Queen's only hospital that is trauma center

Regarding the Jan. 10 letter by Horatio Albert Bustos: O'ahu has many hospitals, but only one is designated as a trauma center.

The Queen's Medical Center has been named as a Level 1 trauma facility. The other facility that can be a Level 1 trauma center is Tripler Army Medical Center. The other hospitals can handle trauma situations to attempt to stabilize a life-threatening situation and then transport to a Level 1 facility able to continue trauma care.

In the situation of the Pali Golf Course shooting victim who was taken to Castle Medical Center, the paramedics made a wise choice because, based on what I read in the paper, he was the most critical and the closest medical facility was warranted. The other victims were a little more stable to transport to Queen's. Paramedics have the tools to sustain life in a pre-hospital setting, but in the case of the first victim who died, he was very, very unstable.

Light-rail plan's lack of vision is suspect

The light-rail plan is what would ordinarily be a long-term vision for what a transit system would look like when it is completed, typically a couple of decades after starting.

Inasmuch as there are no examples anywhere of such, I believe there are incentives for its implementation that are not self-evident and have not a whole lot to do with transportation.

These incentives could be about the largess of subsidy from the federal government, or about the precedent of raising the excise tax, or about the property values that will be affected by the route of the system, and, possibly, about the political expedient of doing something rather than nothing.

The reality is the economy of our state, largely dependent on hospitality, retailing and government itself, cannot generate the kinds of tax revenue that are needed to pay for a real transit system. Indeed, it can hardly pay for repairing potholes.

Fundamentals show light rail impractical

I have witnessed an escalating debate about the proposed light rail (a pipe dream) as a solution for Honolulu's increasing traffic congestion. I think it is time we revisited the fundamentals:

• Politicians and their bankrollers continue to build on this already-congested metropolis, instead of promoting an island paradise with palm trees, open spaces and expansive beaches that attract tourists. Further development only makes the problem worse.

• An overhead light-rail system is impractical for a congested city. An underground system in the city with a transition to an overhead system in the outskirts is more reasonable.

• There is no reason that the Neighbor Islanders should be forced to pay for Honolulu's problems. In fact, I do not see why any private citizen should have to pay for it. The feds pay for most of it. The rest of the money can be raised from floating bonds (assuming that the city's credit is in good standing), with a decent coupon rate, payable by funds garnered from the sale of tickets and tolls.

Why do our politicians (both Republican and Democrat) always think in terms of taxation?

Potholes resulted from poor road maintenance

Everyone is talking about potholes, and nobody seems to have any explanation as to why, other than the fact that there's been a lot of rain. Give me a break! The problem is simple and easily explained.

Prior to Jeremy Harris becoming mayor, the city repaired 220 to 240 lane miles of road every year using the city's general operating funds. Upon becoming mayor in 1992, Harris basically stopped repairing roads, and after four years in office had repaired only 40 miles of roadway. When he was actually forced to repair a road, he called the repair a "capital improvement" so he could borrow the money and divert operating funds toward his many "look at me" pet projects. That borrowed money costs $1.70 for every dollar borrowed.

Right now there are an estimated 1,700 lane miles that need resurfacing. The problem with roads is that once a road deteriorates, pothole fixes don't work and it can't even be resurfaced. It has to be totally dug up, down to the underlying substrate, and rebuilt, a much more expensive job.

For lack of routine maintenance, we are now faced with an overwhelming and expensive problem and ranked as having some of the worst roads for a major metropolitan area. Can you say "vehicle registration tax hike"?

Young Street bikeway would benefit everyone

City Council members must fund the Young Street bike trail.

It should be imperative that residents and bike riders alike be given the opportunity to increase their quality of life as well as the environment's without the great dangers of bike riding that exist today.

Redeveloping a trail that extends from Mo'ili'ili Field to Thomas Square would provide street improvements to this strong corridor, such as wide bike lanes and tree plantings that can benefit everyone and increase the value of existing infrastructure.

Please support the bike trail.

Drug paraphernalia editorial a bit screwy

Again I became upset after reading one of your editorials. On Jan. 8, and rightfully so, you championed the recent raid on mom-and-pop stores that have been selling drug paraphernalia. What upset me was the fact that you are again jumping on the bandwagon after-the-fact. Where have you been for the past few years?

Another upsetting aspect to your editorial was the fact that, at the end, you pandered to the local potheads, making it seem that marijuana (hemp) use is acceptable, and that Attorney General John Ashcroft's enforcement of the laws of the United States is somehow wrong.

