Letters to the Editor

Price-cap law will drive businesses away

The gasoline price-cap law is a faulty concept by definition and won't lower prices for Hawai'i consumers.

A key argument for tying Hawai'i gas prices to national prices has been a concern over a lack of competition. But the consequence of the price cap will be to drive service station dealers and refiners away — the very thing we should prevent.

For those who worry about not having enough competition in Hawai'i, the cap law will surely create less competition. The price cap is a bad idea and will hurt Hawai'i residents and reduce competition.

Faculty should consider the effect on students

Too many ifs at this point, but how many people have actually thought about the devastating effects of a strike at the University of Hawai'i?

Students are major players in the UH community. Some faculty members discuss the possibility of tuition reimbursement in the case of a strike, but for me as a student, my main concerns are the time and effort I put into this semester, and all the sacrifices I made to stay in school. This is a huge problem, not only for graduating students.

If this semester is canceled, many students will have to stay in school for a semester or two longer to complete required courses that are offered only in the spring. I don't think there are many students who appreciate such a demanding schedule change.

It is even worse for international students, who must strictly abide by the complex rules to maintain legal visa status to stay as students in the United States. Fulfilling required courses promptly while maintaining legal status without spending extra time and a huge amount on living costs besides tuition would be extremely difficult.

I respect the faculty's position, but the students' situation should be fully respected as well.

Windward side has had its share of dump lumps

Attention O'ahu residents: Unite! The city is about to "dump the dump" on the Windward side again.

This isn't a NIMBY issue. Windward O'ahu has a long history of being compliant and complacent with the city's shortsightedness regarding rubbish. For over 30 years, the island's garbage has been dumped in Kapa'a Valley directly adjacent to Kawainui Marsh, one of the state's last native wetlands and the largest. As a result, toxic runoff continues to leach into the marsh and adjacent streams and canals — all of which empty into the nearby ocean. Incredibly, the city is pushing to continue this practice for another 30 years.

If you care about the Hawai'i we live in, and the one that we intend to leave for our children and grandchildren, then plan to attend the March 30 hearing at 7 p.m. at the Kailua Recreation Center.

Christ most certainly would not be pleased

Richard Chamberlain, in his March 18 letter to the editor, states that he has been in a same-sex relationship for 28 years and questions "where is the immorality in this?" He also states that he has "a hunch that Christ would be pleased" with this relationship.ÊBaloney! Obviously, Mr. Chamberlain doesn't know who Christ is.

For your information, Mr. Chamberlain, Christ is the son of God. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah (see Chapter 19 of the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament) because the people of those cities were practicing homosexuality. (In fact, "sodomy" comes from Sodom.) Christ would most certainly not be pleased with any same-sex relationship, however much the two persons involved loved each other.

If you want to practice your immorality in the privacy of your own bedroom, fine. But stop trying to rationalize your behavior.

Don't be afraid to try new, better ways

Seven school districts would probably help public schools.

I found a site (www.greatschools.net) that lists the number of school districts for each state. Hawai'i is the only state with one school district. I looked at Rhode Island, which has a population similar to Hawai'i, and it has 41 school districts. Rhode Island's school districts vary in size from one school with 40 students to 54 schools with 27,150 students. Compare that to Hawai'i's one school district of 279 schools and 184,500 students.

Another Web site (www.morganquitno.com/edrank03.htm) ranked the states' public education systems. Rhode Island ranked No. 16, Hawai'i ranked No. 43.

We shouldn't be afraid to try something the other states have done, to help our keiki.

It's absurd to close Wilson Tunnels in fall

"Deranged." Synonymous with "unbalanced," "mad," "unhinged." Amen to Tom Earle regarding his comments about the Wilson Tunnel refurbishing (March 17). While I can't imagine anyone arguing that the proposed project should not be done, it's beyond absurd to conclude that September is the best time to start.

Why on Earth would any rational person suggest beginning such a project when traffic is known to be at the highest level of the year? Is there any intelligent reason that it could not be done during a summer, as Mr. Earle logically suggests?

I don't recall seeing any public-hearing announcements about the proposed project so that those of us who are affected on a daily basis could express our opinions. I believe it is incumbent upon us to make our feelings and opinions known to our Windward legislators in the hope that common sense will prevail (or is that an oxymoron?) before it's too late to do anything about it.

To the Department of Transportation, in the interests of maintaining public sanity, please reconsider this decision.

Mililani area growth needs better planning

Quality of life. Mililani is creating manifestos on issues of quality of life.

There has been much unrestricted growth in the Mililani, Central O'ahu and soon-to-come subdivisions. This growth in housing has not been accompanied by a growth in infrastructure. There are no parks, schools, major roads or alternative transit options.

Maui's mayor has stated that his island is getting short on water and that Maui needs to look toward desalination as a possible solution to its water problem. Mililani and O'ahu in general are facing these same types of sustainability issues.

Our most prominent in-your-face issue is traffic congestion through suburban sprawl. This problem can be alleviated through sensible land-use planning incorporating transit-oriented land-use planning.

We cannot continue to grow suburbs beyond their transportation carrying capacities. This issue came up in the last election, and again it rears its head. Does anyone in government really care or really plan on doing something about this? Mililani has taken a bold step, but will it be for nothing?

So please, Sen. Menor, Rep. Lee, Councilman Garcia, what are you collectively going to do about it?