Letters to the Editor
Illegal fireworks are ill omen for terrorism
Watching our annual display of illegal pyrotechnics and listening to the echo of large explosive fireworks, I couldn't help but think about how easy it must be to smuggle in other illegal items.
If it continues to be so simple to bring in all these illegal fireworks, then doesn't it seem logical that terrorists could easily smuggle in things such as plastic explosives, chemical and biological agents or worse?
I stayed awake to welcome in the New Year and watched and listened to our annual display of merriment and fun, but now I'm afraid I will stay awake wondering if the next big bang isn't something much more terrifying.
Our Coast Guard and Customs agencies are extended far beyond their capabilities to prevent terrorists and their weapons of mass destruction from reaching our shores by boat and air. We must insist our elected senators and congressmen do more and release additional funds for Homeland Defense. We must ensure that we give the fine men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard and Customs all the resources necessary to protect our shores and our lives.
Charlie Colburn
State losing taxes with fireworks permits
The new fireworks permit system is not as effective as the politicians would like to believe.
Most Hawai'i residents will not waste $25 to purchase a fireworks permit for just $2.50 worth of firecrackers. As we saw, many Hawai'i residents used the money to buy the black market illegal aerial fireworks, which lit the skies of O'ahu.
The state is losing big money on the sales tax revenues that the firecrackers always generate from the past years. Since the state cannot even collect one penny on the black market fireworks sales, it might as well go back to the old system.
Firecrackers do not cause damage like the illegal aerials.
Arsenio Ramirez Pelayo
'Aiea
Street performers great entertainment
As a visitor to these beautiful Islands, let me begin by admitting my ignorance with respect to the street performer controversy ("Waikiki performers' shows will go on," Dec. 29, Advertiser).
But recently I watched with rapt attention as a group of young break-dancers performed sidewalk feats of contortionist acrobatics that were worthy of gold medals. It has been the highlight of my visit so far. The mimes and musicians also put on fine shows.
I cannot help but applaud Circuit Judge Virginia Crandall's decision in favor of the street entertainers. I, for one, enjoy a variety of experiences when I travel, something the endless parade of souvenir shops, all selling the same trinkets, fails to offer.
Ferdi Businge
Anacortes, Wash.
Merger of airlines will hurt consumers
I've been disappointed in the media's coverage of the Aloha and Hawaiian airlines merger. The media have liberally quoted from press releases, but done little real investigative reporting. The newspapers have failed to adequately report on the following:
• Guaranteed monopoly. In 1991, when United Airlines proposed to provide interisland service, Sen. Dan Inouye sponsored an amendment to Public Law 101-58. His amendment allows Hawaiian and Aloha airlines to continue flying noisy stage-2 aircraft interisland. All other airlines wanting to provide interisland service must use more expensive stage-3 aircraft.
In other words, Inouye's legislation gives the proposed monopoly a huge competitive advantage. The law, found at 49 USC 47528(e), guarantees that the Aloha and Hawaiian monopoly will continue indefinitely.
• Locked-in high prices. When oil prices increased a year ago, the price of interisland air coupons rose as well. The airlines justified the hike in prices to pay for the increased price of jet fuel. Since September, however, oil prices have plunged. While Aloha and Hawaiian were in the midst of merger discussions, they did not drop their prices to reflect the lower cost of jet fuel.
So, while the monopoly announces that it will freeze prices for two years, it fails to acknowledge that prices now are artificially high. Of course, others have also pointed out that the monopoly's "promise" does not appear to include the price of the kama'aina coupons and that the monopoly proposes to increase the cost to fly during busy times.
• Historic prices. How hard could it be to track down what the cost of interisland travel was when there was real competition? I recall paying less than $35 for an interisland coupon about five years ago. A look into the prices of the coupons would demonstrate the effects of competition — and what we will face with a monopoly.
David Kimo Frankel
Volcano, Big Island
Booker's pictures sensitive, exquisite
Deborah Booker's photos of Ito Kinase (Hawai'i section, Dec. 31) were quite extraordinary. The Advertiser has a true artist-photographer in Booker.
Rarely does one see photos of such sensitivity and exquisiteness of composition in a newspaper.
Glenn Cannon
Professor of Theatre, Kennedy Theatre UH-Manoa
Democrats draining economy of money
Over the past few months, the Democrats in charge of the government in Hawai'i have been suggesting numerous ways to separate you from your hard-earned money.
First lady Vicki Cayetano made the first ridiculous tax suggestion. She has proposed to take $10 per month out of everyone's paycheck to pay for long-term health care for the aging baby boomers. She should stick to doing the laundry.
The next idea was from the first lady's hubby, Uncle Ben. He wants to double the tax on alcohol, saying that booze is a luxury. So remember after you cut the grass on a hot day or finish laying asphalt on a highway, your now more than expensive pau hana beer is a luxury, not a simple reward.
The next is a form of an indirect tax on the people who drive in Hawai'i. Gov. Cayetano is expecting Chevron to settle out of court on the state's anti-trust lawsuit to the tune of $2 billion. This money will be deposited directly into the general fund. If we were overcharged by Chevron, then the state should take out whatever legal fees it incurred and determine a way to refund the rest of the money to us, the drivers of Hawai'i. It is, after all, our money.
