It is disturbing to read about Honolulu's campaign to push the homeless out of 'A'ala Park and downtown Honolulu.

What really has me boiling is the removal of the benches in Fort Street Mall. Many kupuna of all ethnicities use them, including bus-riding veterans. Where can people eat their lunch while enjoying the sunshine and fresh air?

The homeless are a social problem who need to be accepted with compassion and understanding. Their smell may offend the prissy, but part of life is accepting those who are different; and in this case, many are ill. Where is the aloha, the caring, for these unfortunates?

The homeless are still citizens. They have a right to enjoy our public areas. Instead of pushing them away, provide areas where they will feel comfortable.

Unfortunately, our city officials appear to have a Gestapo mentality. Will they next be removing the seating at the bus stops because homeless also sit and sleep there? How un-Hawaiian.

Lela M. Hubbard
'Aiea

Not harassment

Strict airport security is for our protection

Gene M. Leupp says airport security, being out of control, is harassing air travelers at a rate close to 99.9 percent (Letters, Feb. 18).

Over 6 million visitors arrive in our Isles every year, over 60 million in a decade. All it takes is one jumbo jet being hijacked by a madman with a box cutter and redirecting it right into the Sheraton Waikiki to destroy our economy. With odds like that, I'll take the 99.9 percent harassment rate to stay alive.

Mr. Leupp, I'm sure those on board those planes that became weapons against us on 9/11 wished there had been as tight security measures when they realized they would die in infamy due to a simple box cutter.

Harassment to you, but peace of mind for me and the rest of the world. So quit complaining and take off your shoes.

Craig Watanabe

Official portrait

Cayetano sought out artist from Hawai'i

Some have criticized Gov. Cayetano's selection of portrait artist Daniel Greene to paint the governor's official portrait. The fact is that the governor made a special effort to support Hawai'i artists from the outset. He stated emphatically he would prefer commissioning a local artist and asked the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts to conduct a thorough statewide search.

The governor made his selection based solely on the quality of the work of those who submitted portfolios, not on personal connections or the artists' residences. Indeed, the standard guidelines under which public money is to be spent require that such a standard be applied.

The governor's first choice turned out to be the foundation's first choice. His selection of Mr. Greene confirms the fact that formal portraiture is a highly specialized field that involves extremely subjective and personal standards of a subject.

Ironically, a Kaua'i artist, who had seen the call for artists and was attending Mr. Greene's portraiture class in New York, suggested he submit a portfolio. Mr. Greene is a highly respected portrait artist whose work is included in more that 500 collections. He has also taught portraiture workshops in Honolulu and on Kaua'i and Maui.

We certainly appreciate the fact that some local artists are disappointed not to be selected, but it is also important to not lose sight of the fact that Ben Cayetano has been a significant supporter for the arts in Hawai'i.

David C. Farmer
Former executive director
State Foundation on Culture and the Arts

Vital agency

Keep open Missing Children's Center

A recent news item revealed that the state was planning to close the Missing Children's Center of Hawai'i because of the lack of money. As a parent, I cannot believe that the state could be so shortsighted as to close such a valuable agency.

There are other areas money could be diverted from to keep such a vital segment of state government open. There's talk that money is available from the Hawai'i Hurricane Relief Fund. I'm sure others would feel the same that some of that money could be used.

The state is taking away a positive portion of our government, and should a child be reported missing, it's going to be too late. It seems there are too many half-baked ideas being pushed through.

Jeff Kino

Balancing budget

Show us the editorial that solves problem

You need to clarify the intent of your Feb. 18 editorial demanding that the House Republicans "Show us the money" to balance the budget without raiding the hurricane fund.

Are you asking the House Republicans to make recommendations that will be completely ignored? Or are you asking them to actually balance the budget without touching the hurricane fund?

If it's the latter, I'm sure the House Republicans would be delighted to do it. Of course, you'd need to follow up with an editorial urging House Speaker Calvin Say to appoint a Republican as the chair of the Finance Committee and to get seven or more House Democrats to pledge to support the fiscal changes that new chair makes.

So, do you just want suggestions that will be ignored? Or do you want results? Show us the editorial.

Jim Henshaw
Kailua

Have compassion

Please don't park in handicapped areas

Why do people who do not have a handicapped parking placard park in designated handicapped parking stalls?

This is a problem throughout the state. 

A person with a handicapped parking placard deserves the right to park in that reserved handicapped parking stall. The reason is simple: A person with a disability needs to have access to facilities the public already has. And we have the Americans with Disabilities Act.

A person with a disability just wants to be treated with respect and dignity. Please, people, don't park in handicapped parking stalls if you don't have the placard. Look into your hearts and find compassion. And remember to count your blessings that you don't need handicapped parking.

