Letters to the Editor
Where do we sign up for Waddle punishment?
Cmdr. Scott Waddle of Ehime Maru fame did all right. His punishment for the accidental deaths of nine Japanese men and boys is his being forced into early retirement.
A young man in his 40s and drawing a $60,000-a-year pension for the rest of his life. If only I could get such a punishment.
Jim Rosen
Energy commentary turned out the lights
In an April 20 Island Voices commentary headlined "Don't let the lights go out," Kurt Yeager showed he was sitting in the dark.
Although Yeager represents the powerful electric industry, he definitely misses the point of the Kamoku-Pukele controversy here. He is thinking small. He surely knows that Hawai'i has very reliable electricity, that it is healthy to have a decentralized power system and that the investment in alternative sources of energy such as the sun, the wind and the waves is crucial.
HECO may have a future vision for the Philippines or China. But it has no leadership vision for its ratepayers here. Lucky for us, there are other courageous, intelligent and creative thinkers who disagree with the obsolete direction HECO has chosen to pursue. They are taking the initiative to start projects like wind and movable solar power (e.g., the Parker Ranch) and they are willing to spend a bit more to fund cleaner energy projects like the fuel cell project in Hana, Maui.
As a professional in the energy industry, Yeager should be ashamed to project the problems his industry has wrought on California and replicate them in Hawai'i. Is he aware that the California PUC has had a plan to underground all utility lines there for the past 30 years? Doesn't he feel Hawai'i is ready for a comprehensive statewide plan to underground all of its utility lines? He should promote those healthy concepts in his correspondence.
Jeremy Lam
Giving an arbitrator leeway would help
After the teachers' strike, and after many past public employee strikes, one of the root causes of such strikes should be addressed: the use of "baseball arbitration."
In such arbitration, unlike normal arbitration, the arbitrator cannot pick a reasonable wage increase between the figures proposed by each side. Instead, the arbitrator must adopt the proposal of one side or the other.
Since the state always proposes no raise, or close to it, the arbitrator is forced to adopt whatever wage increase the employees union proposes, even when that proposal seems too high.
Restoring the right of the arbitrator to pick a number between the two proposals would, it seems to me, help avoid future strikes, since, hopefully, an appropriate compromise would already have been reached by the arbitrator.
Robert B. Bunn
Teachers' gains don't outweigh the harm done
I am pleased that Hawai'i's teachers are back in the classroom doing their job. I hope they collectively take a hard look at what occurred over the past several months.
While they can take some pleasure in small personal advances, they may also see that much harm was done. Harm to their students. Harm to their reputations. Harm to their state.
Do the benefits outweigh the costs? Not in my mind. Was a strike necessary? Probably not.
Teachers, please take a hard look at how you are represented. You have a choice. I think you could do much better.
Michael Freeman
Kane'ohe
Strike leaders gave up salary during walkout
In answer to Dennis Yokoyama's question in his April 28 letter: Yes, Karen Ginoza and Joan Husted did indeed forgo their monthly paycheck for the duration of the strike in a show of solidarity with their constituents.
Personally, I regret the sacrifice the students made in lost instructional time, but find comfort in the knowledge that the future of public education was made more secure through the solidarity and commitment of Hawai'i's public-school teachers.
Carolyn Mossman
HSTA, Honolulu Chapter
Corporate America taking over government
As no editorials have emerged from your April 24 article, I felt it necessary to repeat it here. In a story titled "Bush gets high marks for job performance," a poll found that "by a 2-1 margin, those polled said ... it was more important to provide needed services than to hold down the size of government."
So why is it our two main political parties choose to scapegoat government rather than celebrate it as the engine of democracy? The answer to this shows that democratic institutions are being severely damaged by the political and financial power of vested special interests — a.k.a. corporate America.
If our country wants to become the democratic nation that Thomas Jefferson and other founders envisaged, the people will have to take back the reins of power.
That effort is what inspires the protests that media wrongly label "anti-globalization," and ultimately it lies at the base of Hawai'i labor's attempts to secure better pay, benefits and working environment.
When a once-stalwart democratic institution like the Hawai'i Democratic Party works to reduce workers' benefits, and organized labor accepts a two-tiered system, it is another indication of how democratic institutions are being overrun by the neo-liberal philosophy whose voice will be trumpeted at next week's ADB meeting.
But the voice of the people — Jefferson's democratic vision — must not be silent.
Richard Weigel
'Tales of Urban Hawai'i' is truly a treasure
I've heard stories about people who have discovered treasure in a garage. Now I have joined their ranks. On April 16 I discovered a Hawaiian treasure at "The ARTS at Marks Garage" in the form of Ray Bumatai and his friends performing "Tales of Urban Hawai'i."
