Letters to the Editor
Democratic Party rule has harmed education
I am fed up with Hawai'i's Democratic Party politics and the current state of the educational system. Here is the way I see it:
To maintain a functional democratic, capitalistic society where the people think and act and build their society for themselves, an educational system second to none, at all levels, is imperative.
To maintain a liberal, socialist society in which handouts and status quo are the norm, and in which no one even knows what questions to ask of their leaders, who cares?
In this scenario, where does Hawai'i fit today? How about tomorrow? Think about it! Act on it! You will benefit if you do.
Gregg Love
Sexual orientation will affect children
Several recent letters to the editor have made the argument that if a child is raised by a homosexual "couple," this will not have any negative impact on them. It is an absurd argument to say that parents, or the people who raise a child, will not influence that child.
In his Nov. 26 letter, Daniel Patrick Jenkins undercuts his own argument by stating that he is "convinced that having homosexual role models or parents in my life would have saved me a whole lot of confusion in coming to terms with my sexual orientation." Without knowing it, he's saying that he agrees that the sexual orientation and behavior of one's parents will affect the psyche and sexual attitudes of the children.
Shelly Bowne
Kailua
Airlines should tap into Phoenix market
It is encouraging for Hawai'i's economy to see that the airlines have added many new nonstop Mainland destinations, most recently United's announcement of flights to Denver.
The list is impressive: Delta — Salt Lake City; Hawaiian — San Diego and Portland; Aloha — Oakland and Orange County; American — San Jose; and Continental —Newark and Houston.
In keeping with this trend, one of our local airlines should consider adding nonstop service to Phoenix, which is currently underserved with only two weekly nonstop ATA (American Trans Air) 757 flights.
Phoenix is the sixth-largest metropolitan area (Mesa, Tempe, Scottsdale, etc.) in the U.S. and heavily populated with "makule guys" who have lots of money to spend and dislike mightily the inconvenience of making connections on the West Coast.
Also, Phoenix is the most logical connection point to such fast-growing cities as Tucson, Albuquerque and El Paso.
The new generation of 737s with their increased flight range makes the "Valley of the Sun" a natural destination for Aloha and Phoenix's major players, America West and Southwest, with whom Hawaiian could develop a code-share agreement.
Hopefully, our local airlines will not let this golden opportunity to improve Hawai'i's economy leave them waiting at the gate.
Frank Mauz
'Mythology' is in the eyes of sovereignty deniers
Like Ken Conklin, I am a haole settler in Hawai'i.
Unlike Ken Conklin, I am not disrespectful because I am not Hawaiian and never will be.
Conklin refers to a "sovereignty mythology" that is perpetuated by 'Iolani Palace tour guides and a documentary film. To state that the overthrow was illegal and not the desire of the Hawaiian people is not perpetuating "sovereignty mythology." To deny historical truths that are well documented and officially recognized by the government, whose flag Conklin wishes folks to bandy about the palace, is symptomatic of a severe case of Settler Denial.
If there is a myth, it is the myth that an act of Congress can annex territory. The Joint Resolution of 1898 supposedly made Hawai'i a territory of the United States and conveyed title to all ceded lands to the United States. This is the first time that the United States ever "acquired" territory through means other than treaty or conquest. It was never done before because it makes no sense. Can an act of Congress acquire England? Of course not.
The first duty of any settler, or offspring thereof, who resides in Hawai'i is to aid the Hawaiian people in achieving self-determination. This is the only way to right some of the wrongs that the U.S. government has endorsed and continually perpetuates to the present moment.
There will be no peace until people like Conklin learn to be forthright and take responsibility for the acts of the government they so ardently adore.
Nathan D. Miller
It's in black and white: slower cars stay right
Regarding the recent letters about driving slowly in the "fast" lane: I feel compelled to offer two points:
• The signs along the roadways read "slower (not slow) traffic keep right," implying that if any vehicle is traveling slower than the speed limit or slower than the flow of traffic, the driver must yield to the faster traffic and move to the right.
• Nationwide, traffic signs that appear in black lettering on white background indicate state laws, such as speed-limit signs and the "slower traffic keep right" signs. While on the highway, therefore, if a driver in the far-left 55-mph lane is traveling 52 mph or is approached from behind by a faster-moving vehicle at any speed and does not move to the right, that driver is technically violating state law.
Scott Creel
Maunawili
Tobacco firm money didn't influence vote
On Nov. 27, my defeated political opponent from the last general election, Pam Smith, wrote that I received donations from tobacco companies.
Then she criticized recent legislation that supported the UH medical school and cancer research center. What she failed to mention is that the UH Health and Wellness Center will have a public education component that will emphasize anti-smoking and prevention programs for our youth and adults. I believe this shows that despite campaign donations, I have and will continue to support legislation and efforts to prevent and stop smoking.
Contrary to your headline, tobacco money did not influence myself or other legislators.
Rep. Willie Espero
D-41st District ('Ewa Beach)
Experience, contacts Tanonaka's strengths
I read online of Dalton Tanonaka's plans to run for lieutenant governor.
