Letters to the Editor
Mirikitani should lose all of his benefits
In response to the Dec. 7 story, "Mirikitani gets 4-year sentence": This taxpayer would like to see him lose whatever continuing benefits are attached to his former position as councilman.
It would have been nice if, along with his conviction, he had been required to forfeit his City Council seat and the "bennies" that went with it.
The fact that he has now been able to ensure that his "partner in crime" is now his "partner in life" and thereby entitled to benefits as well, well, it seems he's been to the public trough too many times.
Is it time to look at the laws protecting these benefits? Should the taxpayers be protected from footing the bill for those who break trust with those who elected them? Is "ethical politician" an oxymoron?
C. Lowe
Hurricane insurance should not be rebated
John Mayer in his Nov. 26 letter suggests that the state operate strictly as a business would. However, the Hawai'i Hurricane Relief Fund was not created for the same reasons as most businesses.
The fund was created because most private insurance companies dropped hurricane coverage after Hurricane 'Iniki hit Kaua'i, leaving homeowners with virtually no insurance. Without hurricane insurance, banks and other lending institutions would not approve mortgages.
If the hurricane fund were like other insurers, it would never have gotten into the hurricane insurance business after 'Iniki, and homeowners would have been left without emergency hurricane coverage. New-home builders would find it almost impossible to get mortgages.
Interestingly, the fund is like other insurance companies in the business world; with other insurance, you would not get a rebate of your insurance premium. The premium is for coverage for a set term. Even if no claim were made, you don't get the premium returned.
The Hawai'i Hurricane Relief Fund was intended to cover a gap period when hurricane insurance was not available. The fund achieved its purposes, and today private insurance companies are providing hurricane insurance once again. With the fund now inactive, the remaining fund balance should be deposited in the state general fund, as provided by law.
Katheryn S. Matayoshi
Director, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
Forget the politics: Put gambling to vote
Once and for all, get rid of politics and put the question of gambling before the people of Hawai'i.
I'm so sick and tired of hearing the spooky stories of gambling while this state continues to fall into recession. Everyone knows that if the question were put to a vote, Hawai'i would become the 48th state to legalize gambling.
Let "we the people" of Hawai'i decide our fate. Our education system needs much improvement, to which a percentage of gaming would be contributed, along with helping the poor and needy. Why do we continue to allow our locals to leave our Islands to spend money in Vegas?
Put gambling on the ballot. The truth behind this question needs to come out once and for all. Forget the politics.
Randy Perez
Wahiawa
Pearl Harbor memory was cut way too short
I must correct a totally wrong impression you've created by printing only the short first paragraph of my submission to your collection of Pearl Harbor memories (Special Edition, Dec. 5, page 25).
What was printed ended with my referring to "a selfish, fiendish delight — that came over me as we kids stood along the Ala Wai Canal, watching enemy planes weaving through some puffy clouds." Let me condense here the rest of my submission, without which that first paragraph is meaningless:
"Why was I delighted at such a time? Two reasons: I figured that the (Japanese) language school I hated going to would have to be shut down! I couldn't express my delight for long, however, since my father... didn't take kindly to my joy.
"The other reason was that, upon hearing a loud explosion ... in the McCully area, we cheered and hoped that it was our school, Lunalilo Elementary, that was burning and, sure enough, that 'hit' from an anti-aircraft shell was confirmed a short while later. ... I knew we wouldn't be going back to school anytime soon. My exciting day ended too soon in the total blackout that was mandated, but that itself brought on all sorts of excitement and adventure ... "
Stan Toyama
Hilo
Cruise ships bring money into economy
I was sad to hear about American Hawai'i Cruise Line's passing. But I hope this doesn't deter Hawai'i from continuing to invest in a partnership with the cruise line industry.
I'm currently performing on Royal Caribbean's "Monarch of the Seas" out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. I see the potential for cruising in Hawai'i and I've seen the kind of money it brings into an economy (like Cozumel and Key West). For me it's great to have an audience every night for my shows. I wish there were more work for entertainers like me who'd love to perform at home.
