Letters to the Editor
Handicapped parking fine should be raised
Rep. Joe Souki said of the handicapped minimum parking fine reduction, "We just thought $250 was excessive. We don't know what they are all stewed up about." Sen. Cal Kawamoto and the conference committee agreed.
As a handicapped combat veteran of World war II, I have a few words for this astute group: Would you like to walk a block on my legs? I will loan you my cane, as you couldn't make it without it.
Have you ever observed a person confined to a wheelchair trying to climb into his car when his access is impaired because some idiot has parked in the striped zone?
Have you noted perfectly healthy people parking in a handicapped stall only because someone in their family — not with them — has been issued a blue card?
I am one of the thousands who put their lives on the line for you.
This fine should be $500 for the first offense, $1,000 for the second and jail time thereafter.
Francis Heath
Wilton deserves raise
Coach Mike Wilton has done a fine job and deserves a lot of credit for the NCAA men's volleyball championship. Too bad it took a national title to wake up the UH athletic department to see what a great coach it has. I hope he gets a multi-year contract and pay comparable to other notable coaches from UCLA, Pepperdine, etc.
L. Kalei Fong
Front-page display of victory shameful
I was delighted upon reading your headline that boldly exclaimed "Finally!" I thought that perhaps peace had been reached in the Middle East, perhaps a cure for cancer had been found, or was it that Noah's Ark had finally been located, or that Elvis had been found alive and well at an all-you-can-eat buffet?
No! Unfortunately, it was about a sporting event.
You should be ashamed of yourselves. Putting such emphasis on sports is absolutely ridiculous. What message do you give our youngsters by giving such importance to a game? One of your responsibilities is to attribute to events their importance. You have failed.
Put sports where it belongs — on the sports page.
Jean-Jacques Dicker
Coaches, administration were a part of victory
Congratulations to the University of Hawai'i Warrior men's volleyball team for securing the national championship.
The effort shown on the court can only be equaled by the class and dignity displayed by the coaching staff and administration during the grueling tournament.
The men overcame so many obstacles and made a statement that they were there to take the title from Pepperdine. The way the first game went seemed to give a sense of security to the Wave, but we who have followed and cheered on our men knew it was only the beginning to a national attention-claiming match.
All the members of the team contributed to the win and must be recognized for going beyond the call to bring home the trophy to the 50th state.
Brian Takara
Senators went back on their fund word
Drew E. Kosora is exactly right in his eloquent analysis of May 7, "Senators went back on word about fund."
At the outset of the 2002 legislative session, The Honolulu Advertiser polled legislators as to their stand on using the money from the Hawai'i Hurricane Relief Fund as a means to balance the state's bloated budget. The poll indicated that 15 senators were against raiding the fund, one was in favor and eight left the question blank.
On April 30, only three senators — Sam Slom, Fred Hemmings and Bob Hogue — voted against allowing the transfer of $29 million from the fund to the general fund.
In addition, the measure allows for annual interest that is earned by the trust fund to be transferred to the general fund.
This begs the question: What happened to the promises made by the other 22 senators? They obviously have neither the courage of their convictions nor the wherewithal to do what is right for those who paid the expensive premiums associated with the fund.
The approval of this legislation is illegal and most likely unconstitutional and may open the floodgates for the further raiding of the fund in the next legislative session.
Nani Medeiros
She's smart enough
Congratulations to Ivy Ka'anana at Baldwin High. I was amazed to find out from the letter by Foster Hull that if "this senior girl isn't smart enough to follow the code, then she isn't smart enough to graduate." Gee, somebody should have told me I needed to wear a dress so I could graduate from high school, and go on to get a B.A., M.S. and Ph.D.
Heidi Lennstrom
Palolo
Assisted suicide is not acceptable
I was dismayed and bothered by Roland Halpern's April 12 letter representing the First Unitarian Church's viewpoint supporting physician-assisted suicide.
If physician-assisted suicide is so popular, why is it legal only in Oregon? Why did it barely squeak by there? Why did Sen. David Matsuura's mail on the subject run 40 percent for to 60 percent against? Why is this legislation opposed by the Hawai'i Medical Association, the Hawai'i Nursing Association and Hospice Hawai'i?
The truth is that this atrocity was strong-armed through the House by a governor who first stacked the deck with his own handpicked "blue-ribbon commission," and then presented it as the "will of the people."