And by the way, what has the governor decided to do with the Hurricane Relief Fund? Will the governor give it back to the people who contributed to the fund or keep it for the black hole called the general fund?
And last but not least is the state's new speed enforcement camera system. The state has claimed this is for the safety of all Hawai'i drivers. Do not believe a word of it. It is for collecting revenue from Hawai'i drivers. The state estimates that 1,000 citations could be generated daily at a cost of $25 each. That is $25,000 daily or over $9 million annually taken out of the economy. And if this affects a driver's insurance rates, even more money will leave the economy.
Rory O'Connor
Kihei, Maui
Gambling's history shows its dangers
As someone who has lived his whole life in states with legalized gambling, I hope Hawai'i will continue to reject gambling.
Legalized gambling increases bankruptcies, divorces and crime everywhere it exists. It destroys families. Lotteries are just a tax on the poor, and don't believe that nonsense about it bringing in additional funding for schools and other purposes.
We were sold that idea here in California, but the Legislature just takes the lottery money into account when it draws up the school budget. Our schools remain under-funded despite the lottery.
Please don't listen to the pitches of the companies that make fortunes off this business. Gambling is good for the casinos, not for the communities where they operate.
Robert Ristelhueber
San Jose
Using 'self-control' no answer to issue
In his Dec. 27 letter, Phillip Smith suggests that the way to reduce or eliminate harassment of gay students is by using "self-control to avoid sexual-related behaviors" so that "one's sexual orientation shouldn't surface."
In effect he is saying that gay and lesbian students should deny what they feel, what they think and who they are. (I doubt that even he believes that heterosexual youth can or should suppress these feelings.)
Forcing gay and lesbian students to suppress these feelings while freely permitting, even encouraging (e.g., proms), these same feelings among heterosexual youths does not "balance the rights and respect the feelings of those on all sides of this issue."
The right of students to go to school without fear of being harassed or assaulted outweighs the "right" of those who seek state support of their bigotry.
Peter Dunn-Aurello
Hilo
Government should attack obesity danger
We were all greatly shocked, saddened, then angered by the loss of more than 3,000 innocent lives on Sept. 11. Our government has taken drastic steps to prevent a recurrence of such tragedy.
Then, on Dec. 13, U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher announced that a hundred times that many Americans die each year of diseases caused or aggravated by obesity, a self-inflicted, totally preventable tragedy. More than 61 percent of adults and 14 percent of children are affected. He estimated the annual cost to our nation at $117 billion.
Yet, our government is not mobilizing the National Guard at fast-food restaurants. It is not detaining hundreds of meat and dairy distributors for secret interrogation. It is not suggesting military tribunals for officials of the meat and dairy industries.
Instead, Congress votes additional subsidies for meat and dairy agribusiness. The USDA dumps meat and dairy surpluses on schoolchildren. Government medical programs treat victims of obesity at taxpayer expense, without seeking redress from the perpetrators.
At the onset of the New Year, let us resolve to replace meat, dairy and other fatty foods in our diet with wholesome grains, vegetables and fruits. Let us insist that our schools offer wholesome meals and nutrition curricula. Let us reclaim our health and get a new lease on life.
Laurelee Blanchard
Ha'iku
Traffic camera system hurts the police, public
The city could be taking away some of the Honolulu Police Department's effectiveness in doing its job by implementing the new traffic camera citation system, especially if it decides to make officers pay for citations received while on-duty.
The solution for police officers receiving traffic citations via the new system is plain and simple: All officers who are on-duty should be exempt regardless of whether or not they are responding to an emergency with their emergency lights and sirens.
It is sometimes necessary for an on-duty officer to speed and run red lights without emergency lights and sirens in order to remain concealed while enforcing traffic laws. Good examples of this are when a police officer is trying to catch up to a suspected drunk driver, or when a police officer is pacing a speeder.
Also, there are many common and frequent calls that police should respond to expediently (but not necessarily with emergency lights and sirens) such as arguments, alarm calls and stalled vehicles.
This is a judgment call made by the officer, who will base the decision on not using lights and sirens on the seriousness of the call, the safety of the public and the volume of traffic. Are officers now required to respond to all of these types of calls with emergency lights and sirens and increase the chance for accidents caused by drivers' reactions to the emergency vehicle, or should they slow their response times and jeopardize the safety of the public?
Furthermore, requiring a specific justification for each citation that an officer has received while on-duty is counterproductive and unfair. First, not all of an officer's actions performed in his or her official duty to enforce the law is radioed to or recorded by the dispatcher. Also, it is impossible to define objective guidelines to use to determine what is and what is not an emergency. Each situation is unique and dynamic, thus making the judgment a subjective one. This will result in officers having to pay for unwarranted citations.
Ultimately, this will negatively affect police officers by penalizing them for doing their job effectively, as well as the public by slowing response times to their calls for help.
Christian Roylo
