Letters to the Editor
Just say no to new Hawai'i cruise line
We who were left holding the very expensive bag on American Hawai'i Cruises read the June 6 report "Company proposes Hawai'i cruise line" with incredulity. Hopefully, Sen. Inouye and Reps. Mink and Abercrombie are still smarting from their previous wounds from meddling with the free market and will show company president Al Wallack the door.
We have a vibrant free-market cruise industry here; it is highly competitive, and we are getting the best ships in the world gracing our Islands. We don't need any more lame-duck ships and inferior service.
Let Mr. Wallack operate in the fire of competition with the likes of Norwegian and Royal Caribbean for a year or two, then we will decide his capability to run a monopoly.
And why would Inouye want these jobs for Hawai'i's people when they are superbly handled by Third World crews who need the work to support families? Could it be that our failed school system under 40 years of Democratic rule only produces Third World workers?
Doug Arnott
'Established process' at library questionable
Regarding your June 9 article on the Kapolei Library and state Librarian Virginia Lowell's refusal to accept donated books because such action does not comply with "the established process": Lowell's position brings the "process" into serious question. Does the process include budgeting and selection of only "acceptable" books for the public to read?
Does it include censorship? Do librarians really know best about which books the public should read? And the acceptable avenues for their procurement?
Like the fiasco of a few years ago when the librarians compromised their right to make "correct" book choices to a book service they contracted with at obnoxious prices? Was this an example of the process in action?
Personally, I'd choose the reading-room concept with books rather than being held hostage by "the established process" without books.
Clarence Chin
Waimea, Big Island
Forget the 'process,' open a 'reading room'
I was deeply disturbed by the June 9 article "Librarian declines donated books." The attitudes of the librarians quoted reek of a bureaucratic mindset and of elitism.
State Librarian Virginia Lowell stated that there is an "established process" for selecting books. "A library without that process is not a library." The process is more important than the result? It is more important to have a process for selecting books rather than having books to read?
Diane Perushek, University of Hawai'i librarian, seems to believe that libraries are established for librarians: "But we in the profession kind of pride ourselves on having gone beyond that." I am astounded that the librarians seem to assume that they are above the public. They are supposed to be public servants, there to serve the public, not indulge their ideas of personal superiority at public expense.
According to my dictionary, the main definition of a library is: "a place in which books, manuscripts, musical scores, or other literary and artistic materials are kept for use but not for sale." There is no reference that the selection of the materials is more important than the materials themselves.
There is no reference that the libraries are established for the maintenance of librarians and their personal ideas. The first and presumably the most important word as to what is in a library is "books." Is a donated book less important than the same book selected through a process? How does the process add to the book? Is it so bad to have the "reading room" denigrated by the "professional librarians"?
A donated book, a loaned book, a book not selected by a process is still better than no book at all.
Cless A. McFarland
More protected marine areas are essential
Regarding the old timer who used to fish at Shark's Cove on O'ahu's North Shore: How many children did he have and how many grandchildren? The problem is, too many people chasing too few fish. We have to give the fish a chance to have children and grandchildren, too.
The bill before the Legislature this past session to establish more fish refuges or pu'uhonua, unfortunately, did not pass. Fish populations in the main Hawaiian Islands are disastrously low from overfishing. When the fish are removed, the whole reef suffers.
We need more protected marine areas, and the current ones must be protected from poaching.
Diane E. Shepherd
Kihei, Maui
'No feeding birds' sign in park is ridiculous
About four months ago, I was feeding the birds at the Old Stadium Park when a Department of Parks worker came hollering, "No feeding birds." He wasn't able to point to any signs and informed me that one would be posted. I replied that I've been doing this for 20 years and will continue feeding the birds.
Now all of a sudden a sign appears: "No feeding birds." The revised ordinance states no feeding when posted.
What I want to know is: Who initiated this sentence in the City and County ordinance? If it is a dire health emergency, maybe the bird-brains at City Hall should add 10-cent tax on every pound of wild bird seed sold, or hire bird-feeder inspectors to catch these offenders. Mayor Harris and his bunch can increase the coffers.
Or, maybe I should go to City Hall every morning and feed the birds there. It's not listed as a park.
One more thing: How many parks in Honolulu have "No feeding birds" signs posted? Can you picture promoting a bird-less Honolulu?
John Pelish
Hydrogen fuel cells are not nonpolluting
The June 7 editorial, "Looking forward to hydrogen-fueled Isles," helps perpetuate the sophist half-truth that hydrogen fuel cells are nonpolluting.
