Letters to the Editor
Criticism of campaign reform bill is off base
I want to thank Councilman Steve Holmes for his passionate concern on the issue of campaign finance reform (Letters, March 22). However, I think his opposition to the method of reform that the state House advocates may demonstrate an incomplete understanding of the legislation.
First, since public funding is voluntary, he is right when he says that candidates would retain the option to solicit funds from private interests. This is true because under the U.S. Supreme Court's 1976 decision Buckley v. Vallejo, any non-voluntary program would be considered unconstitutional. But to say that a reform shouldn't be implemented because it doesn't completely fix all our problems is not the level of determination and optimism that this difficult issue requires. The bill that we passed offers a whole new way of doing things.
Second, his claims that the system is unworkable and would not offer a change seems to ignore the facts. In Maine, where this program was implemented fully, half of the public-funded candidates won, more races were contested, more women ran for office and, most important, the 2001 Maine Legislature has fully one-third of its members who have raised no money from special interests.
Finally, I am troubled by Holmes' statement of "shame on the supporters of this bill for not doing their homework." Putting aside the surprisingly personal nature of that remark, I know the League of Women Voters and the House leadership have researched this issue fully and have taken a strong stand on the issue of campaign reform. To give more power to voters and to ensure that our elected officials represent ordinary citizens rather than large contributors, we must change the system fundamentally.
Rep. Brian Schatz
House Majority Whip
DOT making excuses for Punahou roadwork
Once again the state Department of Transportation is giving excuses as to why it cannot meet Mainland freeway construction standards.
In Brian Minaai's latest response (Letters, March 19), he says California shuts down areas to get the work done faster and that we can't do this in Hawai'i. Excuse me, but isn't that exactly what was done to repave the H-1 each night for weeks? I believe the DOT said it was the best and most efficient way to work. Now it says it is not.
Something is not right.
If the DOT can shut down sections of the H-1 each night for weeks, which also shut down all the off-ramps, why can't it do it with the Punahou off-ramp? Shut it down in the early evening and open it in the early-morning hours. The current way of working from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. barely gives four or five hours of real work with start-up and shut-down times plus meal breaks.
Bottom line is, the DOT needs to set higher standards equal to the Mainland, quit making excuses and get work done faster. Lead, follow or get out of the way.
Al Aliment
Kane'ohe
Why should we all pay for power line?
We are all retired and live on fixed incomes. Most of us get by with the help of our families. We are against putting the Wa'ahila Ridge power lines underground because of the cost. This cost will be passed on to all customers throughout the island, including the North Shore senior customers.
There were some people who made a big deal out of Hawaiian Electric's power lines that went up on the North Shore over a year ago. They said the lines would be visible and mar the view. Now that the lines are up, no one notices them. You can't even see them in the mountains.
Now I hear that certain communities in town favor underground power lines at the expense of everyone else. The issue is fairness. You can't treat one community different from the rest.
Sally Amantiad
North Shore Seniors
State should leave hurricane fund alone
Pay attention to Arthur Lessing's March 14 letter on the hurricane insurance fund; it makes sense.
Why should we cash in the Hawai'i Hurricane Relief Fund, bury our heads in the sand and try to convince ourselves that Hawai'i will never have another storm? It took seven years to build the fund.
Some say that HHRF insurance isn't real insurance; the HHRF would never have been able to pay for an 'Iniki loss on O'ahu. They are saying the same thing in Florida, the Carolinas, California, Washington State, etc. Those state insurance pools can't pay for the big one, either. That's the nature of catastrophe insurance.
At least the HHRF, when stacked up against the others, is graded second only to the National Flood program for its ability to pay claims.
Compare the wording and cost of your hurricane policy. Is it cheaper now that your insurance company is covering the risk? Is it the same company you paid premiums to before 'Iniki? Is your deductible the same as it was before? Is there a statement in your policy guaranteeing that your insurance company will be around or pay all losses after the next hurricane?
Keep the money in the fund so it can be used the next time HHRF insurance is needed. Refunding the money to the hundreds of thousands who contributed will do nothing but leave us unprepared.
Marcia Dolotina
Girl students should have female security
Due to the recent shooting in San Diego, the topic of violence in school has been on the minds of teens all across the United States. Here in Hawai'i, we are fortunate not to have had any such school incidents in the past few years.
Although we do have security, I don't think everyone feels safe. We do not have any female security, so if something happened in the girls' bathroom, a male might not be able to help.
I hope Hawai'i can keep its reputation for being safe and continue to give the students the education we need without feeling scared.
Keesha Aldridge
'Aiea High School
Why the 'education' at Hanauma Bay?
All beaches in Hawai'i are public and free. Will someone in the mayor's office please explain to us, the akamai public:
• What is the legal basis for requiring residents to attend a mandatory educational program in order to have access to a public beach (Hanauma Bay)?
• What is the legal basis for denying native Hawaiians their legal right to exercise their Hawaiian way of life (swimming at the beach) without first attending an educational requirement?
