Posted on: Friday, June 13, 2003

Letters to the Editor

Neighborhood trolley picked by community

By initial design, our neighborhood trolley directly serves not one community, but four: Kaimuki, lower Palolo, Kapahulu and Waikiki. A recent addition is UH-Manoa.

The route was chosen by the community because there is no bus or other public transportation serving the trolley route without several transfers and considerable time expenditure.

Through major efforts of the current operator and volunteer support of the community, ridership reached 11,000 per month and continues upward. Ridership includes: commuting workers living and working along the route; Waikiki residents seeking lower prices outside the visitor area; schoolchildren's field trips (often otherwise unaffordable); Chaminade students housed in Waikiki; senior excursions; Waikiki visitors seeking to discover local living styles outside the hotel district; residents going to Waikiki Beach; parade and special-event attendees; students of Kaimuki High School, Jefferson School, Sacred Hearts and St. Patrick's; shoppers in the communities, particularly the elderly and non-drivers; and a surprise plus — cocktail drinkers who might otherwise consider driving while impaired.

This project covers a broad scope, addressing economic development and transportation issues in four communities. No community-based project, to my knowledge, has yet been developed to serve all communities islandwide.

Motorcycle awareness classes can save lives

Like volleyball star Tony Ching, about three years ago I was traveling down Wilder Avenue on a moped and was struck by a car.

It was 6 in the evening, the oncoming car turning left in front of me obviously was distracted by the glare of a setting sun, and even though she was at fault in the accident, I did not feel she was to blame. I could have been more aware of the distractions that were affecting her. I broke a collarbone and was limping around for about six months.

After the accident, I exchanged my moped for a full-sized motorcycle (easier for others to see). I was smart enough to enroll in the state's motorcycle awareness classes (three Saturdays for eight hours). The classes teach you situational avoidance, "defensive driving," looking for an "exit strategy" to avoid collisions.

I believe wearing a helmet after an individual has been certified as completing the state class should be optional. On the other hand, and really more to the point, none of our children or even visiting tourists should be allowed on a moped without safeguards.

Obviously, visitors can't spend time going through our state safety course. Moped renters should, however, be required to wear helmets. And our local community, whether it be moped riders or motorcyclists, should be required to complete the state class before being issued a permit. I can't imagine a parent turning a 15-year-old loose on our streets without some type of formal training.

Let children walk or bicycle to school

In response to Richard Weigel's June 10 letter "Ease rush-hour traffic by using school buses," I would like to suggest another solution for students that would unclog our roadways: children walking, biking or car-pooling to school.

Not only would road congestion ease, but perhaps we could see a reversal of our current trend in childhood obesity.

Concerned parents need to be supportive of city proposals to create safe bikeways and walkways for our children.

Second-grade teacher one of the unsung heroes

I would like to take some space to thank my son Blaine's second-grade teacher, Ms. Rowena Chun of Hokulani Elementary School. She is retiring after 35 years of teaching.

During this year, and I'm sure every year previous, she has demonstrated her skill, diligence and dedication to her class and her school. She is a good example of life's unsung heroes — doing her job and touching countless lives every day.

How many students have benefited from her teaching? How many minds are better off knowing her?

I'm sure my son always will remember her as a kind and good person who touched his life. So let's thank Ms. Chun and all public school teachers like her who make little lives better by doing such an important job — unfairly, I think, for love more than money.

Local radio, television stations are failing us

I continue to be puzzled about why local radio and TV stations do not live up to their billing as go-to stations for up-to-date information.

Over three recent days of severe weather in Central O'ahu, the only time I heard anything about the weather was after it had hit. I checked the National Weather Service's home page and found timely flash-flood warnings issued ahead of time. NWS instructs us to listen to the radio and TV for more information.

So come on, radio and TV stations, live up to your billing of being go-to stations and share severe-weather situations on a more timely basis.

Troop realignment makes military sense

The Advertiser is no expert on military strategy and tactics. Neither are the so-called "critics" that The Advertiser bases its June 10 editorial ("Realigning U.S. troops in Korea: doubts persist") on.

As such, The Advertiser is just simply talking through its hat in criticizing U.S. troop realignment in South Korea.

It's most likely that the U.S. can contain North Korean military intrusion into South Korea even as far away as Japan. The use of precision-guided weaponry, as happened in Yugoslavia and in the massacre of Iraqi armor in Kuwait, demonstrates that the United States can stop an enemy dead in its tracks — even without the use of ground forces.

