Letters to the Editor
Farrington Highway must have median
Within the past 10 years there have been more fatalities on Farrington Highway every year.
I support Sen. Colleen Hana-busa's proposal for a permanent median. Also, we need more police officers to monitor the speeding along this highway.
We need to think about the safety of everyone, and it must be done now.
Lehua Keola
Wai'anae
Voters should also have zero tolerance
Everyone who is incensed by the outrage of this zero-tolerance, photo-enforced traffic racket must be sure to vote in the next election.
If you couldn't see a good reason to vote before, you certainly have one now: vengeance.
Think how sweet it would be to dump all those politicians who are treating us with such boundless contempt. "Clean house," and the survivors will dump this racket faster than you can imagine. (They're already getting nervous about it.) Since they have zero tolerance for us, let's have zero tolerance for them, too.
Mason Altiery
Contempt reserved for decision-makers
Cruising home over the Pali last week, it was hard not to grin at the driver to my left waving his middle finger at the white traffic van that was clocking our speed. To Michael Schlei, the implementation manager for the photo enforcement firm ACS, this gesture would likely be classified as "threatening road rage."
Was it impolite? Sure. Dangerously hostile? I doubt it. I, too, felt like "flipping the bird," but I reserve most of my contempt for those who allowed this Byzantine system into Hawai'i.
In a state known for its languid informality, there is something incongruous about driving a car that suddenly feels like an electronic ankle bracelet. How did we get into this mess?
According to figures published by the Department of Transportation, traffic fatalities in Hawai'i caused by excessive speed are actually lower (per capita) than in most states. Is the lure of added ticket revenue a justifiable trade-off for exceeding the speed limit by 5 mph and getting cited in the mail? Not by a long shot. There is something very distasteful about this process.
Maybe it's the elapsed time between the "violation" and notification. Or perhaps it's the flinty hubris of a system that smirks and says, "Yeah, go tell it to the judge."
Either way, you know something is amiss when you pine for the simple days of flashing blue lights and a courteous HPD officer at least willing to hear your side of the story.
Tim Dolan
Kailua
Driving now safer at lower speeds
I noticed in the paper recently that there were concerns about the safety of the traffic cameras and for people driving too slowly. I wonder if anyone has gone outside to look.
Yes, people are driving slower. And yes, occasionally there is a "bunched up" group of cars. But overall, there has been a night-and-day improvement in traffic in general.
Drivers seem to be more courteous and far less aggressive. It's almost as if we have been given permission to drive more sanely.
It only takes a few pushy drivers to take the ambient speed up. A week and a half ago, driving was like stepping into a war zone. For a habitual nonspeeder, it was self-defense and ducking blows.
I don't feel that way now. There are still the guys who want to go faster, but they are allowing me to drive way slower without shoving. I haven't been tailgated in a week, and that was a twice-daily occurrence a week and a half ago.
We have a habit of appeasing our tantrum-throwers, our spoiled brats. We don't need to do this.
Grant W. Merritt
Who is responsible for camera contract?
I think many of us would like to know the names of the leaders responsible for signing the three-year contract with the operators of the camera vans.
Some want to know so they can vote for them again, and some so they can throw them out of office.
I agree drivers should be ticketed if they run a red light, but ticketing drivers who go a few miles over a speed limit that is posted too low anyway amounts to nothing more than harassment and seems to be just another ploy by the local government to raise taxes.
James Lee
Kapolei
Drive posted speed and enjoy the ride
Think about it. The farthest distance between any two points on O'ahu is less than 40 miles.
Why not set your cruise control to the posted speed limit, crank up the CD player, lower your blood pressure, increase gasoline mileage and enjoy the ride?
And to the state legislators: It's time for a slight speed limit increase on roadways built for faster driving.
Larry Shohet
Hurricane Relief Fund belongs to homeowners
Gov. Ben Cayetano's reason to use the Hurricane Relief Fund to balance the state budget is irresponsible and shows a lack of concern for the homeowners who were forced to pay into the fund.
His feeling is that there are other ways to garnish funds should it become necessary. But in reality, where will such funding come from? He already lost the trust of the homeowners in wanting to use their hard-earned money — money they didn't have to spare.
After the Hurricane Relief Fund is exhausted, where will the money come from to balance the next budgetary shortfall? According to Neal Miyahara, Cayetano's budget director, it is the responsibility of the Legislature to find the necessary funds to balance the next state budgetary shortfall.
It is the fiduciary duty of state government to responsibly act for the benefit of the homeowners should they raid the Hurricane Relief Fund to balance the budget.
The fund was established for hurricane relief, and if not, it should be returned to all homeowners who were forced to pay into the fund.
It is not the government's money to spend. When will Cayetano realize that the money belongs to the homeowners of Hawai'i?
Drew E. Kosora
Good reasons abound for rejecting gambling
Why does Senate President Robert Bunda think that gambling should be "decided by the voters"? Three reasons come to mind:
• Full committee hearings on gambling's actual economic and social costs to this state would reveal the devastating consequences seen in other communities that "took a bite from the apple" and regret the day they did.
