Letters to the Editor
Well-informed decision should precede tattoo
Regarding Jeffrey Park's Feb. 17 letter in which he urges parents to not let their children get tattoos: I urge them as well, and I'm a licensed, professional tattoo artist.
Park states he received his first tattoo at the age of 13, well below the age allowed by law without parental consent. This would not have been possible at a state Health Department-licensed shop. I suspect the tattoo he received was "hand poke kine," done without sterile professional equipment and without the application from a professional artist.
While quality surely suffers in this case, the more important consideration would be health and safety. Also, a 13-year-old is too young, purely from an artist's standpoint, being that the canvas (skin) is not finished growing and any work done would distort.
Since the dawn of man, millions of people of all races have used tattoos for religious, ceremonial and personal decorative reasons. People should educate themselves about the commitment, process and choices related to tattoos, then make a well-informed decision about what is right for them.
Spike Fuqua
Skin Deep Tattoo, Lahaina
Environmental threats must be addressed
The Feb. 6 Los Angeles Times had a story about removing pigs from Santa Cruz Island with two quotes that Hawai'i's residents, media and land managers should consider in a local context.
Park superintendent Tim Setnicka said: "If you are in charge of a national park with 5,000 pigs ripping up plants and terrorizing the environment, you have to be ecstatic to get money to move forward on this." And from ecologist and park adviser Gary Davis: "We are on the verge of losing species."
Compare this with Hawai'i, which is losing hundreds of species of plants and animals while pigs and other introduced mammals roam freely over public lands, destroying rare ecosystems and helping invasive alien species move in.
The Advertiser's recent 20-question poll of legislators didn't include a single question on the environmental bills up for consideration, which include at least two measures aimed at stopping the rapid spread of miconia, an invasive plant that has replaced approximately 80 percent of Tahiti's native forests.
Hawai'i's future prospects depend on its environment. Opportunities disappear as irreplaceable natural resources disappear. There is only a small window of opportunity left to stop the flood of invasive species, but with determined land managers and appropriate media attention, significant native areas could yet be saved.
Mary Ikagawa
Springdale, Wash.
Health insurance bill merely has safeguards
Contrary to the Feb. 14 commentary by Cliff K. Cisco, senior vice president of HMSA, the health insurance rate regulation proposal (SB 2302) does not propose "a government-mandated process to control all health plan rates."
The bill proposes that providers of health insurance in Hawai'i show how they calculate the rates and premiums that are paid by small and large employers as well as individual citizens.
The bill provides the same safeguards that are currently in effect in 48 states and the District of Columbia, and the same safeguards that Hawai'i currently has for virtually all other lines of insurance.
Those who are paying for health insurance premiums have a right to know that they are being charged rates in line with the benefits that are being provided to them.
It is surprising that Mr. Cisco equates the passage of a health insurance regulation bill with "tear(ing) down community institutions." Recent reductions in the rates charged for automobile, homeowners' and workers' compensation insurance produced substantial savings for individuals and small and large businesses.
Rather than witness a "tearing down" of these institutions, we have seen an increased desire on the part of insurance companies to compete and to reduce rates even further than what was mandated in the legislative bills relating to them.
The health insurance regulation bill simply requires that health insurers answer the question, "How were your rates calculated?" Perhaps the proper question should be, "Why are you afraid to show us, Mr. Cisco?"
Martin M. Simons
Tax assessments are nothing like on Mainland
I find the complaints of O'ahu citizens regarding the huge increase in property tax assessments both critical and ironic, as noted in your Feb. 11 issue.
Having lived on the Mainland for the last 23 years, I have seen property taxes go up by the thousands because of tax levies that are voted upon, not once, but two and sometimes three times a year.
While living in Washington state, I saw my property taxes go from $1,800 to $3,400 in two years based on a property appraisal of $230,000. One example you show is for a property appraised at $668,000 with taxes at $2,075 for the year 2002. Wow!
This same property on the Mainland would be taxed at nearly $4,000 to $5,000 per year. Soon I'll be taxed out of my home and forced to rent, but Hawai'i residents, I have only one thing to say: "Lucky you live Hawai'i."
Maybe I'll move back home where the taxes are lower. Nah, I like it better on the Mainland where basic necessities like food, gasoline and housing are cheaper, the schools are better for my children and there are more opportunities.
Roland Nishimura
Las Vegas
Thank you, Hawai'i, for overseas support
I am an active-duty (Hawai'i-born and -raised) Air Force officer who has been overseas in support of Operation Enduring Freedom since late September 2001. I would like to thank the people of Hawai'i for the continuous support they have provided to the U.S. soldiers, airmen and seamen in our fight against terrorism.
Although we are thousands of miles away from home, the friendly cards and gifts the Hawai'i soldiers receive from home reminds us of the aloha spirit we grew up with.
Please accept my thanks, and please be safe and vigilant while performing your normal daily tasks.
Capt. Michael Mullen
Selective taxation
Gov. Cayetano wants to take money from the Hurricane Relief Fund to help balance the state budget. I believe the use of this fund for this purpose is a form of selective taxation.
