Letters to the Editor

Watada doing good job of watching politicians

Isn't it amazing that, whenever the Campaign Spending Commission investigates politicians or their campaign, they turn paranoid and feel abused and persecuted?

Commission executive director Bob Watada is not only doing his job, but doing a good job — just what we of the public hope and expect him to do. He should be congratulated, not castigated.

Understanding this, all of us should be sure to check off our $2 contribution to the Campaign Spending Commission on our tax form. This small sum keeps his office going.

This whole issue of campaign contributions and its associated problems goes to point out again that the system we have of funding political campaigns has outlived its usefulness. We should be instituting a system of full public funding of campaigns, so politicians don't have to reach beyond ethical standards and/or be beholden to anyone but the citizens they are supposed to serve.

Grace Furukawa
Vice President, Hawaii Clean Elections

Funds would need to be protected, controlled

First lady Vicky Cayetano has a great idea for financing long-term care in Hawai'i.

Now, if the funds are set aside truly for that purpose without endangering funds from other sources, remain inviolate from predation by the state Legislature and don't incur exorbitant (more than 35 percent) administration cost, only then will the funds be a boon to our elders.

Absent these protections, it merely would be more slush in the state general fund.Ê

Doyal Davis

State also should be looking elsewhere

I'd like to add my thoughts to the discussion regarding our politicians' marketing of Hawai'i. First there was the unclarified trip to Japan, now the "Aloha, China!" business development mission.

Still experimenting with capitalism, China remains on everyone's wish list, but the promise seems far from fulfilled. Countless ventures prior to the Ben Cayetano entourage have tried to crack open the Chinese treasure box, but with little success.

China is still a poor country, and its "middle-class" have much less purchasing power than their counterparts elsewhere. Many Chinese tourists book their trips through discount travel agencies that, after taking their cut, leave the hotel just enough revenue to cover monthly expenses; there is little profit to speak of.

Especially affected are employees in Hawai'i who rely on tips to pay their rent and mortgages, because these travelers do not habitually tip. Retailers also know the difference between the Chinese and their big-spending Japanese counterparts.

Are our policy-makers aware of this? Are they expecting Hawai'i's maids, waiters and shopkeepers to wait until the day comes when the average Chinese tourist shops at Gucci and leaves a few dollars on the pillow after a three-day stay?

These people are mostly pleasant guests to work with, so we do appreciate their being here, helping to fill our empty hotel rooms. But in this unprecedented economic downturn, shouldn't we also be seeking more profitable remedies elsewhere?

I'm not a marketing expert or a high-ranking state official, so if you don't believe me, ask someone who should know. Ask a bellman.

Roy Nakamura

Owens stands out in amazing UH games

I attended four Warrior games this season: Fresno, Boise, Air Force and BYU.

What great games! I am amazed at the competitive level of the players, but one player stands out as the most exciting: Chad Owens. Every time he touches the ball, one phrase that I remember seeing on a truck bumper keeps repeating itself to me. Jus Buckaloose!

Brian Ishii
Mililani

Analogy of stagnant pool appropriate for Hawai'i

I feel compelled to comment on Republican Fred Hemmings' Dec. 9 article about how the centralized and most inefficient state bureaucracy, i.e., the state government, is similar to the stagnant reflecting pool surrounding the Capitol.

What an analogy! What does it take for the people of Hawai'i to vote for change in Hawai'i? As Hemmings reminds us, our state continues to have the most centralized government of any other state in the United States, which results in gross inefficiency.

The state Department of Education is the most prominent and grossest example of this over-centralized and under-productive method of government, of which, at least, some people of Hawai'i claim to be very well aware.

Elections will come next year and the people of Hawai'i will have an opportunity for change. But I fear that this state will continue with its "status quo" procedure, continuing down its primrose path until total economic collapse results from the ongoing and worsening stagnation.

People should listen to Hemmings and open up their eyes and their minds. This state must change or it will die.

Terry S. Akana
Kapolei

To change means to vote critically, responsibly

Thirty years of impressive research quoted by John Rosemond (Parent Power, Dec. 9) documents that "accomplishment and responsible decision-making have been on the decline."

While he was talking primarily about high self-esteem kids, he has described the painful truth of how we have gotten where we are as a state: fighting the worst in the nation for the bottom rung in public education and leading the nation in top-heavy public-service costs.

Why? Because as a state we have historically responded to our elected servants with "unconditional, uncritical acceptance of whatever they do and think." Election after election, the majority vote is either strictly along party lines or worse, the "no" vote of people who failed to even show up at the polls.

Such a passive approach to accepting the accountability and responsibility that goes with the freedom to vote "leads not to accomplishment but to mediocrity."

A realistic appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of upcoming candidates for public office, followed by the feedback of our votes will be the first step we can take in freeing ourselves from our own "addiction to entitlement."

Irv Rubin

Insurance companies do give out rebates

Katheryn S. Matayoshi, director of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, in her Dec. 9 letter, rebutted John Mayer's Nov 26 letter, which suggested the state Hurricane Fund should be refunded to all who paid in.

In contrast to Matayoshi's claim, I do not recall the state being licensed to provide insurance. I remember a special fund being established for use only after a hurricane. Since the fund was not an insurance, the contributions were not premiums. The contributions were not a tax, so it shouldn't be treated as such.

I don't recall the fund was for a set term, which could end at any time. I don't recall the fund could be used for any purpose other than hurricane related damage. Matayo-shi says insurance companies do not return unused premiums. This is untrue. I get rebates from my insurance company every year. Mutual insurance companies also provide rebates in reduced annual premiums or savings.

If Matayoshi's responsibility is to represent the consumers, she is not doing her job. It's no wonder state commerce and consumer affairs in Hawai'i are in shambles. I hope Matayoshi is protecting consumers' interest in the fund and is ensuring the fund is collecting appropriate annual interest.

Russel Noguchi
Pearl City