Until then, I'll be spending Christmas and New Year's out at sea here in the Caribbean. Here's wishing everyone happy holidays.
Matt Yee
Cal Lee's departure an end of a dynasty
Toward the end of his career, Mohammed Ali sadly reflected on the erosion of the Egyptian pyramids. After watching Cal Lee's second straight loss at the State Championships, one also couldn't help feeling the poignancy of the inevitable decline of a dynasty.
You've seen it with the Yankees and the eclipse of Ruth's, Maris' and now McGuire's home run records. You see it when former governors and House and Senate leaders enter political conventions barely recognized by new party members.
The general in the movie "Gladiator" exhorted his troops by saying, "What you do in this world lives forever in eternity." While the leaves will pass with the wind, certain things do abide. When Cal Lee exhorted his troops to handle themselves "with class" at the end of the game, an imprint was made on a certain universal truth that transcends winning or losing.
The reason sports, especially football, mean so much to us lies in the fact that they reflect life's inexorable intertwining of destiny and fate. They also provide hidden lessons for coping with the grinding of fortune's ever-turning wheel.
Gene J. Dumaran
Was Cayetano trip business or pleasure?
Regarding the Dec. 3 letter by David Namiki: I am in agreement with the frustrations his letter implied regarding the trip made to Japan by Gov. Cayetano and his entourage promoting tourism in Hawai'i.
But was the trip primarily for the purpose cited or was it a vacation tour utilizing our taxpayer money? To remove these suspicions, there should be an easily available published account of why, where, when and with whom these visits were made (perhaps as an addition to the reported trips in the newspapers).
Maybe Cayetano is not lacking common sense, as you stated, but may be lacking in responsibility during the present economic woes of Hawai'i.
Yoko Koyama
Traffic camera program aimed at only the guilty
While the state Department of Transportation welcomed your Nov. 29 editorial supporting our new program of photo enforcement of red-light running and speeding, the editorial requires clarification of the facts.
It is not the DOT's intent "to ticket anyone going over the speed limit," as stated in your editorial. We deliberately have avoided to publically disclose the threshold that will trigger a citation using the new technology. Telling motorists how fast they can drive above the limit and avoid a citation may convince some of them that it's perfectly OK to speed.
In fact, it's not OK. Speeding kills, and motorists who obey the speed limit have a better chance of delivering themselves and their passengers safely to their destinations.
Speed limits are not set arbitrarily. They are based on the design of the road (is it straight or curvy, flat or hilly, the sight distance, the number of driveways or intersections entering the roadway, the width and number of lanes, etc.) and on the use of the road (is it residential or a business area, rural or urban, in the area of a school, etc.). In all instances, speed limits are considered the safe driving speed for most conditions.
The editorial incorrectly stated that equipment will be set to photograph red-light runners when the traffic signal is at "orange" — yellow turning to red. Only motorists who enter and go through an intersection after the light turns completely red will be photographed and cited for an infraction.
Finally, the photo enforcement program is a turnkey operation. The vendor is required to purchase and install all of the equipment, operate the digital camera and laser guns, and process and mail tickets. The state is not spending any public funds to develop and operate the program.
We believe that the vendor deserves a reasonable return on its investment. However, if everyone stops at all red lights and everyone travels at the posted speed limit, there will be no violations and thus no need for the program.
Through the demonstration period, the state will learn the effectiveness of this photo enforcement program and the best method of delivering such a program. Then it will be up to the Legislature to determine if the program should continue. In the meantime, the DOT will ensure that the system is not being abused by providing direct oversight of the program by trained state personnel.
You are correct that speeders and red-light runners are a serious threat to highway safety. This project is about preventing fatalities and injuries and making our streets and highways safer for all of us.
Brian K. Minaai
Director, Department of Transportation
