Letters to the Editor

We need more early childhood programs

I am writing because it concerns me greatly that kids ranging from infant to age 3 are not able to attend early childhood educational programs. Early childhood education is an important matter facing today's society.

Early childhood education programs help preschoolers develop emotionally, socially and ethically. Kids who have access to early childhood educational programs have a better chance of becoming more productive adults.

Unfortunately, most parents cannot afford to pay the rising cost of childcare. Many American families live without enough money to meet basic life needs. Therefore, they consider childcare for their children a luxury. The average person pays $375 to $600 per child for childcare. Free or reduced-cost early childhood educational programs should be available to all kids.

If we all work together, we can find the appropriate funds to help families put their kids in early childhood educational programs. If the Department of Education does not address this problem at the present time, we will later. Our kids are the future. Please see fit to invest in them.

Agricultural lands must be preserved

A recent court decision reinforces the importance of preserving Hawai'i's disappearing agricultural lands. The Sierra Club won its lawsuit against Castle & Cooke and the Land Use Commission because an important law was broken. They failed to complete an environmental review before reclassifying some of the best agricultural lands.

The developers have gone through all this trouble in an attempt to spawn Koa Ridge, a 4,500-house suburbia sprawlville in Central O'ahu. Not only would we lose our prime agricultural lands forever, but traffic would tremendously worsen, water resources would be further strained, especially in times of drought, and the beauty of our island further spoiled.

Most tourists think of Hawai'i as paradise. Yet if we continue to pave over open green spaces, our island home will not be any different from anywhere else on the Mainland. Agriculture, when done sustainably, can preserve open space, provide good locally grown food and supply more jobs.

With 13,000 housing units already approved to be built in Central O'ahu, there will be no affordable housing shortage. With all the land planned for development already, our court found that enough already. It's time to follow our environmental laws when making important decisions about the destruction of our best agricultural lands.

Because once those lands are developed, there's no getting them back.

Defense of gas cap leaves many questions

Sen. Ron Menor used suspect arguments to defend his unworkable gas cap legislation, Act 77 (Island Voices, Sept. 29).

For example, Menor said, " ... excessive profit margins earned by the oil companies, and not costs and taxes, are the primary drivers behind excessive gasoline prices ... " But for his "proof," he offers as an example an unnamed gas dealer who allegedly said that he thinks his gas supplier might be making 80 cents per gallon in "gross profits."

This example raises numerous questions, and should also raise a few eyebrows. Doesn't "gross profits" include taxes? How much of this are taxes, and how much is actual net profit? Do these taxes include the approximately 60 cents per gallon in direct taxes on gasoline, or is it the additional state and federal taxes levied on corporate income?

Did Menor shop around for this 80-cent figure, discarding all but the most egregiously inflated estimate? What was the range of estimates given? Did Menor call the gas wholesaler to verify whether this estimate was accurate?

Another example: Menor said that Sen. Fred Hemmings called for "less regulation of the oil industry." But, Act 77 hasn't taken effect yet, and it likely never will. It has a future effective date, plus an escape clause allowing the governor to scrap it if it will likely harm the economy. Hardly a vote of confidence.

Even the speaker of the House, Rep. Calvin Say, has admitted that Act 77 is likely to be repealed in the upcoming session due to the unworkable provision that only caps the prices of regular self-serve gas while leaving all other grades uncapped. So is it "less regulation" if you advocate the repeal of shibai legislation that hasn't taken effect? Or is it "common sense"?

Mayor Harris to blame for prolonged strike

I just would like to comment about the strike prolonged by the mayor to save money. He caused this shortfall, and all 250,000 riders have paid dearly for his mismanagement of funds.

If people really want to stop this from happening again, we should refrain from using the bus for a month to offset his enormous savings at our expense. I guess I would call this a payback.

I am disabled with primary lateral sclerosis, which limits my ability to walk. I am a single father and have children to support, and the mayor took my legs away from me, which I need since I am unable to drive.

People must stand up and protest this type of treatment by our elected mayor, who is supposed to work for us, not against us.

Forget the bad news, look on the bright side

Sometimes it seems we get nothing but bad news. The war in Iraq, the stumbling economy, the bus strike; you try to relax in one of our parks and a pigeon drops one on your head. Then you hear from the CIA, on condition of anonymity, of course, that they believe the bird was a terrorist. With probable links to al-Qaida. What next?