As to the votes in the House, how can that be taken seriously when a Democratic caucus was called immediately before the vote in the House, with lots and lots of arm-twisting, and lots of high-powered talk by Mainland lawyers pushing this Mainland export?
I don't see the "aloha" in handing deadly pills to someone suffering from an incurable disease when there have been so many recent advances in pain control and hospice care.
Susan Matoi
Will anyone help rescue Kirsten?
Here's a rescue situation of another sort. A person whom I care about, let's call her Kirsten, has breast cancer that has spread to her bones. She would like to receive help for this life-threatening condition, but she is not able to because where she goes, people inject her with powerful drugs that cause her to see spots, make her headache unbearable and wrack her body with searing pain.
The cashier at Safeway, the clerk at Kinkos, the stranger in the beach park restroom and a host of others are all involved, she believes. Some of the people she recognizes as being connected to IHS, the emergency homeless shelter, where she thinks she got the cancer. She wants to know why all of these individuals are causing her such pain.
This person's sister calls me in desperation from the Mainland, wanting to help. She cries that Kirsten has cancer that is spreading and despairs that she is living on the streets, lugging around possessions that are too heavy for even an unemaciated individual to handle.
What's to be done? Do we have to wait till Kirsten collapses in a coma before she receives any help? We rescued the lucky puppy. Will anyone help to rescue Kirsten?
Lynn Maunakea
Executive director, Institute for Human Services
Free work for free play would maintain course
I have golfed at least once a week at the Pali Golf Course for the past 12 years. Throughout those years, the tee boxes, fairways and greens have never been up to "par" compared to the Ala Wai Golf Course.
From what I read, the city has no money to fix up and maintain all of its parks and golf courses; therefore, I am offering my services to work one hour a day, five days a week to help fix and maintain the Pali Golf Course in exchange for one free round of golf per week.
I'm sure there are others who feel as I do and will take advantage of this work-play program. It would benefit and be in the best interest of both parties.
This program could be implemented at the soccer fields, skate parks and other facilities. Please take this idea into consideration at your next meeting.
Dennis Sanada
Jeremy Harris can move Hawai'i forward
Recent news reports say that Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris is winning in court against accusations by the Campaign Spending Commission. I'm glad to hear it because without a doubt, he's done a lot of good for O'ahu and can apply his knowledge, experience and leadership on a statewide level.
I look forward to his campaign for governor starting up again and to hearing what his plans are for moving Hawai'i forward.
Diane Yotsude
Hilo
Resort residences can help protect economy
What kept the recession wolves from our door? Robust consumer spending, fueled by rising housing prices. Even after Sept. 11, we saw higher home prices and higher spending (two-thirds of all economic activity). Indeed, the world seems to have spent itself out of danger.
How good were home prices, the hero of this story? In America, they were up 5.6 percent (in real terms), and 8.6 percent in Britain, 6.6 percent in Australia and 11.6 percent in Spain. In fact, the two major economies that struggled hardest with the global downturn saw home prices fall (Japan and Germany).
What about Hawai'i? Also good news. The median price of a single-family resale home hit $310,000, up over 10 percent this year relative to last. Pretty good.
But one component of it was particularly outstanding, and particularly under-appreciated: resort residences, i.e., homes sold in resort master-planned communities. Examples? Hualalai, Princeville, Kapalua, Kuki'o, Ko Olina. Last year's sales? Almost $900 million (from $455 million in 1998). It doubled in three years (just like a dot.com stock).
Maui's resort sales went from $200 million in 1998 to $372 million last year, the Big Island from $167 million to $371 million. Only O'ahu's resort market fell: it went from $16 million to $10 million. What a shame — and a hardship. The families on the Neighbor Islands haven't felt the chill of reduced incomes or job losses the way the families on this island have.
A solution? Support home sales in our resort master-planned communities. Why? Because it's a good, clean industry, perfect for Hawai'i's comparative advantage: year-round recreation in a beautiful setting. And offshore owners pay our taxes, send their kids to other schools and even don't flush the toilet that often.
O'ahu has two resort master-planned communities: Ko Olina and Turtle Bay. Could they use help? Why not? There's a proposal to build an aquarium with private funds on state land next to Ko Olina, and then turn it over to the state after 20 years. It'd create a nice experience and contribute to making a nice resort-oriented community. A community that would help build up an industry — resort residences — now that could help save O'ahu later.
Ricky Cassiday