• What is the legal basis for discrimination against non-residents (tourists) by charging a $3 entrance fee for a public beach and no entrance fee for residents?
Bob Ackerson
Mainland salaries way above Hawai'i's
Regarding the salary rates for teachers published on the March 15 front page: I worked in Washington two years ago as a special-education teacher. If I had stayed in Washington, my pay this year would be $46,000. I am currently making $33,000 in Hawai'i. That's a big difference.
If given a 22 percent raise over four years, my pay will increase to $40,990. Given the $1,500-per-year step in Washington, in four years my pay would have been $52,000. I would still be $11,000 behind. The governor's numbers are misleading.
I would also like to comment on the attempt by the state to force special-education teachers to work during a strike by calling these teachers "essential." I am not any more essential to the well-being of a student than a regular-education teacher.
I am essential to write the Individual Education Plans and hold the IEP meetings in order for the state to comply with the Felix Consent Decree. However, as essential as I am, I am not provided with the time during my duty day to write the IEP or hold the meetings. This is done on my own time, without compensation.
Essentially, Governor, you've been getting a deal. It's no wonder Hawai'i cannot retain special-education teachers.
Patte Goff
Makawao, Maui
Governor misleading public on education
A recent letter from the governor printed as an advertisement in The Advertiser and addressed to the people of Hawai'i may be a serious misuse of public funds and a breach of public trust.
As the elected leader of this state, Gov. Cayetano has a duty, I believe, to fully disclose the terms of the state's contract offer to the UH faculty. The very limited information offered in his letter seems designed to mislead the people of Hawai'i.
For example, do his numbers on the national ranking of teachers' pay factor in the cost of living here? I don't think so.
Why does the letter neglect to mention that the state has proposed annual retirement credits for faculty be reduced by one-third and that the state pay only nine months of health care premiums for faculty? Is it because no other university in the country seeks to harm its faculty and their families in this way?
Where does the letter admit that lecturers, the most exploited members of the educational workforce, are to be offered no pay increase? Where does the letter confess that the state proposes to reduce the percentage of royalties inventors receive from 50 percent to 33 percent?
Why does the letter faintly praise community college faculty while ignoring their request that teaching equivalences for nonteaching responsibilities be brought into line with other schools in the system? This would bring about a much-needed workload adjustment that is both equitable and reasonable.
Mark Lawhorn
Kapi'olani Community College
Quality of education at UH on the decline
When I started my career as an assistant professor at the University of Hawai'i's department of agronomy and soil science in the late 1980s, there were 18 faculty members in this internationally known unit. Today, only 10 remain because those who retired or left have not been replaced due to a hiring freeze.
One promising young faculty member who left for a job at a Mainland university told me his low salary was insufficient to purchase a residence within a reasonable commuting distance from the Manoa campus.
Sadly, similar changes have occurred across departments and across campuses. With distress, I have watched the decline in quality of the University of Hawai'i. Today, faculty morale is low, lack of building maintenance has resulted in deteriorating structures, and the quality of education that we can offer students has decreased due to lack of faculty with expertise in needed areas.
We all desire a top-quality university that will educate young people in Hawai'i to achieve their full potential. The governor, legislators and we university faculty need to communicate and work together toward achieving this dream.
Susan C. Miyasaka
Associate agronomist, University of Hawai'i-Manoa
Cayetano ad omits key UH information
In a recent advertisement, Gov. Cayetano informed the public of a portion of the contract offer the state has submitted to the faculty union of the University of Hawai'i. In the interest of a more complete disclosure, I am certain the governor would like the public to be aware that the current contract offer also includes a 25 percent reduction in health benefits and a 25 percent reduction in retirement benefits.
If this offer were to be accepted, the University of Hawai'i would find itself unable to retain any faculty who were able to get jobs on the Mainland, and with such a contract, UH would then find itself unable to hire replacements.
If the governor believes this offer to be reasonable, then he must be willing to accept the collapse of the UH system. On the other hand, if the governor recognizes that the current offer is not reasonable, then one must wonder whether his intent is to provoke serious, thoughtful negotiations or whether his intent is to provoke a strike.
Steven Robinow
Associate Professor, Department of Zoology, University of Hawai'i
Language claim is flagrant hyperbole
Regarding Ku'ulei Afoa-Kalamau's March 17 letter in which he says, "We were deprived of our language by the white man": What utter nonsense, what flagrant hyperbole.
No one can deprive anyone of a language. There are hundreds of other ethnic groups living in these Islands. Get a grip and stop trashing others. Join the 21st century.
Richard A. McLean
Lahaina
Credit card hypocrisy
Regarding your March 19 editorial criticizing the GOP bankruptcy legislation because it doesn't rein in credit card proliferation: How is it that a newspaper that advocates handing out condoms to high school students and sterile needles to drug users believes banks shouldn't be allowed to extend credit by handing out credit cards?
Dennis O'Meara
