Posted on: Wednesday, November 5, 2003

Letters to the Editor

Glaring quandaries in return of Kaho'olawe

After a 20-year-long fight for the return of Kaho'olawe, the island finally returns to the state this month. Unfortunately, there are glaring contradictions.

The military is now asking for almost exactly the same amount of lands to bomb and train on as Kaho'olawe, but the very same activists who fought so gallantly for ending military use of Kaho'olawe are silent about this new request. Has their cry for aloha 'aina ended on Kaho'olawe? What about Pohakuloa, Makua, Schofield, Waikane and the thousands of new acres being planned for military use? What about the Stryker brigade and its 300 armored police vehicles destined to train here? Only silence from the Kaho'olawe activists.

Finally, why return the island to the state? The state has done a lousy job of taking care of kanaka maoli lands and is trying to sell lands that kanaka maoli argue belong to them. Why not return the island to a group of kanaka maoli organizations and let them decide what to do with it? It's been long overdue for kanaka maoli to make the decisions about their lands.

Credit Advertiser for its random act of kindness

Will Hoover's report on how volunteers across Hawai'i were mobilized to make a difference in their communities was truly inspiring. The recent observance of Make a Difference Day put a smile on many people's faces as they witnessed the tangible impact of what a dose of kindness can do to help our neighbors.

What he failed to mention was that folks at The Honolulu Advertiser did their own share to benefit The Salvation Army's Adult Day Health Services.

Its management and editorial staff, with family and friends in tow, spent the whole day painting, scrubbing, cementing, landscaping and beautifying this facility, which serves many of our community's elderly. With help from Dick Pacific, JBL, Apprentice Program for the Floor Layers Association, Concrete Coring Co. of Hawai'i, FKS, Pacific Preferred Contractors, Pepsi and A&A Lectrician, the collective volunteer work made possible an extraordinary gift of kindness that will be enjoyed by many for years.

Thank you to all of them, and to The Honolulu Advertiser, for "walking the talk" in spreading a little bit of aloha and for making a huge difference.

God bless one and all for their "random acts of kindness."

'Nice-to-have' items make our city better

In his Oct. 21 letter, Bill Nelson strongly suggests that the city of Honolulu abandon all embellishment projects and concentrate on essentials for which there isn't enough money. The headline of his letter is "Skip 'nice-to-have' items instead of raising taxes." I have a different view.

There never will be enough money because our demands for city services are forever increasing. Eliminating "nice-to-have" items will only downgrade our city, which we all wish to be world-class and attract lots of tourists, our main source of revenue.

Well, what makes a city outstanding is beautification. Visitors flock to the most beautiful cities by the millions: London, Venice, St. Petersburg, Paris. Their citizens not only enjoy their "nice-to-have" items but the income derived from visitors who come to enjoy them.

I am a frequent visitor to many of these places and visit Paris every year; and every year Paris, the world's prime vacation destination, inaugurates a new park, floral displays, monuments and other such useless items.

Mr. Nelson also objects to the Brunch and Sunset on the Beach events. The mayor of Paris is even crazier. Each summer, for a month or so, he closes off a mile of roadway along the Seine. Instead of speeding cars, that stretch of high-speed roadway is covered with imported sand and palm trees, and Parisians and visitors frolic on this temporary beach in sight of Notre Dame Cathedral.

The beautification of Honolulu is here to stay, and I hope the programs Mr. Nelson decries will continue.

Gov. Lingle, examine these factors first

With Gov. Lingle asking for a tax increase of some sort, it brings to mind the $75 million tax exemption she allowed for Ko Olina. Is this exemption being used in the manner in which it was given? Should the taxpayers willingly OK a tax increase of any kind to help pay for a transit system that will assist a very short route?

These are questions that Gov. Lingle should have to answer before burdening consumers with more decisions that have such negative effects on the masses.

Good samaritans restored faith in man

While driving to the beach the other day, my son lost his wallet by leaving it on the roof of his car. After realizing what he had done, he turned around and combed the street, but to no avail. It was gone. Everyone knows that empty feeling in your stomach when you lose something as important as your wallet or purse.

After lecturing him on responsibility and a good lesson learned the hard way, we heard a knock on our door. Much to our surprise, there's this gentleman on our doorstep with my son's wallet. Instead of calling us to come and pick it up, he took the time to drop it off at our home.

I would like to acknowledge two good samaritans: John Medeiros and his daughter Carissa. It's people like them who can restore your faith in humanity.

Amidst all the crime and bad news going on around us, it's reassuring to know there are still honest and decent people left in our world. Bless you, John and Carissa!

It's irresponsible to give money to schools

Anyone who advocates the distribution of funds directly to schools is acting irresponsibly. School administrators and support staff have inadequate training and, more significantly, lack the time to handle the additional responsibility.

