Posted on: Friday, December 6, 2002
Letters to the Editor
Students should not drive to their schools
In most states, including Hawai'i, driving is a privilege, not a right. That said, here's a possible solution: If you are enrolled in an educational institution — high school, college or university, business school, etc. — you must use public transportation (TheBus), school bus, walk, bicycle, moped, etc., to commute to and from that institution. No exceptions.
While this may not alleviate all our traffic woes, it would certainly reduce the number of vehicles during peak hours. Remember: "It's a privilege, not a right."
John L. Shupe
Wahine volleyball team was snubbed
The Rainbow Wahine volleyball program is the next victim of the NCAA committee's frequent disregard of our university's athletic program. It has happened to our Wahine basketball program for two years in a row, and last year to our Warrior football team.
Who would've thought that the nation's leading team in attendance, kills, hitting percentage and assists would be given a sixth seed and a region over 3,000 miles away?
Look at the facts: In the AVCA coach's poll, Hawai'i has never been ranked lower than No. 4 the entire season and has been in the top three for 13 consecutive weeks. Northern Iowa and Florida have never been ranked higher than Hawai'i, and since the second week of play, neither has Nebraska. Yet, they got higher seeds.
Kaimana Chee
How to break bad habits in classroom
This school year 2002 is quickly coming to a close for me as a first-year teacher. There were many challenges I faced as soon as the students walked into my classroom. I didn't mind the pushing, shoving, name-calling, pen-tapping, chewing gum, talking out loud, talking out of turn and yelling out of the classroom.
However, I couldn't tolerate my students' swearing. I couldn't handle them saying the popular four-letter f-word that they would say out of habit. I cringed, yelled, screamed and warned them of the classroom rules they were breaking. My warnings did not seem to affect them at all. What was a brand-new teacher to do? Just grin and bear it? No way. I couldn't even stand my students saying "shut up" in class. It drove me crazy.
So I gave them two choices: serve detention for 5 minutes during recess or lunch, or donate 25 cents to charity for each swear word.
They did not like spending 5 minutes in the classroom during their valuable free time, so they would choose to donate the quarter. They learned there were consequences for their unacceptable behavior. They also understood how hard it was to break bad habits and how they could improve their speech by breaking them. The students are excited about donating their outcome of consequences to people in need. They know their donations will help people who are less fortunate, especially at this time of the year, and will reflect on their behavior in a class letter that will accompany the donation. Joyce Choy
Where are all these slums out 'Ewa way?
So letter writer Eric Metcalf has seen more slums and ghettos here on O'ahu than in the town he was from in New England? Was it maybe a town of 1,000 people? Just because a bunch of homes or buildings are old doesn't make it a "slum."
He also pointed out that he drives from 'Ewa to Wheeler every day. There aren't too many, if any, slums and ghettos on the H-2 or Kunia Road.
Is he so disappointed that when he got off the airplane six months ago there wasn't a hula girl to greet him and he's not living in a grass hut?
Kyle Tanaka
Laws against littering must be enforced
We need to strictly enforce laws against the littering all around us.
I can't believe the amount of everyday littering. I see people throwing wrappers to the wind and emptying their cars or trucks of trash and other disposable items. The other day I saw a woman brushing her car out of trash right onto the parking lot ground. About 10 feet away was a trash can.
I am truly amazed to see the disrespect many people have for this beautiful island, and very sad to see many people just don't care. What are people thinking? Someone else will clean it up? It's someone else's job? We must stop turning our heads when we see this stupidity and stop it. Why not start ticketing for littering? There are some wonderful people who really do love and care for this beautiful island. But there are also many adults and kids who couldn't care less.
Let's all join in and stop this ignorance. If you need to throw something away, please use a trash can.
Doug Swanek
Abercrombie needs to get with the program
As a teenager, I remember seeing Neil Abercrombie every morning on my way to school greeting motorists on Ward Avenue or driving around town in his beat-up Volkswagen with his name written all over promoting himself. And I thought to myself, "Here's a man who will be a great leader, dedicated and really showing that he cares about our state."
Today, I see the same in Linda Lingle. Eager, caring, dedicated. Unfortunately, the same can no longer be said about Neil. Instead of showing Hawai'i that he will do his best by supporting our new governor, he has shown what citizens and voters of Hawai'i have grown tired of: egotistical lawmakers who will not put themselves or their political party aside for the betterment of Hawai'i.
It's sad to hear and read what Neil Abercrombie said about our new state leader. He needs to reflect on those early years when he wanted the best for this state.
Neil, instead of being a poor sport with an "I want to see what you can do" attitude, be a player and help make these ideas work. Isn't this why Hawai'i voted you into office? To be part of the team? Paul Kiyan
Abercrombie out of step with his negativity
As a congressman for Hawai'i, Neil Abercrombie talks with a very negative tongue, not to mention a bad attitude. He should be grateful to have been re-elected time and time again by the people of Hawai'i.
