Letters to the Editor
Stop looking at tax hikes; trim government
Gov. Cayetano's March 10 commentary in The Advertiser finds something wrong with just about every politician in the state of Hawai'i. Not one single politician has the answer to fix the budget shortfall — except him, of course.
Then again, Gov. Cayetano has plenty of experience in fixing budget shortfalls. He has had 16 years worth of experience.
Ben Cayetano and his former boss, John Waihe'e, managed to raid the taxpayers' money any way they could. Now the governor has no place left to turn in his final year of office but to drain the last bit of capital from the last bit of money anywhere other than the Hurricane Relief Fund. When the Hurricane Relief Fund is gone, Gov. Cayetano can then make that final telephone call to former Gov. Waihe'e and claim victory in tapping the well dry.
The governor also wants to increase the taxes the people of Hawai'i pay through camera van tickets (disguised as safety issues), sin taxes on liquor and cigarettes and long-term care. When your taxes increase, your disposable money becomes that much less.
We, the people of Hawai'i, really can't afford to continue to feed a big government. The governor really needs to make cuts not only in programs but also personnel. The claim that reducing personnel will result in a heavier burden on social services is really a poor excuse.
Mark Trexler
Waialua
Raiding hurricane fund would be raising taxes
The Hurricane Relief Fund was established to provide property insurance, not be an additional source of revenue for the state. At a minimum, this is a misappropriation of funds.
By raiding the fund, the state is converting a part of the hurricane insurance premium into a tax. The state in effect is raising the property taxes and the corresponding tax rate of all homeowners in the state, established yearly by each county. This tax increase would be retroactive to 1993, when the state established the fund.
This transfer of funds may be illegal. Statute 36-27 allows for the transfer of funds from special funds to cover central services. The hurricane fund was specifically excluded, along with 30 other funds. In addition, this statute limits what can be transferred to 5 percent of the all the receipts in the funds. The state is proposing to transfer $100 million out of $230 million to the general account to help balance the budget. That would be a transfer of 43 percent of the fund, which is far in excess of the 5 percent limit imposed on all other funds.
Furthermore, Statute 36-27 contains the phrase "and notwithstanding any other law to the contrary," which tells me that any other law passed to enable the transfer of money would be in violation of this statute.
Kenn Yuen
Bottle deposit proposal should be approved
Last year, both houses of the Legislature passed slightly differing versions of the bottle deposit bill, HB 1256. The beverage industry, which has had nationwide success in killing bottle deposit laws since 1986, was then given time by the conference committee to craft an alternative.
It presented its plan in January and did not address the litter problem at all. Instead, it proposed a new fee to support curbside recycling, placing the entire burden on residents, no matter what their consumption of beverages.
HB 1256 would institute a refundable deposit on all beverage containers except dairy products. Since recyclers now pay considerably less than 5 cents per aluminum can, the 5-to-15-cent deposit would provide an even greater incentive to those who collect cans. There would be a dramatic reduction in litter.
Presently in Hawai'i, only 20 percent of bottles and cans are recycled. In states with bottle bills, 80 percent are recycled. No state has ever repealed a bottle bill. In fact, residents of those states overwhelmingly support their bottle bills. The beverage industry fears that consumption will be reduced. In fact, states with bottle bills have experienced no drop in sales.
We think HB 1256 should be passed now, before it gets lost in the end-of-session excitement.
Pearl Johnson
President
The League of Women Voters of Honolulu
What will government really use fund for?
Don't you just love it?
First we contribute to the Hurricane Relief Fund, thinking all along it was going to benefit us, the citizens of Hawai'i, and the government takes it.
Then we are forced to pay more than anyone else in the country for our gasoline, and the government wins $20 million or so in court and it takes that.
Now it wants to place a tax on us for a long-term-care fund. Doesn't it make you wonder what it will use the money for once the fund is substantial?
Just someone's opinion.
Jim Ferris
Read the 'fine print' in long-term-care plan
Your March 6 editorial on long-term care fails to fully inform your readers because you have failed to include the "fine print."
When a con man tries to sell you high-priced merchandise of dubious quality, you are supposed to read the "fine print" before placing your name on the dotted line.
Let me supply the "fine print."
The $70-a-day benefit is only available to those who have paid this $10-a-month tax for 10 years. What happens if you have paid for only a year and your health fails to such an extent that you require long-term-care services? Your benefit will be one-tenth of the $70, or only $7 a day.
This mandatory tax (which means everybody over the age of 25 pays) is not going to remain at $10 a month. It will be increased every year. For example, by the year 2009, the tax will be $12.77 a month. This tax could be increased further if the "blue-ribbon panel" that is going to run this program requests the Legislature to do so.
If a person is receiving the $70-a-day benefit, does he continue to pay this new tax? You bet he does. He is not excused from paying the tax until he dies or reaches age 98.
This $70-a-day benefit is payable only for a year. What happens if your long-term care requires services to be provided beyond one year? Sorry, that's all you will get. After one year, the poor patient will be on his own.
The benefit payment should be supported by actuarial principles.
Rijo Hori
Government must take responsibility
Public education is not a for-profit entity. It is a government's responsibility to its people.
