Letters to the Editor

State tax-credit plan better than CarePlus

I object to the proposed long-term-care proposal, CarePlus, because it is a form of socialized subsidy.

The majority of our citizens would be subject to involuntary payments by legislators to support the few who do not have the initiative to prepare and bear responsibility for their own lives.

Would it not be more prudent for legislators to devise a state tax-credit plan for those who purchase a long-term-care policy, just as Congress is set to do?

Many who oppose the proposed measure are not confident of government to manage any kind of program, given its track record so far.

W. Chee
Kane'ohe

Motorcycle officers are more effective

Motorcycle officers, working in pairs, are the most effective and desirable means of controlling the speed at which drivers travel on the highway. An experienced bike officer is an expert at determining safe speeds, and motorists being escorted can feel very comfortable about getting to their destinations at an expedient pace.

I happen to believe that most safety-conscious drivers appreciate a police presence on the highway. If the Honolulu Police Traffic Division is hindered by lack of funding for an adequate "bike squad," then the mayor and the City Council should be called upon to remedy the situation.

The state's van-cam is a poor substitute for police traffic patrols.

James Duncan

Remember Matsuura for ignoring the people

I was amazed to read Sen. David Matsuura's statements concerning the assisted-suicide bill soon eligible to be heard by his committee.

I quote: "Absolutely, I will not hear assisted suicide. This dumb bill wasn't even on our radar screen. I haven't even looked at the measure or studied this measure yet. I can't figure out what assisted suicide is ... "

This is a measure that 70-some percent of our people support, and this dedicated "servant of the people" can't even be bothered to read it before he allows his personal bias to intervene. And, worst of all, he has the power to stop it in its tracks because he is head of the committee that would have to bring it to the floor in the Senate. It has already passed in the House.

I doubt that anything I or anyone else can say to Sen. Matsuura would make a difference since his mind is made up and his decision was taken without bothering to study the issue; however, I urge the voters in his district (South Hilo-Puna) to remember this at election time.

Mare Grace
Waimea, Big Island

Coerced treatment would be inappropriate

Regarding your March 5 editorial, "Senate makes progress toward drug treatment": While I agree that drug treatment is preferable to incarceration for nonviolent drug offenders, coerced treatment has the potential to turn the drug war into a modern-day version of the Spanish Inquisition. The Bush administration is currently pushing "compassionate coercion" for users of certain drugs.

Coerced treatment does not distinguish between occasional use and chronic abuse. Given that only users of politically incorrect drugs are threatened with jail, the nation's millions of marijuana smokers are the most likely target of Bush's "compassion." Like any drug, marijuana can be harmful if abused, but arrests and forced treatment are hardly appropriate health interventions.

Diet is the No. 1 determinant of health outcomes. Do we really want big government monitoring everything that goes into our bodies? And if it is the proper role of government to punish citizens for unhealthy choices, why target marijuana? Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose death, nor does it share the addictive properties of tobacco.

Unfortunately, marijuana continues to represent the counterculture to reactionaries intent on legislating their version of morality.

The United States now has the highest incarceration rate in the world, in large part due to the war on some drugs. This country cannot afford to continue subsidizing the prejudices of culture warriors to the tune of $50 billion annually.

Robert Sharpe
Program officer, Drug Policy Alliance
Washington, D.C.

Long-term-care plan must be approved

Now is the time to pass the long-term-care financing bills (CarePlus) presently being heard by the Legislature. There is an immediate and desperate need for the relief of Hawai'i's people from devastating costs to them and to the state government.

The figures are appalling for Medicaid, nursing homes and losses of personal savings and real property; these figures are approaching a public disaster, accelerated by baby boomers entering retirement.

The state of Hawai'i now spends about $200 million per year for Medicaid's long-term-care program, rising inevitably every year.

We have spent 12 years on these projects, but this year we must really get something done. Let us all support SB 2416 and HB 2613, relating to long-term-care financing.

Herbert S. Coleman
Kane'ohe

Don't listen to those who would risk rabies

I find it very sad indeed that there are temporary citizens and breeders who are trying to change my island over quarantine. How dare they try to decide for me and the rest of the citizens of this state what's good for us!

They would jeopardize us by lowering quarantine standards and risk letting rabies into these Islands. Their plan for vaccinations and electronic tracking is baloney. Check with the World Health Organization and others that know the facts. Check with all the veterinarians. The Hawaiian Humane Society has no business getting involved in something it knows nothing about.

For those who are interested, there is a good Web site: www.hawaiiquarantine.com. It's got facts, not half-truths like the coalition's site. Don't be misled by these few very vocal people. There are over a million people in these Islands, and a few are trying to change our lifestyle. Don't sit back and let them do it. They would leave a legacy that cannot be undone.

If rabies ever comes to these Islands because of the people in this coalition, I will personally file a lawsuit against each and every one who will have caused the grief that will follow once this dreaded disease is introduced.

Adrienne L. Wilson-Yamasaki
Wahiawa

Enough — turn over Aloha Stadium to UH

I think Aloha Stadium should be transferred to the University of Hawai'i.

The stadium cannot be run any worse than it is being run now. The Stadium Authority needs to go. The only thing unenjoyable about UH football games is the way the stadium is run.

The excuse that they are worried about what will happen to high school sports and the flea market is ludicrous. UH will more than likely give them a better deal than they have now.

The stadium was built for the University of Hawai'i football team and, I'd guess, makes its money mostly from UH.

It's laughable that it pays the stadium rent and gets no revenue from parking or concession stands. It's a smart call to give the stadium to UH. It is good for the school, the state and the fans. The only loser would be the Stadium Authority.

Lopaka Ornellas