The day before, you addressed "Third World" mentality, as it applies to road repair. Is it any wonder that the state of Hawai'i equates to a Third World country when your newspaper's editorial positions actually encourage it with your constant support of unions, politicians and practices that support that mentality?

China has a loophole for invading Taiwan

Mr. Michael Le Houllier's well-documented letter of Jan. 12 about the China/Taiwan situation was informative. Unfortunately, he based his opinions on one faulty premise: international law.

Simply stated, China could make a case for invading Taiwan. China could claim Taiwan has a secret cache of WMDs. Thus, it is entitled to pre-emptively take over Taiwan as a measure of China's own self-preservation. Finally, after Taiwan is subjugated but no WMDs are found, China's leaders can say, "What's the difference? The United States has set the precedent."

For international law to work, all nations must recognize its legitimacy. And that includes the United States.

Give Vili a break; he's a great mascot

To all of you complaining about Vili the Warrior, what is your definition of a Warrior (which, by the way, is the school's mascot)? While visiting the Pali Lookout, I read a short recap about the battles that were waged in efforts to unite the Hawaiian Islands. Couple that with the team's identity, and I view Vili as an excellent team mascot.

I mean, the University of Colorado Buffalos have a buffalo called Ralphie, the Texas Longhorns have a longhorn called Bevo, the Florida State Seminoles have a chief called Chief Osceola, and the University of Georgia Bulldogs have two bulldogs, one real called UGA and a costumed one called Hairy Dawg.

So to all those offering their opinion on Vili, what do you suggest the University of Hawai'i mascot be, since they are the Warriors? I mean, when did Gov. Lingle establish a policy making the UH football team the official representative for the entire state? Nobody in the NCAA is considered the face and voice of his state, so why should we act as though Vili and the UH football program are our identity?

As for Vili's behavior, I think if you have sat in the stands for a big-time college football game, you have more than likely witnessed behavior worse than Vili could ever exhibit.

But that's enough ranting about mascots; let me tell you about my encounter with Vili away from the stadium. I was attending last year's NFL experience with my family when we noticed the UH mascot walking around in his Warrior dress. We asked him if we could take a picture with him and he agreed without hesitation. He put on his warrior face and posed for two photos.

Afterward, he thanked us (now that was un-warriorlike) and told us to enjoy ourselves here in Hawai'i. To me, that represents the spirit of Hawai'i. This smells of something other than a mascot who goes too far.

BRT should be started — now

Since as far back as I can remember (I was born and raised in Honolulu), we have always struggled with traffic jams on O'ahu. Over the years, we have added hundreds of miles of roads and highways, and implemented an award-winning bus system. But our growing economy and population have made it seem as if traffic has only gotten worse. In a way, we are the victims of our own success.

While Honolulu doesn't have the worst congestion in the United States, we all agree that we have a traffic problem that is affecting us all. What is the solution?

There are no magic bullets. What we cannot do is to continue our pattern of paralysis by analysis. Hawai'i rejected mass-transit systems proposed in 1967, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1982 and 1992. All would have had significant federal funding. Loss of federal money most notably occurred in 1992, when $618 million in federal funds authorized by Congress for the fixed-guideway rapid-transit project was rejected by the City Council, which canceled the project in a last-minute reversal.

When I attend transportation meetings, transit representatives from other states thank me because every time Hawai'i rejects federal money, it goes into the pockets of other states. If we reject federal funds for projects in the bag now, it will be years before we can credibly ask for federal monies again.

Honolulu needs to move forward with a multi-modal transit plan. Gov. Lingle's task force is proposing a fixed-rail system combined with the Nimitz flyover. Mayor Harris' administration is moving forward with the Bus Rapid Transit system. A ferry system will soon be in operation, and more bike paths will hopefully be built. Additional roads are being added to our island. There is also talk of toll booths and congestion pricing.

All of these systems and policies can work in conjunction with and complement one another.

On the table now is the first phase of Bus Rapid Transit, or BRT. BRT is a major improvement to the city's bus system that is flexible, fully funded, inexpensive in comparison to other transportation systems, and ready for construction. Future segments of the BRT system can serve as a building block for rail or another type of transit once studies are completed and funding is secured. But we need to create a transit infrastructure now, and we have the money now to do it.

As a citizen of Honolulu, I demand to see us make improvements to our quality of life. Our traffic situation and transportation options directly impact that. Looking at where we stand now, and the realistic options on the table, proceeding with BRT's initial segment while continuing to pursue other options is the way to go.