Letters to the Editor
Government should pay for undergrounding
Carolyn Walther, in her Feb. 16 letter, is wrong when she puts the onus of paying for undergrounding utility lines solely on the utilities.
I suppose she doesn't own Hawaiian Electric stock, so it's all too easy for her to say HECO can cut its profits and spend them undergrounding. And the same would apply to Time Warner (Oceanic Cable's parent) and Verizon.
I also suppose she doesn't figure that HECO and others wouldn't simply pass on their undergrounding costs to the consumers. These public utilities do not have an obligation to bury their lines.
If we, as a society, cherish our island scenery, it is we, as a society, who should pay the bill. Certainly, the utilities can and should contribute (after all, they are the ones stringing the lines), but it is the government that should foot most of the costs.
James Ko
Portable classrooms lack key facilities
Mike Fox, in his Feb. 16 letter, "Modular classrooms sturdy, comfortable," may have missed one of the primary points that parents are attempting to make about portable classrooms.
While I agree that the portables that I have seen were quite spacious, had decent lighting and some were air-conditioned, none had running water for students to wash with or drink, and none had restroom facilities.
What is objectionable is requiring a child to "fight the elements" if he or she needs to use a restroom, wash after a messy lesson or is in need of water. And how about the ill child who must go to the school nurse on a rainy day?
Elementary school children stay in one classroom for most of the day; however, middle and high school children often change classrooms for each class. At the least they frequently get wet (from rain) transitioning between classes and have to sit in wet clothing during study time.
B.G. Judson
Kapolei
Homeless could better cope with their families
One afternoon, I was sitting in a bus in downtown Honolulu when my eyes happened to rest on a tall, thin, bearded man wearing tattered, dirty clothes and a pair of rubber slippers and carrying a bulging backpack. His toenails needed trimming and his feet were muddy. He seemed aware of my gaze, but continued to look ahead.
Could it be? No! Yes! It was "Jim," whom I dated briefly back in the 1960s while attending the University of Hawai'i. I stared at him, wondering if I should say something. Just then, the bus stopped and he got off. I sensed that he'd recognized me, too, and embarrassed, he'd left to escape my scrutiny.
Born and raised in Queens, N.Y., Jim entered UH in the mid-1960s to major in biology. He liked the local culture so much that he decided to make Honolulu his home. Years later, he was still in Hawai'i. But, when I saw him on the bus, he was unwashed, seemingly unemployed and homeless. Why hadn't he returned to his family in New York? It was terrible to be alone and in trouble, away from family.
Like Jim, I, too, lived abroad for many years. I suppose that if I'd been a wife and mother in any of the places I lived, I might have chosen to remain there. Like my grandparents who emigrated from Korea to Hawai'i, I might have been able to form new family ties. But, no matter where one lives, it's always easier to cope with adversity when surrounded by loving family members.
Glenda Chung Hinchey
Military must finish its job on Kaho'olawe
Regarding your Feb. 8 editorial about renewed tensions over Kaho'olawe: The goodwill between parties and scars of the island may be mended when the military finishes cleaning up the mess it originally made.
This means cleaning up not one-half or one-third of the island, but as much as humanly possible. The U.S. military budget now exceeds $350 billion a year, so to use finances as an excuse to pull out early is irresponsible.
Tony Castanha
Assisted dying about choice, not killing
Regarding Marc A. Kowalski's Feb. 18 letter: Physician-assisted dying is a controversial subject that needs to be debated further. I feel that Mr. Kowalski only chose the information most favorable to his side of the discussion.
While Kowalski is correct regarding the findings of a Dutch study that notes some patients' lives had been ended without their consent, he fails to note that in almost every case the patients were very close to death and no longer capable of giving consent.
Quoting from a Dutch Ministry of Health report, "These were patients who were terminally ill and suffering very badly but who were no longer able to express their wishes. Either the doctor and the patient had discussed the matter at an earlier stage, or the patient had previously expressed a wish that his or her life be terminated in such a situation."
Kowalski also stated that "depression, loneliness and poor care, not to mention fear, are always behind a wish to die." This has been refuted by the Oregon Health Division's Annual Report for 2001. It states that the three most commonly mentioned end-of-life concerns were loss of autonomy, a decreasing ability to participate in activities that made life enjoyable and losing control of body functions.
This is about choice in dying, not about killing anyone.
Robert Nathanson, M.D.
Bigger scoop needed to fight lake vegetation
After watching the machine removing the Salvinia molesta at Lake Wilson, I have a suggestion: The state could hire a local welding shop to make a scoop or bucket that's three times as wide as the one presently being used, with pitchfork-like prongs so the machine could remove more in less time.
A good welding shop could make a custom bucket in a day or two. It might make a tremendous difference in winning the battle if the machine could handle the load.
Bill Romerhaus
Legalizing the Segway is not a very good idea
I just read SB 1051. Essentially, this bill defines what an "electric personal assistive mobility device" is: "a self-balancing, two-wheeled, non-tandem-wheeled device, designed to transport only one person, using an electric propulsion system that limits the maximum speed of the device to 12.5 mph or less." It also legalizes its use on sidewalks.
