Posted on: Monday, January 19, 2004

Letters to the Editor

War-on-ice article may confuse readers

Your Jan. 13 article "Tax hike not ruled out in war on ice" may give readers the wrong impression of my position on the issue of legislation pertaining to wiretaps.

I did not say that I would sponsor legislation permitting law enforcement to use wiretaps "without court hearings." What I had said was that the legislation I would introduce would seek to permit the use of wiretaps "without adversarial hearings." Such hearings hinder the work of law-enforcement officers because they require an actual hearing before a judge with witnesses and notice to get the suspect.

My legislation would enable a judge to grant immediate permission to law-enforcement officers to use wiretaps upon the presentation of sufficient evidence.

My objective as co-chair of the Joint House-Senate Task Force on Ice and Drug Abatement is to promote the ability of law enforcement to wage an effective war on drugs in Hawai'i while protecting the constitutional rights of the public against any hint of overbearing law-enforcement activity, no matter how well-intentioned.

District board could address local problems

Farrington High School principal Catherine Payne doesn't support the seven district boards being proposed by our governor and wrote, "It would be good if we could keep our focus on students and develop a plan that would lead to excellence and equity for all the youngsters in our public schools" (Letters, Jan. 6).

It wouldn't be just good; it would be terrific.

So when is it going to happen? We on this coast have been waiting for more than 30 years. A district board would be able to focus on solving concerns pertinent to this area:

• The high rate of teacher turnover resulting in high numbers of probationary and noncredentialed teachers.

• The low primary student test scores resulting in high numbers in special-education classes and not earning graduation certificates, and dropouts in secondary schools.

• Enlisting the support of the Kamehameha Schools and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs with public schools on Hawaiian Home Lands.

• Obtaining the same amenities as schools in other districts. (Example: Nanakuli Intermediate and High School waited 20 years for a cafeteria, while Pearl City High School enjoyed a culture and arts auditorium second to none.)

• Addressing the preschool preparedness problem.

Having boards responsible to a particular community district would be a huge improvement over the present system.

Don't persecute mascot for team's shortcomings

I am dismayed to hear criticism of the job that Vili Fehoko does for the Rainbow Warrior football team. Most of it has been about the melee that followed the conclusion of the 'Bows' exciting victory over the University of Houston. I wonder if the people who have criticized Mr. Fehoko actually saw the game, or many others for that matter.

The television coverage that I saw clearly showed Vili trying to keep the peace. He is also shown congratulating Warrior football players for plays they had made. Is this not what any good parent would have done during a youth sporting activity?

It seems to me that the primary responsibility for what happened lies strictly with the players, referees and coaches.

Interscholastic sports were not created only to teach students about sportsmanship, but also to teach them about life itself. In what class can one learn about the virtues of hard work, persistence, motivation and attitude? Are these not the hallmarks of success?

If the University of Hawai'i would like to prove its worth to the community, it should start with the simple gesture of publicly supporting Mr. Fehoko. He should not be the scapegoat for the shortcomings of the players, coaches and referees.

Honolulu's streets have never been worse

I've lived in Honolulu for the last 38 years and I have never seen our city streets as deplorable as they are today.

Ala Moana and Dillingham boulevards, Kalihi Street, other streets in Kalihi and other places are so bad that I have to drive carefully to avoid those big potholes and prevent damage to my car. The neglect in the proper maintenance of these streets has been obvious during the last eight years.

I agree with the editorial of Jan. 15 that our mayor placed his priority in projects that are less "basic and mundane." His administration was obviously focused onÊprojects that were geared toward his occupation of Washington Place.

I hope the next mayor of the City & County of Honolulu will make decisions based on the interest and welfare of the people of Honolulu and not on his political future.

Cutting taxes leads to a better economy

Your Dec. 29 editorial regarding the alleged fragile national economic recovery deserves a response and correction.

One paragraph says "inevitably" we must "turn back" national deficits with tax increases or a cut in recent tax cuts — same thing, by the way. The claim against tax cuts on the economy and government budgets is one of the biggest falsehoods perpetrated by liberals and sustained by the mainstream media.

The truth is, empirical evidence shows tax cuts grow the economy and revenue to government. The '60s Kennedy tax cuts for the wealthy and the Reagan income tax cuts of the '80s resulted in just the opposite of what you claim. Those tax cuts grew all segments of the economy and resulted in increased revenue to government.

The deficits in the '80s were created by the fact that Congress spent money faster than it came in; nevertheless, tax cuts benefited government and the American people.

The current Bush tax cuts once again have resulted in economic recovery. The current national deficits can be partly attributed to the fact we are a nation at war. The war is a world war that has been declared on us.

The punch line is that the best way to improve the Hawai'i economy is to cut back state spending and cut taxes. Please join us in insisting we cut the state's cruel taxes on the poor, sick and hungry.

