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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, November 19, 2003

Letters to the Editor

Price of paradise leads to brain drain

I thank Gerald Farinas for sharing his concerns about Hawai'i (Island Voices, yesterday). He rightly identifies the flight of our talented children as a source of concern. He sees the problem, but does he see the solution?

Yes, the cost of living is high, many of our schools could be better, and maybe our politicians defend the status quo (nature of the beast). But who is truly to blame for all of these things? We are. We get the politicians we vote for and deserve the policies they enact.

In one paragraph, Mr. Farinas bemoans the high cost of living and high property taxes, then follows with the need to spend more on our schools. Where will this money come from?

This is simply human nature: We demand the best bus service in the country, then scream when rates rise to cover the cost. We demand a pristine environment, well-paid civil servants and government-provided healthcare for all. The price? A less-than-friendly business environment, high taxes, expensive gasoline, no high-paying jobs and our young people leaving for greener pastures and better opportunities.

The price of living in paradise? I guess so. The solution? No one really wants to hear it, do they?

Joseph Zobian, M.D.
Honolulu


Cataluna's column on military was excellent

I sincerely hope Lee Cataluna submits her Nov. 16 column " 'Aina still losing with every gain" to the Society of Professional Journalists' yearly awards for journalistic excellence.

Yes, her column was opinionated, but she backed up every statement with a factual event. She presented the events of last week — the abandonment of Waikane Valley by the military, the handing over of Kaho'olawe to the state, the U.S. increase of military funding to Hawai'i to lease more land and the governor's speech — in a way that tells the story of exploitation without her having to do too much elaborating. What a service to journalism and the Hawaiian movement.

When I read her column, I felt grateful that someone caught the injustices as they were happening. It feels as if the U.S. government is hugging the Hawaiian people, our culture and our 'aina while stabbing a knife into our backs. I'm glad someone is watching our ever-sneaky U.S. government.

Kainoahemolele Tabar
Kane'ohe


Questioning president isn't being un-American

It bothers me that one faction in our country believes that questioning the decisions of our president is somehow "America-bashing." That is so wrong. You don't have to like President Bush to love America.

When the Saudi terrorist pilots attacked our country on Sept. 11, 2001, I wrote to the president and offered to be recalled to active duty, if he felt that I could be of assistance. Our country had been attacked, and as a former, honorably discharged U.S. Army staff sergeant, and already having been cleared for Top Secret, I seriously believed they might overlook my age and call me up. I was prepared to put my careers on hold and serve my country in uniform once again — even with Bush as commander-in-chief.

I challenge all of the often misguided Bush supporters who criticize us American patriots to match my patriotism and my love of country. Did they offer to be recalled? Did they offer to serve our country after we were attacked? How many of his supporters who now oppose our patriotism similarly volunteered? Or did they just wave the flag and criticize us patriots?

Bush encourages Americans to think that those of us who don't agree with him are the "enemy." He couldn't be more wrong. A number of his followers even suggest that if you don't like Bush, you are anti-America. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have been called all sorts of things by divisive Bush supporters whose patriotism pales next to those of us who put America first.

Speaking out against a sitting president is not anti-American or unpatriotic. Opposing the government's policies is more American than being afraid to be labeled by the president or his supporters as unpatriotic.

Keith Haugen
Makiki


Kamehameha team had class in face of loss

I would like to commend the Kamehameha boys varsity volleyball team. Despite the close game and loss to Iolani, they exhibited class and wonderful sportsmanship.

Even after the formal handshake by both teams following the game, the Warrior boys came over and mingled with the Iolani boys after the championship trophy was awarded to Iolani.

Kamehameha has received some negative publicity recently, and I thought it only right to acknowledge the commendable character and sportsmanship displayed by the boys.

Karen Pape
Iolani parent, Hawai'i Kai


Bunda and Say's ethical decision is heartening

Kudos to House Speaker Calvin Say and Senate President Robert Bunda for raising the bar in government ethics. Their recent declination of golf privileges at Wai'alae and Honolulu country clubs is a great step forward in assuring that our lawmakers are accountable.

Regardless of whether those golf course perks actually affect anyone's decision-making, it's the fact that our legislative leaders want to eradicate even the perception of influence that is heartening. It means that Say and Bunda really do put a value on the people's trust in their elected officials. It means they believe that lawmakers must not only do their jobs, but they must set examples as well.

Too often, our citizenry assumes that politicians are trying to work the angles and get something for themselves. It's nice to see that the speaker and the president are working to reverse that image.

Helen Rauer
Makiki


Concrete trucks can be easily increased

I have followed with interest Dan Nakaso's articles on the impending construction boom. His latest article quotes Rep. Neil Abercrombie saying "Do we have enough cement trucks to meet the demand?"

