Posted on: Wednesday, January 28, 2004

Letters to the Editor

Shouldn't the police be earning pay raises?

I am outraged by the events in your article "Fugitive's capture cost extra $160,000" (Jan. 22). The article states that police went to gambling houses and drug dens to deter further violence.

Capt. Carlton Nishimura says, "By going to the gambling houses, we established a presence that deterred the factions and the players from causing violence at the games."

God forbid that illegal gamblers or those protecting the games be hurt or killed. Shouldn't the gambling organizations pay for this overtime? They are the ones benefiting from it. Their business continues without interruption.

No arrests at the establishments were noted in your article.

The city needs more taxes to pay for police raises, but shouldn't the police earn it by stopping crime? If police can show a presence at a drug den, aren't they obligated to shut it down? Doesn't this tie into our ice epidemic as well?

A true Hawai'i nation would be independent

In your Jan. 11 Focus section, Clyde Namu'o of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs set forth six steps to the formation of Hawaiian nationhood. What Mr. Namu'o describes is in reality six steps to the formation of a Hawaiian Indian tribe.

Mr. Namu'o's so-called Hawaiian nation would still be subject to all the laws of the United States, and to the judges who have interpreted these laws and to the whims of the federal officialdom, the very same that have been the nemesis of the Hawaiian people for more than 100 years.

Mr. Namu'o, given the history of the United States in its treatment of the Hawaiian people and its treatment of the American Indian, do you really want a Hawaiian Indian tribe?

All that Mr. Namu'o's proposal would accomplish would be to marginalize the Hawaiian people in their own land. The Hawaiian people's problems with the state government are minimal compared to those created by the federal government, even though some so-called Hawaiian activists have in the past attacked local politicians because they were a convenient target for their rhetoric.

What good would another local government subject to all the laws of the United States do the Hawaiian people? Hawai'i has a fully integrated society. We do not need a Hawaiian apartheid. It is not in the Hawaiian culture to be xenophobic.

In a few generations, the largest ethnic group in Hawai'i will be those with Hawaiian blood.

We will have a true Hawaiian nation only when we have a free and independent Hawai'i.

Registry would aid in Hawaiian nationalism

Na Koa Ikaika, a proponent of Hawaiian nationalism and true self-determination for ka po'e Hawai'i for over a decade, supports enrollment in a registry that would be used to begin the process of creating a Hawaiian nation.

We have been assured that the list will be available to those different entities that currently believe they are the one and true Hawaiian nation. This rush to sign up the majority of people to a particular model of government should create excitement and a climate of working together to achieve a goal that all ka po'e Hawai'i support the Hawaiian nation.

More of the grass-roots Hawaiians need to enroll and express actively their ideas for the Hawaiian nation in an open process, which would include working groups on all islands. The current process laid out by OHA has already been challenged by changing the timeline and by demands for complete education.

Before we move to even elect delegates, we must vote on what we actually want in a government. We need to know the advantages and disadvantages of federal recognition. What do we lose? What do we gain? What about a compact of free association? What about the restoration of our internationally recognized Kingdom of Hawai'i? We need the truth, not necessarily the easiest path. What would be best for our children and future generations?

Standing outside of the process and throwing rocks does not win anything. We need to face each other in a forum where all ideas are respected, where we can learn to compromise and work together, where we can create a product that will truly reflect our Hawaiian traditions and heritage.

Mainland doesn't envy Hawai'i's centralization

I am a local girl, living in Denver, who has been following your education stories online. There are several serious misstatements in Joseph Gedan's Island Voices piece of Jan. 23, and one that I would like to clear up. The only part of Hawai'i's statewide school board that is envied on the Mainland is the funding source — Hawai'i's general fund.

Mainland school boards are mostly dependent on property taxes for support. This does cause some differences between areas, and there is a trend for states to step in with monies to even out the differences. But there is no quest to centralize management, as Mr. Gedan falsely claims.

The state's money may come with strings related to testing, and there is extra help for underperforming schools. But our communities are not conceding operational management of their local schools to a statewide body. Rural areas find plenty of qualified people to sit on their school boards, and these smaller districts consistently outperform the larger centralized school systems.

It's the size of schools, not the size of districts

CARE committee member Laura Thielen's assertion that smaller school districts work better is puzzling (Letters, Jan. 24).

All the research I have seen comes to the conclusion that it is the size of the schools, not the district, that makes a difference in student achievement. Indeed, this is why we will be moving toward creating smaller schools within high schools since it is well known that our high schools are far above average in size.

Furthermore, school districts like New York's, the nation's largest, are abolishing their local school boards and going toward one school board. Even the Houston Independent School District, which is touted as a model by the governor's consultants, is larger than the entire state of Hawai'i.