Come on, lucky we live Hawai'i. We have a fabulous environment and a great mix of people. A tourist visiting from Hungary commented to me that "if the whole world was like Hawai'i, we wouldn't have an Arab-Israel problem."

And if that's not enough, we have the fun of reading Lee Cataluna's newspaper column.

Ho'oponopono could make things right

I call out to President Bush and Gov. Lingle, in these troubled times, to solve their problems through the ancient Hawaiian practice of ho'oponopono (make that which is wrong right).

There seems to be such a great need to liberate all the peoples on the other side of the planet. Malama your 'ohana first; Hawaiians are 'ohana. The Hawaiian people are in cultural slavery in our own land.

As a historic act of ho'oponopono, grant back to the Hawaiian people Kaho'olawe. The federal government says it is done with it. Let us care now for "the baby," our "Hawai'i nui." Oh, yeah, it also saves you millions.

The Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission has $30 million in federal funds in trust to manage the island, and publically states that continued restoration, cultural and educational activities are the next step. Let the Hawaiians, only Hawaiians, do it — and keep the money.

We can raise a replacement $50 million trust with e-mail donations from tourists who have found aloha changed their life; from Hollywood, which has made millions from our image; and from guys like Ted Turner who are champions of peace and freedom.

Kamehameha alumni could take control of their own trust fund and ante up the profits made from that land deal in Michigan, and do something to serve Hawaiians.

The omens in the sky say, let the Hawaiians start over on this most sacred of Hawaiian 'aina, this time without missionaries, tourists or TV. Ho'i na kalo. The Hawaiian people are one with the kalo plant. As we go, so will the fate of the world. Free the 'aina, free the spirit, free the aloha and set the world free.

We should be reducing the supply side of ice

I watched most of the programming last week about Hawai'i's ice epidemic. I don't remember seeing much attention paid to cutting the supply of ice.

Education is fine, but it does little for current users. Drug treatment capacity certainly needs to be greatly expanded. But where does the ice come from? Can't users identify their suppliers? Can't law enforcement buy a lot of machines or dogs that can identify crystal meth labs? Isn't there some way to greatly reduce the supply?

If users can't get it, they can't use it. If they can't buy it, they don't need to rob and steal from the rest of us.

I would like to see more action on the supply side of the ice problem.

Reduce aircraft noise by retiring Aloha jets

In his Drive Time column, Mike Leidemann reports on a new $1 million study to reduce aircraft noise. Here's a free solution to part of the problem: Force or shame Aloha Airlines into retiring or updating their old blue-bellied beasts to comply with existing noise-reduction laws.

I understand that they got an exemption from Congress, but where's the aloha in blasting their noisy airplanes through the skies — around the clock?

I live near Honolulu International Airport, and yes, I knew that the airport was there. And, yes, I expected noise. But Aloha's old jets are many times louder than anything except the Air Force fighters. None of my acquaintances will fly Aloha.

Quiet them or move them to the reef runway.

UH athletic department generates own money

I am writing in response to the Sept. 22 editorial "June Jones' contract: Money Laundering 101," to clarify misconceptions and basic assumptions surrounding the renewal of June Jones' contract with the University of Hawai'i at Manoa.

In 1995, the UH administration began working toward a plan to make the athletic department become self-sufficient. In other words, the department was expected to generate its own income and not rely on monies appropriated by the Legislature. Thus, today, the athletic department generates 92 percent of its own operating funds to meet the ongoing obligations of the department, which includes the salaries of all coaches, administrators and administrative staff. The remaining 8 percent of our budget comes from monies appropriated by the Legislature to pay for facility and service employees.

Put another way, money utilized to pay salaries for coaches, including June Jones, does not come from monies appropriated by the state or tuition dollars generated by the institution. Such money comes from the self-generating efforts of the athletic department through ticket sales, concession sales, TV and radio fees, WAC and NCAA affiliations and private donations. These self-generating efforts must wholly support, among other things, the operating budgets of 19 sports programs, which include coaching salaries, travel costs, equipment costs and scholarships.

Accordingly, it is inappropriate to reference cutbacks in classes at the community colleges to June Jones' contract because these are two separate entities that are completely unrelated.

Finally, the practice of soliciting private donations to augment the athletic department budget has been long-standing. It is important to note that this has also been, and continues to be, a common practice among other UH departments, other athletic departments across the nation and other colleges and universities.