Letters to the Editor
Hawai'i must compete, pay for talent
The Advertiser reported in the Dec. 13 issue that a reorganization of the University of Hawai'i system has been approved. This seems like a good thing. Four new positions reporting directly to the UH president are being created.
The Advertiser says "salaries will be 80 percent of the national average for these positions." I wonder if that is a good thing. Can salaries that are on the low side of the market average for these positions attract top talent to the UH system?
When I moved here a few months ago from northern California, I was told that professional salaries in Hawai'i are "20 percent to 40 percent less" than the salaries for the same positions on the Mainland.
So how do Hawai'i companies and other organizations compete for top talent? The answer is that they don't. The top talent heads for the Mainland or anywhere else that pays the market-determined salary rate.
Now surely some people come for the wonderful climate and outdoor recreational opportunities here and would be willing to work for less. Other people may have to live here for family or other reasons. Perhaps some highly qualified people will come here to work for a lower salary just so they can work for Evan Dobelle.
But other than these types of situations, organizations in Hawai'i must compete in a national or world market for educational, professional and technical talent. I can't help but wonder if these significantly lower professional salaries here account for some of the economic problems that Hawai'i has had for a decade or longer.
Do top managers and boards of directors in Hawai'i realize that they are competing for talent in a nationwide and worldwide market? If salaries are "20 percent to 40 percent less," it hints that they do not.
Silicon Valley attracts top talent not just from the United States, but also from the world. And top students and scholars worldwide compete to study at Stanford, Berkeley, MIT, Harvard, Carnegie Mellon and other top U.S. universities. This contributes to the educational excellence of these schools. These top universities contribute to the economic strength of the states that they are in.
If the UH system wants to be a top-performing institution, then it needs to rethink what it is willing to pay for the talent that it hires. If it wants to hire the best, it needs to have competitive salaries.
And Hawai'i's business managers need to become aware that just because the island is isolated and out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean or they have always paid lower salaries, that does not mean that they don't have to compete in our market system for the talent that they hire.
Jim Bill
Security practices at stadium to blame
In regard to Kelli Miura's observation that the SDSU football game had the lowest attendance of the season, anybody who attended the Alabama game can tell you why the attendance was so low for the next game.
Most of us missed the first quarter of the Alabama game waiting in a line that snaked down to the parking lot, waiting to allow the Stadium Authority to make sure we weren't smuggling in Thundersticks, a purse, an umbrella, a baby bag or other such serious contraband.
Waiting to make sure that none of us were from al-Qaida. Waiting to funnel the thousands of fans in our particular lines through only two open turnstiles. June Jones is partially right: Pay-per-view is cutting attendance.
But the current security practices at the stadium cannot accommodate in a timely fashion the SRO crowds that the team deserves to have. There are no agonizingly and senselessly slow security checks in our living rooms.
Kelly Aune
Honolulu police force does outstanding job
As stated in the Dec. 17 Advertiser: "With the swift arrests of the shooting suspects, HPD's homicide unit has made arrests in 21 of O'ahu's 24 murder cases this year.
Honolulu police have closed 44 of 46 murder cases from 2000 and 2001.
The 93 percent closing rate ranks near the top nationally for cities comparable in size to Ho-nolulu, homicide Lt. Bill Kato said."
Our police department does an outstanding job considering what they have to work with and I for one want to say, "Job well done."
Von Dent
'Aiea
Sad Christmas for family and friends of Kahealani
Friends and family of Kahealani Indreginal now sit at home and stare out their windows this Christmas season feeling very sad without Kahealani.
Everyone wishes Kahealani was still here to give her Christmas gifts, just like last year. Kahealani has gone to heaven, now celebrating the joy of Christmas with Jesus.
And now, we find ourselves thinking about the joy and love that Kahealani had given to everyone. These precious moments and memories will never be taken away.
Kahealani was God's precious gift, so before this Christmas Day, let us all thank the Lord for his precious gift of Kahealani, who touched many people's hearts and souls.
So always treasure the precious moments and memories as our children celebrate Christmas in heaven with Jesus. We know this will be the saddest Christmas of all. But every Christmas, we will always wish Kahealani a Merry Christmas. God bless you.
Arsenio Ramirez Pelayo
'Aiea
Traffic solution can't rely on untested theory
Palle R. Jensen's letter was right about one thing: "When you are in love with something, you are no longer objective."
Contrary to what Jensen says, I'm not in love with trains; I just value their practicality. (I am, however, in love with my motorcycle.)
Reading his letter, I cannot help but think that Jensen is also in love: with his own idea. He is not being objective. He does not address the problems I mentioned in my letter, but simply points out the advantages of RUF. I did not say that the RUF system would never work; I only questioned its validity as a possible solution for Hawai'i's traffic problem.
