Letters to the Editor
State should take over Sunset on the Beach
Everyone loves a party or, in this case, a free movie. The fact is that the Sunset on the Beach/Rediscover O'ahu program is not free; it is, however, a drain on the city's resources.
With our roads and sewers in such disrepair and the city parks in constant need of upkeep, should our city be directing the limited resources for these programs? The answer is no.
The programs are great community-building tools, but it is the state of Hawai'i that should be supporting them financially, through either the Hawai'i Tourism Authority or Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. This makes sense since it is the state, not the city, that is making money from the general excise tax that is collected at these events.
The city has shown the state the way to help invigorate our economy; now is the time for the city to bow out and the state to do its job. Hopefully this way it will help remove the political speeches from the program. In reality it is we, the taxpayers, who are paying for these "free" events, not any of the elected officials.
Michael Golojuch Jr.
Transportation chairman, Sunset on the Plains
Most animals prefer to keep themselves clean
I don't know where Jerry Neil III is coming from. He wrote on May 22 that "Animals aren't humans; they prefer messy house."
I own four Dobermans, and they certainly don't run from baths, nor do they stink. They are what you feed them, and animals fed a raw diet will not stink.
Most animals will not defecate or urinate in their sleeping area, and in the wild, the female keeps her den clean by eating the excrement of her pups. Sure, it sounds nasty, but that is the only way she can keep the den clean for her pups, and she will lick the pups to keep them clean also. If given the choice an animal will prefer to be clean.
Breeds such as Golden Retrievers enjoy water and wouldn't hesitate to jump into a pool or even the ocean. As far as dogs rolling in dirt, that is simply playtime. If there is grass, they much prefer rolling in that simply because they have an itchy back and that is the only way they can scratch the itch.
If a dog eats out of a garbage can, that usually means it is hungry and its human isn't feeding it enough.
When you keep animals in a messy environment, to the point where it is not even suited for humans, that is considered cruelty, and the Humane Society has every right to get involved. Unsanitary conditions can result in diseases in animals and humans.
Jennie Wolfe
Mililani
Desire of students, parents is the key
I attended public schools from kindergarten ('Ahuimanu Elementary) to high school (University Laboratory School). The latter never had much money, yet this did not deter our teachers' dedication to their students' education, nor were we students put off by our old buildings and textbooks.
The key to success in our public schools includes not only support from the government, but (as the Middletons of Hawai'i Kai have stressed) the desire of parents to supply their children with quality education. (There is also the dedication of our teachers to the education of our children, which I doubt not.)
But it is the desire of the students themselves to learn and be educated that is constantly overlooked by critics of our public schools, whose attitude toward education mirrors that of a bank deposit: The teacher deposits information into the student's head, and that is all the student is expected to know.
Herein lies the fatal flaw: Education comes from within as well as from without. The adage "thirst for knowledge" holds a lot of water (no pun intended). It is plausible that a student will be unreceptive to new textbooks, a nurturing environment, and the dedication and expectations of teachers and parents all because they don't want to be stuck in a classroom.
Contrariwise, a student who seeks education and knowledge will find it, despite old textbooks and a brow-beaten environment. (This last thought does, however, point out the importance of teacher and parental support, in addition to a student's receptivity.) A willing student and a dedicated school system will bring about that student's (and his teachers') quality education.
I have many friends who attended private schools and have indeed done well in life. But not once did I envy their education, because I never doubted our state's public schools.
Sean Kiyo Sakata
Kane'ohe
H-3 impact project is not about 'pork'
Regarding Steve Doyle's May 20 letter, "$11 million for a study of culture unwarranted": These funds were obligated in 1994 by the federal government to meet its responsibility under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
The act mandates the federal agency to seek, discuss, consider viewpoints and, where feasible, seek agreement.
This project is not about "pork," but about doing what is pono by the Native Hawaiian community for its 'aina. It provides the community an opportunity to be consulted on adverse impacts of the H-3 freeway and the mitigation of those impacts.
Kahikina Akana
Project coordinator, Halawa Luluku Interpretive Development
Rumble crosswalks might work better
We were driving up the Pali Highway doing about 47 mph (cars in the left lane were passing us as if we were standing still). I suggested we slow down because the new rumble strips were just ahead.
We hit the strips doing 45 (cars in the left lane were passing us as if we were standing still).
About a fourth of a mile up the road, as we approached the first light and crosswalk, we were going about 50 mph (cars in the left lane were passing us as if we were standing still).
Seems if the state wants to slow traffic to the 35-mph posted speed limit in that area, it might try, instead of rumble strips, rumble crosswalks. High rumble crosswalks.
Say, how about someone dressed like a policeman holding a hair dryer?
Stan Wright
Kane'ohe
Drug-abuse treatment must do much more
As a former state-certified substance-abuse counselor for six years, I read with amusement the simplistic approach toward drug-abuse treatment being discussed by our prison system in Hawai'i ("Rising prison costs focus of state plan," May 19, by Johnny Brannon).
