Letters to the Editor
HMSA's generosity helpful in these times
I want to publicly express my appreciation to HMSA for quickly responding to the state's economic downturn resulting from the Sept. 11 tragedy.
Many don't know, but HMSA is providing health insurance coverage at no cost for children of employees who lose their jobs as a result of the tragedy, for up to three months. HMSA is also providing half-price coverage during the same period for employees who are laid off and an across-the-board rebate to all member/employers to help with cash-flow during this critical time.
HMSA has acted to help our community, and we should acknowledge our appreciation. I hope other local companies follow its lead.
Alan B. Burdick
Kailua
Waikiki must treat kama'aina with respect
I try to do my part for Waikiki by going there every weekend. Sometimes I park in the city-metered lot on Kuhio as a matter of convenience.
This past Sunday, I didn't have enough quarters for the 25 cents per 15 minutes. I gave what I had and then thought to ask a storekeeper if I could get change for a dollar. I was turned down. I went to his store because I buy there quite often. This merchant lost my continuing business forever just because he had no aloha.
If you want kama'aina business in Waikiki now, it's time for a moratorium on parking meters until our economy can justify them or at least until merchants realize that my money counts.
I remember in the past when my money wasn't welcome because I wasn't a Japanese tourist. Seems like even now some people do not understand that kama'aina count too.
Steven Hughes
'Aiea
Kama'aina 'specials' an endangered species
I recall during and after the Gulf War how our local economy was hurting badly. I remember how the stores were so happy to have the kama'aina come in and shop. I also remember the many "specials" run by the hotels, restaurants and specialty stores, enticing kama'aina to come and shop.
As soon as our economy got "on its feet," the "specials" for kama'aina seemed to dry up. I remember calling a hotel for kama'aina rates, and was told that they didn't have any rooms available. I remember the embarrassment I felt. I remember, too, a friend being told she didn't have the money to shop in their store.
We are once again faced with a similar, if not worse, situation: a very bad economic picture. Once again these same establishments are calling on the kama'aina for help with their kama'aina "specials."
I am a kama'aina and do my share to help boost our local economy. However, I wonder how long these same hotels, restaurants and specialty shops will still remember the kama'aina and their help.
Beverly Matsuo
Kane'ohe
More development won't solve problem
It has been known for a long time that Hawai'i's economy is too dependent on tourism. When economic downturns on the Mainland and in Japan or fear of flying cuts tourist dollars, our state suffers.
Yet Gov. Cayetano wants to spend $20 million on a marketing plan to encourage tourism.
I am baffled by this short-term thinking. Wouldn't we better spend this money on developing an economy less dependent on such a volatile industry and more on clean, safe industries offering more stability, benefits and better wages for our citizens? We hear a lot of talk about being a link between East and West and therefore in an excellent position to build a global economy. Why then is the governor focused on our beaches and aloha spirit?
Ironically, Cayetano also wants to spend close to $1 billion on construction projects, despite the fact that so much of the state is becoming overdeveloped, with no thought to our environment, the exorbitant price of real estate here and our quality of life. Building for the sake of building will not rebuild our economy in the long term and may even hurt it.
I recently spoke to a tourist who was making her second visit after many years. She was disgusted by all the development in Waikiki, saying that this is not why people come to Hawai'i. Needless to say, she was not going to come back. All I could say was that if she was unhappy, imagine how those of us who live here feel.
Andria Ventura
Flag is appreciated
On Kane'ohe Bay Drive, someone hung an American flag from the Kokokahi overpass. How great!
Olga Waterhouse
Kailua
Fort DeRussy parking hikes are uncalled for
On Oct. 1, Fort DeRussy instituted substantial increases in parking charges for rates government pay scale E6 and above. These increases were inflicted at just the time the government was supposedly trying to reduce costs for the military during this time of turmoil.
It appears the Hale Koa Hotel, which administers the parking lot, has lost sight of its mission. The purpose of Fort DeRussy is supposed to provide R&R for active-duty and retired personnel and their dependents. It is not to just increase the bottom line of Hale Koa's profit-and-loss statement.
It appears that at least half of the total parking income is derived from patrons of adjacent hotels at higher rates. Actually, military members should have free parking for their own facilities. I am sure the income from local hotel users more than pays the expenses of the parking lot.
This is not the time to hit our soldiers and sailors in the knee with unnecessary increases in the cost of their recreation.
W.W. Robinson
USN, retired
Treasury should mint coins from the rubble
We, the students of Kihei High School, respectfully come to you with a proposal. Being so far away from the tragedies that occurred on Sept. 11, we struggle to find a way to make a difference, a way to help the nation recover from the shattering blow it has been dealt.