It appears, therefore, that U.S. air power from land and sea alone may be sufficient to stop a North Korean invasion of South Korea even without the use of U.S. ground forces.

Moreover, it appears that the United States has already successfully intercepted ballistic missiles.

The French learned a humiliating lesson in not being aware of the latest developments in military strategy and tactics when they put all their eggs in one basket — the Maginot Line. It appears that the United States is well aware of the danger to U.S. security in relying on old military concepts. So, it seems that the realignment of U.S. forces in foreign lands, including South Korea, reflects adaptation to new military strategems and weaponry.

H-Power gives O'ahu more than just energy

I was pleased to see The Advertiser's coverage May 22 on "H-Power plan would boost trash capacity" — as the facility is the cornerstone of O'ahu's waste management system. This effort is tackling the difficult task of keeping O'ahu a beautiful, clean and safe place to live and work while managing our mounting trash problem.

Processing slightly more than 2,000 tons of local trash a day, this waste-to-energy facility reduces the volume of waste it receives by 90 percent, and contributes greatly to reducing dependence on landfills. H-Power also helps O'ahu become more energy self-sufficient. Since it began operating in 1990, H-Power has saved the equivalent of more than 10 million barrels of imported oil by generating approximately 46 megawatts of renewable electricity — enough to provide the island with 7 percent of its energy needs.

I was honored to join H-Power in its milestone celebration of processing 8 million tons of municipal solid waste on May 22. H-Power has not only consistently taken care of O'ahu's trash for the last 12 years but has also been a committed member of our 'Ewa community.

As principal of Kapolei High School, my vision has been to create a student-centered learning environment that focuses on the relationship between the school and the community. Over the years, I have watched H-Power continuously contribute to various organizations in our close-knit community.

I wanted to personally thank H-Power for its $4,000 contribution to our Kapolei school system for the purchase of audiovisual equipment to supplement our elementary, middle school and high school educational programs. The popular "Science Screen Report" program consists of videos, brochures and teacher guides aimed at middle school and high school levels and provides teachers with modern science education curriculum for use in the classroom.

The program is made available to all public schools statewide. H-Power always prioritizes involvement in local organizations and activities, including the adoption of Kapolei Elementary School and sponsorship of a statewide science fair. Its support and commitment to preserving the future of O'ahu does not go unnoticed.

Bidding system hurts local economy

I am responding to T. Ludwick's June 6 letter "Bidding system saves state money." As a buyer for the state of Hawai'i, he defends the CommercePoint (CP) system while he makes the following statements:

• While local vendors must charge sales tax, Mainland vendors must pay shipping.

• A savings of 10 to 30 percent is realized by use of the CP system.

• Only local companies can provide local support and service that are often needed.

Before taxpayers start believing that CP is going to save them 10 to 30 percent on their purchases, please allow me to add some facts to what Mr. Ludwick is saying.

Both local and Mainland companies have to pay shipping, and the only difference is in the way they are taxed. In most cases, Mainland-based companies don't pay tax on shipping or on the products they sell. So while these savings might show up in the product purchase, they really aren't savings at all because less tax is collected by the state.

To compete in the CP system, a Mainland company only invests the time to fill out a little extra paperwork because it can cover its overhead by sales made elsewhere. Conversely, Hawai'i-based businesses must rely on Hawai'i sales to cover their overhead, in most cases a minimum of 25 to 30 percent of their net profit. This is money that goes directly into our local economy in the form of jobs, rent and other expenditures.

So while it does appear to be a savings to our state in the items that Ludwick purchases, it's really just a subtraction of dollars spent in our local economy.

Ludwick accurately suggests that local business can provide local support and service better than Mainland companies. If a local company is going to assume the liability and the logistical challenges of servicing and supporting discounted products supplied by a Mainland company, the cost to the taxpayers will skyrocket. Almost every item has a "lifetime cost" that will exceed the initial "purchase price," and that is what the taxpayers should be concerned with.

Mr. Ludwick omits the largest drawback of the CP system in his letter. The award is based exclusively on the lowest price. Most of the higher-end purchases are not commodity purchases, and product descriptions in the bids must be written generically to encourage open competition. This motivates the bidder to provide the minimum product to satisfy this description, and it encourages "value engineering," not price competition.

As a taxpayer, I am concerned that someone could obtain a position as a buyer for the state of Hawai'i with this limited knowledge of the impact that out-of-state purchases have on our local economy. One thing is for sure, I will think about his letter every time I am asked to accept a tax increase or hear that our local economy has fallen further behind that of the Mainland.