Letters to the Editor
So-called 'leaders' aren't doing their jobs
I applaud Lee Cataluna's May 31 column. It has taken a long time for someone to stand up and speak the truth about our so-called "leaders" within the state and local governments.
A true leader is consistent and leads, regardless of the odds. He or she stands on principle and what is best for the people and not what is best for themselves.
Come on, Democratic Party, is this the best you can do for the people of Hawai'i?
Raymond Chang
Hilo
Harris, Hirono need better explanations
Although I was never a supporter of Mayor Harris' gubernatorial campaign, it's refreshing that he was forthright about admitting he quit the race because his chances of winning were slim. Or, is this quick and candid explanation merely a cover-up for some other dark, secret reason that forced him to step aside?
By the way, what came over Mazie Hirono, who earlier quit the governor's race on the premise that she could serve the community better as mayor? Did she suddenly figure out that she could lead the people of Hawai'i better from the governor's mansion? It wasn't because her odds of winning suddenly got better, was it?
Dai Kokusai
Out-of-state fund-raising charge is hypocritical
Perhaps to divert attention from her own party's turmoil, state Democratic Chairwoman Lorraine Akiba is repeating the red-herring charge that Republican gubernatorial candidate Linda Lingle's Mainland fund-raising means she will be more responsive to out-ofistate interests than those of our state.
The facts: Linda Lingle expects to raise approximately 20 percent of her campaign budget from the Mainland. By contrast, Sen. Dan Inouye received 98 percent of his contributions between 1997 and 2001 from outside Hawai'i. According to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, Sen. Inouye topped the list of U.S. senators in such out-of-state fund-raising (27 percent of Sen. Dan Akaka's contributions in the same period came from out of state).
I have no problem if candidates raise funds from out-of-state supporters, as long as these contributions are duly reported, so that voters can see and decide for themselves what the sources of funding may say about the candidate.
But for the Democratic chairwoman to call into question the agenda of a Republican candidate who raises a modest 20 percent of funding from outside the state — when the state's leading Democratic politician raises 98 percent from out of state — is an outrageous exercise in doublespeak and an insult not only to Linda Lingle's personal integrity but to the intelligence of Hawai'i's voters.
I am confident that the voters will see through this shibai.
Richard W. Baker
History in the making: a woman as governor
Now that Mayor Harris is out of the governor's race and Mazie Hirono is back in, I think the time has come for history in Hawai'i to be made. I think the focus of this race is that the two big-time candidates are women.
This could make an impact on how the economy and lifestyle of Hawai'i can change — maybe for the better.
Ken Anama
Democratic Party fears losing its stranglehold
At last weekend's Democratic convention, Sen. Dan Inouye stated that the party was fighting for its very survival. He was wrong. The Democratic Party will always have a voice and be an integral part of the political process in Hawai'i.
What he, and most Democrats, are truly afraid of is the loss of the party's stranglehold on state government. Accountability for your actions, especially mistakes, brings out the fear in everyone.
Dan Morin
'Aiea
Harris hurt others in their campaigns
Even in quitting his campaign, Jeremy Harris negatively affected others. He should have resigned as mayor before he started campaigning for governor. Or perhaps he should resign now as mayor, and let the election go ahead as expected by the voting public on O'ahu.
Think of hard-working, dedicated and well-qualified candidates like Duke Bainum who have spent so much time, money and effort in putting together a campaign for an office that will now not be vacated until the mayor's legal problems are settled by the courts, or his term expires, whichever comes first.
Keith Haugen
Giving up freedoms to stay free is critical
I'm responding to the May 31 article "Hawai'i groups raise concerns." During a humanities course at Hawai'i Pacific University, we discussed the paradigm "The more freedom you have, the less freedom you have. The less freedom you have, the more freedom you have." We want the government to do a better job at preventing acts of terrorism, but no one wants to give up his freedoms or make sacrifices.
If we want to be able to walk our streets, eat in our restaurants and work in our office buildings without worrying about someone blowing up the place, then we'll need to give up some of our freedoms so the government can better protect us.
Brent White, legal director for the ACLU of Hawai'i, was quoted saying, "We should all be concerned, because it means the FBI can snoop around in our personal lives and begin files on our completely innocent activities." Well, if your activities are completely innocent, then there's nothing to worry about. Because of too much freedom, Sept. 11 left us dumbfounded about our vulnerability.
We're getting what we asked for, in regard to heightened security; let's deal with the fact that our lives are going to be different.
Jacinta Brown
Don't rely on city, state to haul away our trash
The May 29 article "Trash pile grows in 'Ewa Beach" is exactly the reason 'Ewa Beach has become a haven for drug dealers and people who dump their trash on the side of the road.
Jeff Alexander claims that for the last three weeks after his group picked up trash and piled it on the roadside, the city and state have neglected to pick it up and haul it away. 'Ewa Beach and its "leaders" like Alexander need to get away from the attitude that it's the city and state's job to clean up our mess. It's up to the vast majority of good, solid citizens of 'Ewa Beach to clean up this town and stop the dumpers from making messes the rest of us have to clean up.
