Letters to the Editor
Insertion of bailout into budget unethical
The surreptitious way Sen. Brian Taniguchi inserted the $8 million bond authorization into the state budget to buy the land under the Japanese Cultural Center is just plain unethical and naive on the senator's part.
The state should never use our taxpayer money to bail out a financial dilemma brought about by one ethnic group without consent of the majority of the legislators.
Although I am one of many contributors at the fundraiser at the inception of the cultural center, I believe those who were fiscally responsible should have taken timely action to prevent such an irreversible situation.
Toshio Chinen
Drug-abuse treatment won't necessarily work
Drug treatment as an alternative to prison for first-time offenders will not necessarily work.
As a Child Protective Services social worker, I've observed that even the threat or the termination of parental rights has not deterred them from using drugs. These individuals with serious substance-abuse issues may need to "hit rock bottom," which may mean prison, before they actually commit to treatment. In addition, many of these substance users have other mental health issues and violent histories that are not treated.
For recovery to be longstanding, it is critical they have a strong and sober support system beyond the treatment program. Without a strong support system, their prognosis for long-term recovery is very poor, and risk of continued criminal activity is high.
Grace Gabat
'Aiea
Sunset on the Beach must be preserved
We at Production Hawaii are writing in support of the Sunset on the Beach program, which runs weekly in Waikiki and once a month in neighboring communities. We have been able to witness the benefits of this program from both behind the scenes and as participants in the event.
Production Hawaii is responsible for coordinating the vendor tents and boardwalk each week. Our company coordinates set-up and helps provide the restaurateurs access to this popular event. So far the positive response from the vendors has been overwhelming. Each vendor has reported a definite increase in business as a result of the Sunset on the Beach program. From our standpoint and those of the vendors, this program is a definite economic plus for O'ahu.
Aside from the direct economic benefit to vendors and companies such as ourselves, there are the vital indirect economic benefits felt throughout the island. Sunset on the Beach attracts both visitors and residents alike, creating a more authentic Hawai'i experience for tourists. This, in turn, contributes to increased tourism dollars to the island. Hotels, tour operators and businesses in the areas can all help boost their tourism programs through Sunset on the Beach.
This program is obviously a unique and vital part of the community, and Production Hawaii is against Bill 19, which does not support this and other important community initiatives. We are strongly opposed to any decision made by the City Council that would hinder the continued successful operation of the Sunset on the Beach and Rediscover O'ahu programs.
Michael C. Rossell
President, Production Hawaii
City swimming pool article was inaccurate
Let me set the record straight in response to a May 18 article on the operation of city swimming pools that was riddled with inaccurate information:
- City pools are open for a minimum of 47 hours a week on average. That includes the Makiki pool. Scheduling adjustments for different parts of the island are necessary as seasons change.
- Most public pools are open for adult lap swimming between three and four hours per day, depending on the location.
- When not used for lap swimming, pools are available for swimming lessons for children, water exercise classes for seniors and related purposes. Participation in these activities is open to the public on a registration basis.
- City pools are properly maintained and safe to use. Water quality is maintained around the clock in accordance with state and federal health guidelines.
It is regrettable that The Advertiser should perpetuate the false idea that the city limits access to public swimming pools because it is unable to pay its maintenance bills. Nothing could be further from the truth.
One of the city administration's top priorities is offering a range of well-maintained facilities to meet the recreational needs of citizens of all ages. It is not appropriate to charge children and seniors a fee to use their neighborhood facility.
There has been a two-decade moratorium on pool construction, and a generation of children has grown up with a limited number of pools where they can safely learn to swim. In a state surrounded by water, this is more than a matter of healthy recreation; it is about learning a lifesaving skill.
Benjamin B. Lee
Managing director of Honolulu
Waimea Falls Park collection endangered
It is unfortunate that two major players in the Waimea Falls Park saga, Ray Greene and Malcolm Tom, are unable to portray the situation regarding the park accurately.
The directors of the Waimea Arboretum Foundation never entered into an understanding with the city that all parties would maintain the status quo. However, the city did make multiple representations to the North Shore community that protection and maintenance of the botanical collections would be a priority under city ownership.
The city also signed a contract with Waimea Management LCC that provides for retaining adequate staffing and record-keeping to maintain in good order and condition the botanical and horticultural exhibits and the "landscaping, flora, or botanical specimens."
Moreover, despite good intentions, it is simply not true that Ray Greene's staff properly maintains the botanical gardens.
It is indicative of a lack of understanding of botanical gardens and the unique nature of what exists in Waimea that Tom and Greene are unaware that it takes much more than research and day-to-day grounds-keeping to keep the collections in Waimea Falls Park viable for public benefit.
Therefore, there is an immediate need for resources for the work of the former Waimea Arboretum Foundation staff. Time is of the essence because some of the endangered plants in the park, especially native hibiscus, need constant propagation. The nursery is currently filled with seedlings and propagules, which need daily care, and many recently planted areas must be monitored regularly by professionals as well. All are at great risk.
