Letters to the Editor
Okata/Cayetano deal saved Democrats' face
Why did HGEA Executive Director Russell Okata agree to reduce leave benefits for new HGEA members in return for a promise from Gov. Ben Cayetano not to veto the HGEA arbitration award?
In his April 19 letter to HGEA members, Okata says he did it to "put dollars in your pocket now!" Okata claims that if Cayetano were to veto the HGEA award (which the Legislature has included in its budget, over Cayetano's protests), the HGEA would have to spend years in court "without any guarantees" of winning.
Yet, Okata also insists that the award is "final, binding, legal and fair." If so, then why is he worried about winning in court? Ever since the arbitration panel made its award last year, Okata has been crowing about the strength of HGEA's position.
Why did Russell cave in now? There are enough votes in the Legislature to override Ben's veto. And why is that a Bad Thing? While it would be mildly embarrassing for Ben, he's a lame duck and doesn't really care anyway.
But for Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono, not to mention the rest of the Hawai'i Democratic Party, it would be disastrous. Mazie is desperately trying to gather union support for her 2002 gubernatorial bid, and as lieutenant governor, she is being tarred with the same brush as Ben due to his opposition to the UHPA, HSTA and HGEA pay increases.
So Mazie arranged for Ben and Russell to meet and come up with a way that the two could gracefully forestall a veto override so as to avoid major loss of face for the Democrats.
Real slick, Russell. Whose side are you on, anyway?
Eric Sadoyama
Drunk-driving killer got lenient sentence
I'm writing in outrage after just reading in the April 26 Advertiser that Circuit Judge Gail Nakatani sentenced 25-year-old Francis Julian to only one year in prison for crashing into and killing 23-year-old Melissa Ynfante.
Prosecutors in the case indicate the driver was nearly three times over the legal limit with a blood-alcohol level of .232. This is just unbelievable that someone can drink, speed, kill someone, flee the scene and only be sentenced to one year in prison.
Julian knew firsthand the consequences of drinking and driving. In 1986, his sister was killed by a drunk driver and his brother was severely injured and today is a paraplegic. The driver in the 1986 case who killed Julian's sister was Ernest Uyeno. Uyeno received a 10-year sentence for his crime.
What would prompt Nakatani to issue such a lenient sentence? Does Nakatani not realize that drinking and driving is a significant problem in this state and by sentencing a drunk driver to a joke of a sentence of one year is sending the wrong message to the public?
Linda Jameson Lawson
There are many heroes in our communities
HPD officer Danny Padayao unselfishly gave of himself in order to protect, serve and contribute to society, regardless of the risks, and without any expectation of recognition or reward.
There are many Danny Padayaos in our community. These men and women protect us from danger, save our lives, rescue us. They are always there when we need them the most, during even the worst crises, placing their own lives at risk to save ours. Daily heroes include police officers, firefighters and emergency medical service personnel.
Think about this. Imagine if your loved one injured himself and required emergency medical care or he would soon die. Or you observed a knife-wielding psychotic stranger at your neighbor's doorstep. You awake to a fire in your house. Your loved one does not return from her afternoon hike. Your parent is suddenly struck with crushing chest pain. Your car stalls at 3 a.m. on the Pali Highway. Your first instinct would be to call 911, and you know that life-saving personnel and all their skills and knowledge are just minutes away.
These people are exposed to some of the most dangerous things known to mankind (diseases, dangerous people, weapons, chemicals, the elements) and are notoriously not well-paid, are rarely told "thank you," work with the constant looming threat of civil litigation and work weekends and holidays. Yet they derive their career satisfaction from just knowing that they have helped others.
Remember the heroism of HPD officer Danny Padayao. Remember the heroism of all of our daily heroes.
Michelle Allen
Kane'ohe
$200,000 was wasted on lei marketing plan
I find it absolutely hilarious but also a bit sad that the Hawai'i Visitors and Convention Bureau would squander $200,000 in order to distribute 31,000 lei on street corners in major cities throughout the world.
Even more ironic is the fact that the Hawai'i Tourism Authority allocates the money to fund this travesty. Bravo to Sen. Sam Slom for at least questioning the allocations of these funds.
A full-page ad in the New York Times can be run for 10 Sundays in a row for $200,000, a fax broadcast every day for two months can be sent to 60,000 travel industry professionals for $200,000 and a TV spot on NBC can be run during prime-time viewing hours twice for $200,000.
Jon-Paul Chevalier
President, Hawai'i Tourist Network
'Hawai'i's bank' isn't behaving as if it is
Your April 28 editorial welcoming the Bank of Hawai'i back home is to be expected from a newspaper that gets major advertising dollars from the bank.
Constantly, in its advertising, BOH tells us it is "Hawai'i's bank." Yet it moved its credit card bookkeeping to Georgia years ago. If top executives themselves really felt they were Hawai'i's bank, would they export Hawai'i jobs and operations to a far-away place?
In their latest act of overbearing presumption, they canceled my VISA card and transferred me to American Express, utterly without consultation, with no attempt to gain my approval, until the letter arrived saying I had been transferred and my VISA card was dead.
I'm sure they believe their continued advertising, with the ho'omalimali about how they are my bank, will bring most of us around like sheep, too acquiescent to give them any lasting problems.
