Posted on: Monday, August 4, 2003

Letters to the Editor

New Wal-Mart store doesn't make sense

Central O'ahu has two Wal-Mart stores that are about five minutes north and west of Pearl City. So, why does Wal-Mart want a store in Pearl City?

Why is monopolization of commercial-retailing activities in the Central O'ahu area so important to Wal-Mart? It bothers me because once Wal-Mart has driven out smaller retailing competition, what will be left for residents, potential small businesses and the future of Pearl City?

Looking closely at road, highway and traffic patterns into and around the proposed Wal-Mart site, it is easy to see that putting a Wal-Mart in this area will make a bad traffic situation worse.

Let's not be fooled by the implementation of proposed cosmetic improvements. A few new traffic lights, some increased road striping and adding another right-turn lane into a spot where there is no room for another lane will not ease or lessen the amount of traffic that will overwhelm the area once the store is built.

If some residents are entertaining the thought that having a giant retailer next door will improve their property values, I suggest they think again. The dynamics of the area will be severely changed and affected, with new concerns for ambiance, pedestrian safety, health, traffic congestion, accidents, noise, excessive lighting and litter.

Kama'aina vacation here is spectacular

There has been much publicity about the high cost for kama'aina to vacation within our state, with many local people traveling to the Mainland in lieu of a Neighbor Island jaunt. I would like to say that the costs incurred to vacation here can be affordable and the experience spectacular.

My daughter and I recently spent six days and five nights in Waikiki to attend a family reunion of sorts and had an absolutely wonderful time. The resort accommodations and service were exemplary, the food at the area restaurants sublime and the service everywhere — from the sundries store to the ice cream parlor — fantastic.

It was wonderful to slow down, enjoy the Hawaiian music and dance, watch the beautiful sunsets (and turtles swimming close to shore), indulge in a libation poolside — do all of the things some people living elsewhere save for years, or a lifetime, to do.

I'd like to especially acknowledge Denise Pedrina of the Sheraton Waikiki, Kennedy Smythe at Longs-Ala Moana and the wonderful staff at the ABC Store in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. These folks really went beyond the call of duty in their customer service.

There are some great kama'aina room rates available, and the flight time was a mere 20 minutes.

Our vacation was one worth repeating. The spirit of aloha is alive and well. We came home feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and reminded of the wonderful reasons we live in this beautiful state.

Editorial was wrong about Gov. Davis recall

Your July 27 editorial about the recall initiative in California failed to mention several facts: Gov. Gray Davis took office with a surplus in the treasury; his administration then went on a spending spree that has sunk the state into a deficit of $40 billion. That is more debt than is carried by the other 49 states.

Of course, the state Legislature is also to blame, but the governor of California has the line-item veto, so he can ultimately stop this excessive spending.

This recall initiative may have the money and backing of Darrell Issa, but an equal thrust has come from several talk-radio hosts, who have a large and vocal audience. To get the needed votes, many Democrats joined Republicans because they also realize that sooner or later this spending must be controlled.

The last, but certainly not the least, reason that the voters of California are irate at Davis is that he raised the registration fees on automobiles by 300 percent. Now, that got everybody's attention in car-crazy California.

The recall has seemed to more or less bring the Davis administration to a halt for the time being. That is good news, for many of us feel the less time any politician has to take care of "the people's" business is good for the people.

Hawai'i can do better; it can add the right of the people to place initiatives on the ballot and, like California and a few other states, have the means to rid itself of crooked and inept leaders.

Here are two questions for those who support it

Both of your editorials on Friday related to homosexuality. I have two questions that should be answered by anyone who is in favor of gay marriage.

1. Once you overcome the long-held societal and biblical distaste for homosexuality, what will you say to polygamists, or those wishing to join in an incestuous marriage? Obviously, yes!

2. Do you really believe there is a homosexual man in the United States who is not aware of the extreme danger in engaging in the lifestyle they seem to cherish? Obviously, no!

Bush has finally taken responsibility

Finally President Bush has corroborated what his critics have said all along: he never had — and still hasn't — any credible evidence to justify war against Iraq.

An Advertiser article July 30 quoted the president: "It's going to take time for us to gather the evidence and analyze the mounds of evidence, literally the miles of documents that we have uncovered. It's just going to take a while. And I'm sure the truth will come out."

In other words, we haven't the evidence yet, but he's "sure" it's there, and since "I ... take responsibility for making decisions on war and peace," that's enough.

Despite whether such evidence is ever found, nothing will change the overwhelming probability that if he had been willing, like his father, to act as president of the world community's leading member-nation instead of the world's emperor, our troops would not continue to die.

Our Constitution's framers, ever fearing an imperial presidency, granted war-making powers only to Congress. Alas, by presidential request Congress abdicated this responsibility; its bipartisan decision: "Let George do it!"

But we still have one remedy: regime change — in Washington!

Discriminatory fees hurting golf courses

During our recent two-week vacation to O'ahu from Anchorage, I read about the plight of the golf course owners in meeting their property tax obligations. Instead of reclassifying the land to a lower tax mill rate, however, I suggest that their nonresident green fees be eliminated.

