Letters to the Editor
State needs to recapture aloha spirit
Comparing the airport greeting I received in Papeete and Honolulu made me realize how much of the aloha spirit our state has lost. I believe the travel industry, flower industry, musicians union and the government sector should roll up their sleeves and launch a sincere "Operation Aloha" campaign. We really need to "walk the walk" in order to bring the aloha spirit back to the Islands.
I just returned home from a trip to Tahiti with my husband where the aloha spirit is thriving. The plane landed in Papeete airport after 1 a.m. on July 7. At the terminal entrance, a trio of musicians played their hearts out while two smiling airport employees gave every passenger a tiare flower of Tahiti. The airport employees also reviewed passenger paperwork to help ease our process through customs as we waited in line. The musicians played till every passenger cleared customs. The atmosphere of music, fragrant flowers and courteous employees in tropical clothing gave me a relaxed feeling that I truly had entered paradise.
As we exited to the parking lot and street, hotel employees greeted their guest with lei and helped guests into waiting vans. Relatives and friends greeted local passengers with a flower lei and kiss. If you needed help in finding your ride, folks were more that happy to direct you.
Our plane landed in Honolulu a little after 6 a.m. on July 21. An employee in a white uniform requested that we have our passport available. We take several steps to the escalator and two uniformed employees request to see our passports before we proceed to the airport shuttle. The shuttle driver requested passengers move to the rear of the shuttle so he can squeeze more passengers on the shuttle. Only half of the passengers fit in the shuttle, so the remaining passengers are told to wait for the next shuttle. The shuttle driver drops us at the baggage claim area. We take an escalator and then stand in line waiting for a customs official to check our declaration form and stamp our passports. We claim our bags and another uniformed employee asks us about the stuff we purchased in Tahiti. We use a pay phone to inform our son of our arrival.
We finally exit via the sliding doors to wait on the lower street level of the airport terminal. There are no taxis lined up, red tape and cones blocks about half of the drop-off and pick-up area, and a few residents wait patiently with lei for loved ones. A uniformed security officer informs drivers not to linger. My son arrives and I rush into the car hoping to avoid the words of the approaching security officer. My mind screams "This is not paradise." I want to go back to Tahiti again. I feel I could be in any metropolitan airport in the United States.
Let's recapture the aloha spirit.
Christina Meller
Local school boards would help education
As a retired teacher, mother of two and volunteer at Maunawili Elementary School, I think Linda Lingle has some great ideas to improve our schools.
Local school boards would know their own schools and their needs so much better. They could react more quickly and would do so because the schools would be "in their face."
There are far too many supervisors between the teacher and the current school board and so many places to waste money that should be spent in the classroom. The fact that fire stations are collecting school supplies should be so embarrassing to the Department of Education.
Go Linda Lingle!
Mary P. Moore
Bill likely to lead to higher costs at the pump
The oil price cap bill will have serious unintended consequences, such as making it cost more, on average, to fill up your car — not less. The price cap bill only regulates the price of regular self-serve gasoline — the cheapest type of gas available. It doesn't require anyone to refine or sell that type of gasoline. So, whenever the gas cap kicks in for that grade of gasoline, the refiners and service stations can stop selling regular self-serve, substituting more expensive mini-serve or higher-octane gasoline. In effect, that would make filling up your car cost an extra 10 cents a gallon or so, all in the name of "consumer protection."
This situation is similar to the federal government setting fleet fuel efficiency standards for cars, but exempting light trucks from those stringent standards. The result? You can't buy a full-sized station wagon anymore.
In both cases, government meddling causes the opposite of the intended effect. The CAFE standards caused, on average, more expensive and less fuel-efficient vehicles, and the oil price caps will cause, on average, higher gasoline prices.
Jim Henshaw
Kailua
Current trustees' action applauded
Over the years, I have sent many letters to you voicing my disagreements regarding the former Bishop Estate trustees. They were greedy, arrogant and self-serving, except for Oswald Stender. At that time, each trustee was paid over a million dollars per year. My argument was that the money could be used to provide more education for Hawaiian youth. Now, what paid one trustee pays five trustees and a CEO. Over $4 million is now available for the education of Hawaiian youth. Thanks to Gladys Brandt and her partners, whose "Broken Trust" article helped to bring about a much needed change.
Now, everyone is up in arms against the present trustees, wanting their resignations. I cannot, in all honesty, feel that they should be removed at this time. They are a very cohesive group, talented and more qualified than the former group, work very well and compliment each other.
I applaud their action to retain the non-Hawaiian student as it satisfies, for the moment, the IRS. This mean a savings in millions, if not billions, of dollars.
The present trustees are focused on having money to educate as many Hawaiians as possible, even if it means having a non-Hawaiian student. I can live with that. In looking back, it seems that there was always a non-Hawaiian student on campus anyway. If the numbers increase, then we need to look at this again.