In other words, this bill would legalize the Segway.
I find it curious that legislators are in such a rush to legalize an untested device that can potentially do a lot of damage to pedestrians while at the same time trying to ban the use of scooters. The Segway is not as safe as the manufacturers claim. It is counterintuitive and requires a considerable amount of training.
Our state needs newer and more efficient forms of transportation. With traffic conditions worsening each year, it would be a good idea for more commuters to be on sidewalks instead of in cars. But rushing into it like this is not a good idea, and I find it shocking that legislators are this shortsighted.
Fletcher Young
Dead trees replaced, but are new ones alive?
The trees referred to by Ted Green in his Feb. 19 letter were originally planted in August 2001. In early January, I called the state Highways Division to complain about the seven out of 10 trees that had yet to sprout any green leaves. I am not sure whether the trees in question are monkeypods or shower trees.
In any case, shortly after I called, I saw workers digging up the seven barren trees. On the following day, new ones were put in place. I have been watching the new trees, which have yet to show signs of life after about four weeks.
Does the contractor specialize in dead trees?
Katherine H. Aratani
Kane'ohe
Devastated Guam felt the warm spirit of aloha
In December, Guam was hit by Super Typhoon Pongsona, a particularly powerful storm that left thousands of people homeless. Many of those whose homes were spared lost all of their belongings to high winds and water damage.
In response, former resident Barbra Pleadwell put out the call to individuals and businesses in Hawai'i to donate food, clothes and emergency supplies. Within days, a 40-foot container arrived at Jeff's Pirate's Cove in the village of Ipan, and these items were distributed immediately to those who suffered most in Guam's southern villages.
The Salvation Army Guam Corps was proud to be a part of this humanitarian effort. Our staff and all the victims of this storm would like to thank all of you who gave of your time, energy and supplies.
Despite our distance, we do indeed feel the warm spirit of aloha.
Capt. David Harmon
The Salvation Army Guam Corps
What's wrong with single parents?
In his Feb. 19 letter, Ernesto Ulep wrote, "Single people should not be allowed to adopt children ... "
What about the kids who are older? Most people want to adopt an infant they can raise as their own, so who is Ulep to deny a single parent the right to love and care for a child? Or maybe he thinks growing up in an foster-care home with no parents is somehow less confusing?
Alika Cavaco
Kailua
Protect road workers
Last summer, while riding a Harley-Davidson from New York to L.A., I noticed signs in almost every state warning drivers their fines would be doubled if they sped in a construction zone. This was obviously to protect the road workers. Why hasn't Hawai'i caught on?
Mal Gillin
Kailua
Phones in Paradise? Not really
We all know the gig. It rains. The phones go out somewhere on the island, and it can be days before this rudimentary communication is restored.
Often it's just an irritation, but it can be a matter of life or death if there is trauma, sickness or crime involved. And business people who need working phones don't locate here if they can help it.
You call the phone company and are asked if you have newly installed equipment that never worked properly. No, you say, but now you have been put on the defensive. Somehow you are to blame. "You don't have an alarm system, do you?"
"Ah, that must be the problem; call them."
Of course the service representative knows that the problem is flooding. Most of the phones in your neighborhood are out.
Because this happens several times a year, I have a lot of experience and know what comes next. "Have you unplugged all your phones, computer modems, satellite dishes, answering machines, fax machines, alarm systems, etc.?" Yes, you have already done all that.
"OK, check the box near the electrical meter where the phone service comes into the house. I'm getting a short signal from inside the house." No, they are not getting any such signal; they are just building on the guilt trip they already laid on you.
"Open the box and plug in a phone. See if that works and call me back."
You find this somewhat greasy box, there is no obvious way to open it, but you persevere. After all, you are now working for the phone company and want to make a good impression. Inside is a mass of wires. You stare at them as you have seen phone repairmen do, but the place where you might have conceivably plugged something in has been filled with putty 25 years previously.
You call back and go through the process again. "Have you installed any equipment that has never worked properly? Press 3." They actually have a separate button for this category! Automated guilt trip.
You bring them up to date. "Well, it sounds like you have a short in the house. Will you be home till the 19th? Or four days hence?"
A chill starts to form. "No phone for four days. I'm supposed to be called to go to grandma's bedside, I'm expecting a call from the shipping company to receive delivery of a load of embroidery from China."
"Well we have a lot of work backed up and we're short-handed."
It won't help, but you can't resist. "If you cut back the monstrous salaries you pay those who run the company and hired back some of the people you laid off and spent less on advertising and solicitation to get new customers and more on taking care of your current customers, maybe Hawai'i would not have a Third World phone company."
"I've always wanted to visit Hawai'i."
"You're not in Hawai'i?"
"No, we are in Malta, but I hear the service department is moving to India. Have you considered getting a cell phone? I hear everyone in Hawai'i has a cell phone. That's what we use in Malta."
Loy Weston
