Posted on: Monday, October 27, 2003

Letters to the Editor

Bush owed an apology from Democratic Party

For eight grueling years, the Republicans watched politely as President Clinton would come to Hawai'i and schmooze with Gov. Cayetano. They played golf, ate lunch and made deals and lots of money for the Democratic Party.

There were no nasty remarks or negative press; Hawai'i rolled out the red carpet.

President and Mrs. Bush came to Hawai'i for a short time, and in that time they managed to first acknowledge someone who is not known to be, shall we say, among the "party faithful," but a wonderful volunteer.

With all that is going on in the world today and all that is on Mr. Bush's plate, for him to go to speak to those survivors and respectfully call them by name, he deserves a big mahalo and an apology for the stink that has been portrayed by the head of the Democratic Party that this was just a big money grab.

So often Hawai'i is the stepchild state of this great Union. We think of ourselves as others see us — as a great tourist destination. But then they go home; last week our governor met with our president and spoke about our state and our people, and we should have acted as residents of the great state of Hawai'i — with aloha from all.

Bushes' visit was certainly impressive

Dear President and Mrs. George Bush,

Thank you for coming to Hawai'i. I wasn't able to greet you in person or see you from afar. However, I did see you on television, and I was impressed.

I really thank you, Mrs. Bush, for your time to be an excellent reading role model for the second-graders at Pearl Harbor Elementary School. You certainly have made a lasting impact on those youngsters. You have also made an impact on me, too, as an eighth-grade English teacher. I will definitely follow in your footsteps and ignite my students' love for reading as you have done.

Traffic kinks bachi for killing van cams?

Our state government has spent thousands of dollars on the installation and removal of the rumble strips. Residents are upset about the noise those things produced.

The Police Department has increased its manpower to try to curtail and keep on top of the speeders.

Numerous accidents continue to be caused by those who continue to use our highways for the thrill of racing. And now, tragically, the many deaths, all on account of speeding.

Is this bachi (bad luck) on the people of O'ahu for denouncing the use of the van cams?

Median project is making traffic worse

The $1.3 million Lunalilo Home Road "beautification project" is causing traffic chaos in Hawai'i Kai.

Before the project began, there were three lanes exiting Hawai'i Kai. Now, while the median strips are being built, it is not clear as to how many lanes would fit. Currently, the space looks to fit only two lanes, with one taken up by the median. Many residents have also lost their parking on the streets.

When a bus stops on either side of the road, it creates a traffic bottleneck. You have to maneuver your car between the bus and Mayor Jeremy Harris' median. Every morning during rush hour, Lunalilo Home Road backs up much farther than it used to without the median.

What about all those developing homes in Hawai'i Kai? This project is ludicrous, and construction should stop.

Ticketing is no task for uninsured volunteers

If City Councilman Mike Gabbard thinks that issuing citations to illegally parked vehicles, abandoned vehicles, unregistered vehicles or vehicles with no or expired safety checks, no license plates, etc. is "manini," then I challenge him and the other council members to come to Kalihi, where I live, to do this manini work.

Recently, I saw the owner of a car-repair shop park a minivan with no rear license plate in front of someone else's driveway. He also has several unregistered cars parked on the street. There are also others on this street who will block driveways without care.

If you didn't know, our parking-meter people have been spit on, assaulted and had their vehicles damaged and vandalized. At least they have big brother HPD to call on when things go really bad.

Councilman Gabbard, you want unpaid, uninsured, relatively untrained volunteers with no health benefits to risk life and limb and their personal vehicles on the mean streets of O'ahu? Then you had better show us how to do it. A true leader leads from the front, not the behind.

I challenge you and the other council members to come to the streets of Kalihi every day for two weeks and give out your manini citations. Bring your personal well-marked vehicle that you drive so the locals know who it is giving out these manini citations. Don't forget to bring Gary, Ann, Rod and Romy (our district's councilman). Leave the police and news media at home.

Constitution is specific about agricultural lands

Hawai'i's land-use system has come under heavy scrutiny since a state Circuit Court ordered the Hokuli'a development on the Big Island be halted for not petitioning and receiving the approval of the state Land Use Commission. While the development was promoted as an agricultural subdivision, it was in fact a resort housing development.

At the same time, the commission is being challenged for its decision to allow the Koa Ridge subdivision on two sides of the H-2 freeway. These are symptoms of a problem that has plagued our land-use system in our state and counties for decades.

