Letters to the Editor
West side has been abandoned to drugs
It's 3 a.m. and I'm driving home from work to the Wai'anae Coast. The mile stretch of parking lot on Ma'ili Beach is bustling with drug activity. There are about 100 homeless drug dealers and users milling about the once-beautiful park the state built with my tax dollars.
These homeless druggies have taken over the whole park. No family in its right mind would go near it. Where are the police? Nowhere to be found. The people on the Wai'anae Coast have been abandoned by our Police Department and governor.
It's not as if you can say "we had no idea this was going on." Doesn't anyone take pride in his work anymore? Every citizen of the west side is disgusted with the lack of support from the people we put into office. Don't they work for us? Our tax dollars pay their salaries.
I voted for Lingle, I even campaigned for her because I thought a Republican would finally get tough on crime. It's worse than I've seen it in 15 years out here.
If they want to abandon all of us on the west side, we should stop paying our taxes. Then we might get their attention.
E. Wida
Makaha
U.S., state flags are missing from stage
Missing from the stage at Neal S. Blaisdell Center are both the flags of the United States of America and the state of Hawai'i. They used to be there and are missed.
At the beginning of the concert season, the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra played "The Star-Spangled Banner" without a flag.
No amount of political correctness can convince me that those emblems of our liberty should have been removed. If this city cannot afford them, I am in the phone book and will foot the bill.
Robert Levy
Lynch rescue story points up media harm
Your article titled "Jessica Lynch rescue nourished by myth" in Sunday's edition was amazing. It suggests that the rescue was staged for the benefit of creating a hero, who conveniently has no memory of the event. The Hollywood version of the story is quite different from what eyewitnesses say.
Some might ask what harm is there in this. The harm is that if the media can be manipulated so easily, what hope do we have that we are getting anything resembling the truth in much bigger stories? In fact, Monday's FCC 3-2 ruling (Republicans vs. Democrats) now will allow media corporations to own newspapers and TV stations in the same city, and it raises the total number of media sources any one company can own.
This will make it even easier for a story to receive coverage as fact when in truth it needs to be checked into further, as the Jessica Lynch story proved.
Ivona Xiezopolski
Kane'ohe
Inherent sovereignty is already reinstated
The May 29 commentary by the Rev. James Kimmel ("Akaka bill is wrong; reinstate the kingdom") is a joke.
He states, " ... the United States government has been pretending to make things right ... after ... overthrowing the government ... of Hawai'i," and "you can't make wrongs right by continuing to break the law while continuing to pretend you're not."
He also states, " ... there is nowhere on the planet ... you can file a complaint that would implement ... adjudication in pursuit of truth, justice and happiness ... "
He further adds, "To make things right ... we should all ... do what's right ... returning all ... stolen assets of the Hawaiian nation to the lawful Hawaiian government, the reinstated kingdom of Hawai'i."
Before Kimmel calls the kettle black, think upon this:
- On Sept. 7, 2002, his group, the Lawful Hawaiian Government, broke its supreme law. It chose procedural law over constitutional mandate.
- Adjudication begins with the State Department. It has been initiated and is being maintained.
I hope he isn't referring to Henry Noa's group; it is not the lawful Hawaiian government.
Don't mess with my perfect right. The inherent sovereignty is reinstated. The form of government is up for grabs. Read Doc. No. 2003-014696 at the Bureau of Conveyances, state of Hawai'i.
Carleton Kaanapu
Questions remain about Ko Olina deal
Hooray! Gov. Lingle (with the help of the majority of Senate and House members) gave a $75 million tax credit to the developers of the Ko Olina Resort and Marina.
Last year, Gov. Cayetano vetoed a similar bill because it unfairly favored a single developer (Jeff Stone & Co.). In a time when the Legislature is looking for income to balance the budget, giveaways should be doled out wisely. Back then, I applauded Gov. Cayetano for his veto of this bill.
Why am I applauding Gov. Lingle? Because she has shown that pie-in-the-sky promises from a developer can come true. (We hope.) Mr. Stone says that his development will generate about $186 million in tax revenues. Is that before or after the $75 million tax credit? It will create 10,000 temporary construction jobs. Are all of these construction workers from Hawai'i? Will the general contractor be a Hawai'i company?
Will the projected 400,000 visitors annually to the world-class aquarium come in the first year or the 10th year?
So, all you developers out there, start lining up. Your turn could be next.
Miles A.P. Kahaloa
Let's start focusing on problems that matter
The amount of time spent on this Click It or Ticket campaign is ridiculous.
First of all, I know it generates money for the state, but how about tickets for all those riding in the back of pickup trucks? Surely this is just as dangerous, if not more so, than riding without a seat belt. In many other states it's illegal and the law is enforced. It any case, it would make sense to enforce this in addition to the Click It or Ticket campaign.
Also, money could be generated via fines given to those who have illegally tinted windows. Again, many other states consider it illegal and enforce it.
In addition, I'm sure the Honolulu Police Department can find more important issues to deal with — I hear there is a big "ice" problem on the island.