What is conveniently forgotten in the debate over local school boards is that in every state, these boards have taxing authority and, on average, 43 percent of their school budget comes from local taxes, primarily property taxes. Is this what we believe will lead to better student achievement?

Michelle Wie has made Hawai'i proud

What a joy it was watching our homegrown sports star Michelle Wie dazzle the golf world at the tender age of 14. Her much-heralded performance in the Sony Open in Hawai'i was both historic and heartwarming, while providing a major boost for the PGA Tour and our state's visitor industry.

Kudos to Gov. Linda Lingle for working with Sony Corp. to obtain a sponsor's exemption so Michelle could compete in front of her local fans. While the Sony Open is always a popular event, the governor had the foresight and confidence in Michelle's talent to know the young golfer would draw positive international attention for our state, increase attendance by local residents, and give Michelle the respect and attention she deserves.

Michelle proved that she is cut out to compete with the pros and rightfully took her place on the green.

With a quiet grace and charm far beyond her years, this highly talented young lady serves as a wonderful ambassador for Hawai'i and an outstanding role model for girls around the world. Michelle has made Hawai'i proud, and I'm sure we'll be seeing much more of this outstanding local girl.

Too many drivers are ignoring speed limits

Regarding the Jan. 19 article "For seniors, it's a battlefield out there": Any casual observer can easily see why senior citizens (and other pedestrians) are at risk, even if using a crosswalk. There are too many cars and too many drivers of these vehicles ignoring the posted speed limit, not to mention running red lights.

Where speed is posted at 25 mph, speed driven is actually 35. Where 35 mph, speed driven is 45, etc. Just add another 10 to 15 mph to any posted speed limit on O'ahu and you will get the picture.

What irks is a public proposal to increase traffic violation ticketing to help pay for police salaries, instead of focusing on safety as the primary need.

We need to clean house at Honolulu Hale

I concur with Alan Kim's letter (Jan. 27). It indeed was a "cheap shot" by the City Council and the mayor to convene on Christmas Eve to raise the vehicle tax without a proper public hearing.

It is a typical ploy to have the overburdened taxpayer ante up again for the city fiscal shortfalls. Now it is higher vehicle taxes, car repairs from potholes and higher real estate taxes. What next?

I, for one, will not vote for my City Council incumbent. We need a new slate of members with experience on balancing an operating budget without using taxpayers to bail out budget shortfalls. It is easy for the mayor to find money for his pet projects, but not for the deserving HPD officers' pay raise. There are other ways to finance pet projects. Am I a disappointed taxpayer? You betcha.

Where are Democrats on the environment?

As a concerned citizen of this beautiful state, I find it hard to believe the apathy coming from most Democrats and traditional environmentalists. For one, the 2004 Democrat package speaks of nothing regarding the environment — no renewable energy talk, nothing regarding landfills, sewage, or illegal dumping, not even a mention of state park facility improvement and maintenance. The Sierra Club of Hawai'i, regrettably, has hardly been heard from, either.

Does the environment become less important when Republicans want to protect it? Does the fact that Gov. Lingle cares about Hawai'i's natural resources make them less relevant? I would think that cooperation on such an important issue could only lead to making significant headway toward better solutions for Hawai'i.

I hope Democrats and environmentalists won't let a sincere Republican effort chase them away from caring about the environment. It's an important enough issue for all of us to find a way to work together!

We must discourage more vehicles on O'ahu

Our Honolulu road and freeway system is like our cardiovascular system.

In order for our bodies to function and circulate properly, our heart must pump blood from our arteries (freeways) to our veins (streets) and capillaries (neighborhoods), where the process recirculates and begins again.

If our "system" is to function properly within our body (O'ahu), increasing the amount of blood (cars) in our body will not help us become healthy, nor will simply increasing the volume that our system can flow by building more freeways.

Building a double-decker freeway on O'ahu will in fact encourage more auto use by giving drivers the impression that there is more space in which to drive, which is not true. Something must be done to encourage having fewer cars in the system, not more.

The fact is that since we live on a very limited-size island, an increased volume of the arteries will only lead to worse congestion of the veins and capillaries.

Although rail transit is not guaranteed to solve this problem, it is an alternative that should be tried. What is guaranteed is that building faster access into crowded streets will make traffic worse no matter what part of the system we are driving in.

Thunderstorm didn't dampen aloha spirit

On Jan. 23, during the last major thunderstorm, my teenage son's car stalled on Hihimanu Street in Waimanalo. There were several people who offered assistance, but specifically, two very nice ladies named Lei and Terry helped him push his car out of a huge puddle of water and brought him safely to our home in Kailua.

Shortly after, I returned to the scene with my son to tow his car home. A kind gentleman followed us in his truck to be sure we made it home safely.

We wish to thank them all very much for sacrificing their time and energy on a rainy and windy night. Your kokua is much appreciated.