Letters to the Editor
Economy prescription favors those at the top
The economic doctors of Hawai'i have a novel way to treat our economic malaise. Their remedy is to give those at the very top of the economic pyramid a massive dose of monetary medicine, hoping the benefits will trickle down to the working masses below.
Meanwhile, our economic engineers attempt to revive "the engine that drives Hawai'i's economy" by aiding its owners and tinkering with the engine rather than developing other engines and aiding the workers who fuel and run all of our engines.
Richard Y. Will
Public unions must give up their raises
The Oct. 21 commentary by UH-West O'ahu labor economist Lawrence W. Boyd Jr. argues against cuts in taxes and spending and cites possible negative affects on the economy as the main reason. Not mentioned, however, is what the HGEA, UPW, UHPA and HSTA will fight hard to stop the Legislature from doing: postpone public employee union raises the state can't afford now.
As the rest of us cut expenses and hours worked, thankful for being employed in the first place, Hawai'i's public employee unions will demand and expect their raises without shame. It's time for all of us to make sacrifices.
Chances are greater that it will snow in Waikiki before Boyd publishes a negative word about labor.
Michael Peters
Waikiki
Power gone amok
The House has voted to give the governor special powers to ignore state laws in emergencies. According to House Speaker Calvin Say, it is an emergency whenever a private developer wants to consider going ahead with a project. Oh, boy.
Stephen Olsen
Cayetano last person to give wider powers
Dear Representative:
I am in favor of a class-action lawsuit against the state and each legislator who voted for denying my constitutional right to proper representation. I am in favor of punitive damages personally against those who caused this.
I have no confidence that Gov. Cayetano can properly use the powers you have voted for him. He has not functioned well as governor during the best of times. Why should you or I believe he would function well in the worst?
I am assuming by your vote to the affirmative on the "King Ben bill" that you no longer wish to represent the people.
Regretfully,
Peter Aiello
Tyranny in the making
Regarding the push for almost unlimited power for the governor: I'm reminded of the following statement made by James Madison: "The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home."
John Duncan
Tobacco Trust Fund must be left alone
Every year 1,100 people die in Hawai'i from smoking-related illness. Act 304 allocated 25 percent of state revenue from the tobacco settlement to set up a Tobacco Trust Fund to finance programs to help people stop or not begin smoking.
In response to Act 304, the Coalition for a Tobacco Free Hawai'i has developed an effective tobacco control program to reduce the millions of dollars ($328 million in 1997) spent statewide on healthcare costs related to diseases from tobacco use. A similar program in California reduced lung cancer rates by 14 percent between 1988 and 1997 compared to a nationwide decline of only 2.7 percent during the same period.
The Legislature now proposes to take half of the revenue in the Tobacco Trust Fund for the new medical school complex in Kaka'ako. The American Lung Association of Hawai'i supports the university's plans for a new medical school, but vigorously opposes the Legislature's bill to use a portion of the Tobacco Trust Fund to underwrite a bond issue to finance it.
The bill betrays the original compromise that was reached to pass Act 304 for the use of the tobacco settlement and puts the state's public health community at odds with the University of Hawai'i.
This same compromise put 40 percent of the tobacco settlement into a "rainy-day fund." The Legislature should tap these funds for the new medical school.
Peter Flachsbart, Ph.D.
President, Board of Directors, American Lung Association of Hawai'i
Exempt Hawai'i now from the Jones Act
An emergency exemption from the "Jones Act" for cruise ships in Hawaiian waters would go a long way in helping our dying tourism.
The recent demise of Sen. Dan Inouye's golden child, American Classic Voyages, is an example of what Hawai'i does not need to repeat.
The time to act is yesterday.
Michael De Mey
Columnist ignores lessons of Vietnam
Preoccupied with the then antiwar demonstrations, David Shapiro ("a peacenik who came of age in the 1960s, dissenting from the Vietnam War"), in his Oct. 24 commentary, explains his out-of-touch justifications for "it's time to punish."
Had he read newspaper accounts (1965-69) of daily U.S. bombing of North Vietnam that were certain to assure a victorious end to that war, today's similar headlines would evoke deja vu skepticism.
Shapiro's promoting the air campaign to discourage other governments from harboring terrorists ignores both past as well as on-going aid to the Taliban by Iran, Iraq and Syria since the 10-year Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
As to reducing our oil dependence from the Middle East, it may come as a surprise to Shapiro that Venezuela is the No. 2 source for America's oil imports.
John K. Kingsley
Wahiawa
Severance package for LeMahieu is wrong
If Paul LeMahieu had been an effective and ethical superintendent, he would not be in need of a severance package because he would still have his job.
I am disgusted that the Board of Education wants to waste more of the taxpayers' money on this guy. The fact that this is even a topic of discussion sheds light on the state of affairs at the upper levels of the education system of this state. They don't give a damn about the school system.
