Posted on: Tuesday, April 20, 2004

Letters to the Editor

Ratu Mara contributed much to region, world

On behalf of the entire East-West Center community, I want to express our deep sadness over the passing of Ratu Sir Kamisese Kapaiwai Tuimacilai Mara.

Ratu Mara was a great leader of his family, his country, the Pacific islands region and the world. As a visionary who sought to build regional cooperation in the Pacific islands region and between the islands and the broader world, he was an active and strong supporter of the East-West Center. He was the longest-tenured member of the Board of Governors of the East-West Center, serving from 1976 to 1986 and 1998 to 2001.

He was a founder of the center's Pacific Islands Development Program in 1980. He served as the first chair of the Conference of Leaders from 1980 to 1987, and he stepped in again as acting chair in 2000-2001 at a critical time when the conference had lost both its chair and vice chair.

Thanks to his vision, intellectual stimulation and guidance, the Pacific Islands Development Program is today a vital organization providing practical analysis for action by island leaders and linking the Pacific island nations with the larger Asia-Pacific region.

We will always remember Ratu Mara for his dedication to all the people of Fiji and for his idealism, humility, unfailing courtesy, warm humor and shrewd observations about life.

We extend our deepest sympathies to his wife, Ro Adi Lady Lala Mara, and the members of his family. He has left an enormous vacuum in our hearts.

Athletes should first look to themselves

On April 14, Nick Smith asked for help in getting the Wai'anae High School track area, bleachers and locker rooms repaired. His letter was well written. His ability to analyze and communicate should be commended.

Any student can change the course of the history of the world if he so chooses. Nick, get a clean-up crew among your fellow students. Clean up the locker room, repaint it and enlist the aid of local volunteers to do the needed repairs on the bleachers. Do fund-raisers for needed materials and supplies. Learn not only organizational skills, carpentry and maintenance skills, but methods of raising community support for funding projects and the satisfaction of seeing a job well done.

Let's see young people doing constructive things and demonstrate to the powers that be that Wai'anae youth deserve the support in getting the repairs done that they cannot do themselves.

Nick, accept the challenge and get things moving. You can do it!

Kalaniana'ole Highway traffic bursting at seams

At an April 14 meeting concerning Kalaniana'ole Highway traffic, we learned that between Hawai'i Kai and the freeway at Kahala, the highway is traveled by the maximum number of cars that the highway was built to support.

Not only are the residents along the corridor between Hawai'i Kai and 'Ainakoa suffering noise and inconvenience, but their health, safety and welfare are in jeopardy.

The question discussed at the meeting was, what can be done to relieve the present situation? It appears that the only solution is to stop adding traffic, which increases with more housing in Hawai'i Kai.

Every public official at the meeting agreed that the solution was to stop issuing building permits; however, at this point, the finger-pointing began.

The state officials said "we do not issue the permits, that's the city; we can't do anything." That's a cop-out. I bet if the state filed a lawsuit asking for an injunction to stop the issuance of building permits on the basis that Kalaniana'ole Highway, a state highway, was already so overcrowded that it is a serious threat to the public health, safety and welfare, it would be successful.

If the city and the state are so intimidated by the developers that they cannot properly protect the public's interest, then they should both ask the courts for protection. You cannot keep adding more traffic to the highway; the cup is full, and the traffic is spilling into the corridor neighborhoods and causing serious problems.

The finger-pointing should stop. The agencies should work together to solve the problem and not bury their heads in the sand and simply point to the other guy.

Use your turn signals

Front and rear turn signals were first introduced on passenger automobiles in 1940. That's 64 years, folks. Wouldn't one think that would be sufficient time for Hawai'i's drivers to learn how and when to use them — especially drivers of commercial and official vehicles? Help prevent accidents and road rage. Use your turn signals whenever you change lanes, merge into or out of traffic, or do any other turn or change of direction. Thank you.

Kamehameha Schools should be doing more

I found Haunani Apoliona's April 16 commentary very interesting. While I agree that our public education system has a lot of room to improve, I think the basis for OHA joining the fray for public education reform is flawed.

Kamehameha Schools is one the best schools in the nation. It has great teachers and top-notch facilities. The best and the brightest Hawaiians are allowed to attend for a fraction of the actual cost. If the best of the best are taken from the population in public school, of course the statistics will make things appear very gloomy.

Please do not get me wrong. I fully support the efforts of Kamehameha Schools and OHA. I think that Hawaiians should be "paid back" for transgressions against them in the past. And I totally agree that there is so much more that can be done with public education. And I'm certainly not blaming the teachers in this issue.

While I don't think it's my place to tell Kamehameha Schools how to run its institution, I would like to offer my two cents. I honestly believe they are not truly helping the Hawaiians who desperately need the most help. The Hawaiians with learning difficulties and lower income need the most help.

While 15 percent of the admittance comes from lower-income and orphaned Hawaiians, from my understanding it's only the best and the brightest getting accepted. The best and the brightest already have a great chance at succeeding, but I think Princess Bishop would want to help all Hawaiians, especially those who are struggling and need that extra attention and assistance.

