Letters to the Editor

Letter shows ignorance of airport concession

The July 2 letter from Darcianne Evans (Charley's Taxi) regarding the airport taxi concession is absolutely astounding. It shows her complete lack of knowledge as to what system is actually in place at this very moment.

If she, or in fact any person or department of government, wants to know what system is in place, all she needs to do is visit the airport and watch the taxis that make the pickups. The current system is indeed an open-access system, and the playing field is indeed level for the first time in decades. Any taxi driver who so desires has access to the airport and may make pickups.

Before anyone makes flagrant accusations about what is or is not happening regarding this concession, she should perhaps arm herself with the facts. The taxi operation at the airport is the fairest it has ever been or may ever be.

It seems ludicrous to take a taxi concession and then make up rules to prevent a taxi operator (with all the expertise that comes with it) from bidding on that concession.

Ms. Evans seems so concerned by the fees that were not collected from the previous concessionaire. Perhaps she should be more concerned for her own company.

Oh, and FYI: The state is actually making money from the current concessionaire, TheCab.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Legislature failed in health systems setup

There was great irony in Dr. Pradeepta Chowdhury's July 7 letter applauding the Legislature for refusing to provide adequate funds for the Hawai'i Health Systems Corp. and blaming the current leadership of HHSC for inefficient management.

The irony is that it was this same Legislature that refused to grant HHSC adequate powers to run the semi-autonomous corporation efficiently. Community groups throughout the state, especially on the Neighbor Islands, made many efforts to develop a more effective, efficient system, finally culminating in a state-sponsored report called the Gage Report. This report called for a semi-autonomous public benefit corporation, which was created.

However, it also stated that the HHSC needed the power to determine where its funds should be spent by adjusting services to changing needs. Similarly, the Gage Report pointed out the essential need for HHSC to have independent relationships with its labor force, including independent collective bargaining. When the Legislature created HHSC, it refused to provide these key powers, making it impossible for HHSC to ever reach financial independence.

At no time was the Legislature promised (and I attended and testified at every hearing) that a public benefit corporation without adequate powers to determine most appropriate services and to negotiate with its labor force could be financially independent.

Dr. Chowdhury's congratulations are misplaced. They should go to the corporate and facility executives who have made significant improvements despite the Legislature tying both hands behind their backs. It's time for the Legislature to finish its task by providing HHSC with the tools necessary to do its job. Or, if it refuses, providing the funds necessary to pay for its mandates and labor agreements.

Lingle's trip sounds like a real boondoggle

I worked 40 years as an engineer and was involved in technical problems of billion-dollar impact to our product, and when we had these serious problems, at most a small, private planeload of maybe 12 to 15 competent people would address the problem. Upper management would have been really shocked if 44 people had ever gotten involved.

Of course, profit-driven industry requires things to be done as lean as possible.

This Lingle trip sounds like a real boondoggle, with a bunch of her buddies getting a free trip at taxpayers' expense.

Stereotyping male behavior a mistake

It is very important to differentiate between a violent sex offender and one who may have done an unthinking stupid act. To stigmatize an individual (almost always male) with registering as a sex offender would damage him and follow him the rest of his life. It's not about whether jail time is served but whether the punishment fits what actually is a crime.

Unfortunately there are those who can interpret any contact as sexual in nature and criminal in intent worthy of punishment. Stereotyping male behavior as primarily driven by sexual intent only throws suspicion and apprehension into what should be normal male-female relations.

If there is still the preconceived idea that men are somehow always culpable when it comes to male-female contact and females are always the victims, perhaps everyone should get counseling as a start to dealing with the opposite sex.

What about the other distractions in vehicles?

With the push to regulate the use of cellular phones while driving for safety reasons (understandable to a limited degree), how can the state (or the federal government, for that matter) allow the installation of DVD systems, Nintendo systems and other obvious distractions to be installed in motor vehicles today?

Or, how can vehicle manufacturers look us in the face and tell us that their vehicles are safe with such an obvious attention-grabber installed at the factory?

You have to pay taxes before getting rebate

Douglas Allen's July 14 letter complains that 6 million families won't be receiving the $400 tax rebate this summer. He fails to mention that those 6 million families paid no income tax to begin with. How does one qualify for a rebate or refund without having paid in to begin with?

Based on his scenario, we should be able to get rebates from stores without first buying their products. What Mr. Allen is really looking for is a handout — a matter for separate legislation.

Better alternatives to Fort Weaver mess

I am a part-time 'Ewa resident and know firsthand the congestion that plagues Fort Weaver Road day in and day out. Spending 45 minutes stuck in traffic is common during peak times.