You wonder why hotel, service and tourism industries are catered to by the state. Well, those are about the only jobs the school system prepares our children to do. If they are going to take $45,000 out of the budget, why don't they send it to the flailing school system instead?
Randy Heimann
Mililani
UH Warriors gave us a break from reality
During these trying times, when our state is faced with many difficult social and economic issues, it brings me great joy and pleasure to take a brief moment away from the special legislative session to witness our UH Warriors' victory over nationally ranked Fresno State.
I would like to extend warm congratulations to Coach June Jones and the rest of the team and staff for providing a much-needed display of leadership, teamwork and perseverance. Truly great lessons in life can be learned from such a game.
Kika G. Bukoski
Stadium announcing detracts from the game
At the UH-UTEP game, we got to wondering what was different about the stadium. Then it hit us. The announcer talks all the time. He even speaks over the plays while they are in progress.
This is not typical of stadium announcing, and it detracts from the experience at the stadium. The announcing is so pervasive that the crowd cannot develop any character in its reaction to the game. The Warriors suffer when the 12th player at the home games is squashed under a barrage of unnecessary play-by-play and overly obvious information. Tell us who the ball carrier was or who made the tackle after the play.
The announcer should be like a good carpenter: Think twice, speak once.
Eric Schiff
Niu Valley
Credit counseling firm does not have owners
A recent Advertiser story stated, "Haxton and his wife, Yvonne Haxton, formerly owned Hawai'i Credit Counseling of Honolulu." Michael Haxton was formerly president, and his wife, Yvonne, was treasurer of Hawai'i Credit Counseling Service. They were never owners.
Hawai'i Credit Counseling Service is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit corporation as designated and approved by the IRS. As a nonprofit organization, there are no owners, stockholders, bondholders or owners of any type. The company, as a nonprofit corporation, provides a community service, and all officers report to and serve at the pleasure of a board of directors.
The resignations of the previous president and treasurer were accepted and a new management team was elected and put into office at the special meeting on April 21.
Roy Jones
President, Hawai'i Credit Counseling Service
Massie case book will be published soon
I read with interest your recent article on the Massie case since my own book on the same subject is already at Island Heritage publishers and will be out in the near future.
It is a subject that has been familiar to me all of my life. I was raised next door to the Massie-Fortescue family estate, Twin Oaks, summer home of Alexander Graham Bell, the uncle of Mrs. Fortescue. As a child, I met the leading characters of this tragic case, those who got away with murder.
At the time, my father was an assistant to the secretary of the interior, whose jurisdiction included the Territory of Hawai'i. It was inevitable that I, as a writer in Hawai'i, would one day put this notorious story of miscarried justice into a book.
Cobey Black
Expertise is there for the tapping
As Jerry Burris noted in his Oct. 28 column, the "familiar box" mentality within the Capitol goes on as usual, while people outside it are offering creative ideas as to how we can combat the tourism slump. But is anybody in government listening? Are they seeking input from the best and brightest in the tourism industry?
Nope. They turn to familiar names and faces who represent a narrow segment of the business community. For example, my wife publishes the most widely distributed Japanese visitor publication in Hawai'i. Every day she talks to clients who are retailers, advertising executives and marketing consultants. She hears what the buzz is on the streets of Waikiki and Tokyo.
Yet no one from the city, state or Hawai'i Visitors & Convention Bureau has ever contacted her or any of the professionals she works with.
Not only that, they don't seem to want suggestions either. Try using the city's Office of Economic Development Web site and your e-mail won't go through. Ditto for the HVCB's e-mail link on its Web site. I know, because I wanted to offer it a simple marketing idea and had to send it to The Advertiser instead as this letter to the editor.
So here's something that can be done by the city or state to help persuade Japanese visitors to come here: produce colorful, postage-paid Hawai'i postcards that say "Wish you were here!" in Japanese, then insert them in free visitor publications that are distributed throughout the Islands. Sort of like the city's free phone cards to encourage Mainland callers to promote Hawai'i, except cheaper and easier.
It might not make a huge difference, but having a few thousand of these personalized endorsements sent to Japan from here, over the next couple of months, certainly would be a plus.
After all, the best advertising is word of mouth from other Japanese who are still coming to Hawai'i. They can tell their friends and families about how safe it is and about the great bargains available. It makes them active participants in spreading and receiving a little aloha, instead of passively looking at the usual HVCB ads and commercials. In fact, the new "Aloha Pass" discount program could be promoted on these postcards as well.
Would the Japanese visitor publications and ad agencies like to work with the city or state on something like this? You bet. But the prevailing attitude in government seems to be, "It's not my job" to be innovative or creative.
Too bad, because there are many talented professionals who want to help.
Is anybody listening?
Rich Figel
Kailua
