Letters to the Editor

Hefty increase for fixed-income seniors

Regarding the Aug. 14 letter from Jonathan Morin about the proposed bus fare increase for seniors: He says they pay hundreds annually for cable TV. He needs to get real. And get out his calculator.

If a senior rides TheBus round trip 15 days each month, that comes out to $90 a month. More if he needs to transfer. Plus the annual fee. That is a hefty increase for fixed-income seniors.

Mr. Morin is undoubtedly not a bus rider. He should take a ride to see just how crowded the buses are.

He also is comparing the $37 monthly pass to driving. It is not a question of the $37 a month being affordable. Parking is not available or affordable so there are many who opt for the no hassle and convenience of the bus ride.

Insurance crackdown would help bus system

TheBus is hurting, in part, because of limited ridership. Here's a solution that would favorably affect all law-abiding commuters.

Some estimates suggest that up to 20 percent of O'ahu's cars and trucks are not insured as required by state law. Under my plan, the authorities would take seriously the requirement that drivers have active insurance coverage rather than the haphazard approach now used — in which an owner must prove insurance coverage only when obtaining his or her annual safety inspection.

Auto insurers would also be required to notify the state whenever insurance coverage is canceled, thereby spurring a state query to the vehicle's owner — and registration of the vehicle would be suspended if the owner failed to respond appropriately. Penalties for driving without insurance would be increased and include jail time for repeat offenders. Lax safety inspectors would also be actively sought out and appropriately censured.

Assume that such changes would force 75 percent of illegal drivers off our highways. Many of these would instead ride TheBus, thereby helping with its ridership needs, helping make it economically viable. This change would also cut traffic, which would help everyone — both bus riders and legal drivers.

It would also evidence a commitment on the part of our government that laws are for everyone, not just those citizens who can "afford" them.

Don't blame Kobayashi for city's budget mess

Recently, some letters were printed criticizing Ann Kobayashi's move to replace Gary Okino as council chairman and blaming her for the budget mess.

I have found both to be fine council members whom we can be proud of, but hey, they had some differences. However, blaming Kobayashi for the city's budget problems demonstrates the letter writer's high degree of ignorance. We need more leaders like Kobayashi who are brave enough to challenge the irresponsible spending policies of Mayor Harris.

The budget crisis the city is in should not be news to us. Mufi Hannemann, Donna Kim, Romy Cachola, Gary Okino and Ann Kobayashi have all publicly warned us. Maybe some of you didn't want to listen to the hard truth, that Mayor Harris has deferred hundreds of millions of dollars in road and park maintenance, even more in sewer maintenance. Harris increased our city's debt while raising property tax rates and fees and raiding millions out of special funds.

Maybe you were blinded by advertising and PR propaganda paid for with millions of dollars of illegal campaign donations. Well, the citizens had better wake up and support our council members who are trying to make the tough decisions. Suck it up and pay the price for electing Jeremy mayor.

It's Democrats who are stopping change

In 2002, Hawai'i voters took back their government by electing the first Republican governor in 40 years. Voters did so because they wanted change. Your Aug. 11 editorial "Voters wanted change at the top, not conflict" fails to recognize who is really stopping change — the Democrats in the Legislature.

Gov. Lingle and Republican legislators listened to the people and backed their desire for change. We supported voter interest in bringing schools closer to the people through local school boards. Republicans introduced this idea into the Legislature, and the Democrats stopped it.

Voters wanted to end big businesses using Hawai'i tax laws to shelter their wealth. Republicans proposed closing Act 221 loopholes giving unqualified corporations tax shelters to expand their profits. House Democrats blocked closing the loopholes, standing side by side with wealthy accountants and lawyers and taking needed revenues from programs that help the poor, sick and elderly.

Voters wanted to end the corruption of architects, engineers and contractors using bundled campaign donations to control government contract awards. Republicans have fought for six successive legislative sessions to make it illegal to influence contract awards through political donations, a change voters and contractors alike want, and only corrupt politicians oppose. Democrats blocked this change as well.

So who is really creating conflict and blocking change?

Don't be so quick to bash initiative process

Over the course of the past few weeks, your editors have seen fit to disparage the initiative process through their editorials and political cartoons. In addition, some of your readers have seen fit to join in this ignorant, shortsighted chorus.

The Advertiser knows fully well that the recall effort in California — a process paid for and corrupted by Rep. Darrell Issa's million-dollar effort to enhance his own political position — is a poor representative of democracy in its most basic form.

As a native Oregonian (Oregon was the first state to use the initiative ballot in 1902), I take a great deal of pride in this thing that you ridicule. Oregon, like fellow initiative states, uses the process to address issues that our representatives in state government have been unable to address, chosen to ignore or lobbied to abandon.

Some examples: Ballot initiatives range from the creation of a state lottery to physician-assisted suicide to gay rights. These issues were added to the ballot with the signatures of hundreds of thousands of voters.