If Kamehameha Schools would put some more emphasis on all Hawaiians and not just the most competitive Hawaiians, it would help the whole community.

Lingle trying to deceive public on HGEA raise

In her April 8 open letter to state employees, Gov. Linda Lingle said the HGEA rejected her offer of a 4 percent raise. We never rejected it because she never offered it to us.

She offered zero-zero, month after month. Only when we entered arbitration did she up the ante to zero the first year and 1 percent the second year, but with no step movements, no credit for the two years of work toward future step movements, and no change to the vacation and sick-leave benefits for our newly hired fellow members.

Gov. Lingle is trying to deceive us and the public from placing the blame where it should be, on her. She didn't put any reasonable offer on the table, and now she is trying to make it look as if my fellow negotiators and I rejected her "generous" offer.

We initiated negotiations with then-Gov. Cayetano on Sept. 26, 2001. The lame-duck governor was in no hurry to settle, so he passed the ball to Lingle. Her new chief negotiator, Ted Hong, asked for time to get things in order, which we allowed, but things did not improve. For 11 months, they stalled every time we requested to meet. When we did meet, we sat hour after hour at the table, stymied by their refusal to make any salary offer or to address cost issues.

We entered arbitration on Jan. 12 after 27 months of trying to negotiate. The employers claimed they could afford only 1 percent. The arbitrators looked at the proof and gave us 5 percent. Employers tried to kill step movements. Arbitrators looked at the proof and continued the merit steps. Employers wanted a permanent two-tier leave system. Arbitrators looked at the proof and got rid of it.

State is falling down on education responsibility

I greatly admire the parents of Moanalua and La'ie elementary schools for doing what the state government should be doing, providing textbooks for our children.

I am greatly disappointed in Department of Education spokesman Greg Knudsen's comment that "We hope they don't feel that it's not the state not fulfilling their obligation, but a way that they can contribute to and support their children's education."

That's absolutely ridiculous.

Of course the state is not fulfilling its obligation. The basic foundation for our education system is to provide the proper facilities, current textbooks and well-trained and motivated teachers. While the DOE may not have control over these basic items, the state government certainly does.

I am embarrassed that our state will not provide these services while our children, who are our future, suffer.

I hope the article on the lack of current textbooks gets wide dissemination throughout the nation, since that should serve as a notice to anyone who has children and is considering moving here to reconsider or to look into the private-school system.

C-17s would make life unbearably noisy

In the April 16 article "FAA against Kalaeloa as C-17 landing site," it is noted that "C-17s are much louder when they land than commercial jets" and that whichever site is chosen will be hearing an estimated 60 landings and takeoffs per month.

Col. Ray Torres is quoted as saying that the public will not notice an increase in noise because each of the possible sites is well away from the communities.

Apparently Col. Torres has never been to Marine Corps Base Kane'ohe and does not live in Kane'ohe nor know anyone who does. The airstrip there is less than one mile from the community of Kane'ohe (in some cases just a few hundred yards) and residents already are overwhelmed with the roar of jets (and helicopters) night and day. The landing strip is upwind of the community and the noise is easily carried on the prevailing tradewinds.

The C-17s are noticeably louder than what Kane'ohe already puts up with. I'm sure most if not all residents of Kane'ohe strongly support our folks in uniform, but Col. Torres' comment is wildly incorrect.

Hawai'i's gasoline prices are at appropriate levels

Recent letters from George Fox, Warren Higa and Morton Brown exemplify how seductive it is to believe that gas prices and price controls are a simple issue.

The simple answer to Brown's question about Costco pricing is that Costco does not rely on gasoline for its profitability any more than a supermarket relies on bread and milk. Costco is a danger to your future ability to get gas where and when you need it.

The fact is that Hawai'i prices are not any higher than they should be. You read that correctly. Anyone can go to the AAA (the most cited source) and look at gas prices all over the country. Then they need to find the appropriate gas taxes for the places they choose, which vary from 26 to 60 cents. I'm sure we can all agree that taxes are not a part of the "price" we should be complaining about. If you do that, it should persuade you to rethink what you've been hearing about Hawai'i gas prices.

On April 12, the exercise above revealed that, after subtracting taxes, Honolulu prices were 10 percent above the national average. One of the lowest prices west of the Rockies (Portland) was 7.5 percent above the national average. Many locations in the West were 20 percent (or more) above the national average; none were at or below it. The Neighbor Islands were 20 to 25 percent above the national average.

If you also subtract something more for shipping and the higher cost of doing business here, Hawai'i prices start to look like a downright bargain.

To expect to force Hawai'i prices lower with a law should not make any common sense to you. Hawai'i prices are stable and right about where they ought to be. But if you want to live in a world of conspiracy theory and hate, then listen to those who prefer to ignore the basic facts and fuel public outrage with "simple" conclusions.