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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, August 8, 2002

Letters to the Editor

Density laws should protect people

In regard to the city Zoning Board's approval for Hilton Hotels' variance application: Density laws are established for the purpose of controlling building-density in special areas.

Why? Overbuilding can completely change the use of an area and destroy the social balance of the people living there. This is the reason for having density laws. They help to support sensible growth and prevent too much growth.

Attempting to change the density laws of a given area to benefit a project without the total support of the area's property owners, private and public, can be devastating to area users, both residents and visitors. It can cause people to experience mental stress as a result of noise-level nuisance, parking problems, increased crime and numerous other crowded-syndrome conditions.

Hilton now supports the "time-share" concept, as it can apply to keeping its hotels constantly filled. Ordinarily this is no problem, as long as it plays by the rules. Instead, it wants to create new rules. So it now wants to modify density requirements.

Our elected officials, both city councilmembers and state legislators, have to decide now whether or not to support a quick fix for the short-term money problems of the hotels by allowing more people (greater density) in an area that is already heavily overloaded with hotels.

The City Council and State Legislature need to consider the request by the hotel to modify long-established density requirements. These density requirements were put in place to protect the people, and now changes are being requested to fit the needs of the commercial hotels.

The government officials must remember that it was the public, the tens of thousands of Hawai'i citizens, who voted them into office, and whom they must represent.

Because we are the majority of the people, those who have selected to live here, we must ask our elected officials to stop these types of "special favors," and remind them to remember the needs of their constituents, the people.

Vote "No" on #02-225, Special Management Application.

Vote "No" on #02-226, Planned Resort Permit.

George Downing
Spokesman, Save Our Surf


Make streets safe for traffic monitors, kids

I read with interest and concern your Aug. 6 article on the shortage of crossing guards and the safety concerns of schoolchildren. I worked as a crossing guard at Kapolei Elementary. I enjoyed working outdoors and in the community. I especially loved working with the children.

They are terrific kids and truly deserving of our concern, attention and protection. Particularly at Kapolei Elementary, the lack of traffic monitors is only a symptom of the greater problem of unresolved traffic issues in the community.

From my experience of being out there morning and afternoon for three years, the area around the school needs two traffic lights or stop signs, not two crossing guards who are trying to act as human stop signs.

It seems a miracle to me that no child has ever been killed while walking to school in Kapolei, though there have been many who have been hit by cars. Until these issues are addressed and resolved, traffic monitors, as well as children, will always be in danger of being hit by speeding cars, trucks and buses.

For me, the issue was not more pay or a streamlined hiring process. However, I realized that my life was more valuable than $10.05 an hour. Aren't the children of that community of even more value?

The bottom line is this: Make the streets safe for the crossing guards, as well as the children. Maybe then more crossing guards will stay.

Mary C. Hunter


State needs to listen to what residents want

Another anti-gambling diatribe in The Advertiser makes me believe that your newspaper is promoting its political position by allotting column inches to its side of the argument.

The nanny state of Nebraska refused to allow gambling, except, of course, for the upper-class horse-racing track at Aksarben in Omaha, and that hypocritical position was supported by the Omaha World Herald.

Iowa said, "Go ahead with gambling," and now Aksarben is closed down and Omahans are driving across the Missouri River in droves to have fun in one of the two casinos in Council Bluffs. Nebraska's political nabobs are screaming about "lost revenue."

Governments have tried to legislate morality since the beginning of time. The new argument that we can get money out of these gambling establishments isn't even a good one. But Hawai'i does have the obligation to legalize and control gambling in the state for the benefit of its citizens. It is insane to send thousands of Hawai'i residents 2,000 miles away to rent hotel rooms and cars, eat in restaurants and spend their gambling money to prop up Nevada.

It is hypocritical to come down hard on cockfighting, which is simply a poor man's chance to gamble, when no other option exists. When a large segment of the citizenry wants something, then the prudes must step aside.

This is America. We're free. Besides, from an investment point of view, casino gambling makes more sense than investing in the NASDAQ — which is nothing more than legalized gambling on a national scale.

David Childs
Wai'anae


Hokget rescue did not compromise mission

Animal nuisance complaints on O'ahu are a basic responsibility of the City and County of Honolulu. This cost is paid for by the citizens of Honolulu through taxes each year. To suggest that the membership of a private, nonprofit organization subsidize a city government responsibility is not a notion our membership would support — especially considering these members have already paid their taxes. The suggestion that the Hawaiian Humane Society should give priority to bailing out the government instead of rescuing an abandoned animal would go against our mission.

