Posted on: Wednesday, December 15, 2004

Letters to the Editor

This holiday season, let's all drive safely

Holiday driving is here, and since we have had so many vehicle accidents in this state, a deep concern is appropriate.

I barely understand the rationale for drinking and driving. I guess people think they are indestructible, especially when fortified with alcohol or drugs. People don't seem to realize that an automobile is a potential killing machine — as we have been seeing too much in this state.

I live near King and Punahou streets, which has been said to be one of the most dangerous intersections in the state, a thing I think about as I go through the intersection. And not only are cell phones a distraction while driving, but so also are stereos and alcohol.

I have known several people killed in auto accidents. The efforts of MADD and the ads on TV seem to have little effect. I hope I am wrong in thinking this. We have no "undo" buttons to our lives as we do with computers. Car accident fatalities cannot be undone. And they are a source of loss for unknown families and friends.

Saying Hawaiians are a burden lacks aloha

It was initially unclear if George Berish, when writing about a Hawai'i with no Hawaiians (Letters, Dec. 8), was referring to the result of ethnic genocide or a discovery of the Islands without the aboriginal people. However, it was very easy to interpret his letter as supporting ethnic genocide when he referred to the absence of Hawaiians as a "relief from the massive government and tax expenditures ... "

Berish fails to recognize that it is the commonalities among Hawaiian, Fijian, Samoan and Tahitian cultures that allow local tourism to implement elements of those cultures here in Hawai'i as parts of the collective Polynesian culture.

In response to his Kamehameha Schools tax-exemption comment, I wonder how much more it would cost the state to educate all students currently enrolled at Kamehameha.

Suggesting that a single ethnic group is a burden to taxpayers and encouraging readers to imagine the absence of that same entire group lacks aloha — the very thing Berish says would remain and claims to value. Ethnic extinction is not aloha, and I hope Advertiser readers know that.

Our transportation needs an overhaul

There are a number of things that we can do to improve both our traffic and our environment. Public transportation should be expanded with either light rail or more buses and should be free. It should be paid for with an increase in the gasoline tax. This financial carrot-and-stick would encourage many to shift from cars to public transportation.

Untangling our gridlocked traffic would improve the gas mileage of the cars remaining on the road and help get everyone to where they are going quicker. It would also be a good marketing tool for tourism: "From your hotel to Diamond Head: free. The view: priceless."

O'ahu should build an extensive network of safe bike lanes and should encourage workplaces to provide showers and lockers for employees who ride bikes to work. O'ahu could then market itself to tourists interested in cycling and could develop a bike rental industry. Paid parking lots, large employers and/or high-rise office buildings, neighborhood associations and private schools should be required to coordinate the formation of car and van pools.

Newspapers should allow free classified ads in their online editions and ideally also in the hard-copy editions for ride-sharing as a public service. Suburban shopping centers should be required to allow 5 percent of their parking lots to be used for park-and-ride bus or carpool parking.

Biodiesel, electric and hybrid cars should be allowed to use HOV lanes even with only one occupant to encourage a shift to these cleaner technologies. Finally, we should continue with the plans to add locally produced alcohol to our imported gasoline, reducing the amount of oil that we must import.

Let's get working on this.

Australia shows us how to deal with aging

Reading the articles about aging in America, Hawai'i in particular, scared the hell out of me. I just came back from Australia where I buried my mother, who had been very ill and was on kidney dialysis for the past 10 years. My mom did not pay a dime for her 10-year dialysis treatment and her hospitalization in Australia (she was hospitalized for seven weeks before her death).

While at her home (yes, she still had her home while getting government services), these are the services she received for free or at little cost: visits from the social worker/nurse (free); medic alert and burglary alarm (free); renovation to her house to accommodate her (minimal price); housekeeping and yard help at $3 per hour; taxi service at 50 percent off; and pick-up for her kidney dialysis for free.

She did not have to sell her house or other assets to receive all these benefits. It proves that universal care works at its finest.

When are we going to follow suit? The Monash University hospital was spanking clean, and the staff was extraordinarily helpful and polite. Yes, my mom got a private room (she did pay a little extra for additional insurance for this). They couldn't believe me when I told them what we, the U.S. citizens, have to do to get government services — we have to declare ourselves a pauper. Would I pay as much tax as the Australians and other commonwealth countries to pay for these services when we need them? You bet I would.

In the end, citizens benefit from these services, and not all goes to the big health corporations.

