Letters to the Editor
Hawaiian leaders meeting brought unity
Mahalo to all who attended our first Native Hawaiian Leader's Symposium on Aug. 11 at the Kaua'i Veteran's Center in Lihu'e.
All participants recognized that the time has come to unify as a people. We further recognized that native Hawaiians already comprise a nation united by a national consciousness and share a common ancestry, culture, traditions and language.
We all agree that unity is fundamental and key to self-determination as well as independence.
For far too long, native Hawaiians have been labeled as contentious and unable to work together. Our day together, culminating in a four-point unity document, proved that label to be false, once and for all.
We will now expand our national unity, building on a foundation of our common ancestry, culture, traditions and language, as we continue working together into the future. Additional symposiums are planned for each island starting with O'ahu in April of next year.
We wish to thank Terry and Joe Reyes of the Kaua'i Veteran's Center, Angie and Bruce Ho'opi'i for the beautiful flower arrangements and our moderator, Sabra Kauka, for a job very well done.
Mahelani Kekahu Sylva
President, The Koani Foundation
Waipi'o showed what the game is all about
What a great ball game I have just witnessed. The Waipi'o team and its coach, Clyde Tanabe, exhibited much talent, never gave up and showed so much class in their last game.
Guys, you are what Little League is all about. I am sure that the whole state of Hawai'i is so proud of your accomplishments. I can assure you that this Tennessean is certainly proud of you.
G. Lloyd Shouse
Columbia, Tenn.
Legacy of education nothing to brag about
Regarding the Aug. 20 letter by Cedric Yamanaka on Gov. Cayetano's legacy of education: Yamanaka suggests that Cayetano's administration "built 16 new schools" and added staff to the Departments of Education and Health.
Somehow I get the feeling that he neglected to coincide the population growth during Cayetano's tenure as governor, and how O'ahu's infrastructure is inclined to expand proportionately.
New communities are developed on the contingency that schools and public utilities and services will be developed and made available; Yamanaka failed to mention that these same schools would have been built regardless of who was governor. Since Cayetano has been in office, isn't the addition of schools and personnel coincidental?
Yamanaka also suggests that Cayetano was behind the teachers' pay raise, yet he failed to mention that the HSTA was working without a contract for two years prior to the statewide teachers strike. He also conveniently "forgot" to note that this was the first ever meltdown in the state educational system.
Of course, there is still the bonus pay debacle.
Regardless of these shortcomings, teachers' salaries are still well below the national average, the Felix decree is hovering over the DOE like a foreboding storm, and oh, yes, the teachers' contract expires next year.
Perhaps it's Mr. Yamanaka who will one day reflect on Cayetano's "legacy" and realize that while Ben's keeping himself busy by spending taxpayers' money to analyze campaign platforms of gubernatorial candidates, unofficially renaming tunnels and undoing the few positive things he's accomplished, he's leaving all these problems in his successor's lap.
Politics: Hawaiian style.
Spike Nishii
Waipahu
Keep children out of middle of street
I am a mother of two young children who are my life. Every day when I come home from work to our street in Mililani Mauka, I cringe. There are several children, ages 5 to 8, congregating in the middle of the street on their scooters, bikes and roller shoes. They are unsupervised and do not move until you are inches away from them. Once I drive past, they are right back in the middle of the street.
Because of this situation, my husband and I drive 5 to 10 mph when entering our street. God forbid someone should come around the corner at the posted speed of 25 mph.
I ask all parents to take responsibility for their young children and do not let them play in the streets. There are several parks and other facilities designed for young children in Mililani. Not everyone will be as cautious as I am coming up your street.
Lisa Marciel
Mililani
Home alarm system fee set off an alarm
I was surprised to learn that I am delinquent in paying an annual registration fee ($15 initial and $5 renewal) to the City & County of Honolulu for my home alarm system.
I thought I was fairly well-informed about government fees, but this one sneaked up on me — just like the "tele vans."
I wonder how many other Honolulu residents besides me were unaware of this new law? The county's justification for the law and the alarm registration form can be found at the HPD Web site.
Kenneth Hirai
Pearl City
Water sports lover running for council
A surfer, local boy, married with three children, is running for the Honolulu City Council. He is a college graduate with the intelligence to understand county functions, and with a family background in politics.
Having Cameron Heen elected to the City Council will give all of us O'ahu surfers, canoe paddlers, swimmers, body boarders, kayakers, windsurfers, body surfers, family beach recreational users and O'ahu residents the opportunity to be represented on the City Council.
George Downing
Free public parking must be maintained
As the chairman of the O'ahu Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, I served on the state's Ala Wai Harbor privatization ad hoc committee. The intent of the committee was to create recommendations in terms of guidelines and constraints that would be a part of the request for proposal used by the state to develop plans for improving the harbor.