The work of the foundation needs to be integrated into the park's operation today. Anything less is a betrayal of the community vision the mayor's administration and the City Council committed to moving forward.
Blake McElheny
Legislature bungled its handling of issues
I am so excited about the bills passed by the Legislature this past session, I just had to write and express my joy. These fine people are finding all the different ways to save us money.
If the gasoline cap lets me save 10 cents per gallon every time I fill up, and I have a 20-gallon tank, that means I have $2 more every week. But wait, I will have to deduct that from the time I spend in line at the pumps because of the shortage the state has created from its socialist bill.
OK, the cigarette tax is a great thing, right? (I do not smoke.) I know the 40-cent increase per pack will make probably two-thirds of all smokers quit, right? No, wait a minute. The 40 cents more someone is spending on a pack of cigarettes is more than made up for by the gasoline cap. The bright side is we know a teenager can't afford 40 cents more for a pack of smokes, right? So maybe this will cut down on teen smoking anyway.
Wait, there has to be a bright side. Oh, yes, the 6.5 percent bottle recycling (tax) bill. That helps the consumer, right? I know most trash on the roads is milk jugs, soda cans and beer bottles, right? No, wait, come to think of it, I don't think it is.
I have a simple, logical idea for the state of Hawai'i: cut spending. It is sickening that the elected officials do not understand that if you can't afford it, don't buy it. Quit raising my taxes for your bad habits. It is our (my) money, not the people behind the koa desks.
Since your paper is in favor of price control, how about a bill introduced next session for price controls on newspapers? Let's get the cost down to a reasonable 35 cents per day. That would save me a minimum $127 per year. We need to regulate this industry because there are only two of you in town. Almost a monopoly. Why 50 cents per day?
Steve Love
New athletic director must push UH agenda
Management of fiscal issues driven by Title IX requirements is a given for all athletic directors today in intercollegiate athletics, but UH's case is unique and even more demanding because of higher expenses involved for every away game.
The UH athletic department's lifeblood dangles on an NCAA gimmick tabbed the "Hawai'i exception." It is of greater significance than continually increasing ticket prices and surcharges to balance the athletic budget.
Hawai'i sorely needs a new athletic director with charisma, eloquence, bearing and impact in the mold of UH President Evan Dobelle. Protecting and nurturing the "Hawai'i exception" is of prime importance, even if it means "ho'omalimali-ing" key inner-circle athletic directors, the NCAA Board of Governors, Management Council or powers-that-be by sending them Hawaiian macadamia nuts or candies each month.
And the sooner, the better. We shouldn't wait to really be in everlasting good graces with the unpredictable NCAA.
Richard Higa
Kailua
Blame ourselves, not messenger
Forbes got it right — again.
Like it or not, Forbes had relevant and vital points to make in its recent slam against Honolulu as one of the country's worst cities to do business in ("Trouble in Paradise: Why Doing Business in Honolulu Has Become Nearly Equivalent to Suicide," May 27). And Forbes keeps after us, year after year, for good reason.
This is tax hell. Our small businesses — our backbone — are crushed to near extinction by rules, regulations, government-mandated employee benefits and, yes, unbelievable taxes — even when the businesses don't show a profit. Our leaders haven't a clue how to run a business as a CFO would.
We allow over $6 million to be stolen from the taxpayers at 'Ewa Villages and then run the mayor for governor. Our roads are repaired by friends who should be selling shoes.
Our schools are a horrible, horrible travesty — on the watch of our "education governor." Those of us who can, spend every spare nickel of disposable income educating our children in private schools, and we pay the taxes, also.
Then we lose our children to the Mainland forever because there aren't enough high-caliber jobs in Hawai'i so they can return home, work in their career and pay back the student loans they've had to incur to get educated on the Mainland.
Scott McCormack — former kama'aina and businessman — nailed it in the Forbes article: "Why didn't Hawai'i participate in the last 10 years of economic expansion?" This was the biggest financial boom this country may ever see. It was of historic proportions. And Hawai'i totally missed it.
Yet we continue to vote for people who are incapable of governing with accountability because we're ... what?
Too busy trying to make a living to run for office ourselves or to help run someone meaningful?
Because we're nice people? We are nice people. We're the best people. We are Hawaiian people, all of us in our hearts, or we wouldn't be here. We believe in malama pono.
But does that mean we continue to stick our heads in the sand and say nice things and allow our leaders to throw good money after bad, paying for expensive Mainland ad campaigns that position Hawai'i and Honolulu as a good place to do business when it's obviously not? Any good advertising person will tell you: If your product is no good, don't advertise. Fix the product first, because once consumers have tried it and found it inferior, they never, ever come back. And they tell all their friends.
We can blame the messenger, but the message is clear: We need a severe change of leadership in this city and this state, and we can start with the governor's office.
I love this state and I love its people and I know we deserve better.
Anne Murata
Group publisher, Hawaiian Islands
Correction: Blake McElheny wrote one of these letters.