Let's stop focusing on the little things and focus on the problems that matter.
Marie Suvaka
Proper use of transfers isn't being enforced
Regarding the May 28 letter written by Charlie Doremus and Ellie Ferri, "No fare increase: Enforce proper use of transfers on buses": As a bus operator with almost 30 years on the job, I know firsthand what the transfer policy of O'ahu Transit Services really does to the bottom line — in the guise of "complying" with federal guidelines, which of course brings us "federal aid" in purchasing buses and getting federal subsidies.
Ask any driver what he thinks about the "give the passenger the benefit of the doubt" policy OTS management shoves down our throats. This covers transfers, fares and bus passes.
In my nine-hour day, I catch approximately 15 to 25 people with expired day- or week-old transfers, adults using student passes or riders dropping 75 cents into the fare box instead of the $1.50 fare. When I've been turned in for challenging this, my boss reminds me to give them the benefit of the doubt. I've even been sent to "refresher training" on the transfer policy because of my "attitude" on this policy. I would guesstimate that this policy causes the loss of thousands of dollars daily.
Plus there's the fact that thousands of preprinted, color-coated and day-dated transfers ordered from the Mainland by the pallet are unused daily. I flunked math in high school, but somehow that doesn't seem cost-effective to me.
John Young
'Aiea
Drivers must pay more attention to riders
I do not follow sports and do not know who Tony Ching is. I do understand that he was involved in a moped-car collision and was seriously injured. I feel very sorry for him and hope he recuperates quickly.
I, too, ride a motorcycle and also do not wear a helmet. He, having had some damage to his brain, now advocates wearing of such.
I find it strange that nowhere in your article concerning this tragic accident do you advocate that car drivers pay more attention to motorcyclists, moped drivers or bicyclists.
What happened, it appears, is that a car driver turned left in front of Mr. Ching. This is a two-wheeled driver's worst nightmare. You should place more emphasis in your article about the responsibility of car drivers to cede the right of way to those it is due.
It is certainly chivalrous of Mr. Ching to apparently shoulder most of the blame for this accident, but perhaps the person who turned left in front of a moving moped should receive some of the blame.
Jean-Jacques Dicker
A truly special person
I read, with sadness, of Bill Tyau's passing in your letters to the editor. I met Bill once, over 10 years ago. I was fortunate to have been on a "team" with Billy in a Special Olympics event. It is the truly special people whom you meet, if only for a brief moment, who make such a lasting impression.
City's plea should be ignored
When responding to the state of Hawai'i's penalty of $542,459 for illegal dumping at the Waipahu incinerator, Environmental Services Director Frank Doyle stated "the city was being hit fairly hard in light of its efforts to help the state clean up the waterweed problem at Lake Wilson." Instead, both Doyle and City Councilman Nestor Garcia requested penalties be offset by environmentally beneficial projects.
One might think this an excellent idea, relieving the city of financial burdens during budgetary crisis. However, think again. Though unrelated in name and location, illegal dumping at the Waipahu incinerator and the "waterweed problem" at Lake Wilson share a common element: They are both a direct result of actions taken by the city, and a similar waiver of fees in 1994 did not result in elimination of environmental problems today.
On March 20, 1994, the state Department of Health sued the city because "it continues to pour treated sewage into Lake Wilson without a permit." The city was liable for penalties up to $10,000 a day, beginning March 1, when a five-year state permit to discharge wastewater expired. The penalties were waived and the parties entered into a consent decree (Civil #94-1896-05) signed by Mayor Harris on Nov. 6, 1997. Section 8A states that "no later than three years after the effective date of the consent decree, the city and county shall complete construction and begin operation of a system to reclaim all wastewater from the Wahiawa Wastewater Treatment Plant." Nearly three years after the deadline, construction is not complete.
In 1994, when the waiver was granted, the following projects were agreed upon: (1) purchase an aquatic plant harvester to remove hyacinth, a waterweed "out of control as a result of high nutrient input from effluent disposal in a public fishing area"; (2) purchase a boat to monitor water quality; (3) restock Lake Wilson with fish; and (4) purchase testing equipment for the Health Department labs. The city was to pay $150,000 for the "environmentally beneficial projects."
Since 1994, the state has continued to allow the city to dump sewage water without a national pollution elimination discharge system permit. Ten years later, it cost the state $1.7 million to clean up Salvinia molesta, a waterweed out of control in Lake Wilson.
On March 19, Gov. Lingle approved a transfer of funds from the DOH's Environmental Response Revolving Fund to the Department of Land and Natural Resources for weed removal. Adding to injury, the city billed the state $274,000 for its part in the cleanup, stating: "While we realize that the cleanup of Lake Wilson was a team effort, we are seeking reimbursement from the state for the entire amount. We are requesting your prompt attention and action in this matter."
Based on experience, the state's waiver of assessed fines would be inconceivable. You can only fool some of the people some of the time ...
Carroll E. Cox
President, EnviroWatch Inc.