To clarify our efforts to rescue Hokget, the Hawaiian Humane Society did not spend $50,000, but rather raised donations designated specifically for the rescue. These gifts came from compassionate community members when the call went out that a dog was adrift on the high seas and did not impact the programs and services that are central to our mission.

I do not think that money could be raised through community donations to pay for animal nuisance control simply because the city decided to allocate tax money to something else.

Pamela Burns
President and CEO, Hawaiian Humane Society


Pet owners warn others after attack

We no longer walk our two dogs around the perimeter of Kapi'olani Park because even though they were leashed and well-behaved, a policeman warned my husband it was illegal to do so. Since then, he has begun walking them in our Kapahulu neighborhood.

The other day, he came home and said that our smaller dog had been attacked for a second time by this medium-sized, mixed dog. The owner, an older woman, has trouble holding onto the rope with which she insists on leashing or walking her dog.

This time, during the attack, the dog put four puncture wounds into the side and right flank of our dog — one penetrated the muscle and two others just missed the intestines.

So far, our bill has amounted to $300 with emergency and follow-up visits. We still have to return to the vet to make sure he is healing properly. When my husband went back to take the bill to the woman for reimbursement, the dog got loose and attacked our two dogs again. This time, he reported that he kicked the heck out of that dog to get it to stop before the owner's son came out to see what the commotion was about.

Her son, who is a law student home for the summer, insisted we sign a waiver after they reimburse us, which we are willing to do once our dog is given a clean bill of health.

The woman also said, in front of her son, that she will not be walking the dog anymore since my husband pointed out that she obviously cannot control it.

We don't believe this for one minute and we will be forced to take a different route from now on. But what about other dog owners who might be unaware of this dog?

Cassandra Aoki


City praised for fixing problem the same day

Past editorials have commented on the waste and ineptitude of city workers relative to planning and responsiveness to local concerns. My recent experience with the city's Department of Environmental Services Sewer Trouble section was just the opposite.

A loose manhole cover was not only driving me crazy, but each night was waking up my family every time a car drove over it. I thought, "Enough is enough. Wouldn't the city respond to a call?"

They did! A call to the Sewer Trouble desk at midday resulted in a crew fixing the problem by the end of their shift that day. (I should have called sooner.)

Many thanks for a job well done. We should get a good night's sleep tonight.

Warren McKeon


Judges too lenient when it comes to violators

Why are the courts so lenient on violators of disabled parking spaces? Why do some judges seem to believe that the penalties are too high for such violations and, as a result, let many violators either off free or with just a very minor "slap on the hand?"

They seem to be very generous when finding against some proprietor or land owner who does not meet ADA specifications. It seems to me that these judges are making a mockery out of attempted assistance to disabled people. Perhaps if they were required to walk in somebody else's shoes for a week.

B.G. Judson
Kapolei


Campaign plan study not his responsibility

Gov. Cayetano's suggestion that it is his responsibility to the people to render his opinion about prospective gubernatorial candidates' proposals is ludicrous. It is clearly an attempt to summon the Democratic Party sharks to the feeding frenzy on Linda Lingle and nothing more.

Robert Sepulveda
Pearl City


Publish priority goals candidates can address

For about a week, the Advertiser has focused not on the challenges facing our state, but on the Cayetano/Lingle posturing on tax plans and ethics.

Entertaining, but nevertheless a distraction. I have a suggestion in the public interest that might help the voters get their focus back on track. But it will take some statesmanship and leadership from the governor for it to happen.

Any departing governor should direct each of his department heads to draw up a list of at least four priority goals they think, based on their many years in office, need to be addressed for the good of the people. They can also list their recommended solutions.

The governor should then publish this priority list by Sept. 1 and encourage all candidates to address those issues and to point out other priorities and solutions, as well.

We could then see what those in power now and what those aspiring to be in office think needs attention, as well as how they would do it. It's fine with me that state employees do research on public time, even if it is in the last months of eight years in office. Wisdom is good, even if it arrives a little late.

The outgoing governor could start a great tradition that would serve the public interest by sharing his administration's insights into our state's challenges in a positive way, leaving the debate about future options to this year's contenders in all races and parties.

I don't see how approaching the debate over our future in this manner would open him up to more ethics charges. We need a transition to progress, and it will take leadership committed to the public good, not political posturing, to get us there.

Jared Jossem


New leaders can change the way we do business

Here we go again! People are saying Hawai'i can't continue down the path we are going. I heard this in 1998 and I'm hearing it again.

Everyone is saying we need to change the way we do business. I've got a question, "How can we change the way we do business if we keep electing the same people who got us in this mess in the first place?" This is something the voters should consider before they step into the voting booth.

Christian Ogawa
Lihu'e