All of America wants to be a part of this, to share the burden of those suffering and to remember the value of those lives lost.
Having read the news, we have observed that Americans have flown across the country just to stand next to what remains of the World Trade Center, to simply bottle a piece of the soil it once sat upon. People are striving to find a way to somehow connect to this tragedy.
More than 200,000 tons of steel were used in the construction of the twin towers, now lying in ruins. It has been proposed many times to use this very steel in creating a monument commemorating the lives lost in this national tragedy.
The students of Kihei High School have approached this idea from a different angle. We propose to start a grass-roots movement to have the U.S. Treasury mint a coin (such as a penny, nickel or dime) using the steel from the New York Trade Center rubble. What better tribute to the men and women who worked at the World Trade Center, the symbol of the American economy, than to create a coin in remembrance of these people, making it a part of that same economy.
Through the circulation of this coin, we would be making accessible to the entire nation a monument in remembrance of the blood, sweat and tears, the courage and fortitude of not only those victimized by hatred, but also those of the heroes who sacrificed their lives in an attempt to save the lives of others.
We believe it is also important to create a monument on the site as a historical reminder of the loss of life and as a testament to the American spirit. Unfortunately not all concerned citizens will have access to this type of stationary memorial. So, not only will the production of a monetary memorial allow every individual to carry a reminder of this historical event, but it will also aid in stimulating confidence in the American economy and show the world that the people of the United States of America stand together, firmly resolved to protect all of humanity's right to security and a prosperous future. We will rise from the ashes of this great tragedy, united as a nation.
We appreciate your consideration on this matter and hope that we have won your support in making this proposal a reality.
Students of Kihei High School
Kihei, Maui
Dengue fever visited the Islands in the '40s
The dread of the dengue fever is not new here in Hawai'i. Circa 1946-47, as a freshman in high school, I was part of a crew that went from house to house in Wahiawa to help control the spread of the dengue mosquito.
Under the supervision of a Mr. Poepoe, the town was systematically mapped out to seek this "bugga." We went to every house and checked each yard for containers and plants that held water. Fish ponds with larvae were either drained or oil poured into them.
If memory still serves me, this mosquito was recognized by a distinct white stripe on its body.
Owners who refused to comply were subject to the wrath of Mr. Poepoe and the authorities. In the evenings, designated areas of town were fogged. Prior to the fogging, ample warning was given so that each home could have its windows shut.
Due to the nature of our work and as teenagers, we were susceptible to the irate homeowners and their dogs. The crew's turnover rate was great. Yet, for the rate of 50 cents per hour, it was not all bad.
Hopefully, we will abide by the simple yet effective precautions issued by the Health Department. Help prevent an epidemic and just "huli da watta." Mahalo.
Howard K. Oda
Waipahu
U.S. kept secret outbreak of dengue
Hawai'i's best-kept secret of World War II was the dengue outbreak.
So many of the troops were ill they were unable to be shipped out to fight, and the military didn't want Japan to hear about this weakness.
Army housing was in huge tent cities, which were very susceptible to mosquitoes.
We schoolchildren in Kailua were sent out to comb through the empty lots of Kailua and Lanikai to empty and turn over any containers that might hold mosquito larvae. It was hard work, but a day off from school. The military checked all the house lots.
Thousands and thousands of military and civilians contacted this "break-bone fever."
In the 1940s, no one went to the doctor for dengue — there were no health insurance plans. We only went to the doctor if there were complications of the initial disease.
Please, everyone who reads this, go out into your yard and make sure there are no mosquitoes breeding in your area.
Jane Freeman Lipp
Kailua
DDT an effective tool
DDT is not toxic to people. It does eventually harm birds. It is still invaluable in countries where it is used to keep millions from getting sick with malaria. A problem was eventual resistance by the bugs; they had to figure ways around that.
George D. Curtis
Division of Natural Sciences, UH-Hilo
All-out attack against dengue fever needed
The dreaded dengue fever, a malaria-like disease transmitted by mosquitoes, has spread to most of the Hawaiian Islands. May I very respectfully request that our public health officials use the strongest EPA-approved pesticide available via ground vehicle as well as airplane and helicopter aerial eradication programs to remove this danger?
Spraying during daylight hours, with the diameter of the droplets carefully monitored, is also necessary. This program must be carried out immediately.
Dengue can become endemic to our Islands given the year-round semitropical climate. No one with any concern for their children or themselves would consider visiting us with the threat of this plague present here.
Better monitoring and spraying of pesticides at airports and other ports of entry are necessary to contain and isolate the spread of dengue fever.
Paul W. Dixon
Former visiting professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UCLA