Charmaine Bissen
Member, Maui Developmental
Disabilities Council

Education, jobs

Gambling should be given trial run

Give shipboard and high-class resort hotel gambling a trial run for three or five years to retain jobs for the visitor industry workers and to fund badly needed education needs.

Shipboard and resort-area gaming would attract thousands of tourists who enjoy gambling as their vacation activity. Those ships and resorts would employ thousands of Hawai'i residents.

Neighbor Islands would benefit with more jobs and tourist revenues with ports-of-call stops. Revenue from gambling taxes and licenses could be earmarked for exclusive education funding.

One Las Vegas hotel gave $50,000 to an elementary school project. To date, California lottery proceeds have given $430 million to the San Bernardino School District. Can you imagine, with that kind of funding, the benefits for our children, schools and teachers?

David Masaki
'Aiea

Blond game

Point about John Nash was misunderstood

I enjoyed USC Professor Bart Kosko's Feb. 15 commentary "Understanding John Nash," but although Kosko seems to understand the equilibria of forest creatures and marijuana growers, he misses the point of "A Beautiful Mind's" blond game.

If each guy in Nash's group went for the blonde, only one could win her, the brunettes would reject all the losers and there would be serious hard feelings within the group — leaving a majority of losers plus a greatly diminished group comradeship.

The Nash equilibrium specifies against this, as well as against much of our shortsighted, egocentric human behavior.

Gene Altman

Brunch on Beach

Despite the politics, good things happening

My husband and I are 60-day visitors to Honolulu from Iowa during January and February and enjoy your city very much.

This year it is evident that your Mayor Harris and his various committees are doing their best to make the visitor's stay as pleasant as possible. Since we have been here, we have attended the Sunset on the Beach festivities, and last Sunday we attended the Brunch on the Beach.

The Brunch on the Beach was wonderful. The food was excellent, and the entertainment was outstanding. It is amazing to see that many merchants going to so much effort to provide four hours of activities for local residents and visitors alike.

As I read your publication, about all the political in-fighting, I think the voters need to recognize all the positives that are happening in their city this year.

Thank you for making our winter so enjoyable.

Marge Burnett

Starting age

Show your opposition to kindergarten bill

It's troubling to know that the Legislature can hear a bill like SB 2032, which would change the date upon which the minimum age for entering kindergarten is to be computed, and not accept written testimony.

I urge your readers to research this radical bill and show your opposition when it is scheduled to be heard by the Ways and Means Committee.

Ken R. Salva Cruz
Pearl City

June Jones

Get contract settled

Say it ain't so, June!

Gaius Thede

Economic maelstrom

Storm raging; use hurricane fund

Forget the talk of "pandering" found in the Feb. 18 editorial "House rightly rejects hurricane fund refund."

It is utterly misleading to suggest that Hawai'i's Republicans do not have "alternatives" to fix the budget shortfall created by Hawai'i's Democrats. There are many, many sound, practical and responsible bills we have introduced to effectively resolve our current fiscal plight.

That the majority refuses to support, implement or even give hearing to these approaches reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of our economy and a disconnect from the suffering experienced by our working families.

The Hawai'i Hurricane Relief Fund is not "inseparably joined-at-the-hip" with balancing the state budget. Indeed, there is nothing in the statute governing the fund that allows a transfer of its surplus to pay for government operations. In fact, HRS 431P-16(h) explicitly prevents such use. There are also several legal issues triggered if any part of the fund is transferred to the general fund.

You claim the money paid by the "homeowners who dutifully sent their annual payments to the fund" for reinsurance is gone. This is not true. All premiums were commingled with mortgage fees, assessments, interests and "excess" moneys left over after the reinsurance was purchased. These commingled premiums are fungible and cannot be separated from any other moneys coming into or paid out of the fund. Thus, "their money" is not gone.

There are only two legitimate uses of the fund surplus. The first is to keep it intact for uses consistent with "the purposes of this chapter," that is, as a fund to pay for losses resulting from a future hurricane. The second is to refund the surplus to those who paid into the fund.

Both choices present issues of fairness and equity.

As an initial matter, all the policies that the fund once covered have expired. Second, using the surplus to cover losses from another hurricane requires amendments to the fund's governing statute. As I read the current statute, the fund's board of directors is not authorized to use the fund to pay for losses resulting from a hurricane that are not covered by one of the fund's — now expired — policies.

We're in the midst of a raging storm as we speak. It's an economic hurricane, one that has left and continues to leave people suffering in its wake. We have lost jobs, lost incomes and lost opportunity. Many have even lost hope.

That's why the second and better choice for the fund's surplus is to return it in a fair and equitable manner to those who paid into the fund. This would return significant capital to the economy and in a way that would benefit far more people than would spending it on bloated government operations or leaving it intact for a storm that may not come for decades.