Letters to the Editor
Keep partisan politics away from university
University of Hawai'i President Evan Dobelle should immediately and publically apologize to Gov.-elect Linda Lingle — and all the people of Hawai'i — for his ill-advised and inappropriate last-minute televised endorsement of Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono's gubernatorial candidacy.
Dobelle, the state's highest-paid government employee, was lured to Hawai'i with his over-paid retinue in tow and settled into the exorbitantly refurbished College Hill mansion to impart what has so far eluded the fractious and often directionless university system: a purposeful direction and internationally recognized excellence for a new century.
Yes, we all cherish and staunchly defend freedom of speech and academic freedom. But Dobelle has sullied himself, his office and, by extension, the entire UH system by crossing the fine line between town and gown and mucking about in petty, partisan and polarizing politics.
Hawai'i's four, long decades in a swamp of self-serving corruption, smarmy cronyism and unbridled arrogance have taught us all that a one-party system is a no-party system. It's no secret that the Dobelles are dyed-in-the-wool Democrats, which is their constitutional right — a right we can all defend. But please, keep party politics in the polling booths and away from the University of Hawai'i.
Let's hope President Dobelle gets ahead of the learning curve on this one — for his sake and for ours.
Alfred Vollenweider
Democratic candidates should support Case
The leaders of the Democratic Party must stop trying to bash one another and decide to put their best foot forward toward uniting the Democrats who were too disgusted to vote or who voted "against" someone.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the Democratic Party needs a new direction.
Having this huge number of candidates vying for Patsy Mink's vacant seat will only continue the fiasco. All these candidates should drop out and put their total support, truthfully and faithfully, behind Ed Case. He is the future of the new, active-thinking Democratic Party. He should have been elected governor, but at least let's get him to represent Hawai'i with new vigor in Washington.
Aloha to Fasi, Hirono, Matsunaga, Waihee. Do the right thing by not further fracturing our party. Do the people and state of Hawai'i a favor by standing behind one Democratic candidate for this office and support Ed Case.
Darlene Carter
Kihei, Maui
We need Mazie Hirono to fill Patsy Mink seat
I applaud the comments of S. Young in a Nov. 13 letter, "We need a woman to fill Patsy Mink seat." As the letter correctly notes, Patsy was known for her high ethical standards, her compassion, her ability to get the job done for Hawai'i and her dedication to women's and human rights.
She was the first and, to this day, the only woman of Asian ancestry ever elected to Congress. For all of these reasons, we could do Patsy Mink's legacy no greater service than to elect Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono to Patsy's seat in January.
Mazie deserves our support not simply because she is a woman. She has served Hawai'i honorably, fairly and effectively for 22 years. She has always been independent of the "old boy" network; she was once excluded for opposing House leadership on ethical grounds, but she recovered to serve as chairwoman of the powerful Housing and Consumer Protection & Commerce committees.
The 200 bills she authored that were passed into law prove Mazie's political effectiveness. She helped roll back insurance premiums, guarded the little guy's pocketbook, helped working families keep jobs and helped more people to buy homes. No one passes 200 bills without the respect of her colleagues, and Mazie earned it. No candidate in this race can match her legislative achievements.
Forget the smooth rhetoric and negative ads. Mazie Hirono's actions speak more eloquently than her opponents' slogans. She can carry on Patsy Mink's unfinished work and make Hawai'i proud to have her in Congress.
Larry LeDoux
Kane'ohe
Nursing proposal would help protect patients
I would like to commend the Hawai'i Nurses Association and the individual collective bargaining units for putting forth a contract that truly reflects the needs of not only the individual nurse but also the patient.
I left inpatient nursing several months ago after almost 20 years of service. I can tell you that the nurse/patient ratio and the mentality of hospital administrators have changed little over that 20-year period. I don't feel hospitals are safe places for nurses or patients.
I believe this new contract proposed by the Hawai'i Nurses Association will force a much-needed change in our profession by taking into consideration the American Nurses Association's data related to nurse staffing patterns and their linkages to patient outcomes such as nosocomial infections, patient falls, decubitus ulcers and patient satisfaction.
I encourage all HNA members to review the proposed contract and be willing to unite and stand by this well-researched and clearly patient-focused contract proposal. You're fighting not only for your profession but for patient safety.
Anne LaPorte
I'll take roosters any day over helicopter
I live in Seaview/Crestview, with two roosters next door. Let me tell you, the roosters are nothing compared to the KHNL helicopter that likes to hover over our neighborhood each and every weekday morning, giving television viewers a shot of the H-1/H-2 interchange.
The rooster's crowing in the morning tells me everything is OK and lulls me into a deep sleep. On the other hand, the helicopter is a rude awakening that drowns out the peacefulness of our home.
Ban the helicopters and leave the roosters alone.
Dale Hood
Gabbard was first to address commuting
I agreed with your Nov. 10 editorial praising the governor-elect for her interesting new way "of looking at the traffic and long commute headache for those of us who live in Leeward O'ahu."
You wrote that Lingle said, "The long drive times faced by Leeward residents steal time from the rest of their lives, cause children to be left home without supervision for longer than necessary and generally degrade the quality of life."
