Letters to the Editor
No need to worry about charity dinners
The current flap over a $200 limit on gifts to members of the City Council is hard to understand.
The example of the problem given by Ann Kobayashi is that a $300 ticket to a charity dinner must be declined and that is awkward. It is also unnecessary since the value of a charity dinner is about $40, the cost of the dinner. The rest of the price is a charitable contribution and has no value whatsoever to a council member or to anyone else who receives it at no cost.
I am sure an inquiry to corporation counsel could set their minds at ease on that issue.
Dick O'Connell
White parking hash marks needed on street
Another day, another parking ticket.
May I suggest to the city planners that they put white parking hash marks along Kahuhipa Street in Kane'ohe. The parking problem is a constant in our lives because those who park on the street are not the best when it comes to curb parking.
Because of the poor driving and parking skills of the driving public here on O'ahu, there are many parking spaces that are wasted. We would have maximum efficiency of the allotted parking, especially on streets similar to Kahuhipa, and those who are "parking challenged" would have a little help on where to put their car.
Placing marked parking spaces along the streets would greatly enhance the efficiency of those few parking spaces available and would reduce the number of tickets written.
G.W. Scott
Kane'ohe
Hawaiians left out of Waimea operation
The city gave a contract to the National Audubon Society to operate Waimea Falls Park following lobbying by Greenstar Corp. and the Audubon Society. Did they use us to get their contract, even though they have no legal connection to the Native Hawaiian culture?
Their proposal reads " ... Waimea, a place where residents and visitors (will) come to study authentic pre-contact history." "Explore life in pre-contact Hawai'i." "Visitors can immerse themselves in Hawaiian natural and cultural history." "A rare glimpse into the way people lived in Hawai'i in the past." "Burials dot the valley." "Develop a serious historical account of the valley." Etc.
Was this opportunistic, exploitative and unnecessary since Hawaiians are still here? Can our natural conservation culture be substituted by synthetic imitations fabricated by recent arrivals to our shores? Didn't John James Audubon shoot the birds dead before making paintings representing them?
Is this another instance of routine, thoughtless, self-serving arrogance, exploiting the Hawaiian, which has plagued the indigenous people of Hawai'i since Captain Cook traded nails for the organic foods, herbal medicinals, chemical-free fresh water and women of our valleys?
Since Native Hawaiian jurisdiction also was not a participant in this government contract, now issues in state and federal law are involved.
Maui Loa
Hale'iwa
Time was ill-spent on women's commission
I am bemused and amused that Shirley Hasenyager would take time to look on the Web site and "research" the Hawai'i State Commission on the Status of Women's accomplishments and $95,000 budget (Letters, April 18).
Her time would be better spent tenaciously researching such agencies as the Hawai'i Tourism Authority, Department of Health, Department of Education, Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism and any others that have multimillion-dollar budgets and asking what they have accomplished with their budgets.
In my accounting, the people of Hawai'i are getting the most bang for the little bucks that the commission has been operating on.
By the way, Shirley, there is no Office of Women's Research at UH. Find something else to "research."
M. Ashitomi
Washington, D.C.
Substitute teachers are in three categories
I would like to clear up the public's misconception of the ongoing dilemma of the Hawai'i public school system's substitutes with pertinent historical facts, to wit:
- The majority of 1,450 Class I substitute teachers were alerted by the DOE to a required college degree in 1998 to assure continued employment per SS 8-54-10 "Licensing and Credentialing Standards" established by the Hawai'i Standards Board.
- Class II substitute teachers (760) possess a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution. While they may not have completed a student teaching program, some are enrolled in a course of study that satisfies the above and are still hired one year at a time without benefits.
- Class III substitute teachers provide an additional 1,800 double-dipping retirees constituting a total annual pool of about 4,000 substitute teachers (Classes I, II and III).
The key, however, for any of these on-call substitutes is a mandatory "School Priority List," which delegates "interviews and selection by principal/vice principal of at least one school" — a buddy-buddy system and scratch-my-back perpetuation favoring retirees. After all, what are old colleagues for?
Do you know who's teaching your child today?
Diane A. Scoville-Kingsley
Class II substitute teacher
Long-term-care tax isn't good for Hawai'i
The state House of Representatives deserves a big "mahalo" from every man, woman and child in the state of Hawai'i. It has saved us all at least $300 a year.
Recently, the House killed proposals to increase the general excise tax by 12.5 percent and impose a brand-new, 1 percent county sales tax. These taxes would have generated $300 million a year.
Having said that, there is still another tax we're concerned about. A proposal to tax Hawai'i residents for a state-run, long-term-care program is still very much alive at the Capitol. This long-term-care proposal would cost each taxpayer $120 per year beginning in 2005, and increase every year after that. By 2011, the amount taken from our bank accounts would more than double — to $267 per taxpayer.
When is enough enough?
In addition, the state would have to add to the already bloated bureaucracy by creating a long-term-care financing program — with a board of directors — to administer the benefits. And in order to establish the necessary reserves for the long-term-care program, $187 million would need to be withdrawn from the Hawai'i economy in the first two years of the program (2005 and 2006), with a total of $753 million withdrawn over the first 10 years of the program.