My very talented and bright grandson was not accepted this year because we didn't furnish enough information to meet the admissions criteria. That's another issue. But, we will try again.
Chauncey Pa, Sr.
KSB Class of '53
Kilauea
Dilemma develops in defining Hawaiian
What actually defines "Hawaiian"? Is a child born in Hawai'i not Hawaiian? Would that child's offspring be considered Hawaiian, and if not, how many generations would we have to go before someone would be considered "Hawaiian" — if ever?
If never, then it ultimately means the dilemma of displaced future generations unrecognized as native or not belonging to the only place they know.
Greg Fogarty
Windsor, Australia
Use parking garage to pick up passengers
This letter is in response to the featured letter in the July 25 Advertiser entitled: "Better way is needed in picking up passengers."
I often pick up family and friends at the Honolulu Airport. As someone who travels frequently myself, I often have family and friends pick me up there as well. So, I have experienced some of the problems cited by Mr. Rosete.
Fortunately, a solution to the problem already exists — it's called a parking garage.
In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist acts, I believe the inconvenience and expense of having to park in the garage is an acceptable trade-off for improved security. Anyone who thinks that vehicles parked in close proximity to the terminal are not a security threat must not remember the Oklahoma City or Khobar Towers bombings.
Tony Barbarisi
'The people's agenda'
Linda Lingle has an ad promoting her agenda for Hawai'i. Most politicians have their own agenda.
How about this new concept: "The people's agenda"?
Let's find a politician who will promote our agenda and not theirs.
Ronald Edmiston
Political sign-waving needs to be stopped
Political sign-waving is a useless practice that should be ostracized in Hawai'i politics. How many times have you been around the dinner table or a party discussion and someone commented, "Yes, I like candidate XYZ because he has good sign-wavers." None? Perhaps there's a reason.
Political sign-waving needs to be stopped. Sure, it gives exposure to some candidates who ordinarily wouldn't get it, but that's why candidates are allowed to visit door-to-door or meet people in public places.
Further, volunteers on political campaigns waste dozens of hours on sidewalks, uselessly waving signs and soaking in carbon dioxide when they could actually be doing something productive: community service. Voters in the state of Hawai'i would rather see politicians devoting their time to useful and constructive activities.
Helping the community is what should motivate politicians to hold elective office. Maybe they can start with their campaigns.
Eric Hananoki
Inishmaan is an island, not a fishing village
The July 24 review by Wayne Harada of "The Cripple of Inishmaan" was geographically a bit mixed up. The case in point is his description "... a tiny fishing village called Inishmaan on the barren island of Inishmore ..."
Actually Inishmaan is one of the three islands that make up the Aran Isles. The other two are Inishmore and Inisheer. Inishmore, the largest, was the location for the l934 movie, "The Man of Aran," which inspired Billy Claven (The Cripple) to board a small boat for passage to Inishmore.
While his description of "... the bleak desolation that is Inishmaan" is an accurate description of the 1930s on the Aran Isles, perhaps it is interesting to know that Ireland itself is now enjoying a healthy economy.
And, more to the point, all the islands are now important tourist attractions because of the prehistoric sights, the seascape and the charming people, many of whom still speak in the Gaelic tongue.
Betty Andrews
Mililani Town
Writer's 'opinion' should not be on news page
Your "Hawai'i" news page on July 15th announces that "Hirono ad ignores significant fact."
It is not my intension to take sides with the contents of the story, or even of the ad, which I have not seen.
My point is that since it clearly expresses the opinion of the staff writer, Kevin Dayton, (whose reporting I have read and generally respect) that article should have been on the Advertiser editorial page. Or run as a letter-to-the-editor, which most of we peons must resort to.
Dayton's argument continues on to another page, for a total of 24 column inches. Will the Advertiser in return give Hirono equal space, on the Hawai'i page, for a rebuttal? Emmett, don't be ridiculous!
Emmett Cahill
Volcano
Leasehold conversion legislation is unjust
A great injustice is about to occur at the Honolulu City Council. Bill 53 would rewrite the condominium leasehold conversion law to allow just one single condo owner to force the sale of private property owned by small landowners. Many of these landowners have had this land in their families for generations.
Make no mistake; this is about a land grab that has been going on for years under the guise of "public purpose." But in reality it wrongfully continues to force people to sell property they don't want to sell.
At the recent City Council hearing, testimony was overwhelmingly against Bill 53, but amazingly, the council still passed the bill by a vote of 5 to 4. Usually, there is debate from both sides, but those supporting this bill (Felix, Bainum, Holmes, Okino and Yoshimura) asked few questions. I hope they have not already made up their minds.
It's good that four council members voted against it: DeSoto, Bunda, Kobayashi and Cachola. Romy Cachola has been at the forefront in fighting this bad law. Thank you, Mr. Cachola; you have both a conscience and a heart.
Sharon Kato