Even though I agree with your editorial sentiment and strongly support Lingle, I find it noteworthy that City Councilman Mike Gabbard, during his campaign, made a nearly identical point in both print and TV news interviews, as well as in his brochures, months before Linda fashioned her insight.
Gabbard on several occasions said, "The high cost of living in Hawai'i is a problem that contributes to most other problems. To make ends meet, both parents work, the kids get in more trouble, the traffic gets worse, and nobody has time to relax and enjoy our beautiful Hawai'i."
Interesting that the candidate who first and most often expressed the problem with such sensitivity is a councilman whose candidacy The Advertiser refused to endorse — and whose insights go unnoticed by those who write your editorials.
Loraine Souza
Kapolei
A rooster in every pot
Now that the City Council has voted to defer the bill dealing with the noise roosters make, maybe Sam Choy would be willing to step in and offer an answer to the debate of those noisy little critters. I am all for the corner BBQ because a rooster really does taste like chicken.
Scott Glasgow
Kane'ohe
Stadium is correct in banning Thunderstix
Regarding Stephanie Kiyosaki's Nov. 16 letter on the Thunderstix issue: I commend Aloha Stadium for banning Thunderstix because they are more of a burden than they are helpful.
Thunderstix are a waste of plastic. Why should resources be wasted on an artificial noise-maker that is most likely going to be discarded when fans could just clap, stomp or cheer?
Thunderstix are also just another problem that Aloha Stadium's authority and staff would have to worry about. Did you not witness the seventh game of the World Series when an irresponsible girl hit the Giants right fielder with her Thunderstix as he was trying to make a play on the ball? Isn't it enough that the athletes are there entertaining us?
In an age where fans are becoming more and more rowdy, Thunderstix are just another burden on the players, the stadium and the many other fans who find them distracting.
E. Donle
North Korea, Iraq are different situations
Your recent editorial that President Bush should treat North Korea and Iraq the same — that is, having a dialogue or through diplomacy — is missing a very important point about these two countries.
Retired general Al Haig put it in the right perspective recently on Fox News when he was asked, why go after Iraq and not North Korea? Haig said that North Korea has been neutralized for the last 50 years; whereas, Iraq, under Saddam Hussein, has gone to war on numerous occasions.
Diplomacy has been tried for 10 years with this despot. How much longer should the United States wait?
Look at what happened with North Korea since Jimmy Carter signed that worthless piece of paper in 1994. We surely don't want the same thing to happen with Iraq. Saddam wouldn't hesitate to use nuclear weapons, as he's already used chemical weapons on his own Kurdish people.
Fred Cavaiuolo
Just a money-maker
I noted in the Nov. 12 Advertiser that the "Click It or Ticket" campaign is returning. No wonder. Some simple math suggests the city took in just under $400,000 the last time and the federal government picked up the tab for the overtime and other costs of the program. Ka-ching!
Tom Sayles
Rising healthcare costs aren't due to rising fees
Kimo Makano's Nov. 18 letter mistakenly argues that the rise in healthcare costs is due to doctors and hospitals raising their fees.
The allowable fees are set by the insurance companies, and those fees have been plummeting for many years. The actual cause of rising healthcare premiums is increased utilization — people visiting their doctor or hospital more often and using more expensive technologies, procedures and drugs when doing so.
Asking the insurance commissioner to dictate fees charged by doctors or hospitals, or to dictate rates charged by insurance companies, will not work because it doesn't address the cause of medical inflation.
Jim Henshaw
Kailua
Rail transit would go on median strips
Michael Sasano's Nov. 14 letter in disagreement with my Nov. 12 commentary regarding rail transit vs. double-decker toll freeways undeniably demonstrates a lack of understanding about rail travel, and particularly the proposed Honolulu Rail Transit System of the early 1990s.
Sasano's concerns about rail transit are very valid, and indeed he presents some compelling, but ill-advised, questions. In his letter, Sasano inquires: "Where are we supposed to find the room to construct a rail transit system on Dillingham, in downtown or on Kapi'olani?"
As stated in my earlier commentary: The rail system was to have been constructed on existing median strips. These are the narrow segments of land that exist between the opposing lanes on the roadway. Furthermore, this was to have been an "elevated" system. In other words, it was to have been built on single "piers" or "columns." These columns would support the structure, raising it above the traffic congestion.
To mollify Sasano's concerns of having "just one rail vehicle" in case of a mechanical breakdown: As with other rail systems, the Honolulu system was to have been a "single track" rail system, very similar to a monorail. In case of mechanical failure, the next car would simply push the other to a "turn-out" track at the next station, thereby causing almost no delay at all.
Because of modern rail technology, which exists in nearly every major city in the U.S. except for Honolulu, rail systems are able to run multiple rail cars in both directions on a single track. The only place a rail system needs two separate rail lines is at the stations. This is, of course, where people board and unboard the trains, and most importantly, this is also where the rail cars will pass each other safely.
Michael J. Lauck
Formerly of The O'ahu Transit Group
Forum exposes 'nuts'
The Letters section of The Honolulu Advertiser provides an excellent forum where the citizens can "rattle the branches."
You never know what "nuts" will fall out.
Deane Gonzalez
