Posted on: Monday, September 15, 2003

Letters to the Editor

Body-mass index isn't the only factor in obesity

Regarding "Evidence behind U.S. obesity 'crisis' starts to wear thin" by Fred Barbash (Sept. 7): If Mr. Barbash had taken a closer look at the CDC Web site, he would have known that the body-mass index measurement is not the only factor relating to whether a person is overweight.

While it is true that his weight and height do calculate that he is in the overweight category, we do not have an analysis of his body-fat ratio. If he truly is in shape, as he claims to be, then his weight actually has a high percentage of muscle and a low percentage of fat. Also, we don't have a lipid profile or glucose measurement, which would be another indicator of lifestyle.

BMI is simply an indicator to look further into the diet and activity patterns of a particular person.

As for school systems looking at BMI report cards, if it will get the parent in to see a healthcare practitioner, I am all for it. It's easy to fix children's BMI because they are still growing. Best to find out before puberty that they need to change their lifestyles than wait until adulthood.

Hawai'i Kai tree median welcome enhancement

Not "everyone is opposed" to the tree median for Lunalilo Home Road, as stated by Charles Djou (Advertiser, Sept. 7). Recently, city planners have allowed ugly and monstrous subdivisions to concrete over much of Hawai'i Kai's open areas. The trees should be viewed as a welcome enhancement.

Yes, some residents along the road will no longer be able to make left turns onto their driveways, and the money spent could be used for other projects. These are legitimate concerns and should be weighed and debated.

However, the argument that the trees have doomed the Hawai'i Kai police station is a fallacy. East O'ahu's police station is not being built in Hawai'i Kai because money was diverted to trees, but because the Police Department thinks a more central location is best.

Preferably, I would rather see Councilman Djou, and other elected officials, leading protests against unsightly developments and help pass legislation allowing neighborhood communities approval or major input on developments to ensure they complement, rather than scar, the neighborhood.

Wasted water could meet island's needs

The continued pleas from the Board of Water Supply to conserve our precious water supply denies the fact that the state Water Commission has failed to protect the water that is abundantly available.

The Waiahole Ditch, which was put into operation on May 27, 1916, provided excess water from the Windward side of the island that was formerly wasted flowing into Kane'ohe Bay, to the Leeward side for irrigation of sugar cane and pineapple plantations and subsequently filtering down to the Leeward aquifers. Since the demise of the sugar cane plantations in 1994, the need for ditch water was reduced dramatically, although cheap water could have made island farms on the Leeward side economical and provided for "island grown" crops.

Instead, nearly 14 million gallons per day of the available ditch water now goes into Kane'ohe Bay. The result is that there has been no investment in crops on the Leeward side, and the Pearl Harbor aquifer is no longer being refreshed from this water.

It is odd that the BWS is asking island residents to conserve water by the amount that is wasted by diverting perfectly good fresh water into the ocean.

It is time for the governor and the Hawai'i Supreme Court to revisit the issue of where the water goes and whether it makes sense to dump our most precious of resources into the ocean. With the tremendous development of the Leeward Coast, it would seem prudent to provide water to our Leeward aquifers to provide for the residents' needs.

Lingle hasn't done anything about prices

On Aug. 26, The Honolulu Advertiser printed an Island Voices column by Howard J.T. Lee, a business consultant, about some ways to cut gasoline prices. It was interesting and had some very good points.

I'm sure Gov. Linda Lingle, her administration and the big oil companies didn't like it. Hawai'i has the highest gasoline prices. They have never gone down, as in other states, but instead have risen ridiculously. Yet since taking office, Lingle has not tried to do anything about them and, more importantly, has not said a word against them. Her administration goes on the assumption that when competition takes place, prices will go down.

That can never happen as long as Chevron and Tesoro are monopolizing the prices. Lingle hoped that new gasoline stations would open and create competition, but instead of that, countless existing stations have closed down. Lingle is beholden to the big oil companies, which have supported her election with big money.

The state Legislature passed the gas cap bill, which is intended to help the consumers. But Lingle will try to repeal it, saying it will cost the consumers more. But she does not offer any other plan to do something about lowering the gasoline prices or to keep the prices from continuing to rise.

During her election campaign, she portrayed herself as a protector of and fighter for the people of Hawai'i. This is not happening, and even her spin doctors can't cover that up. I have a question for the "Democrats for Lingle" people who openly supported her election: What do you think now?

Remember, cancer doesn't discriminate

My whole world fell apart when I heard the word cancer. Cancer was not something new to me; I knew many people who had cancer. What I failed to realize was that cancer doesn't discriminate — it can happen to anyone.

At 21 months old, my daughter Taja was diagnosed with a childhood cancer. It has been over a year and a half now. We are very thankful she is in remission; however, she still has eight more months of chemotherapy treatment.

Through this experience, I have met a lot of children fighting cancer. These children are warriors. The strength I have seen in these children and my daughter has given me courage to continue fighting this battle, with hopes for a cure.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. The Hawaii Children's Cancer Foundation will be giving out gold ribbon teddy-bear pins for a donation of $5 or more. For more information call 528-5161 or visit www.hccf.org.