Being a local boy and a Kalani High classmate of Dalton, I found it both interesting and delightful to have kept abreast of his career path through the local press and high-profile media exposure in Asia. I've watched Dalton in action on CNN, interviewing prime ministers and presidents, along with top business leaders, and know that he's highly regarded for his knowledge and contacts. Through meetings with him over the years, I can say that he remains personally grounded and true to his Hawai'i roots.
While his international experience and business contacts would be a tremendous asset for Hawai'i, I can't say I agree with him in giving up his high-flying international job. But CNN's loss is definitely Hawai'i's gain. He would certainly make a difference for Hawai'i's future. I wish him success and nothing but the best. Geev 'um, Dalton.
Ronald Mullers
Jakarta
More than Wahine have far way to travel
Contrary to Ferd Lewis' Nov. 27 column, the Wahine are not being singled out in being sent to Pullman for the first- and second-round playoff games. They are among seven seeded teams, five seeded higher than the Wahine, that play the first and second rounds on the road.
However, it is clear the NCAAÊhas stacked the deck against the West. No. 3 USC, No. 7 Pepperdine and No. 8 UCLA have to travel as far as the Wahine to get to North Carolina and Pennsylvania. No. 5 Arizona and No. 12 Pacific have 2,000-mile trips to Illinois and Kentucky.Ê
Meanwhile, Nebraska, the only non-WesternÊseeded team playing away, travels 125 miles toÊManhattan, Kan. It's clear that Nebraska either didn't have facilities available that weekend or,Êmore cynically, it is playing away so the NCAA selection committee can say that the seeded teams playing away are not all from the West.Ê
It'll be interesting to see, if things go according to form, who will host the Nebraska, Pepperdine, Florida, Colorado State regional. It almost seems to have been set up to ensure that all the visiting teams have to go a long way to play.
Michael Ho
Moving back to L.A.? That helps rest of us
C.L. Thames' Nov. 30 letter says that things are so bad in Hawai'i that he (or she) is moving back to L.A.
No one moves back to L.A.; you move away from L.A., not back to it. People who live in L.A. are desperately trying to move somewhere else, mostly to Hawai'i.
Well, maybe if the Thameses move, it will open up a couple of jobs for those of us who will continue to suffer living here.
Steve Tayama
Give us our money back
Homeowners, the governor thinks we're going to sit on our butts while he spends the hard-earned money we put into the Hawai'i Hurricane Relief Fund. Let's call him and all the legislators and demand that the money be sent back to its rightful owners.Ê
Gary Chun
Mililani
Camera system asking for trouble
I have some serious problems with the plan to have remote photo-generated traffic tickets, as reported on Nov. 28. Aside from the obvious concerns about due process (giving the ticket to a car owner rather than a driver or requiring the driver to turn in an offender and private companies acting as police), there are other procedural concerns.
As long as the system is run by a private company that shares in the revenues, there is incentive for that company to increase the ticketing at the expense of justice. In at least one California city, a company was found guilty of shortening the length of the yellow signal to make it more difficult for cars to be able to make a stop at the red lights. The company increased its profits and the city increased its revenue (at least until the lawsuits were settled).
If such a contract is let, the company should be paid a flat rate and not be allowed to share in the revenues. The government should not allow the company to shorten the yellow light timing (nor should the government do so itself).
In the case of speeding tickets, the question arises as to what threshold the system will be set at, and whether the company will be able to argue for changes in that threshold. Normally, the police will not ticket a driver unless the driver is exceeding the speed limit by at least 5 mph.
The city, at least, admits that it set its speed limits with that in mind.
There is good reason for this: There are problems in reading the speeds accurately, for one, but more importantly, the speed limits throughout O'ahu are set artificially low. Most cities in other states have speed limits that are at least 10 mph higher than those in similar situations here on O'ahu. A 25-mph speed limit on a six-lane divided highway (Likelike Highway near School Street) is a perfect example. Almost anywhere else, that speed limit would be 45 mph.
As a result, the speed limits on O'ahu are routinely exceeded by 10 to 20 mph not only by civilian motorists, but also by the police. One only has to watch a poor police officer trying to get somewhere on a non-emergency basis only to find himself blocked by traffic that has slowed to the speed limit for fear that he will issue tickets to understand the difficulties caused by artificially low speed limits.
If the threshold for issuing a citation for speeding by the photo enforcement system is reduced to less than 5 mph over the speed limit, there will be tremendous numbers of tickets issued, the courts will be clogged, traffic will be less safe as people suddenly slow down in the localities where the system is operated, and traffic will move slower, thus increasing congestion.
If O'ahu had reasonable speed limits (and by that I mean a speed limit that is equal to the speeds that the majority of drivers now maintain), I would not be so worried about the system. As things stand now, I am concerned about abuses as the private company lobbies to increase its revenue.
I don't believe this system (at least as far as the contractor is concerned) has anything to do with safety. It is a way for the contractor to make money. The more tickets the contractor issues, the more money he makes. That is the bottom line, and the bottom line is how business operates. So watch out!
Bob Gould
Kane'ohe