George L Crosson
Honoka'a
Public schools should make up lost time
Why is it that UH, which was on strike fewer days than the public schools were, provided make-up classes for its students, but public schools seem to feel it's sufficient to not make up any days?
What kind of decent curriculum plan can lop three weeks off of an already-packed schedule and still claim to finish on time? Any student who can add can see that 1+1-1 does not equal 3.
What happen to all the rhetoric about teachers constantly sacrificing and going the extra mile for their students? Oh, but I forgot, teachers have it written into their contract that they will only provide instruction for a certain number of days per year. A number, by the way, that was further reduced by the current contract. God forbid they work more than the union mandates.
There you have it, another fine example of union-dominated politics dragging down Hawai'i's economy. Geez, and we thought it was just our kids who had low achievement scores.
Sammy Dang
Oliver Lee retirement an end to university era
So, Professor Oliver Lee is finally retiring from the University of Hawai'i. I took a course from him back in the late '60s. I came out of it convinced that you really didn't need to know what you are talking about in order to become a "professor."
Perhaps his political activities ultimately saved his job.
What did become of the "struggle for academic freedom" at UH, where Lee was one of the star performers? "Academic freedom" at UH applies only to those harboring, advocating and sometimes translating into action left-wing ideologies, then and now.
The most recent proof: the UH faculty's apparent derailment of ASUH's plans to invite Charlton Heston, president of the National Rifle Association, to talk to the students. Even Harvard allowed him to speak to the students, with much favorable reception.
I suppose hypocrisy counts as an ingredient for diversity that these UH professors constantly chant for.
Tom Kenney
Class of '68, Mililani
Healthcare for elderly must be addressed now
It is time to address issues of in-home healthcare services for the elderly before increasing numbers of elders require increasing care.
This issue cannot be allowed to reach crisis proportions, resulting in inadequate care for Hawai'i's elderly population. By 2010, persons 60-plus years of age will represent 21 percent of Hawai'i's population. By 2025, this population is estimated to increase to 27 percent.
This issue is especially critical for elderly women, who have a greater likelihood of surviving their husbands. Many will be economically disadvantaged after having exhausted savings to provide homecare services for their husbands. Many elderly residents are currently in good health, but programs must be developed to avoid throwing economic resources into hastily developed homecare.
Since 1999, nine homecare providers have closed, leaving 13 agencies to service O'ahu and the Neighbor Islands. Before 2010, programs must be formulated before needs for home health services for the elderly overwhelm surviving providers.
Pauline Lynch
Mililani Town
Waddle did what all skippers have done
As a U.S. Navy veteran, I was stationed at Ballast Point Submarine Base in San Diego. These unheralded sailors work in conditions that most do not understand nor want to.
Honor, duty, truth, code of conduct, chain of command, six-month cruises without their families and training the other six months that also includes sea time are not just words printed in a newspaper. The sailors live them. Definitely a special breed.
Public relations functions or dog-and-pony shows go on all the time. The Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds travel all over the world, and what's the first thing they do after they arrive? They throw a TV reporter with a camera into the back seat and take him for a ride. Why? Because the taxpayers can see where our money goes.
With all the "doves" fluttering around in Washington, the armed forces are always scrambling for funding. New planes, ships, boats, artillery and even new berets for the Army cost big bucks, and everyone wants a piece of the pie.
As captain of his boat, Cmdr. Scott Waddle did what all Navy skippers have done for over 200 years: assume responsibility for his boat and his crew. Yes, a terrible accident did happen and Waddle apologized and would have taken all punishment handed down because that's the way they do it in the armed forces.
Sir, I salute you for your service to this country. I pray for the victims, the families, yourself and your crew for this loss.
John Ornellas
Lana'i City
Age-of-consent bill will deter predators
I am happy to hear that the age-of-consent bill has been approved by the Legislature.
This bill will finally raise the age of consent in Hawai'i from 14 to 16 years of age. No longer will a 40-year-old be able to have sexual relations with a 14-year-old without fear of prosecution.
Hawai'i will now lose its infamous distinction of being the state with the lowest age of consent in the nation. Our children can now go back to concentrating on being kids, knowing now that they are protected by the law.
I am certain this new law will deter many sexual predators from taking advantage of young girls. They will now know that an empty jail cell is waiting for them if they choose to engage in these actions.
Andy Smith
Daughter's nude dancing in strip club wasn't right
Noreen Chun's April 25 letter applauding her daughter's nude dancing in a strip club at the age of 17 is astonishing. She states that her daughter "made more money" by nude dancing and was not "emotionally damaged."
Yet it is a fact that countless young women are pulled into prostitution through this industry, are raped, beaten and even made slaves. Chun is just lucky these things did not destroy her daughter.
By supporting an industry that enslaves and even kills women, Chun sends a wrong message to young women.
I teach young women, and encouraging them to exploit their bodies for money is the last thing on earth I would ever do. Instead, I tell them they are priceless, and no amount of money could ever match their worth.
Stephanie Darrow
Holding fund-raisers during session wrong
Is it just me, or does anyone else feel there is something wrong with holding political fund-raisers while our Legislature is in session?
It seems to be a great advantage when the incumbents can take note of who buys their tickets. Any potential candidate who might want to run against any of our good old boys surely is at a disadvantage.
Sam Wallis