I don't believe there has ever been an entertainment, cultural event, living history, soul stirring or "whatevah you call it" potpourri of magical, almost mystical delights that can best be labeled as Hawaiian treasure.
This show should be mandatory for visitors who want a true Hawaiian experience. Compulsory attendance should be required for every "local" who has the capacity to feel pride in his heritage. It's a must see and hear for anyone who enjoys wonderful experiences.
The music and vocals are great, but it's the storytelling, dialogues and, especially, the lyrics that take this event to a new dimension of "entertainment."
Go prepared to sit quietly and listen to and absorb the words.
Art Freedman
Christmas football bowls held no draw
Although some Hawai'i fans will miss the O'ahu and Aloha bowls, based on recent attendance figures, apparently not too many will. Can you blame them?
The culprit: There are too many NCAA college bowl games. With around 25 bowls (50 teams) and only about 110 Division I-A schools, it's not surprising that the lesser (lower-paying) bowls like the Hawai'i bowls have little choice among "bowl-eligible" teams.
Typically, the Hawai'i bowls have "featured" teams with 6-5 or 7-4 records that finished in the middle of their conference standings and are not ranked in the top 20 or 25. To top it off, the bowl people have the audacity to schedule the games on Christmas Day and Christmas Eve in the late morning or early afternoon — all in an effort to generate appropriate TV ratings while knowing full well this is an inconvenience to fans.
Tell me why Hawai'i sports fans should be expected to pay about $25 to $35 a ticket to see two teams with mediocre records and relatively little incentive play on Christmas?
Robin Komoto
Kamilo'iki Park is wrong for skate park
No one is denying that Hawai'i Kai is in need of a skate park. However, the proposed site at Kamilo'iki Park will be very close to existing homes and will directly impact the community and Kamilo'iki School.
There is only one road to and from the park from Lunalilo Home Road, the parking lot is very small (and not ADA-compliant), and the proposed site for the inline hockey rink is so well hidden from public view as to invite loitering and vandalism.
I and others voiced our objections at an April 20 Neighborhood Board meeting, and again on April 24, when the board met to vote on the proposal. At this meeting, we also presented a petition with 100 signatures. We were ignored by the majority of the board, which voted in favor of the proposal.
The rush to build at Kamilo'iki Park just to get it completed nine months earlier escapes me. A park with lights, adequate parking and presenting no impact is already in the master plan for Koko Head Regional Park, to begin next year. That is not an eternity to wait for a much better facility.
Naomi Kong
New Hilton tower would harm tourism
Expanding the already-towering Hilton Hotel will surely bring in more tourists at first, but once those tourists begin to see fewer and fewer panoramic views, the numbers will begin to dwindle, and once again Hawai'i (residents will feel it more) will be financially stuck with an overpriced lemon.
People come to Hawai'i to be able to look at beautiful scenery from their hotel windows and while driving along our highways. Some of these tourists come from big cities to reflect and daydream on what their cities used to look like before big business built buildings around the natural surroundings.
If we continue to allow these plans to develop, tourists will no longer feel they are coming to an "island paradise," but will begin to consider O'ahu an island with hotels and buildings that was once committed to preserve its natural views and is now committed to the unnatural greed of money.
Efrem Williams
Steve Alm dedicated
It is a tragic reality that partisan politics dictate so much in our society. A long time will pass until we find another qualified, competent and dedicated U.S. attorney the likes of Steve Alm.
Kenneth L. Barker
A parent's plea to state public-school teachers
The strike is over. The contract is ratified. School is in session, but life for your students does not necessarily pick up where you left off a month ago.
As a parent, I am grateful to those of you who have offered extra after-school and weekend sessions to help your students complete necessary coursework. However, I am very concerned when these sessions conflict with a child's pre-existing commitments to family, church or other organizations, and no allowance is made for the student to prioritize without being penalized by a lower grade or extra make-up work on top of the already-accelerated load they carry because of class time missed during the strike.
I beg the teachers in our schools, as well as youth leaders, coaches and others who are involved in our children's after-school and weekend activities, to be reasonable and realistic in your demands.
Remember that you are not the only one with expectations at this time of year. Please ask the children in every class or group if they have scheduling or workload conflicts as a result of post-strike changes.
Recognize that it is humanly impossible to be in two places at the same time. Understand that extra work on top of strike-caused extra work means giving up sleeping, eating or other activities necessary to health, good performance and learning. Tight scheduling between activities increases the likelihood of stressed, inexperienced drivers being involved in accidents.
Please look at each student's individual situation and make appropriate allowances that do not penalize a child's grade or jeopardize a child's well-being as we get through the final weeks of school.
Amy Stone Murai
Hawai'i State PTSA health specialist