In addition to our housing and transportation needs, we supported the grocery stores, vendors at Aloha Stadium and along Kahekili Highway, restaurants, drive-ins, flower shops, jewelry stores, gas stations, fish markets, fishing supply stores and a Waikiki bar — all because the fees were not discriminatory.

I drove by several empty golf courses that I would have enjoyed playing at but chose not to because of the unfair fee rates. I don't think I'm alone on this point of view.

Don't wait for a crisis to institute change

More than a year ago I sent a letter to Mayor Jeremy Harris because I was appalled at how many of the businesses in Waikiki clean the sidewalk with a water hose. Whatever happened to a broom and shovel?

I felt that the city should prohibit this practice (through fines) because we are an island, and even if we didn't have a low water supply at that time, this practice would surely hurry that situation. I did receive a response from Harris, but it amounted to little concern, and now look at the problem.

The other day I was at a restaurant and it had chicken defrosting in a large pot by having water running continuously from the faucet into the pot and into the drain. When I mentioned our water shortage, they ignored me. This practice has to stop. They could use a microwave to defrost the chicken.

What about the many businesses that have their air-conditioning running with their doors permanently open? This is a terrible waste of energy that causes us to use more oil, which in turn causes prices of oil to increase for everyone. Do we have to wait until there is a crisis to do something?

Why is it that the people who have the power to change things don't have the foresight to see the need for change? We have the worst roads in the nation. Do you want to change it? Then fire the supervisors who are allowing the shabby work and get people in the position who will have the courage to oversee that the work is done correctly.

We have students who can't compete with the nation in grades. Then start with the schools that have the lowest scores, replace those teachers with ones who care and keep doing it until all the students have improved. We are the state with the highest use of crystal methamphetamine. Find out why these people need to escape from reality or why being a "grown up" is so overwhelming or why "being clean" is so painful to them.

I read somewhere that the "definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." Let's do something different and get the results we want.

'American Aloha' preview in error

Moon Yun Choi erroneously assesses Kumu Patrick Makuakane's work in her July 28 preview of the film "American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawai'i." Choi's primary focus on men "in sparkly grass skirts and tight T-shirts swaying their hips to techno music" evokes images of camp and burlesque.

But it is Choi's reference to the drag queen movie "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" that is most alarming. One wonders of "hula mua" as Choi insinuates Na Lei Hulu's vamping away of tradition.

To set the record straight, the men in halau don't wear "sparkly grass skirts" with T-shirts in any of Na Lei Hulu's numbers. Choi has mixed up the choreography, costumes and themes. Most notably, Choi has taken several numbers grossly out of context.

While Choi is charged with portraying each halau featured in the film, she must keep her word count down and aptly highlight each group. Choi succeeds in mentioning the purpose and accomplishments of both Ho'omalu and Ka'io's halau. However, she stumbles in her emphasis of the trite, inaccurate notions about Na Lei Hulu, unwittingly ignoring its vision and in-depth body of work.

Rising labor costs will hurt services

Lynne Matusow (Letters, July 31) believes it was inappropriate for O'ahu Transit Services to spend money on a newspaper advertisement to present its position on the issues involved in TheBus contract negotiation with the Teamsters union. She should know that the newspaper notice cost less than $3,500 and no public money was used.

To put this amount in perspective, she should understand that the Teamsters' position is to demand wage and other benefit increases that would increase costs in excess of $30 million by the third year of a contract.

The real threat to our local transit system is runaway costs. Unless labor costs are controlled, our city will not be able to sustain the present level of transit service, let alone increase the level of service to meet the challenges of the future.

Bus employees in this city perform a vital, necessary service. Driving a bus in Honolulu is a tough, demanding job often made more unappealing because of split shifts and long hours. Our employees do a great job and rightfully receive many kudos and appreciation from the community. However, bus employees receive high compensation for this difficult job. Some examples:

• After five years of employment, bus drivers earn $21.27 per hour or about $44,000 per year with more possible with overtime. By comparison, police officers and firefighters earn about $37,500 per year and teachers earn about $35,000 per year. Honolulu bus operators are paid in the top 10 percent of bus drivers nationwide.

• The current contract provides that 100 percent of the cost of medical coverage is provided by the employer. For police, firefighters or teachers, the employer provides 60 percent of the cost.

• The current contract provides that the employer pays $3.19 per hour (15 percent of wage cost) for pension or about $6,600 per year. By comparison, the average pension contribution for city workers is $3,270 per year or 8.3 percent of wage cost.

• If police officers had the same pay and benefit package as bus operators, the costs for the Honolulu Police Department would increase by more than $20 million per year.

There is much at stake in the current negotiations. At a time when other city and state workers have agreed to wage and benefit freezes because of tight city and state budgets, it would be irresponsible to agree to higher compensation for transit workers.

The issue is not finding additional money to support higher wages and benefits but in finding a fair balance that protects the long-term interests of transit workers, bus riders and the community at large. That balance has to include control over costs. Our long-term transit future is much more threatened by unaffordable service than by a possible transit strike. We think the citizens of Honolulu deserve to hear this point of view.