The educational solutions offered by various groups such as vouchers, privatization, etc., are an attempt to dodge this responsibility. Our children are at risk as they face an international workplace with inadequate language, math and science skills. We are falling behind while the supply-side worshippers gobble up our national wealth at the expense of our children.
Many foreign countries federally fund education from nursery through university, evenly distributed, professionally staffed, adequately compensated. We could, as the wealthiest nation in the world, easily solve this pressing problem.
B. Becker
Inouye wrong about curbing cruise ships
This time I believe Sen. Inouye is wrong in his attempt to divert foreign cruise ships from operating in Hawaiian waters.
The drastic decrease in tourist arrivals at our airports must be compensated for by luring more cruise ships (foreign and domestic), meaning more employment in the already depressed tourist industry.
Inouye's efforts in seeking federal funds for Hawai'i is appreciated; however, he must not ignore Hawai'i's desperate situation in the tourist industry.
Toshio Chinen
Pearl City
There's nothing wrong with Kobayashi effort
Someone seems to be making quite an effort to smear Ann Kobayashi and Fresh Start, Inc.
Yes, Fresh Start did ask those in the program if they would like to do sign-holding for Ann (a long-time board member and benefactor) with an opportunity to work in a campaign and to learn about the political process. Ann also provided lunch and dinner for her volunteers every day at her headquarters.
Ann was there every morning and afternoon sign-holding, smiling and waving with her many friends, old-timers and loyalists. It was a fun and exciting campaign, which lasted exactly four weeks.
The young volunteers worked for about an hour and a quarter each afternoon and then came in for dinner and get-together around 6 p.m. at Ann's headquarters. It was a good experience, and they helped to elect a strong supporter for themselves and their program.
Nancy Bey Little
New name for merged airlines is intriguing
With the merger of Hawaiian and Aloha airlines ponderously inching its way forward toward apparent fruition, the public is clamoring to try to discern the name of the emerging carrier. Interest is high and unfettered. Contests are even being offered.
Clearly, the merger is therefore of great historical significance, and one appreciating that both airlines are kama'aina airlines, the fusion of the name should represent not only their identification letters — HA (for Hawaiian) and AL (for Aloha) — but rather the mutual appreciation that exists between the airlines and the citizens of Hawai'i.
It should be short, catchy and readily identifiable. Don't you agree?
One idea comes to mind if it has not been thought of before. How about "maHALo" Airlines? Hmmm ... seems to have a nice spin to it.
Jack H. Scaff
Racism still exists in today's military
Regarding the recent article on racism in the military: The military has changed very little from the days of World War II and before.
If you do a study, you will find that African Americans and other minorities are still overly represented in such places as Ft. Leavenworth and the stockade in Mannheim, Germany. I would like some investigative reporter to find out what these soldiers really did.
The reason for my interest is that there, but for the grace of God, I could have gone. Harassment was the order of the day for me in the military and continues to this day with other blacks and other minorities.
I'll tell you about Staff Sgt. Matos, who was a member of my salsa band Impakto Allegre. Staff Sgt. Matos was a mechanical genius; he could do wonders with a motor, any motor. But one day his motor officer, a warrant officer, began to berate him about some mundane matter, stuck his face in Matos' face, cursed him and pushed him. Unfortunately for Matos, he popped the warrant officer and was subsequently drummed out of the service. Why? Good question, because he was too good at his job, and the military will not accept intelligent, able minorities when they can get rid of them.
Fortunately for me, I did not hit anyone, but I was given some rather strange punishment for going into "off limits" establishments. "Off limits" to blacks and other minorities.
R.W. Smith Jr.
Kapolei
There are a lot of good kids out there
Those two young girls, Deira Hanzawa and Nicole Leslie, should be commended for their honesty. Their parents should be proud for raising these young ladies to be such outstanding citizens. What they did by locating the owner of the lost wallet makes me proud to be a resident of Wahiawa.
A big mahalo also to Richard Childress of Kapolei (the owner of the wallet) for acknowledging what these two young girls did.
There are a lot of good kids out there, and they should be recognized for their accomplishments.
Bob Barefoot
Wahiawa
Cayetanos misleading us on long-term care
Let's take a look at recent statements from the governor and first lady regarding the proposed long-term-care tax.
The first lady recently stated that the bill provides money for home care while most private insurance does not. Untrue. Most reputable company policies combine nursing home care with a 100 percent home healthcare option.
The governor recently claimed the state plan is needed to protect seniors from the private companies that can "drop coverage at any time." The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 makes it a violation of federal law for companies to arbitrarily drop policyholders.
It's all about trust. I do not trust a plan when I see the organizers misleading those who are unaware of alternate solutions. CarePlus has more negatives than positives.
Dan Morin|
'Aiea
Kahanamoku's statue is facing the right way
Regarding having Duke Kahanamoku's statue rotate for photographers: I think Duke is facing away from the beach so that whoever is being photographed with him will have the beautiful blue Pacific in the background — the realm that Duke loved and where he felt most at home.
I wouldn't want a police station or hotel in the background. Would you?
Michael D. Ferguson