Traffic was tolerable when I first moved there, but thanks to the lack of new roads to match the pace of development, congestion has come to a breaking point for 'Ewa commuters.

If Sen. Cal Kawamoto were smart enough, he would realize that adding traffic lights only contributes to the congestion on Fort Weaver. Why add another light when other alternatives are possible? My suggestions:

• Provide lights at key intersections that only turn green when cars are waiting to turn onto Fort Weaver Road.
• Stop nagging and build the north-south road, already. 'Ewa desperately needs it. We might have to backtrack, but it alleviates congestion on Fort Weaver Road.
• Build pedestrian overpasses and eliminate unnecessary crosswalks and traffic lights at mid-block points on Fort Weaver Road.

It doesn't take a genius to find a solution. It does matter if the state is willing to help us out or not. You going help us, or what?

Surfing tour pros should take on local competitors

Thanks to a neighbor who videotaped it, I finally saw the recent Boarding House show, the one where Sunny Garcia cheap-shots Liam McNamara.

I admire Sunny for his work ethic, and he makes a good point that anyone who wants to qualify for the World Championship Tour should put in his dues by working through the World Qualifying Series tour. He became world champion through determination, hard work and natural ability. He earned it.

The guys on the WCT are amazing athletes who should fear no competition. They should treat their world tour as spectacles not unlike the old barnstorming days of sport when a traveling team or boxer would take on any comer. This would create more interest in every locale as the local stars go against the best competition surfers in the world. More interest creates more money. Why, then, are they so determined to keep local competitors out of their events?

Not everybody wants to endlessly travel the world, and local surfers are not going to steal a world title by surfing in one or two events. The WCT guys are still going to win much more than they lose. The quality of surfing will not diminish, and, in Hawai'i, it could possibly increase with more local competitors. The world champion will still be the surfer who performs the best throughout the year.

It is nearly impossible to win the Triple Crown of Surfing if you are not on the tour because two of the three events are reserved for WCT pros. While it is certainly difficult to achieve a fantastic accomplishment today, the Triple Crown would be even more prestigious if non-WCT, local Hawai'i surfers had a fair chance at all three events.

Here is a win-win recipe: First, expand WCT events to 64 contestants, with 48 WCT pros and 16 local competitors. Second, run four-man heats, which are more interesting to watch than two guys playing cat and mouse with each other while perfect waves roll through unridden. More interest creates more money, doesn't it?

The only question then is: Hey, WCT, what are you afraid of?

Charlie Chan commentary offensive

It always amuses me when people run their mouth off about something they have no clue about. Take the commentary by Los Angeles Times writer Howard Rosenberg in the July 14 Island Life section.

Rosenberg comments on the recent decision by the Fox Movie Channel to pull a film festival showcasing several Charlie Chan movies due to numerous complaints from various Asian groups. Charlie Chan was a Chinese detective in films made in the '30s and '40s. The Chan character was played by white actors made to look Chinese through makeup and by slanting their eyes so much that they were mere slits on their faces. Chan spoke with a white person's interpretation of a Chinese accent and spouted off comments about the words of Confucius.

Rosenberg implies that despite being a Chinese caricature, the Chan character is admirable due to his detective skills and self-effacing humor. He even defends his position that Chan is not a typical stereotype because "He doesn't do martial arts." The fact that Rosenberg even mentions martial arts reveals his stereotypical view of Chinese people.

He also says that "Black stereotyping is much more offensive than Charlie" and that the films should have been pulled due to their stereotyping of black characters, and not Asian. Since when is Mr. Rosenberg an expert on seeing things from a black's or Asian's perspective?

He further goes on to say that it's hard to see the major harm in having white people playing Asians, as long as "it works." I wonder if he would say the same thing about white actors in blackface. The fact that white actors were cast in the role of Chan when these films were made is forgivable because it was a sign of those times. But do we really need to celebrate the past mistakes of American cinema by promoting them now? In this day where Asians are quickly becoming a punchline in American humor (seen The Tonight Show lately?), do we really need to condone more shameful stereotypes?

As the majority in Hawai'i, Asians here are protected from the racism and stereotyping that occur every day on the Mainland. Having lived in California for five years, I've come across so many ignorant comments. You must be great at math. Do you know kung fu? Are you in a gang? How do you make kung pao chicken? These are just some of the questions that I've been asked.

I can only imagine what would've happened had I lived in a less racially diverse state.

Rosenberg can empathize with minorities all he wants, but there is no way he can ever experience the kind of hurt and anger that penetrates a person's core due to ignorant people's assumptions based on appearance. I suggest that Mr. Rosenberg save his comments for something he knows about and not tell Asians if they should be offended by Charlie Chan or not.