The issue hinges on the state Constitution that states in Article XI, Section 3: "The state shall conserve and protect agricultural lands, promote diversified agriculture, increase agricultural self-sufficiency and assure the availability of agriculturally suitable lands. The Legislature shall provide standards and criteria to accomplish the foregoing. Lands identified by the state as important agricultural lands needed to fulfill the purposes above shall not be reclassified by the state or rezoned by its political subdivisions without meeting the standards and criteria established by the Legislature and approved by a two-thirds vote of the body responsible for the reclassification or rezoning action."

Absent the criteria that our Legislature was directed to provide, the Land Use Commission and county zoning authorities have designated all lands that did not meet other criteria for urban, conservation or other rural uses as agricultural.

As a result, there are approximately 2 million acres of land zoned as agriculture. Less than half that number has crop production potential. Much of the so-called agricultural lands is lava fields, steep terrain, gulches or arid lands that have no access to reasonable-cost irrigation.

How long till we get real solutions?

In Monday's editorial pages, columnist Cliff Slater and letter writer George Blasiak both suggest that O'ahu's stoplights are poorly synchronized.

However, as a driver proceeds from one red light to the next on a daily basis, it becomes painfully obvious that, as the Department of Transportation insists, the stoplights are actually perfectly synchronized. Unfortunately, this synchronization is set to require the maximum of stopping time. It is not coincidence or bad luck to so consistently get stuck at red lights.

Somehow, the DOT does not fail to provide failing solutions that only worsen traffic conditions rather than improve them. Van cams and speed bumps aside, now we have electronic speed indicators that tell us how fast we are driving. What benefit is there to encourage drivers to see how high they can get those signs to read? Those signs in no way create safer roads.

How many more "accidents to end all accidents" must there be before there is any real, substantive action that actually creates the results we all crave — a safer, more efficient driving experience?

Castle player should apologize for forfeiture

I am writing in regard to the recent football game forfeitures by the two OIA teams (Castle and Leilehua). I have no information as to what happened with the Leilehua Mules. As for Castle, it was the selfishness of one player that cost the rest of a team a dignified and winning season.

This player's selfishness also cost the community a jubilant and exciting season for the Black Knights. He should be made to stand up before the team and its coaches and, to a certain extent, its fans and apologize sincerely and remorsefully. It's a shame what he did, but the hope still rides high for a proud and striving team in the Castle Knights. "uKNIGHTed We Stand, Divided No Can!"

Bus pass process nice

On Oct. 15, three of us ladies from Kailua went to Windward Mall to get our senior bus passes.

They had a wonderful system there. The workers there were so nice, going around to see that everyone was fine. They always had a big smile for you.

UH-West O'ahu is a success

I've been frustrated lately with the reporting about the University of Hawai'i. All I ever seem to read about the University of Hawai'i-West O'ahu is negative. There are many very positive stories about the West O'ahu campus that are both compelling and important but are completely ignored by the newspapers and every other news source.

It's the story of the small liberal-arts campus that did. It did grow 20 percent in enrollment during the last five years with over 800 very satisfied students (so satisfied that UHWO has the highest student-satisfaction ratings of any unit in the 10-campus UH system).

We do offer three fully accredited bachelor of arts degrees in 13 subject areas with 20 faculty, three administrators, a handful of staff and about 2 percent — that's right, a whopping 2 percent — of the UH budget (for crying out loud, June Jones' salary is about one-third of our entire operating budget).

We do have about 150 students on four Neighbor Islands (including Moloka'i) earning degrees over the Internet and via televised courses.

Our students do drive 'ewa in the morning and not through the traffic jam to town.

Our students, on average, are 33 years old, work at least one job and have kids. Our students do go to school at night and on weekends and struggle to get through their classes because they "haven't been to school in a long time." Seventy percent of our students are women, and about 50 percent are first-generation college students.

And about 200 of these people do graduate every year and do get jobs and are their own "little" success stories.

Regent Ted Hong was recently quoted as saying that UHWO was a "tragedy" because "people have invested their lives, their academic careers in West O'ahu College." First, Regent Hong should become more familiar with the university that is in his trust — the campus to which he refers is the University of Hawai'i-West O'ahu.

Second, I do not find, nor do I appreciate, the University of Hawai'i-West O'ahu as a tragedy. Rather, I think we are an entrepreneurial success and a case study in efficient productivity. Referring to us as a tragedy not only demeans the hard-won accomplishments of UHWO but also the harder-won accomplishments of our students.

I do not consider my career or the students at UHWO a tragedy, but rather a resounding success.