Posted on: Friday, May 3, 2002
Letters to the Editor
Drug abusers hurt more than themselves
The victims of drug abuse are the families and children.
It saddens me that legislators feel that because of prison overcrowding, first-time drug abusers should go to treatment programs instead of prison. Do they really think this is going to make them reform?
I'm tired of hearing it's the drugs, that's why they behave like that. This is an excuse to escape reality. Everyone forgets who the real victims of the drugs are — the families and the kids who are left behind. This in itself is a crime that should put them behind bars so they have no choice but to reform.
Did any of our lawmakers check on what the percentage rate is on drug abusers actually staying off drugs after going through a program? Probably not. What's a first-time offender? Is it someone who has done drugs for 10 years but finally gets caught and the case is held up in court?
Wake up! We have a major drug problem in Hawai'i, and the victims are left behind in the cold with no hope because of our system.
Guy Chang
Hawai'i fishermen went beyond the call
I own the longline fishing vessel "Pacific Fin," which found the abandoned ship about a week ago and could not get the dog to come to the crew. I would like to give kudos to my captain and crew for going out of their way to locate and try to rescue Forgea. They spent two days, along with other fishing vessels, in trying to rescue the dog. My crew is made up of all local men who gave up precious time and energy.
People may not have heard of this effort, but it was done without asking for compensation. My guys lost precious fishing days to the extent of $12,000 a day, and other longline vessels spent from two to six days.
This may not seem like much to the average person, but let me tell you, these local boys went beyond the call to help. I hope you will let people know that longline fishermen in Hawai'i feel they are a part of the community and will always act accordingly.
Scott Barrows
Hawai'i should learn lesson from California
Correct me if I'm wrong, but did California not recently have an electricity crisis because its Legislature capped rates and over-regulated the industry?
If Hawai'i lawmakers succeed in capping fuel prices, we will run out of gas. And, if they think their van cam program upset us, wait until there is no gas to speed with.
I suppose we can fall back on Hawai'i's public transportation system.
Dom Marino
Marijuana should take the place of crystal meth
For too many years, Hawai'i has been ravaged by crystal meth. Something different, daring and less punitive is required to help our people.
Working with disadvantaged youth has taught me that their sense of adventure is sadly and strongly attracted to the cheap, big-bang high. With the price of an ounce of cannabis worth more than an ounce of gold, crystal meth becomes tragically irresistible.
Why not decriminalize marijuana, and let growers in a free market prevail? It would rapidly become the people's drug of choice, with a significant reduction in crystal meth use inevitable.
Steven Reiff
Haughty remarks don't represent us
I have always believed that America was a nation of laws and not a nation of men (or women, in the case of state Sen. Colleen Hanabusa). The April 24 Advertiser story "State sued for 'raiding' pension" quotes Sen. Hanabusa as saying: "We are the state of Hawai'i. We determine how much the people will be paid, we determine whether people have collective bargaining rights, we determine the whole gamut. We determine how much goes in the ERS."
Well, excuuuse me, Senator, but your haughty remarks are disrespectful to all the hard-working and retired public servants. I will remember in November.
It was a representative democracy established by law that made you a senator, not a queen.
Frank Gomes
School union officials are not 'teachers'
The Honolulu Advertiser ("Reform move to create local school boards falters," April 17) reported that Sen. Norman Sakamoto was poised to kill the proposal to carve Hawai'i's statewide school district into seven (Senate version) or 15 (House version) smaller districts. The article asserted:
"Supporters of locally elected school boards say such bodies would bring decision-making closer to communities and would foster more accountability in the system.
"But the proposals have been met with skepticism from Superintendent Pat Hamamoto and teachers, who said it is not clear how the changes would improve student achievement. They also have found that the bills lack important details."
Your writer, Lynda Arakawa, said Karen Ginoza and Joan Husted were her sources for the views of "teachers."
Students, parents, real classroom teachers and taxpayers would gain from a reduction in central control. In a decentralized system, however, Joan Husted and Karen Ginoza might be negotiating a contract for a local teachers union serving 200 teachers instead of 10,000. Teachers union officials are not "teachers," and their interests are not the same.
Malcolm Kirkpatrick
City is pouring money down the consult drain
Typical political bureaucratic bullhash. The city tells us it is following an industry standard by paying out an average of 50 percent of the cost of a project to an unnecessary design consultant, thereby increasing the costs and taking the project far over budget. And we, the taxpayers, take it in the ... uh ... wallet.
The city is following no industry standard, as The Advertiser shows us; it is pouring our money down the consult drain. The neighborhood activists may want to get behind the paperwork, follow the paper trail and see if any hanky-panky is occurring.
These current economic times require City Hall to be fiscally conservative, but, instead, it is throwing our tax dollars away.