Tsune Kanetani
Stadium management did great job at concert
We always hear the negatives about Aloha Stadium, so I want to thank the Aloha Stadium management for an outstanding job during the recent Janet Jackson concert.
The staff displayed much aloha and patience with all of her fans. Taking care of 30,000 people is a big chore. "Great job" goes especially to Edwin Hayashi and his staff for a fun night.
The stadium is being run by a fully competent staff. Turning over the stadium to the University of Hawai'i would be a big mistake. Aloha Stadium is in the capable hands of people who really care for the facility.
R. Hudnall
Janet Jackson concert seating was a fiasco
I booked tickets to the Janet Jackson concert the morning they went on sale. We arrived at the concert early only to be told, as we entered the stadium, that the view of the stage from our excellent $65 seats was completely obscured by production equipment and we were to be relocated.
After waiting for one and a half hours with hundreds of other disgruntled, frustrated and angry fans (during which time we missed the entire first act), we arrived at the information desk to be greeted — not with explanation or apology — but with rudeness and, indeed, anger when I requested part of our original ticket price be refunded.
We were assigned seats I can only assume had not previously been offered for sale as they viewed, at best, merely the front 12 feet of the stage.
As we visited the concession stand during the performance, other vantage points revealed a vast stage production with giant screens invisible from our substandard seating.
Of note, the concert — what we could see of it — was excellent — energetic, colorful, altogether a wonderful event — but the aftertaste is a bitter one.
This was a major blunder with a completely inadequate resolution.
Shelley Johnstone
'Death with dignity' bill has wide support
As a member of the Social Justice Council of the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu, I was one of the sponsors of a recent QMark poll in which registered voters in Hawai'i were asked to respond to the statement: "In general, when a person is dying from a terminal disease, they should be allowed by law to request and receive help from their doctor to end their life."
On O'ahu, 53 percent "strongly agreed" and 21 percent "somewhat agreed," while the response from the Neighbor Islands was 43 percent and 26 percent respectively.
The bill we are hoping our legislators will have the wisdom to hear is modeled after Oregon's "death with dignity" law. The Oregon law requires that an individual making the request be an adult, a resident of the state, competent in communicating his or her healthcare decision and diagnosed with a terminal illness that will lead to death within six months.
Diagnosis has to be confirmed by both the prescribing and a consulting physician, and the patient must be informed of alternatives such as palliative care, hospice and pain management. If either physician feels a patient's judgment is impaired, that patient is referred for a psychological examination.
Additionally, the physician must request that the patient notify his next-of-kin of the prescription request.
Assuming the patient meets all criteria, he or she is given an oral medication to self-administer and always has the ability to stop at any time.
Roland L. Halpern
Ordinary Hawaiian children were left out
In his letter of response on Feb. 8, Thurston Twigg-Smith speculates as to why Princess Pauahi founded the Kamehameha Schools instead of turning over her estate to the public school system.
Could it be that she noticed that in 1820 a school was founded exclusively for missionary children, the Royal School was founded in 1839 only for children of royal blood and O'ahu College was founded in 1841 that only the affluent could afford?
Could it also be that she saw religious schools founded in 1843, 1867 and 1881 that left the common Hawaiian children out of the mix? Maybe this is why she and her husband founded her private school for ordinary Hawaiian children in 1884.
I, too, can speculate, Mr. Twigg-Smith, and I can do it without placing blame or calling for a revolution.
As for President Cleveland's inability to stop the revolution of 1893, you conveniently omitted the fact that when his emissary got back with the truth about the revolution, Cleveland was a lame-duck president.
Why didn't President McKinley and Congress not stop it? Could it be that Manifest Destiny and the Monroe Doctrine were still in full swing?
Al Higgins
Waimanalo
Waikiki condemnation would be thievery
In 10 pages of flowery language, City Council Resolution 01-290 explains that the Lewers Street area, one of the last remnants of early Waikiki, must be condemned by the government and turned over to private business for the benefit of the public.
Clearly, this resolution has nothing to do with the public good, and passage would not result in public benefit.
Sure, it would produce some low-paying service jobs and short-term construction work, but the creation of yet another hotel, serving a small number of wealthy visitors, will be of no real benefit to the great majority of Hawai'i's people.
So whom does it benefit? It benefits the Outrigger Corp., the corporation's executives, the wealthy family who owns it, and, most important for us to understand, the politicians who allow this sort of un-American land-grabbing. This proposal screams corruption loud and clear.
This sort of behavior by our elected officials must be stopped swiftly and decisively. Each time this behavior is allowed, even more blatant corrupt behavior can be expected.
Anyone who has any respect for the American Constitution, our political system, the law, property rights and personal rights should register to speak and attend the City Council hearing Friday at Honolulu Hale. This thievery must be stopped.
Vicky Durand
Wai'anae
Emergency personnel deserve our praise
David Shapiro's Feb. 13 "Volcanic Ash" column has prompted me to write this open letter to our city paramedics and firefighters, something I should have done a year ago.
During the last three years of my mother's life, including the day she died, I had to call paramedics several times for various kinds of help. Once firefighters came because they were close by. All of these personnel were outstanding in their caring and helpful actions and attitude, and I cannot praise them enough.
I apologize to them for taking so long to say so.
Rianna M. Williams