Alexander and his friends have a pickup truck, and the convenience center is only two miles away. It's up to him to pick up the pile he made and haul it away. Don't just watch it grow in size and then complain that the city and state have not done their job (although it makes for good press for his upcoming election bid).
If Alexander had paid attention at the 'Ewa Beach federal Weed and Seed program meeting, which he said he will not attend in the future, he would have learned that a single broken window in a building attracts people to break more windows. Alexander's pile of trash only attracts more trash.
Instead of building trash heaps for others to pick up, he needs to finish what he starts and take it to the convenience center. It's our job in 'Ewa Beach to save ourselves. We can do it.
Pam Lee Smith
'Ewa Beach
'Click It' campaign just a money-raiser
What is the fastest and easiest way for the state to make money? Give out traffic tickets. For the most part, people are willing to pay the fine rather than contest the citation. So it's easy for the state to make money. The recent ban on the traffic cameras and now this "Click It or Ticket" campaign show that the state only wants to make money and not save lives.
As I drive around Honolulu, I see people speeding and not wearing their seat belts. They sometimes pass police cars, and they don't do anything. That's why there are so many traffic violators. If there is no enforcement, people will break the law.
Only when the state needs money will it try to enforce the traffic laws and say, "We are saving lives." It should be enforcing the laws all the time.
Alan Kim
'Aiea
TheBus, school buses are lacking seat belts
The Department on Transportation lost its cash cow the "scam cams" and now we have "Click It or Ticket," the newest money grab with a catchy name.
If these folks were really concerned with safety, they would require seat belts on buses. I see buses going down the freeway with people not only not belted in, but also standing up. Our state also transports thousands of our children in school buses with no seat belts.
Why can't the DOT do its real job: maintain our roads? They are in terrible condition and dangerous in many cases. Brian Minaai and the DOT should get a ticket for poor road conditions.
Randy Prothero
Mililani
Another train is getting up steam
If the idea of riding a steam train from Hale'iwa to Ko Olina sounds like fun, how about riding one along the shores of Pearl Harbor from the USS Arizona through 'Ewa and up the Wai'anae Coast to Nanakuli? That's the goal of the Friends of Pearl Harbor Historic Trail.
Right now, there's a bike and jogging trail on the OR&L right-of-way from 'Aiea to Waipahu, and we're working to upgrade it, make it safer and more accessible and extend it into Nanakuli. The Hawai'i Railway Society already runs excursion trains every Sunday on part of the trail, from 'Ewa through Ko Olina to Kahe Point, but the grand plan is to bring back the train along the entire Historic Trail. This tourist train will stop at depots and sites along the trail, giving visitors and residents an opportunity to explore local communities.
Picture relaxing as the train carries you around the harbor, with views of Diamond Head on one side, and the sun setting behind the Wai'anae Range on the other. You'll travel past lively shopping areas, wetlands alive with native birds, and scenes from Hawai'i's past, including fishponds, sugar mills and plantation villages. Wave to the joggers and bicyclists — the local neighbors enjoying the greenway the trail provides. Listen to long-time residents tell stories of the area's history. Plan on stopping for dinner at a restaurant overlooking the harbor. Sound like fun?
The trail can be the new attraction needed to bring visitors without generating urban sprawl or degrading our environment. It's 18.6 miles long and has urban attractions, quiet retreats and exciting historic sites. Using the train and bike/walking path reduces the need for large parking lots, intrusive tourist buses and other costly infrastructure. This can be a way of encouraging sustainable revitalization of the Wai'anae/Leeward Coast areas while preserving the local character and heritage.
The feasibility study for the trail was done in an award-winning master plan developed under the auspices of local Vision groups. This plan lays the framework for commercial redevelopment, train expansion and cultural and environmental conservation. To view it, go to the Aiea Community Association Web site.
The city has a trail demonstration project under way on city land behind Waipahu High School. The state has contracted for the rebuilding of train/pedestrian bridges. The trail figures in state and city long-range transportation and Livable Communities plans, and is a part of a larger system of bike paths for the region.
The new opportunities for business created by the trail will help raise the tax revenue needed to fund its development. Similar projects, such as the San Antonio River Walk and LeClede's Landing in St. Louis, started with only a fraction of what the Pearl Harbor Historic Trail can offer. This has the potential to become an economic gold mine for Hawai'i, while preserving our way of life.
The Pearl Harbor Historic Trail began as a community initiative, and the Friends of Pearl Harbor Historic Trail was formed to ensure that trail communities help shape its future. We are actively seeking new ideas and members to make a trail community that is economically prosperous and a pleasure to live and work in.
We invite you to join us in working to make the trail and train a reality. You can reach the Friends at P.O. Box 2893, 'Aiea HI 96701, or e-mail rowanbr@aol.com to be placed on our mailing list.
Robyn Blanpied
Executive director, Friends of Pearl Harbor Historic Trail