Hawai'i's traffic is horrible. Now. I don't know where it stands on the global scale, but I can say that since I commuted to Manoa for college four years ago, things have worsened considerably. Traffic now exists at almost all hours of the day, not just in the morning and afternoon. A proposal to solve this problem cannot rely on a theory that remains untested. The vehicles conceived for the RUF do not exist and, Jensen must admit, may never exist.
Trains do exist. Buses do exist. In Japan, where I had the opportunity to use these systems in conjunction for two years, I experienced only two train delays. Two delays in two years. Trains there leave on time, on the minute. So do buses.
Jensen contends that "when buses and trains have to meet at stations, you ask for problems." Well, I never found those problems. Perhaps because the train system there is so efficient or perhaps because they foresaw possible problems and factored them into their schedules.
Trains can provide the transportation tool Hawai'i needs now. They can be a means of quickly getting to and from Honolulu for multitudes of people, leaving none excluded because stops can be made at intervals along the route. No special nor still theoretical vehicles need to be purchased. Every material thing we need to alleviate Hawai'i's traffic problem exists now.
If RUF ever becomes a reality, with car manufacturers actually producing vehicles, then, perhaps, we can consider it. Until then, trains and buses are the real, workable solution we need.
Chip Nakagawa
Candidates should know it's 'Ed Case's seat' now
Just when you thought you were free from those tiresome, annoying campaign ads, here we go again! This time everybody and their neighbor is running for Congress. One candidate even referenced "Patsy Mink's seat" in TV and radio commercials; I'm just wondering if any candidates realize that there was a special election recently won by Ed Case.
Therefore, even if temporary, it's "Ed Case's seat" now — call me crazy but if none of the candidates realized that before advertising their campaign platform, are they even worthy of your vote?
Spike Nishii
Waipahu
Game promotion trivializes drug problems
I was surprised and disappointed to see The Advertiser promoting a PDA game called "Dope Wars." The author apparently found the game to be a lot of fun and appropriate as an "adult business simulation."
As a professor of international business and a concerned citizen, I regret that The Advertiser, an important source of information and education for the children and adults of Hawai'i, decided to promote this game.
Drug addiction is a serious problem in our state. It destroys the lives of many individual users and causes great sorrow and complications for family members, friends and neighbors. Let's not pretend that any minor lessons to be learned about doing business are of more value than the potential damage caused by trivializing our drug problem.
Norman Wright
Hau'ula
Writer fails to say he also is a broker
Michael Pang wrote in the Dec. 13 Island Voices that the council vote for lease-to-fee conversion is fair. Pang is identified as "lives in Honolulu."
Unmentioned is the fact that he is also the principal broker for Monarch Properties, which is very active in handling lease-to-fee conversions. In the interest of intellectual honesty, we should surmise that his particular viewpoint may be colored by rosy future expectations for his bank account.
Pang further dissembles by referring to the "stated public purpose" of Chapter 38. The word "public" is not mentioned in this section nor are the phrases "public purpose" or "public good" mentioned or defined in the entire 7,200-plus words of the chapter text; his description of leasehold as an "antiquated residential leasehold system" is also not to be found. Another invention masquerading as fact.
Chapter 38, as the vehicle for condominium lease-to-fee conversion, has not been found unconstitutional; that's not the point. Neither was the law authorizing van cams, but that was quickly repealed. Both laws deserve to share the scrap heap of bad ideas.
I agree with Jerry Burris that term limits have allowed four outgoing council members a free ride to abet the theft of Kamehameha beachfront, together with Admiral Thomas and Camelot properties. Make no mistake, a 5 to 4 majority does not constitute a ringing endorsement for condemnation, especially when four of the "aye" votes are outgoing and only function to hopefully deny the incoming council the opportunity to revisit this condemnation with fresh eyes, fresh perspectives and fresh mana'o.
Bob Moore
Faculty, staff praised for encouraging students
I am a substitute teacher working mostly at McKinley High School who wishes to give kudos and happy holiday wishes to the students, faculty and staff at this public high school because I find most of the students there are the worker bees.
Sure, just as in real life, there are the workers and the drones and so there are some students who do not seem to be active participants in the learning process. However, I find that the students are encouraged by their teachers and staff to take advantage of the choices of the many career pathways offered at this school. To name just a few: Academy of Finance; Academy of Travel, Tourism and Food Service; Graphic Arts Learning Center; Automotive Technology; Agriscience; plus Band, Orchestra, Hula Ensemble, Theatre Group, ROTC and many more.
McKinley has graduated many illustrious persons. Thanks to dedicated faculty and staff who have developed the curriculum for these career pathways, we will be hearing about future graduates who will demonstrate societal, professional and personal achievement. They too will be added to McKinley's Wall of Fame.
Lynne Halevi
Victory brings confusion
Hmm, I'm confused ...
Was the University of Hawai'i Wahine volleyball victory over Nebraska an upset? After all, the 6th seeded team defeated the 3rd seed.
But then again, it was the No. 2 team in the country defeating the No. 4 team, which would be expected, right?
Boy, the NCAA really does like to confuse things, don't they?
Fletcher Young