Most of the people involved in construction know that cement is a very fine, dry, gray, dusty material that comes in 94-pound bags that are transported on pallets that are loaded on flatbed trucks or semi-trailers for delivery to job sites. Bulk cement is transported in vehicles very similar to gasoline trucks or the polished-silver milk trucks.

Usually at some central site, cement is mixed with sand, crushed rock and water and deposited into Redi-Mix trucks for mixing and transport to construction projects. The mixed end product is called concrete and is used for the foundations, vertical components and superstructure of most of Hawai'i's construction. The constructed end product is referred to as concrete construction.

There will not be any shortage of cement trucks; however, if the construction boom reaches the levels anticipated, additional Redi-Mix concrete trucks will be no farther away than the next container ship arriving from the West Coast.

Gordon L. Scruton
Kailua


Beware slanted quips

Even a discussion on sharks (Nov. 14) can produce typical anti-Western remarks. Such sentiments are simply a more fashionable form of prejudice. It is possible to be proud of one culture without denigrating another. Wisdom may grow with age, but so do discriminatory remarks that remain unchallenged.

E.M. Skinner
'Aiea


HPD should create Web site for stolen items

Here is a suggestion on the low property-crime clearance: The Honolulu Police Department should create a Web site where stolen items are listed and open for viewing by the public.

It would hinder people from selling and buying these hot properties.

It would increase tips and reports of stolen items to the HPD, and the trickle-down effect of tracing the properties to the buyer and hopefully to the thieves.

Pawn shops, flea market stands and other stores caught selling these hot properties would be fined heavily, and repeated offenses would result in the closure of these stores.

Romeo K. Manapat
Honolulu


Lingle isn't proposing tax increase for rail

As a commuter, I tire of all the potshots taken at Gov. Linda Lingle for her stand on light rail on O'ahu. She is not proposing a tax.

" ... Lingle said she'd seek authorization from the Legislature to let Hawai'i counties impose excise tax increases" ("Panel quick to back fixed rail," Nov. 16).

In essence, she is asking the state Legislature to give up some of its power of the purse. She is asking for local taxing control, something that both Rep. Joe Souki and Sen. Sam Slom should keep in mind when criticizing the governor.

We already pay a tax for not having an efficient mass-transit system. The tax is called lost productivity. The gas we use while idling in gridlock, the extra time we have to take to get anywhere on the island, the cost of transport time added to any goods we buy — all are a hidden tax no legislator or City Council member will publicly admit to.

Productivity is key to improvement of our economy. Let us hope this time we look beyond the myopic views of the naysayers and proceed with a vision for the future.

I would also like to address the citizens who criticized the governor for her stance on the bus strike. Gov. Lingle is the governor of the state — not the Honolulu mayor. The bus strike was a city problem, not a state matter. There was a distinct absence of leadership from Honolulu Hale, not from the state Capitol.

Wally Mahan
Honolulu


Why doesn't Jones replace Timmy Chang?

Why is Timmy Chang so indispensable? His performance in the past three games has been erratic, frustrating and downright uninspiring. He understandably is under tremendous pressure to break out of his slump, but that is not happening.

My burning question to June Jones: Why isn't a quarterback replaced when he is not getting the job done game after game after game? Or does hell need to freeze over before that happens? Mercy, mercy, who would want to be the backup quarterback? Auwe!

Roy Uehara
Moanalua


Reader right that people will cling to status quo

After reading Robert W. Levy's letter in the Nov. 12 Advertiser, I wish to respond with a few ideas of my own regarding plans for mass transit.

I agree with Mr. Levy's conclusion. It will be difficult to get people to leave their SUVs in a parking lot and ride the transit system. People prefer the status quo and resist change. The fight to save the Alexander Young Hotel downtown is a good example. Today, can anyone argue that the well-used park and new structures are not a huge improvement over the old hotel?

The challenge is to get people in outlying areas to use the transit system. When Gov. Lingle was first elected, I suggested in a letter to her a transit system that used the old O'ahu Railway right-of-way. I also suggested a way to get people to park their SUVs and ride the transit system: A lottery should be offered to help finance the transit system. In a lottery, everyone benefits because the money raised by a lottery is held by the state; and the winning ticket gets the interest the monies earn.

When the transit system is completed, the same lottery could offer riders the opportunity to win with numbered lottery tickets. I believe the very people needed to make transit a success are the ones who would buy tickets and use the transit system.

Other transportation ideas whose time has come:

  • Insurance at the gas pump (even though the insurance companies spend millions lobbying against it). The insurance companies hate this because they want every car a family owns paying for insurance. If you pay for insurance with the gas you purchase, the only car insured is the one you are driving.
  • England and other European countries license cars and trucks based on engine size and the weight of the vehicle. Logically, the bigger and heavier the vehicle, the more it damages the roads. Cubic inches and weight are a great measure of licensing costs and a source of revenue to repair the sorry state of our roads.

D.R. Severson
Honolulu