Want another industry standard? Type in a search engine the term "exorbitant consultant fees" and you get at least 3,590 entries. Ha ha. Joke's on us.
Allen St. James
Legislature should put a cap on taxes
Dear legislators: If you really want to help me, forget gas prices and put a cap on state taxes.
Hawai'i is always one of the top three "tax hells" in annual state tax comparisons. So let's help all Hawai'i taxpayers by capping our state tax, using a West Coast comparison. I suggest using the state of Washington, which has no personal income tax, as the benchmark. When I put gas in my car, it goes. When I pay my state taxes, I get public employee strikes, contracts with Mainland companies that costs millions to rescind, schools that always rank among the bottom in the nation, and a Legislature that can't balance a budget without stealing from one pocket to bail out the other. So, folks, get to work getting this state back on track.
Vernette Shaffer
Recreational facilities should be respected
It seems no one is educating the people who use skate parks, swimming pools, etc. on the cost of building and maintaining these fun places. What will they do when taxpayers can no longer afford to keep these places open?
The Kane'ohe pool was vandalized for years. Let's go back to teaching our young the values that are so lacking today, and not let a few bad eggs spoil it for all.
Maybe we should ask that anyone who uses these places put in a few hours of maintenance a month. After all, nothing in life is free, even if the government did build it.
G. Pound
Harris has the ability to improve economy I had the good fortune to attend a visioning conference in Honolulu in which Mayor Jeremy Harris presented plans and ideas that had been generated by community groups he had put together.
I was truly impressed by the process that encouraged these groups to think big, and the way Mayor Harris has been able to bring their ideas together into one cohesive vision for the entire island.
I believe Jeremy Harris has that ability, and can apply it statewide to create a foundation that will nurture our special way of life while also building a stronger economy.
Steven Araujo
Legalize gambling to pay for monorail
I read Mike Leidemann's April 30 article on the planned monorail system in Las Vegas. Mass transit in Honolulu has been discussed ad nauseam for many years, and the end result of all this useless blathering is, "Can the government afford it?"
Truth be told, Las Vegas can afford the system because of legalized gambling. Honolulu cannot afford such a system because the government insists that those in need stay in need. Our state government approaches socialism and has been so for at least the nearly 40 years I have lived here.
It enables literally generations of welfare recipients, most of whom are perfectly able-bodied who simply know how to "work the system."
Legalize gambling, get the parasites to work, and we too could have a beautiful monorail system.
M. Gilleland
Now let's shift sights
Can we now spend $185,000 looking for "Peter Boy"?
Helen Arnberg
Micronesians also contribute
In the March 3 article "Pacific migrants running up hefty healthcare tab," you stated that more and more Marshallese and Micronesian people are coming to Hawai'i mentally and physically sick and using Hawai'i to their benefit. The article also stated that the Micronesian community is not contributing very much to society.
I would very much like to tell you that you did not try to look at it from the Micronesian and Marshallese points of view.
I am a Micronesian-Marshallese, a 14-year-old girl. One reason we come here sick are the bombs. As you know, Americans used our islands to test bombs. The radiation from these bombs, the locals are sure of, are embedded in the food we eat that we grow on the land. The government has told America that the radiation can only affect four of the islands, but how can they be so sure? Cancer is one of the many diseases spread by radiation from these test bombs.
Another point: Micronesians actually do contribute to society. Just the other day, I met a Micronesian-Chuukese man working behind the counter of a 7-Eleven store. You'll actually see many Micronesians doing blue-collar jobs. But not only do we contribute by our work but also by our many different cultures.
An idea that has been expressed by many Micronesian adults as to how to prevent so many Micronesians coming here sick is to screen them. You can screen the Pacific immigrants before they travel here and give them medication ahead of time. In this way, almost everyone wins.
We do not have good hospitalization in the Marshall Islands, and that is why we come here. And we don't mean to be ungrateful and use you to our benefit; on the contrary, we are actually very grateful. In fact, many of my cousins come here to get their glasses and even get checkups.
My mother works in Pacific Resources for Education and Learning, and every month I hear her talking about teachers in public schools. Teachers, I know that you are actually having a lot of trouble with Micronesian students. But they are not used to education and teachers here, and sometimes they don't participate in class.
This is due to the fact that schools at home are poor and students are thought to be rude when they participate or speak up too much. They also don't participate because they can't speak English well and are too embarrassed.
Teachers automatically assume that all Micronesians and Marshallese are dumb and don't know how to speak proper English. This is not true, and I urge more teachers to get to know their students before judging them.
Some people are working to recruit some Marshallese college students to tutor the Marshallese students. And soon there will be other tutors to help the other Micronesian cultures.
Kathy Jetnil
Kane'ohe
Pukalani, Maui
Kapolei
Kailua
Vision
Kurtistown, Big Island
