with small contributions from 250 district voters. This would encourage more grass-roots candidates, who are normally discouraged by the high cost of campaigns.
Some people may dislike giving public money to candidates, but it is 100 times cheaper than favors to special interests.
Surveys show the public supports reform. The 2000 Democratic Convention supported the bill. The House passed the bill by a large margin. A majority of senators signed statements of support for the bill. Most of the testimony favored the bill.
Larry Meacham
Spokesman, Common Cause Hawai'i
'Jap Road' in Texas shouldn't be renamed
Regarding Lee Cataluna's column of April 10: The road named "Jap Road" in Fannett, Texas, should remain unaltered. It is deplorable to sanitize and rewrite history simply to make us feel more comfortable.
Reality is often harsh and offensive, and such relics memorialize the endurance of past generations.
What's next, renaming "Chinaman's Hat"?
Adam Toguchi
Raised in Honolulu; residing in Austin, Texas