Mufi's comment on 'E' buses frightening

Mufi Hannemann states in the Saturday story "Mufi: I'll change routes of 'E' buses" that the new E-route buses are competing with private bus companies, so he will stop using them. Does this mean he will eventually ban all city buses in Waikiki? Make all the tourists and local workers take cabs? That is a frightening thought.

While I agree with him using these big buses on other routes, just what routes do not compete with private companies? Do we all have to go out and buy a car (SUV?) in preparation for the eventual bus downgrade? As letter writer Christine Loftus (Letters, Dec. 11) said, "the issue is about moving people (not cars)."

Brilliant students don't need extra help

Regarding Lik Chee Kwong's Dec. 13 letter about public schools giving special treatment to the mentally challenged but not to brilliant students: There are several federal and state laws that provide for the education of everybody, no matter their disability.

Until there are laws giving special treatment for brilliant students, don't expect any special treatment from public schools. Brilliant students should be able to find their own enrichment at the library and through other public resources. Mentally disabled students have a right to become brilliant, too.

Great team play

Mahalo to the Wahine volleyball team for a very great year of faith, spirit, sportsmanship and team support of each other. To Susie, Alicia, Tara, Tesia, Ashley, Victoria, Kari, Kanoe, Julieana, Kelly, Melody, Cayley, Racceen and the coaching staff: You showed everyone what a team-player sport is all about. See you next year for another exciting and astonishing season.

Friendship city ties with Pyongyang good

The Nov. 21 article "'Sister cities' helps open doors" was incomplete. Sean Hao left out an important initiative of the City & County of Honolulu's Office of Economic Development called friendship cities.

Recently our global studies class visited with the OED director. While there, we were amazed to learn that there are 42 friendship city initiatives. These programs are for the noble purposes of peace, friendship and understanding in support of normalization of government exchanges between two cities.

We were most interested to find that for the first time, a friendship city proposal was made to Pyongyang, North Korea, last spring. We find this particular proposal interesting because North Korea is an isolated communist country and a part of the "axis of evil." Friendship city relations with Pyongyang are good because they would promote peace with the two cities. At the same time, they would create a problematic image of support from Hawai'i for North Korea's horrendous treatment of its people. However, our class supports this initiative because we believe it's a step toward improving communication and creating a brighter future for our cities.

Abercrombie missed key intelligence vote

I don't mean to come across as a sore loser, but in the first significant vote in Congress following his re-election, where was Neil Abercrombie? The much-debated bill that restructured the intelligence-gathering community, including the creation of the new post of intelligence director, passed the House on Dec. 7 by a 336-75 margin. Abercrombie missed the vote.

I learned this on a new Web site — www.neilwatch.info — administered by former Abercrombie campaign leader Ken Armstrong and designed to monitor the congressman's activities. I think it's an excellent way for voters in the First Congressional District to track their representative's performance.

Library lunacy

The loss of priceless, irreplaceable items from Hamilton Library begs the question: Why on Earth would you store such treasures on the first floor of a building in perhaps the wettest area (Manoa) of the island? Auwe!

Hamamoto's criticism of DOE budget premature

We strongly object to comments made by Superintendent of Schools Patricia Hamamoto regarding Gov. Lingle's budget plans for 2005-2007 ("Lingle plan cuts special-ed teachers," Dec 10).

First and foremost, Ms. Hamamoto's comments were pure speculation. The governor has not released her budget because discussions are still under way. If the superintendent wants to criticize the governor's budget plans, she should wait until the actual figures are announced on Dec. 20.

The public deserves to know the facts.

And the facts are that each year the department's budget is adjusted to reflect the estimated number of students who will be enrolled in Hawai'i's public schools. The number of children, including those with special-education needs, is expected to decline, according to the Department of Education's own figures. Adjusting the teacher count to reflect enrollment is a standard budget practice that has been followed for years. No actual teachers will lose their jobs given that the DOE currently has numerous teaching vacancies to fill.

Why wasn't this information included in The Advertiser article? The reporter claimed no one in the governor's office was available to explain the facts. That is simply not true. The reporter has dealt with the communications office for years and knows our phone numbers. He has known my (Klompus') cell number since 1997 when we both worked on Maui. My cell phone is on 24/7/365. This administration's policy is never to give "no comment." It is interesting that the other O'ahu newspaper was able to get a comment from the governor's staff.

Negotiating budget issues in the press is the worst form of government. We in the administration thought we had passed that stage in our relationship. At least on Friday Superintendent Hamamoto acknowledged that it was "unfortunate" that she was asked to discuss the budget when details were still under discussion. Let's hope she does not put herself in that position again.