An enormous volume of well-documented evidence, from Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Detroit and cities all over Australia, paints a grim picture: increases in arrests for violent crimes, bankruptcies, embezzlement, domestic violence (especially against women), infant abandonment, alcohol-related accidents and divorce.
The verdict is plainly that gambling's nasty "side effects" far outweigh the additional jobs or income generated in gambling's wake. "Open and rational discussion" would undermine gambling's case, and expose this product as the dangerous, parasitic infection it really is.
• Perhaps Bunda has forgotten that our government is a republic, not a pure democracy. We elect our local representatives to study the issues and vote for legislation that serves this state. Hawai'i neither wants, needs, nor constitutionally allows for the kind and volume of referendums that plague and short-circuit the legislative process in other states.
• No legislator in an election year wants to be tarred by association with a pro-gambling bill. Voter sentiment would deliver "hard justice" in November for those legislators imprudent enough to vote this year for casinos, ship-board gambling or a lottery.
Hawai'i's electorate can see this tactic for what it is — a poor attempt to keep gambling's hopes alive through this election year, until all seats are safe and revived bills for legalized gambling can flood the legislative docket in 2003.
It's time to say firmly that Hawai'i neither wants nor needs gambling: now, in 2003 or ever.
Paul Edwards
Kohala
Restoration work should be stopped
I was taught by my grandfather that some things are not meant for us or for us to disturb.
There are situations where caring has its limitations. Leave Pu'u O Mahuka alone.
Those walls were fine before people decided to include restoration and displace the stones, which have survived centuries before they were removed. Protocol involves bringing this to elders and families who have a long history in the Waialua district.
Some of us don't rely on academic, political, social or financial approaches but rather a spiritual connection with specific kupuna watching over.
I thank those who cut grass, clear brush and pick up rubbish regularly; however, that is the extent of your responsibility until someone suggests, or by natural cause, that repair work is needed for this sacred site.
Thomas T. Shirai Jr.
Waialua
South African rape commentary offensive
The commentary in the Jan. 20 Focus section reports that at least 50,000 South African babies and infants are being raped annually. That is terrible.
But to make apologies for the vile creatures doing this by blaming it on the past white government's brutal rule is the absolute top of demagogic infamy.
Shame on you for giving space in your paper for such foul writing.
Volker Hildebrandt
Terminating J-ROTC is good for Hawaiians
The Jan. 18 article "Kamehameha drops J-ROTC curriculum" brought a sense of pride and hope to my spirit.
As a Hawaiian, I believe this is the "true" dawning of a new day for Kamehameha Schools. This is a time when those who are a part of the administration, faculty and staff should look to the future with great anticipation. I am proud that this decision was made because it proves to the Hawaiian people on the "outside" that those who are in positions of authority have the ability to make tough, unpopular decisions for the benefit of future generations of Hawaiian children.
I understand that J-ROTC provided leadership skills and character-building for the students, thus leaving some alumni and "insiders" melancholy about its termination. However, I believe that the choice to drop the program allows for a shift in paradigm. This is an opportunity to develop a leadership curriculum based in Hawaiian values, as well as self and community empowerment, instead of one based almost entirely in Western ideals.
Although J-ROTC provided leadership skills, they were based predominately on Western and colonial leadership models. It is my hope that the Kamehameha Schools will use this "blessing in disguise" productively.
Please invest resources to advance the leadership curriculum and to prepare our young people for the challenges they face with a more broad-based approach to leadership and citizenship. Please incorporate leadership models of our kupuna, our Polynesian cousins and other indigenous groups throughout the world.
Bonnyjean Manini
Affordable spay/neuter program not available
The recent tragedy on Maui involving the euthanasia of 96 animals might have been prevented if the Bermudez family had access to a low-cost spay/neuter program.
Last month, Citizens for Humane Animal Policies (CHAPS) conducted an informal telephone survey of 39 veterinary clinics on O'ahu to determine if O'ahu's taxpayer-subsidized low-cost program, "Neuter Now," was really affordable.
What we found was alarming. It cost $126 on the average to sterilize a one-year-old female cat, with no prior veterinarian care. While the original cost of the certificate is reasonable, the additional fees for mandatory services charged by the veterinary clinics throw our low-cost sterilization program out of the financial reach of many. The sad truth is there are just too many dogs and cats and not enough homes.
Everyone can be a part of the solution by sterilizing their pets and helping friends and neighbors to do the same. An effective low-cost spay/neuter program is essential in reducing pet overpopulation.
Cindy Newburg
CHAPS
Sterilize your pet
It's distressing to hear of so many animals being destroyed. The couple on Maui are a fine example of why it's so important and responsible to sterilize pets. Mine are.
K. Santos
Kane'ohe
Good legislative stands
I just finished reading the excerpts of Sen. Sam Slom's address to the Legislature on the Jan. 16. I support his stand on every one of the issues listed. I am only sorry that I cannot vote for Sen. Slom since I do not reside in his district.
Bob Marouchoc