But remember, Neil, just as we voted you in, when the time comes, we can vote you out with the stroke of a pen. Times have changed, and we will be watching each and every one of you. You all need to stop bickering, put your ill feelings aside and work together in the best interest of Hawai'i, its people, and our new governor and lieutenant governor.
Either you're with us in this transition, or you are against us. You decide — and when the next election comes around, we'll decide. Just as we did for this "New Beginning." J.J. Johnson
Hanabusa is the only logical choice on Jan. 4
I find it very disturbing that we just elected to Congress an individual whose only connection to rural Hawai'i is that he once lived there over 30 years ago.
He couldn't even vote for himself on Nov. 30 since he does not reside in the district he plans to represent.
Did we not just pass a constitutional amendment stating that we want our legislators to reside in the district that they want to represent? Would you vote for a candidate from another state to represent you? Of course not.
We have a chance on Jan. 4 to correct our error and elect a person who lives in the 2nd Congressional District. A person who understands firsthand the problems and issues facing the people of this district, not someone whose entire political career has been spent representing residents of metropolitan Honolulu. Of the major candidates in the race, the only one who fits these criteria is Colleen Hanabusa.
Hanabusa provided powerful representation for the residents of the Wai'anae Coast. She can do even more for the residents of rural Hawai'i as their congresswoman.
L. Shimoda
Why weren't students asked to participate?
Were any of the graduates or current students of the University of Hawai'i School of Fine Arts visual design program given the chance to participate in designing a logo brand for their school?
Your Dec. 2 article "UH image upgrade includes logo" gave me such a disheartening feeling. Did I miss the posting of the bid proposal?
Once again, an opportunity leaves the state and ends up in the hands of an out-of-state company. In this case it ends up in Baltimore. Is our university education lacking so much that we were not even considered qualified for this task? Even the athletic department's UH logo went to a California design firm. What a slap in the face.
The university preaches pride of community, of school — of giving back. Back to what? Were we even considered in the equation of such a high-profile assignment?
Rodney Kam
Starting off healthy
I, along with most other Hawai'i residents, am thankful that Gov. Lingle is healthy and can ably fulfill her duties.
Ted La Fore
We don't 'need' private vehicles
The Nov. 24 commentary "Car or rail? Both is best," by Randy Leong, was a poor and uninformed analysis of rail transit that proposed an unrealistic and unworkable alternative.
"In the real world," Leong wrote, "we need the flexibility, security and convenience of private vehicles." What he confuses here is what we need and what we want. In American society today, especially among the younger generation, there is a prevalent misuse of the word "need." What we need are food, water and shelter. What we want are things that make our lives more comfortable, more enjoyable. Ergo: I need food; I want a car.
We want the flexibility, security and convenience of private vehicles, and most of us now enjoy these things, but we do not "need" them. Many people in Hawai'i today manage to live their lives using public transportation. They go to work, visit friends, shop and even go out socially using the bus system. Do these people need private vehicles? Obviously not.
Leong also argues that "picking up laundry, grocery shopping, doctor visits and other routine tasks can hardly be done reasonably using rail transit." Why? Because it is inconvenient? This does not make his case.
In many parts of the world, and even in the U.S., children learn to use trains, as I used the buses here when I was young, and in doing so they can take themselves to school or wherever they need to go. Using rail transit does require better scheduling, doing certain things on certain days, budgeting your time, not running crazily around trying to do far more than is practical.
The crux of Leong's article is the new system he proposes. However, the practicality of this "dual-transit" system is questionable at best. There are three main problems with this system:
• In order to use this system, people would have to buy cars not even available yet. The technology in this proposal has never been tested.
• Like the zipper lane, the number of people benefiting will be minimal. There are thousands of drivers who do not come from Kapolei or Mililani and thus would get no use of such a system.
• A person must still use a vehicle to gain access to the rail — meaning that there would still be traffic at and around the entry points.
The only proven mass transit system is rail transit. Look around the world and you will see examples of large metropolitan areas that support thousands, if not millions, of commuters each day: Tokyo, London, New York, Washington, Chicago. These cities might also have traffic problems on their freeways, but imagine how much worse it would be if there were no trains.
Of course a rail system would not replace buses or private vehicles completely. A plan for Hawai'i would build train stations at convenient access points along major routes. Local trains stop at each stop, while express trains stop selectively at major stops. Buses then concentrate on running from train stops to outlying areas, instead of hauling people back and forth on car-congested roads.
The problem with rail proposals in the past was not if it would work, but if we could get people to use it. Here's how to solve that issue: Give people a reason to use the trains and a reason not to drive.
C.K. Nakagawa
UH graduate