While the oxidation of hydrogen for energy doesn't pollute, making hydrogen fuel would require energy-intensive production facilities. And any energy used by such facilities would essentially come from the same pollution-prone technologies available today.
So unless The Advertiser is willing to support high-capacity and potentially zero-pollution technologies (such as new-design nuclear plants), please stop treating your readers like dummies.
Mike Rethman
Kane'ohe
Rep. Espero led way on transportation issues
As an 'Ewa Beach resident, I see the potential of a ferry, a fixed-rail system, VanPool Hawai'i, articulated buses (even a marriage between light rail and Bus/Rapid Transit) as complementing the widening of Ft. Weaver Road, which is ready to begin construction next year.
Groundbreaking of the North-South Road will not be not delayed, due to the crafting of area legislators to save a funding mechanism for the North-South Road/Kapolei Parkway to stay on track despite all the probes into the hurricane fund. Also, the Legislature passed HB 2552 regarding the endangered plant, saving us from further delays as well.
I commend Rep. Willie Espero for taking the lead on rail, supporting SCR 142, which requests the governor to convene a task force for light rail. Espero's pursuit of a ferry also echoes my sentiments. The ferry took only 20 minutes for me to get to work vs. an hour by car, and was an enjoyable ride.
Espero's support for the 2004 construction start-up for the Leeward bikeway and the utilization of the Pearl Harbor Historic Trail for those who want to commute on their bicycles is further relief for us on the 'Ewa Plain.
Keep up the good work.
Edlynn Taira
'Ewa Beach
Whom should we pick? No one; bring back king
Just the other day, my son Taz asked me why the donkey and the elephant symbolically represented our two political parties.
We began thinking logically. Both were beasts of burden. Both served their masters well. The only difference was the donkey would serve without complaining; however, the elephant would not always cooperate without a little fussing and jabbing.
The donkey unfortunately had a bad reputation for being stupid — hence the term "making a complete ass of oneself." However, the elephant was not spared, either; any useless thing that takes up space is called a white elephant.
Having reached this point, Taz asked me: "Papa, which party will you vote for?" This time I was totally lost. Given the choice between "bleeding-heart Democrats" and "rich people's Republicans," whose constant bickering and mud-slinging have done little to help the hapless taxpayers who voted them to power, I finally gave him the answer:
"Neither. I would vote for the king."
"Who is the king? A pro wrestler?" he asked.
"No," I replied, "The king is a person who will unite (or get rid of) all politicians and work only for the good of the state and its people."
Taz seemed happy with the answer. "So Papa, where is the king now?" he asked.
Wistfully I said, "He is there somewhere among us, waiting. One day he will surely come to save us all."
Where is King Kamehameha when you need him?
Raj Kumar Bose
Substitute teachers aren't being paid fairly
It is sad that the Department of Education is refusing to recognize the advanced education and certification of the current Class III substitute teachers.
The DOE has decided to classify all substitute teachers as instructors under the HSTA contract. This instructor pay scale did not exist when the law was written in 1996. What an insult to retired teachers who are currently working as substitute teachers to not give them a raise while giving new teachers a huge raise.
The law states that the pay should be based on the teacher pay scale, and that is what the DOE should use. If the DOE claims that the law allows it to base our pay rate on that of a Class II instructor, then all Class I and Class II substitute teachers should have been paid $108.53 per day since 1997. We have not been paid that. When will we be paid that back pay?
The per diem formula in the law allows a substitute to earn about 73 percent of what a first-year teacher would earn if we work all 184 instruction days. The DOE is trying to allow us to earn only about 61 percent, with no benefits.
The state has exempted itself from providing medical benefits to substitutes who work more than 20 hours per week.
The state has exempted itself from paying us within seven days of the end of the pay period as it requires all other employers in the state to do.
The state has exempted itself from paying unemployment benefits during planned breaks in work, but doesn't give all other employers this break in paying benefits. Employers in Hawai'i should ask for equal protection under the U.S. Constitution to get these same exemptions from the law.
You may ask why I work as a substitute teacher under this kind of treatment. The reason is your children. I lost a son to suicide 12 years ago and choose this job because it allows me the greatest number of young people to reach out to and try to inspire them to love life and never give up.
The governor, DOE and the attorney general all ignored my attempts to get compliance with the law until a group of Maui substitutes retained a lawyer. We have to date incurred $2,500 in legal fees and expenses and would greatly appreciate a donation by other substitutes to help cover this cost. Please mail to David Garner, P.O. Box 880678, Pukalani, HI 96788. E-mail: rip@maui.net or ripmaui@hotmail.com.
David Garner
