Again, it is apparent that full public funding of campaigns would eliminate many of the problems surrounding campaign contributions.

Participation in full public funding of campaigns is voluntary, so not every problem would disappear. But in states where it is now used, such as in Maine and Arizona, a majority of elected officials come into office without obligation to contributors, free to legislate solely on behalf of the voters.

We urge support of full public funding in Hawai'i. We have everything to gain and nothing to lose, other than the corruption, perception of corruption and undue influence of contributors, which harms us all.

Jean Aoki
League of Women Voters

Laure Dillon, Grace Furukawa
Hawai'i Clean Elections

George Fox
Advocates for Consumer Rights

Nikki Love
Hawai'i Elections Project

Larry Meacham
Common Cause

Ira Rohter
Green Party of Hawai'i

Foundation's grant was more widespread

Thank you for the recent editorial about the Hawai'i Community Foundation's tuition-assistance grant. You perfectly expressed the intentions of Kelvin Taketa and HCF to help local families. We appreciate your support.

Please note, however, that HCF gave $600,000 to tuition assistance and not the entire $1 million ($300,000 to preschools and $300,000 to Hawai'i Association of Independent Schools and Hawai'i Catholic Schools collaborative).

The rest of its $1 million funding response went to emergency healthcare and immigrant services: $150,000 to the Hawai'i Primary Care Association for the Medicine Bank to provide clinics with medicines for uninsured patients; $50,000 to the Aloha Medical Mission to start a dental clinic for uninsured people; and $200,000 to a variety of organizations that serve the immigrant population in Hawai'i.

Kimberly Vierra
Communications officer, Hawai'i Community Foundation

'Health State' claim remains only a claim

I've read about Hawai'i's claim as the "Health State." Currently the state has loopholes to avoid the very laws they mandate other employers follow in providing health coverage to workers.

I've been told it would be too costly for the state to provide medical benefits for emergency-hire workers. Yet Sharon Bynum now has lifetime medical and dental benefits by marrying convicted felon Andy Mirikitani.

As an emergency-hire worker without health coverage and suddenly in need of potentially life-saving surgery, I was forced to quit my job to qualify for Medicaid and thereby leaving my 40 developmentally disabled clients without their case manager. Without a job, I no longer had a means of supporting myself and was at the mercy of the "system." Navigating this "system" added frustration and anguish to the emotional nightmare of my medical catastrophe and dilemma. I found aloha very lacking.

Is it too much to ask the governor to let charity begin at home? Or to ask the state to follow its own laws and provide health coverage to emergency-hire workers? Is it too much to ask the governor to address the red tape and bureaucracy and show that Hawai'i is really the "Health State" it claims to be?

Kathy O'Connor
Cancer survivor

Double standard for camera operator

From what I have read in the newspapers and have seen on the local news, the Honolulu Police Department has been more than welcoming to this new ticketing system, offering praise for the assistance provided, left and right.

If there are any questions about animosity, the actions by the Department of Transportation send a message to the public that is loud and clear: The idea of zero tolerance for anyone driving at a speed in excess of the posted speed limits does not apply to everyone.

How very nice for the driver of the van that he or she has the option to contest the speeding ticket issued in the first place. On what basis is the speeding ticket being contested?

Nanilei D.K. del Prado

Camera system will increase stress levels

Before I read Greg Farstrup's Jan. 12 letter, I knew of no O'ahu resident who thought the Department of Transportation's new speed-limit enforcement would reduce stress and enhance the community's mental health. Farstrup is the executive director of the Mental Health Association in Hawai'i. Is he on drugs?

In an effort to abide by the new speed-limit enforcement, recently I drove at the minimum speed limit on the way to work and got more than my fair share of "stink eye" and hand signals (and they weren't "shakas") from those disgruntled motorists as they sped past me.

The state's new speed-limit enforcement system will not reduce the stress of our motorists, Mr. Farstrup; it will significantly increase it.

John S. Sylvester

Appeal to everyone to end this nonsense

How to eliminate photo-tickets? Appeal to:

• The Legislature: Repeal the law. Rectify the mistake.

• The governor: Eliminate the positions of those bureaucrats who enforce that stupid law. If he cannot fire them, replace them with people of normal intelligence. There must be some.

• The courts: There is hope left. They should throw out every unreasonable case. Getting a ticket for going with the traffic flow at 58 mph in a 50 zone is unreasonable. Safety is going with the smooth traffic flow.

Someone has to bring an end to this utter nonsense. And now! If there is a penalty for terminating the contract, so be it. (Do keep the tickets for running the red light. Now, that improves safety.)

Gerhard C. Hamm
Wai'alae Iki

Food-safety education should be the norm

It has come to my attention that Hawai'i does not have a mandatory food-safety education requirement for food handlers in the state.

I know food manufactures are held to strict sanitation standards by the FDA and the USDA. I also know that most major chains and hotels educate their staffs and comply with Hawai'i's comprehensive set of rules regarding food handling.

However, nowhere in the rules does it make it mandatory for a restaurant, or other food-service establishment, to provide continuing food-safety education to its current and new employees.