After conducting treatment programs for heroin, cocaine and crystal methamphetamine addicts, I can tell you with certainty that any treatment program that does not also deal with a prisoner's lack of education, job skills, social coping skills and standard-of-living issues is destined to fail.
These prisoners turn to drugs because they are a quick fix to forget their pain about their inability to compete in a society of haves and have-nots, where the children of the upper classes attend private schools and have the inside track to professional careers and high incomes, while the children of poor families are tied to an endless cycle of poor education, little or no job skills, and resulting frustration from an endless cycle of poverty.
Until we are ready to level the playing field as a community and society and offer the same opportunities to the lower classes as we do the children of the rich, the lure of illicit drugs, crime and the revolving prison door is all that these people can look forward to.
It is a rare individual who can climb up out of the ghetto, get good grades in public school, and then work his way through college to compete with the rich kids, who have it all handed to them on a silver platter. Most fall prey to the lures of the streets and the easy way out of their frustrations — getting high.
Show me a program that will address all those issues, and then maybe you have a chance to reduce recidivism.
Michael Ottoson
Online registration of vehicles is great
I would like to congratulate and thank the city for the "HIPLATES" online vehicle registration renewal system.
I received my renewal form in the mail last week. I simply logged on to the Web site, entered my license number, confirmed the vehicle ID number, and typed in a credit card number. Took about 60 seconds from start to finish.
And the new registration arrived in my mailbox two days later. It doesn't get much easier than that. A 48-hour turnaround time is very impressive. Thanks, Honolulu!
Dianne Minter
Kunia
Hemmings' complaint is just partisan politics
Sen. Fred Hemmings complained in the May 23 Island Voices column that House Democrats included too many community-initiated projects "for education and transportation/highway initiatives." Let me set the record straight.
The Legislature received a set of priorities from the administration in the governor's proposed budget. The Legislature examined each proposed project and retained some. But, the Legislature also asked our communities for their school priorities and included them in the budget.
The result is not a "problem," as the senator claims, it is a compromise — the product of the bipartisan cooperation between a Republican administration and a Democrat-controlled Legislature that Sen. Hemmings refuses to acknowledge.
This is the way our government was designed to work — the executive proposes, and the Legislature disposes.
What's even worse than the senator's invented "problem" is his solution. He states that he will urge the governor to withhold funds for those projects that were not identified as high priority by the administration. When he does so, the senator should explain to the children, parents, teachers and principals why they do not deserve clean, well-equipped and safe schools.
The administration may have its list of priorities. But, our communities know what their priorities are, and it is our job as public servants to fight to get those community priorities included in the budget. We are fighting for the needs of those people we represent. In short, we are doing our job.
Sen. Hemmings is playing partisan politics. Enough already!
Calvin K.Y. Say
House speaker
Would maintenance workers get free ride?
The city administration says that no increase in property taxes or user fees will mean the grass won't get cut and the parks and road maintenance won't get done.
But ... what about the guys who do the work — they get sent home with no pay? Or do they just cruise?
Carl R. Lyman
Why not raise fares for students instead?
I just don't get it. Why are the bus fare increases being pushed on us 9-to-5-ers?
I ride the bus every day and take my bike to get where the bus doesn't go. I paint houses. Every day I see hundreds of school kids going to school on the bus — they pay 75 cents. Sometimes there's so many kids on it that there's barely room to stand, let alone sit. So why not raise the student fare instead?
And why is it that the public doesn't hear about these votes until a day or two before the city votes on these issues?
I guess I'll be riding my bike farther to work, as I refuse to pay for the (sure you can catch a Waikiki bus every five minutes, but that's it) lousy service we receive, rude drivers, no seats and transfer buses that leave as your bus pulls up.
If we're to lose routes, it should be the tourist buses downtown that should take the brunt, as tourism is down.
Steve Hadley
Kapolei
Thank you, Dr. Aoki, for your teachings
I enjoyed Dick Simon's May 23 letter. I agree with him wholeheartedly.
I was a student in Dr. Mitsuo Aoki's religion classes at UH-Manoa during the late '70s. During the past 20-something years, I have held fast to his theory that the more one gives to his effort, the greater the result. "Yamato damashii desu."
I have just returned from Paris where I spent part of the visit living in a Zen Buddhist center where I enjoyed practicing with the Paris sangha during a silent retreat, a sesshin.
Thank you, Dr. Aoki, for your wonderful teachings.
Howard Lee Kilby
Hot Springs National Park, Ark.
A language barrier
I went through an ordeal with a feral rooster in my neighborhood in Kailua a few years ago. After many sleepless nights and visiting the neighbors to find out whose bird it was, someone went to the Hawaiian Humane Society and borrowed one of the chicken traps.
We caught the fowl perpetrator then, but the question begs to be asked: If we pass a bill to ban roosters from residential areas, who is going to tell the roosters?
Kevin Kelly
Kahuku