A trip to almost any school will reveal that the mismanagement of resources is already occurring, with funds unaccounted for or misspent. Furthermore, on the rare occasion that an inventory is taken, expensive computer and A/V equipment is inevitably missing.

When the time is right, schools should be able to exercise control over their own budgets, but only when the necessary infrastructure is in place and all foreseeable issues have been resolved. Here are just a few concerns:

• How will the administrators and staff find the time for needed training, and how much will that cost?
• How many additional staff people will be needed at each school and statewide to handle the additional budget and personnel responsibilities, and how much will that cost?
• Will the centralized DOE administration be reduced accordingly, or will it be retained for "oversight" of the schools? Where does the principals' union stand on this issue, and will it be demanding substantial raises for its overburdened principals?

If this change is pushed through without adequate foresight and preparation, schools and principals will be set up to fail.

Why wasn't shark tracked down, killed?

The tragic shark attack on Kaua'i's Bethany Hamilton is yet another terrible reminder of Hawai'i's failed shark policy.

Why was this shark not immediately tracked down and eliminated as a future threat? A large shark in clear, shallow water should be easy enough to spot. Simply posting signs on the beach is not enough.

This is now the 12th shark attack in Hawai'i over the past two years. How many more lives and limbs will be lost until the state of Hawai'i and federal agencies wake up and address this growing problem?

We need a rational policy that aims to reduce the large number of these predatory sharks. Failure to act will result in even more human tragedies and ultimately have a devastating effect on Hawai'i's economy.

Bicyclists, follow rules and be considerate

I wonder every day if bicyclists on this island think they are impervious to any laws, common sense and common courtesy.

In my daily commute, I routinely must make allowances for bicyclists who fail to stop at controlled intersections, ride against the flow of traffic and cut across traffic lanes without regard to safety. In addition to being on the roadways with these folks, I have to be on the sidewalks with them also.

Just the other day, I was walking with a co-worker on a busy sidewalk with pedestrian traffic moving in both directions. Without any warning, a bicyclist maneuvering through the foot traffic hit me and continued without so much as a word of apology.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought riding a bike on city sidewalks was illegal; if so, why isn't this law enforced?

Regardless, bikers, be considerate, follow the rules of the road. If you must use the sidewalk, dismount from your bike and become a pedestrian instead of a potentially dangerous nuisance.

Beware cosmetic fixes; real issue is growth

Building more lanes, contra-flow, better-timed stoplights, staggered business hours, and even the BRT are cosmetic solutions to the root problem of our traffic situation. And that is the ever-increasing amount of people and cars on O'ahu.

No matter what innovations we implement, unchecked growth will always catch up and overrun such improvements. We do need to do some of those things to give us short-term relief, but only after doing an extensive cost-benefit analysis of each.

We must not let the politicians and planners duck the real issue, and that is how to slow, if not cap, growth in these Islands. We have the tragedy of the commons playing out before us, and not just in the automobile arena. We must find ways to check growth before we run out of water, out of open beaches and out of room to drive.

Lanes will remain same

Regarding Steven Businger's Nov. 3 letter: The Lunalilo Home Road median will not reduce the number of lanes from four to two. All that the new lane design does is narrow the four traffic and two parking lanes and create a new hazardous situation where the lanes shift approximately 6 feet within a distance of an intersection.

Warren Higa touched us with his generosity

While I'm sure that the Shell Oil Co. has its side of the story to justify the tripling of the Makiki Shell's monthly rent, I would like to share a human side of the story.

Warren Higa (owner of Makiki Shell until last Saturday) is one of the last rare individuals who has truly served the community attending to our vehicles. Our cars, a means of personal transportation, are so important to everyone. His was a true "service" station. Warren is the last of a dying breed of dealer entrepreneurs who sold gas and, more importantly, serviced and repaired your car.

He is a humble, hard-working man whose warmth and honesty always prevailed. If your car wasn't fixed right, he'd make it right and not even charge you for it. His 10,000-plus customer base is proof of the outstanding service that he and his staff have provided for everyone. He has touched the lives of so many in the community (politicians, civic leaders, ministers, attorneys, doctors and ordinary people like you and me).

One example (unknown to many) is his generosity to The Honolulu Boy Choir. For over 25 years, Warren Higa has serviced and repaired the choir's equipment vehicle. Like so many nonprofit organizations with minimal funding, the choir often could not afford to pay for the much-needed repairs of our tired and worn truck. Warren Higa has "donated" tune-ups, towing, radiator repairs, tires, batteries, safety checks and so much more so that the boys could continue to sing out their hearts' content for the enjoyment of the islandwide community. Warren and Makiki Shell's work has touched the lives of over 3,000 boys who have sung in the choir. Add that to his 10,000-plus customer base.

Shell Oil Co., wake up! You've given up a valued "living treasure" in Warren Higa and Makiki Shell. It's certainly a major loss for the community.

With tears in our eyes, we wish Warren Higa much success as he moves on to work for Manoa Chevron (as an employee).