Letters to the Editor

Politicians should also be tested for drugs

I agree with Peter Carlisle's Jan. 25 commentary and the efforts under way to test public school students for drugs. Teachers and BOE members should lead by example and be subject to the same policy. Don't you want the people who care for Hawai'i's children certifiably drug-free? A systemwide unannounced drug-testing policy is common sense.

But why stop at the schools? Testing can begin at the state Capitol. Our politicians' shenanigans have left our economy in shambles and eroded the public trust. If drug abuse doesn't explain their incredible behavior, what does?

Wouldn't it be a great show of bipartisan support for the policy if Democratic and Republican politicians subjected themselves to an unannounced drug test? Let them lead by example.

Jerome A. Nicolas

Bottle bill proponents aren't making sense

As you are dismayed by Gov. Lingle urging repeal of the bottle bill, I am dismayed by your editorial comments of Jan. 26. Your observation regarding her criticism of a bill not yet in effect is equal to your implication that a community workday program cannot work. No one can see into the future, so let's look back.

The first bottle bill passed in the United States was three decades ago. Since then, no more than 10 states have followed suit. Except for Hawai'i, no state has passed such legislation in 15 years. If it's such a benefit, why have the other 39 states not done the same?

Perhaps it's because it's a 1970s solution to a current-day problem. Perhaps it's because some other states address the problem (personal responsibility for solid waste management) as opposed to the symptom (bottle and can litter from poorly trained, irresponsible citizens).

Finally, your fear that "the reason for opposition to the bottle bill is a philosophical objection to government interference" is ludicrous. We should all object to government interference when government stands to make financial gains from laws they enact.

Roger Morey
Hawaiian Natural Water Co.

Without abortions, society would be taxed

Regarding Christopher J. Wilson's Jan. 25 letter: The birth control method I use, an IUD, functions by not allowing a fertilized egg to implant in the uterus. However, the egg is legitimately ready to grow into a fetus. Therefore, by his definition, I am killing my unborn child every month.

Having given birth to three wonderful children, it is my choice to bring no more babies into the world, because to me, the quality of an existing life is more important than the possibility of creating one.

It has been proven time and again: The best way to elevate the quality of life for women in any society is to educate them and give them control over their fertility.

But Wilson would deny American women this choice. Tell me, Mr. Wilson, had the state been forced to provide for the 39 million babies that might have been born should Roe vs. Wade not exist, would you support a substantial tax increase for their childhood care and education?

Adoption is the answer? How many poor, minority, crack-addicted or genetically deficient children have you adopted?

Melonie Hofstetter
Hanalei, Kaua'i

Quarantine system never really 'worked'

To suggest that because the antiquated quarantine system has "worked," we should keep it, is one of the most flawed arguments I have ever heard.

First, the quarantine system hasn't really "worked" because it has never had anything to "work" with; it hasn't ever even been tested.

In 91 years, there has never been one single case of rabies come through the quarantine system, which means that every single one of those same pets could have come in with no quarantine at all, and we still would not have rabies in Hawai'i. The quarantine system has only managed to cause great harm to pets and their owners.

Second, the notion that we should just ignore modern technological advances, in any field, in favor of the "good old ways" is absurd. "Gosh golly, I don't think this Internet thing is going to last, so I'll just keep on buying a new set of encyclopedias every year, and type all my correspondence on my old manual Remington typewriter." After all, it worked.

And, if you choose to do just that, it's fine with me, but those activities don't harm animals and their people, and the existing quarantine system does.

C.N. Coleman

DOE teachers do send their kids elsewhere

Jennifer Hiller asserts in her Jan. 23 column, " ... it's hard to find anyone" who can document that public school teachers and administrators send their sons or daughters to private school. She quotes DOE public relations person Greg Knudsen saying it's an "urban legend" that public school teachers put their children in private schools.

Yet in September 1986, Honolulu magazine reported that one-eighth of Punahou Academy's student body were the sons or daughters of DOE teachers or administrators. Mayor Fasi, whom I worked for at the time, decided to find out if Iolani was the same. He discovered that a remarkable one-fourth of Iolani's student body were children of DOE teachers or officials.

In May 2001, Honolulu magazine revisited the issue of public school teachers sending their children to private school. From a Center for Education Reform study, Honolulu found out that 45 percent, nearly half, of public school teachers with school-aged children had their sons or daughters attend private school — a rate dramatically higher than that for Hawai'i's general population.

The real "urban legend" is that the DOE is honest about the lack of confidence its employees have in public education. Because teachers care about education, teachers put their children in private school.

Rep. Galen Fox
R-23 Dist. (Waikiki, Ala Moana)

Safety inspections aren't necessary

Based on total vehicle registration for the state, the annual cost of safety inspections for residents of Hawai'i is approximately $15 million — not including time, gas, etc., associated with the procedure.

I have lived in California, Washington, Utah, New York and Alaska, and none of these states required a safety inspection at the time of my residency.

Is there information available to determine defects corrected by these inspections? Today many autos have computers that advise regarding headlight and taillight outages and other problems. Why are new vehicles required to have a safety inspection?

According to the individual I spoke to at the Insurance Commission, 20 percent of vehicles in Hawai'i are not covered with the required insurance. Why not eliminate the requirement for safety inspections?

Jim Curren

Slater's logic against mass transit faulty

In promoting cars over mass transit, Cliff Slater uses this basic argument: Most people prefer cars over mass transit, therefore we should not use public funds to develop mass transit.

So, Mr. Slater, since more teens watch TV than read books, does this mean that we should replace Hemingway with reruns of "Gilligan's Island" in the school curriculum? Or, since most schoolchildren are overweight and unfit, does this mean that we should replace P.E. classes with cooking classes and bake sales?

Don't these simple examples show that public taste is not always our best guide to public policy?

Todd Shelly