Adam Smith said it over 200 years ago and it is still true. Tax cuts do grow economies and result in increased tax revenue.

I love you guys for being sincere liberals. Reading The Advertiser editorial page every morning truly gets me amped up even more than a cup of coffee.

State, city restrooms: from bad to worse

Your front-page article on the neglected and unsanitary conditions of state public toilet facilities was excellent and was just missing one final line: The City & County of Honolulu restrooms are even worse and one more reason that tourists are finding other places to spend their money.

Fred Hemmings was major part of surfing

I read "Before the money, there was Makaha" (Jan. 9) with interest but was utterly disappointed by its glaring omission in failing to mention the person who is probably most responsible for making surfing the world-recognized sport it is today. It is hard to imagine how anyone could write a story that is supposed to be about the Makaha International Surfing Championship without mentioning Fred Hemmings.

I don't know what the author's personal feelings may be with regard to Mr. Hemmings or whether he might harbor any ill-feelings toward him, but objectivity requires that he at least report the facts. The facts are that Fred Hemmings was a regular participant in the Makaha International Surfing Championships throughout the '60s and took first place four times and second place four times. He won first in 1961, 1963, 1964 and 1966 and second in 1965, 1967, 1968 and 1969.

It is ironic that the large photo that accompanied the story was taken during the 1964 championship contest, which Fred won. He is the first person on the left appearing in that picture.

Might I suggest a follow-up story about how the other surfing events, such as the Duke Kahanamoku Classic and the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, which featured large purses, brought worldwide attention, professionalism and innovation to the sport. That story would most certainly include Fred Hemmings.

Democrats aren't offering competition

Listening to the so-called debates among the seven plus two Democratic dwarfs (Doc, Dopey and Grumpy being the most obvious) each hoping to be the anointed candidate leads me to consider just sitting out the 2004 election. The incumbent President Bush can win by default and with his new, expanded theocracy in place, proclaim himself a new ayatollah.

The dwarfs have made the required pilgrimage to Atlanta for the ring (spelled King) kissing, groveled at the NAACP convention, are off to New York to outdo each other promising more aid to Israel, then the required trip west to some plowing contest to beg for the agricultural vote and maybe a swing by the southern border to say a few words in high school Spanish. What is a poor voter to do?

A plague on all your houses may be the only answer.

Move jobs to people, not people to jobs

The Advertiser's Jan. 10 editorial in favor of rail transit is one of the poorest I have ever read in 30-some years.

To say that "all great cities provide sophisticated transit ... because providing world-class amenities is what makes cities great" is much like a religious zealot saying, "My religion is true because my religion's holy book says so."

"Neighbor Islanders will need to be persuaded (to pay)"? What about Windward O'ahu residents? Or anyone who questions a railroad line ending in Iwilei?

And to be "weary of the naysayers who oppose such a system because it won't cure O'ahu's growing traffic problems" boggles my mind. How can anyone advocate a "traffic solution" knowing it will not solve the traffic problem?

I think too many people are still asking the wrong question. It's not "How do we get all these people from Pearl City to Honolulu?" but rather "How can we reduce the need for all these people to get from Pearl City to Honolulu?"

My answer is to move 10 percent or 15 percent of jobs from Honolulu to 'Aiea, Pearl City, Waipahu, Mililani, Kapolei and Wahiawa. A very good start would be to build the West O'ahu campus, something that is needed anyway.

Aulik story attests to need for power shift

Thank you for the remarkable — yet tragic — story of David Aulik, the temporary athletic director of Kealakehe High School on the Big Island ("DOE bureaucracy strikes again," Jan. 11). The story is remarkable because, although four other athletic directors before him resigned because the job was too difficult, he has succeeded in activating and channeling the enthusiasm of students, their parents and the entire community.

A total of 550 students now participate in athletics, whereas previously there were only 80. The story is also tragic because, although Aulik would like to continue at his post, the Department of Education has determined he is not qualified for the job, and he is being terminated.

This story is a microcosm of the tragedy of public education in Hawai'i. The principal of Kealakehe High School recognizes the outstanding job that Aulik has done. Yet the principal does not have complete authority to decide whom to hire as athletic director. That decision is limited by those higher up in the DOE bureaucracy, who have established requirements for athletic directors. Never mind that Aulik has been enormously successful. He does not meet all of the experience requirements.

Ideally, the principal of Kealakehe High School should be able to hire Aulik. Moreover, the principal should be able to make all of the decisions affecting the quality of education delivered by the school. However, as in the case of the athletic director, many of the decisions that impact educational quality are being made by bureaucrats in the upper levels of the DOE who don't fully understand the conditions facing the schools. The wrong people are making too many decisions.

The Citizens Achieving Reform in Education committee has made recommendations to reorganize public education in Hawai'i to shift decision-making to the school level. The public should give serious consideration to these recommendations.