This is not to say that the initiative process is without fault. As California stands witness, without proper safeguards, people with infinite amounts of money can influence the process, as Rep. Issa did. That said, Hawai'i (and The Advertiser) is hardly in a position to criticize. With a crumbling infrastructure, corrupt and gridlocked leadership, and a near-total reliance on tourism, I can only imagine what the citizens of Hawai'i would do given the ability to address these issues themselves.

On this issue, The Advertiser sounds more and more like the Wizard of Oz trying to keep Dorothy from looking behind the curtain.

Kaua'i company didn't violate EPA rules

For more than 30 years, Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. has been a part of the Kaua'i business community. Hawai'i is home to nearly 200 Pioneer employees, and we all treasure the flora and fauna of this island.

In April, Pioneer failed to report preliminary test results to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency within a set time-frame and, as a result, we were fined. Pioneer recognized the error, accepted responsibility and paid accordingly. But we want to be clear about why we were fined. It was not for disturbing the environment or violating regulations around isolation distances, nor was it because of test results.

In fact, the test results proved Pioneer successfully contained the experimental plant material within the research nursery. Our fine resulted solely from a failure to report preliminary test results within a set time-frame.

We are using this recent experience to further improve our administrative procedures in working with regulatory agencies. Unfortunately, our paperwork error gave people reason to question our integrity and the safety of our research. I can say with assurance that the environment and the food supply were never at risk. We take every precaution to contain regulated research materials for several reasons — mainly for proprietary business reasons and because it's the law.

Hawai'i provides ideal growing conditions for our crop research and production activities. And the seed industry makes a positive impact on the Hawai'i economy.

Two easy fixes could end long airport lines

Recently I arrived at the airport two hours prior to my flight time. First I waited in line with my pre-purchased ticket to check my bag. That took 25 minutes. Then I was shuffled over to the bag X-ray line. That took another 10 minutes. After I was able to get through that line, I looked over to the lines of all lines: The Mother Lines. The two lines attempting to pass through the metal-detectors were stretched outside along the entire stretch of the airline walkway. I estimated the number of people in each line to be 200-plus.

It took me an additional one-and-a-half hours to get to my gate. Alas, my flight was long gone. I was able to get on another flight; however, the lengthy delay caused an unfortunate chain of negative events.

The point to be made here is that these problems can be easily fixed. First, for all of us poor slobs who happen to beep the first time through, try placing us in a separate staging area where we can be searched. Then, instead of making us hold up 200 people, let us go through a separate X-ray machine at the staging area. This would clear up the blockage and keep the lines moving smoothly.

Second, if that idea doesn't tickle your fancy, try purchasing a couple more X-ray machines and open up another two lines when things get crazy.

Until this problem gets fixed, I'll be avoiding the airport.

Jones Act bash doesn't hold up under scrutiny

On the same day you printed Cliff Slater's column "Jones Act costs us big bucks" (Aug. 11), your business section reported that Honolulu has the highest-priced gasoline in the country. In Mr. Slater's own words, "One can reasonably assume that prices (of shipping) follow costs."

If Mr. Slater's assertions are true, our fuel prices should be the lowest in the nation. Why? Because most of the raw crude oil imported into Hawai'i and refined by Tesoro and Chevron is brought here from across the Pacific on foreign ships, owned by foreign companies, manned by foreign crews. So why do we pay so much at the pump?

So much for the "cheaper foreign shipping" costs theory.

Supporters of Jones Act repeal, like Mr. Slater and Rep. Ed Case, never consider that Matson ships operating between the West Coast and Hawai'i are running empty half the time. West-bound from the Mainland, they are full and down with cargo. East-bound leaving Hawai'i, though seemingly "full" of empty ocean containers, the ships are virtually void of revenue-earning cargo. This holds true with interisland cargo barges, operating from the port of Honolulu.

Comparing Hawai'i trade freight rates to trans-Pacific rates isn't fair, either. In the Asia and West Coast trade, there is cargo in both directions, therefore allowing lower overall rates.

Any future operator in the Hawai'i and West Coast trade, whether a U.S. or foreign company, will be faced with carrying empty containers back to the U.S. West Coast ports. This won't be done for free, as Case and Slater would have you believe. Case's legislative proposals would attempt to lure a foreign ship owner to run ships to and from the West Coast. Why is our representative trying to help foreigners? Why isn't he making an effort to resolve this issue in a way that benefits U.S. citizens and U.S. industry?

Finally, the people of Hawai'i should understand that the aviation industry operates under the same cabotage laws as does the shipping industry. These rules restrict passenger and cargo carriage to the West Coast on U.S. airlines only. Since tourism is the economic engine in Hawai'i, you might want to think about bashing the aviation industry first. Can you imagine the economic surge to our state if flying to Hawai'i from California costs only half as much as it does today?

At least, that's what Mr. Slater and Rep. Case would have you believe.