My primary objective was to make certain the current free public parking used by recreational users, including surfers, would be one of the committee's recommendations. I was happy with the final committee report in that it recommended that a minimum of 200 free parking slots in or close to the heliport area would be maintained and that 50 more slots would be available in the Hawai'i Yacht Club parking area when special yachting events were not involved. This recommendation would maintain the same free parking as we have today.
I am concerned that our recommendations will not have the strength to assure that our guidelines would be adhered to during future transactions.
I am also concerned that many of the free parking slots will be occupied by employees of the nearby hotels and associated businesses. These employees should be provided parking by their employers without infringing on the free parking allocated for public use.
Peter V.Z. Cole
Hale'iwa
'Price of Paradise' article was misleading
John Duchemin's "Price of Paradise shrinks" article is misleading. His article paints the wrong picture at a time when the economy and government spending are major issues in political campaigns.
I was shocked at the statement in the article that says, "A $100,000 income in Sacramento, for instance, will buy you about as much as a $77,400 income on O'ahu, according to bankrate.com, an online company that monitors rates, prices and costs in cities nationwide."
The bankrate.com Internet site that he referenced provides data that conflicts with his article. I went to that site and used the cost-of-living calculator to compare the cost of living between Sacramento and Honolulu. The bankrate.com calculator listed "A $100,000 income in Sacramento CA is equivalent to a $99,622 income in Honolulu HI."
So those results show that we are at the same cost of living as Sacramento presently, instead of 30 percent lower as stated in the article. Since the listed reference doesn't support the numbers in his article, I went to another site. At realtor.com, I got very different results.
The salary calculator at realtor.com estimates that if you make $100,000 in Sacramento, you would need to make $154,747 in Honolulu if you are buying your home. If you are renting in Honolulu, then you only need to make $118,642.
At the very least, Honolulu's cost of living is as much as today's large, expensive cities on the Mainland. And Honolulu's costs are very much higher than smaller cities. I cannot see what has changed. Maybe another article will explain this.
Steve Anderson
Internet Radio Fairness Act must be approved
My concern is that the Internet Radio Fairness Act may not become law, and if that happens, I hope that the artists, labels and distributors give Internet Radio Hawai'i permission and waivers for performance royalties.
Who am I? No one special unless you consider someone who loves Hawaiian music special.
Although I'm not Hawaiian, I know I'm Hawaiian at heart, and it's the music that helps me make the connection. It's having access to IRH.com that gives me the type of Hawaiian music I enjoy most.
I've been listening to and supporting IRH for a few years now. Because I listen, I become aware of music I want to purchase, and purchase I do. I now have a collection of approximately 40 CDs, a few videos and most recently a DVD ("Songs of Aloha"). I purchased most of my inventory from BuyHawaii.com and Mele.com. I try to purchase from BuyHawaii first because it is a Hawaiian business, and because it supports IRH.
Hearing the music always makes me want to return to visit. I've made the trip over 12 times in the last 20 years. Most recently I brought along my 10-year-old grandniece to plant the love of and for Hawai'i in her.
There are no Hawaiian music radio stations that I know of in the Denver area, so if Internet Radio gets priced out of existence, I won't be able to listen to the type of music I most enjoy. That will end my being exposed to hearing the new music, and old, which will mean I don't continue to buy CDs and videos.
Tom Green
Denver
Put blame on China, not Taiwan
Status-quo-loving Tom Plate in his Aug. 18 column, "Taiwan leader took huge risk aiming verbal volley at China," misleads readers when he asserts that Washington's infighting has the potential to bring conflict to East Asia. He must assume that conflict will not occur otherwise.
The Department of Defense's recently released report on Chinese military power leads one to conclude that China's motives in "substantially" increasing the number of ballistic missiles opposite Taiwan over the next several years is to coerce Taiwan. Professor Plate forgets the most significant lessons of World War II (let irresponsible nations build arms and armies while we appease them) while he implies that Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian narrowly avoided World War III.
Plate also neglects to mention why Chen made his remarks: Chen Ming-tong, vice chairman of the policy-making Mainland Affairs Council, stated, "The Mainland has ignored President Chen's goodwill. It has refused to renounce the use of force against Taiwan and deployed an increasing number of missiles. It has also tried to isolate us diplomatically."
Chen's goodwill and China's missile buildup can be easily verified independently.
Bei Ling, in "Vote will not bring Taiwan freedom," Aug. 18, accurately states that the United States should express dissatisfaction with the status quo. I suspect that the division and infighting within Washington that Plate fears is the result of healthy debate and critical thinking over this complex issue.
It is time we noticed that over the last decade, Taiwan has renounced its claim to China, ended martial law and successfully transferred power between political parties in a free election. That's progress, Professor Plate, not status quo.
Bei Ling (and others) likes to point to the common cultures on both sides of the strait; some imply that Taiwan should submit to the PRC and get it over with. I submit that anyone who cherishes freedom shares a culture with Taiwan, even if they can't speak Mandarin.
To the Washington policy-makers: Keep stirring the pot and come up with a policy that shapes the future.
Mike Phillips
Kailua
