Drain spouts should tie into sewer system

Your July 28 article on sewer lines caught my interest because Hawai'i's policy regarding water drainage is in direct contrast to the water policy of San Francisco, where I used to live.

In Hawai'i, water from a home's drain spout is banned from entry into the sewage system, whereas in San Francisco, home drain spouts are connected directly to the sewer system. Water from home drain spouts is clean. Any sewage system benefits from large amounts of clean flushing water (that's why we flush toilets with water).

Hawai'i allows only dirty, clogging sludge to enter into the sewage system, and that, perhaps, could be one reason why we are encountering some of the sewage problems we now have.

No Child law isn't linked with P.E. debate

I can certainly agree with Donald Weisman's view that "PE classes (are) critical to education" (July 29 commentary). However, I must take issue with his inference that somehow President Bush's No Child Left Behind federal law is responsible for the "lack of focus on PE" in Hawai'i's school system.

Weisman suggests that the law impacts adversely on the obesity epidemic that already affects one out of every four children in Hawai'i. In addition, I must also say that I am extremely disappointed that an official of the American Heart Association would add to the partisan drumbeat against No Child by injecting it into the very serious issue of adolescent obesity in Hawai'i.

The DOE was so concerned about any reduction in PE as part of the high school graduation requirements that it held 19 public meetings throughout the state. The public outcry against reducing PE was so great the DOE recommended to the Board of Education that PE not be reduced. As an alternative, it was decided by the board to boost the required credits for graduation to 24 from 22 and not to reduce PE.

As long as the people have a meaningful voice in our school system, PE will not and should not be reduced.

Weisman darkly hinted that PE requirements will be reduced in our middle schools by a policy "adopted last year behind the scenes." That charge needs further explanation.

Have toll roads up during peak hours

Regarding my plan to turn H-1, H-2 and H-3 into toll roads for single occupant cars: I have a few new ideas that might help alleviate any criticism.

First, we would only need the tolls during peak hours. Specifically, between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. and between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., we could have the tolls on single-occupant passenger cars. Any car with two or more people would be exempt from the toll.

Conceivably, this might take quite a few cars off the freeways during rush hours. Between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., there would be no tolls. This would give people a chance to go to the doctor, or whatever, during off-peak hours with no new tax. Toll booths could be built at the beginning of the freeways and near on-ramps that could be staffed by people paid from the tolls collected; they could work a split shift.

This plan would also save gasoline, which is probably going to increase in price as we wage the war on terror and oil becomes more scarce. This plan could conceivably do much to ameliorate our traffic congestion during peak hours without the government passing new taxes, or greatly tying up traffic with construction projects. People like the independence provided by their cars; if we built some sort of rapid transit, we would have no guarantee that people would use it.

Maybe we should give toll roads a try, since they would not cost the reasonable and prudent taxpayers much extra money.

Fox letter ignored important information

Galen Fox (Letters, Aug. 2) failed to mention that California's financial woes were exacerbated by unlawful and fraudulent activity on behalf of power and utility companies that cost the state tens of millions of dollars. These same companies were major contributors to the Republican Party and have friends in high places in our current administration (does the term "secret meetings" ring a bell?).

As such, it seems patently unfair to place all of the blame for California's problems on Gray Davis "just because he was there" any more than it would be fair to give Gov. Lingle all of the credit for Hawai'i's remarkable economic trends "just because she is there."

Folks like Galen Fox are quick to place blame, but slow to share credit.

Frank Fasi's race for mayor welcome

It is real nice to see that former Mayor Frank Fasi is going to run this year for mayor. He's at his 84th birthday, and I give him the best wishes for working on his campaign with his own two hands (e.g., putting his "shaka" signs together).

Fasi has proven that age does not matter in what you want to accomplish. Drive, persistence and determination are big components for a good fight in a mayoral race.

A big smile is on my face. He's one person who does not give up, and I like that!

Mother's wisdom is still a great mystery

End pieces of a loaf of bread are usually called "heels."

Most of us don't eat the heels. We throw them away.

In my childhood, my mother would make us eat the heels at dinner.

She would tell us that a lot of people were starving, so we had to eat the heels instead of throwing them out. She said that would be wasteful.

I still eat the bread heels, but I still don't know how this keeps people from starving.

Health centers help to curb increase in costs

A recent report by the National Association of Community Health Centers showed that 36 million Americans — many with private insurance coverage — have no access to healthcare. They live in inner cities or in isolated rural communities. But no matter where they live, their story is the same: They can't get healthcare because there aren't enough doctors in their communities who are willing or able to care for them.

However, unlike many of the problems in our healthcare system, something is actually being done to address this one. Community health centers, which are already the primary medical source for almost 15 million people, are in the midst of the largest expansion in their history.

The Waikiki Health Center is no exception. Patient-visit growth is approaching 30 percent, with nearly 60 percent of its patients being uninsured.

Now is the time to invest in our nonprofit community health centers — because every dollar spent on health centers nets tangible results and cost savings: healthier communities, reduced health disparities, reduced chronic disease and fewer stays in expensive hospital rooms — all of which leads to lower healthcare costs.

Perhaps the greatest testament to the success of health centers is that while debates about healthcare can often reach a bitter partisan pitch, Democrats and Republicans are routinely unified in support for investing in community health centers. As evidence of this support, the U.S. House and Senate recently introduced bipartisan resolutions that officially recognized Aug. 8 to Aug. 14 as National Health Center Week.

National Health Center Week is set aside each year for communities and elected officials to visit a local health center and learn more about a healthcare model that doesn't just keep communities healthy and disease-free, but also keeps them strong and vibrant.

The Waikiki Health Center is having an open house next week (Aug. 9 to Aug. 13). I recommend going there and learning more about a healthcare solution that is affordable and accessible.

Criticism of lab unwarranted

The recent criticism (Letters, July 27) of the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA) in West Hawai'i is an unwarranted attack on a model of progressive and responsible administration of state assets.

It also misses some important facts.

The facts are that tenants at NELHA are at the forefront of applying the deep-sea water drawn from the ocean to conduct cutting-edge marine science, aquaculture and renewable-energy projects. We are proud of these companies and will continue to support and encourage their development.

I just returned from a business trip to China, where we actively marketed NELHA's capabilities as one of the world's premier marine and ocean sciences centers.

However, the proposition that NELHA should be restricted to so-called pure science and technology projects ignores the vast and diverse potential of the state's resources there. It would also be fiscally irresponsible management of state assets.

The deep-sea water drawn from almost a mile under the surface of the ocean is a resource that is applicable to both scientific and commercial uses. The state has invested over $120 million to make this resource available. The state continues to make general fund appropriations to NELHA as it has never reached the point of operational break-even (not even counting any repayment of state CIP bonds used for construction).

The commercial applications criticized by Messrs. Clark Liu and Philip Moravick have made NELHA very close to being economically self-sufficient. This decreases NELHA's dependence on the state's taxpayers and allows more investments into potential scientific applications — the exact activities the writers praise.

There is no doubt that NELHA's future will be in developing technologies and solutions to the world's food and energy challenges. To get there, however, NELHA needs to develop more cash flow from its operations.

The 140 acres of lava rock at NELHA is being transformed into a technological and commercial park with a host of exciting scientific and business enterprises. Companies engaged in developing and selling deep-ocean water operate in a complementary manner with their neighbors and bring financial stability and progress to NELHA.

Hawai'i should be proud of a state agency finding creative ways to develop commercial applications within its mandated activities. From a fiscal standpoint, this is responsible management.