This is money that would otherwise be spent by consumers — you and me — helping to support the small businesses that drive Hawai'i's economy.
Private long-term-care programs are already available to anyone who wants to participate.
A. Joel Criz
President, Hawaii Association of Realtors
Dave Rochlen offered wisdom within his wit
In memory of Dave Rochlen, who passed away on April 13: Whenever I was fortunate enough to be in the presence of legendary surfer, artist, designer, father and business leader Dave Rochlen's confident and exuberating wit, I couldn't help but desperately try to extract every bit of wisdom and advice he might reveal.
Cleverly released, sometimes subliminally and sometimes with punishing honesty, he unselfishly offered the lessons of life only a great and accomplished lifetime could offer.
All of Dave Rochlen's life's creations are testament to the brilliance this rare individual had. He changed the fashion world forever, and in the process he created his greatest legacy, his family — a family of color, freedom, difference and love.
Tony Costa
End gambling debate by legalizing bingo
The perennial issue of gambling in Hawai'i can be reduced to simple terms: increase revenue for the state by legalizing bingo.
Bingo has always been popular in Hawai'i and in other states. Minnesota grossed $71,923,000 and netted $16,243,000 from bingo.
Although bingo is interpreted as illegal in Hawai'i, the military clubs have circumvented the "legality" by issuing three bingo cards to patrons who purchase dinner or luncheon buffets. Consequently, the prizes are paid in cash. Other nonprofit organizations have used bingo as fund-raisers.
My suggestion is simple: Either have the governor or Legislature license charitable, religious, veterans, military or other nonprofit organizations to pay a $100 fee to the state; appoint a gaming control board of seven (one each for the "three" Neighbor Islands and four for O'ahu) to monitor the intake of revenues (15 to 20 percent of the gross) that has to be paid to the state.
Tony Garcia
Rodrigues would be enriching himself
Sorry, Eric Seitz (Letters, April 25), but you are "blowing this matter out of proportion" regarding the UPW payoff to Gary Rodrigues.
In all the statements I've seen, Rodrigues wants compensation for unused sick and vacation leave. Why is it that all the employees Mr. Rodrigues represents in bargaining units 1 and 10 never get cash for sick leave, but Mr. Rodrigues expects payment?
If his contract allows this, it's another example of union officials enriching themselves at the expense of their dues-paying clients.
Walter Zaharevitz
Passenger facility charge should be $4.50
The Legislature is attempting to pass a passenger facility charge, which most major airports assess passengers.
From most tickets that I've seen, they are $3 or $4.50 but not $4. Let's go for the gusto — the $4.50. With all the other taxes that the government tacks on to the tickets, what's another $4.50?
I have yet to hear a passenger cancel his trip due to an increase in taxes. Let's do it.
Rachel R. Shimamoto
Travel Ways, Inc.
Hold the city tax line
Whatever happened to the "old" Mayor Harris who was against tax increases? Hooray for Charles Djou, who is standing firm for the rest of us.
Louis Michael Ching
Let's look at Shanghai rail system
With traffic building up on our roadways year after year, it's time we look to other means of transportation. High-speed ferries between islands also could interconnect with a mass-transit system.
Shanghai's new electrodynamics rail system will run from the airport to the financial district, which is 19 miles, at a cost of $6 per trip. It will cut the travel time from 30 to 45 minutes to less then eight minutes on an express run.
Apply this same technology and cost basis to Honolulu for a cost comparison from, let's say, Ko Olina. Take Ko Olina to downtown Honolulu, compare that cost of driving with a vehicle five days a week from the second city of Kapolei. Take into consideration the individual cost for parking downtown, time in transit, fuel and higher insurance costs for a total of $8 to $12 per trip. Simple math says we can save millions of dollars in fuel, wasted time, money and the cost of building more unwanted parking spaces by just building a system equal to Shanghai's or second to none.
The first line would run from Ko Olina, over the 'Ewa Plains, through Pearl City, to the airport, to downtown. The second line would interconnect from the North Shore — starting at Hale'iwa, going through Wahiawa on to Mililani Town, downhill to the airport, then across Kapalama Military Reservation area and then on to downtown through Iwilei. From there the system could be expanded as needed — at much less cost to all of the Hawai'i taxpayers.
Cities like Las Vegas and San Diego are now eyeing maglev-type rail systems and are reaching out for federal Railroad Administration funds. How about Hawai'i? Let's get on line for this money before it is all gone.
The current existing technology lies in new electrodynamics, electromagnetics and now the induct track system, which is a lower-speed vehicle.
It is time to stop the overruns of one costly study after the other to solve our transit problems. That cost of these studies year after year would have surely paid for at least a third of the construction. We know how to build it by now and must do it while the plain area is still undeveloped.
My plan does not have to move everyone out of the way. Let's build or assemble it at Campbell Industrial, truck it to the site and install it. We do not have to build it like NASA; we just need a good, workable system, not a rocket ship, and we are not going to the moon. Just from one side of the island to the other side — not a big deal. Use the KISS design.
Bill Littell