Administrative salaries must be trimmed back

Your front page of Sept. 2 describes the terrible budget crisis at UH. The article speaks of classes being eliminated, programs being cut across the board. We at UH can attest that all of these horrors are only too real.

But there continues to be one growth area: top administrative salaries. The UH Board of Regents keeps sanctioning the hiring of more people with salaries of $200,000-plus. Everybody knows about the $700,000 President Dobelle receives in salary and expenses and June Jones' astronomic pay package and bonuses, but there are also a whole flock of vice presidents being absurdly overpaid.

It is high time for this nonsense to stop. Let's solve the current budget crisis not by cutting classes for students, but by cutting top administrators' salaries. The Board of Regents should immediately cap all UH salaries at $135,000 (triple Hawai'i's median household income) and use the money saved to make up for the current shortfall.

It is time for people at the top to share in the sacrifices needed to save our university.

'Papa' Lyman had gauge for admission

Sadly, the presence of the late Bishop Estate trustee Richard "Papa" Lyman is missing at such a crucial and critical moment in the history of the Kamehameha Schools. Papa Lyman had a sense that his mission there was to be a servant of H.R.H. Princess Pauahi, and he meant it more than literally.

His colleagues and workers sometimes may not have understood or appreciated the intensity of what that meant to him, but today, I believe, it is and should be the primary basis for the estate, school and its educational and admission programs.

The Kamehameha Schools may be one of the best schools in the Islands and it may have one of the best athletic programs, too, but that is not what Kamehameha is about, according to lengthy discussions I used to have with Papa Lyman in his trustee's office.

To him, it was all about being a part of the legacy of Pauahi and her faith; of learning more of what it means to be Hawaiian and to contribute to the betterment of these ancestral Islands, and to be part of the household of the Kamehamehas. This is what makes that educational institution different and unique from the rest of the schools, both private and public.

I can hear Papa Lyman say, "The young man should be applauded for his determination to get a good education, but that may not be the most compelling reason to be admitted into the Kamehameha Schools." The common denominators of the school are the people, culture, language and faith of its founder, and if the young man had stated that these were his primary desires to be there, it might have strengthened the depth of his claims to being a "hanai."

Eight-minute video helps protect resource

Loretta Monico wrote in her Sept. 2 letter that she wondered what happened to freedom of choice. Well, it appeared over the years that the way even the locals were using the bay was destroying it. True, they were not carrying away all the sand from the beach, just a little on the feet and shoes. However, they also were walking on the coral, even though they should have known how fragile it is.

Thus, the locals as well as other visitors must view the video that provides them with information on how they should treat the bay, as well as safety precautions. Once a year isn't too much to ask for about eight minutes of their time, for the viewers can put themselves on the computerized list that exempts them for a year. The net result — the bay and its remaining and newly growing coral — will be there for their children as well.

As far as the parking being closed at that time, that is what happens during the summer months. Fortunately, the Monicos could park their car down the hill along the highway where they could not park in past years. The police now ignore the cars parked there, which is helpful.

I trust that when the Monicos visit the bay again, they will realize that the controls have been put in place to benefit them now and for the future.

If you wanted war, send check to IRS

War is not free. In addition to the $79 billion approved in April, President Bush is asking for another $87 billion. Together this amounts to almost $600 per person living in the United States.

Since the federal government is already running huge deficits, it is fair to say this war is being fought with borrowed money. I think that if people want this war, they should be willing to pay for it. If the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan really make people feel that much safer, then $600 for each person and his or her dependents is a small price to pay.

It's time for each of us to pay up, because war is not free. You can send your checks to the IRS.

Honolulu shouldn't be viewed as 'expert'

Honolulu as an expert on issues of "traffic, sewage and trash?"

Did you ask the mayor if we were going to show Asian countries how to bury appliances at illegal dumps? Or maybe we can show Asian mayors how to become experts at deferring maintenance on sewer systems while raiding sewer funds to pay for Brunches on the Beach?

Wait, I know, let's show them our taxpayer-subsidized, world-class bus transit system. Maybe they'll be off strike by then so Asian mayors can see how buses can clog our deteriorating roads.

Mililani won't provide the needed test results

It's good we are going to have a test run of the proposed mandatory recycling program. However, I believe the Harris administration carefully picked the location it thought would give it the results it wants.

This trial needs to be conducted in other communities where the demographics will be different. You're not likely to find several generations living under one roof in Mililani, but you will in other parts of the island. The more people under one roof, the more rubbish generated by that household. All of the concerns raised about sanitation have not been addressed for people forced to live in this situation.

Perhaps a rural area and an area such as Waipahu or Kalihi should be tested. The program could be tested on the street I live on, but not everyone along this road has received the automated pickup container. The storing of rubbish along the roadway is commonplace and is already presenting a sanitation problem. To have it picked up only once a week would only compound the situation.

Let's move forward, but in a sensible fashion, not with false test results.