I think if you look into it, you will find a couple of interesting things. One, that in this state you can't own a gun without taking a three-hour class for which you must pay a substantial fee. Two, there is much more likelihood that a person will become sick or even die from unsafe food than from an accidental gunshot.

Let's make sure that Hawai'i has a safe food chain from the farm all the way to the table. Will it be a small additional burden on restaurants? You bet, but the benefits will be immeasurable.

J. Andrew
Mililani

Focus on reality, not on 'revenue shortfalls'

The Dec. 30 Advertiser editorial "Legislature faces budget difficulties" seemed to be a bit unfocused. Such always seems to be the case when government and mainstream media people deal with "revenue shortfalls," a term seemingly never used anywhere but discussion of government problems.

For example, Joe Aloha comes home from work and tells his wife: "The boss called me in today and cut my pay 25 percent because business is way down." She responds, "We'll have to cut expenses, no more 401K contribution, sell one car, no more eat out, cut grocery budget, cancel Mainland vacation, etc."

Please notice that the boss didn't have a "revenue shortfall" and neither did Joe or his wife. Instead, they had a "cut expenses to meet income" attitude. Furthermore, if income still doesn't match outgo, Joe Aloha and his wife might sell the Big island property to keep the kids in private school (a chosen priority for them).

The overriding priority in the editorial seemed to be education construction to be funded by borrowing (with resulting "economic growth" ultimately paying the debt). What's wrong with government acting like the rest of us, cutting expenses and selling some government-owned facilities to cover the shortfall?

Guess what? The now-private property would start to produce taxable income as well as "economic growth."

Maybe you should invite Joe Aloha to serve on your editorial board.

Richard O. Rowland

State suit against oil firms a shibai

The headline should have read, "State, oil companies conspiring in antitrust suit.Therefore, prices not expected to be affected."

Let me see if I've got this right: The state sues on my behalf because the oil companies are overcharging. To pay for the settlement, the companies now have the right to keep charging exorbitant prices.

Please, state of Hawai'i, don't do me any more favors.

Garry Francell

Remember Alana Dung: Donate bone marrow

A little more than five years ago, Hawai'i lost a treasure in 3-year-old Alana Dung. Her story and heart touched thousands of local people across the state of Hawai'i, bringing more than 30,000 local people to register with the bone-marrow registry.

Alana's plight, as sad as it was, brought out the aloha spirit in many Hawai'i residents.

Ever since Sept. 11, the aloha spirit has dimmed in our state with our struggling economy, but the memory of Alana should go on. Make an appointment and donate your bone marrow. It could save a life.

Robert A. Rabideau Jr.
Waikele

Legalized gambling won't solve problems

The Hawai'i Association of International Buddhists strongly oppose any form of legalized gambling in Hawai'i.

We want to thank Sen. Dan Inouye for his strong stand against legalized gambling.

Gov. Cayetano is endorsing one casino, but even one is too many.

Legalized gambling will not solve our economic woes. It will probably cause more problems. We have elected responsible legislators, and we hope they will also agree that gambling will not be the answer to our economic problems but will add to our social and economic problems.

Legislators, please do not put legalized gambling to a referendum because the gambling promoters have millions of dollars to promote and persuade our citizens that they will get something for nothing.

To teachers and parents, let us not teach our children that gambling is all right if it is for education. Let us teach the students the importance of right livelihood; it is the sure path to success.

We hope that the newly appointed U.S. attorney, Edward Kubo, will not wait until gambling brings in criminals and crime.

We would not want to see the Hawai'i Visitors and Convention Bureau and travel companies advertising the following: "Come to Hawai'i for gambling!" We want them to continue to advertise Hawai'i as a place of beauty where there is the aloha spirit.

Concerned citizens, let your voices be heard. Call Gov. Cayetano at 586-0034. The legislators' phone numbers are under Government on pages 22 and 23 in your phone book. This is a crisis. Call the legislators.

Irene Matsumoto
President, Hawai'i Association of International Buddhists

Gambling vs. gaming

Regarding Rodney Akiyama's Jan. 15 letter: Of slightly more than 80 words, he uses the word "gaming" four times. Why not gambling? Because those letters "bl" he takes out stand for Big Loser. And that is what all of us will be if gamBLing is legalized in Hawai'i.

Arg Bacon

Mayor Harris dodging controversial issues

I was disappointed to read that Mayor Jeremy Harris missed the recent gubernatorial candidate forum because he was "ill."

I too would schedule my illness in advance if I knew I would be confronted by questions on the higher property tax assessments, Hanauma Bay cost overruns and campaign contribution violations.

How long do you think he'll be "ill"?

Dan Morin
'Aiea

Hawai'i needs to get bowl game returned

If and when Hawai'i gets a bowl game back, we need to support it no matter who is playing.

I went to the last five, and two games on one day (especially Christmas) were too much for locals to support, but one game is much easier.

The state's support of this game is indirect support of our one and only team. Our boys played their hearts out down the stretch with some outstanding football and got burned by the NCAA. The BYU game showed the nation that Hawai'i loves football and can support it.

We just need to make sure we don't lose another bowl game.