Posted on: Thursday, May 6, 2004

Letters to the Editor

Give the gift of life, so desperately needed

Today I donated blood. I do so as much as I can, and always feel good afterward.

When I arrived at the blood bank, I was told that there was none of my blood type on the shelves. I was told that after donating, it takes about 48 hours before blood can be placed on the shelf (pending testing).

Maybe my blood type is rare, but aren't there enough people who feel compelled to donate? Don't people understand that blood really is the gift of life and there is a good chance that one day you (or someone who means a great deal to you) may be in need?

I've heard countless times that 60 percent of us will need blood, but only 2 percent donate. Think of the rash of traffic accidents lately. No one wants to imagine that they or someone close to them will suffer a catastrophic accident or grave illness, but it does happen to "someone" all the time.

I thought of myself suddenly being in need of a transfusion and being dependent on blood being sent from somewhere else. I thought of someone today who might be involved in an accident or have a medical emergency and not be able to get the blood he needs right away.

Please — do not wait until something happens to you or someone you love. It takes so little time and it is so easy. Give ... give the gift of life.

Legislators set stage for increasing taxes

The Legislature's override of Gov. Lingle's veto reminds me that Thomas Jefferson once said something to the effect that the end of American democracy will come when people figure out they can use the system to vote themselves money out of other people's pockets.

The raises will cost $32 million in fiscal year 2005 and $54 million annually beginning July 1 of the next year. That will amount to $248 million over the next five years. To pay for the raises, the same lawmakers also overrode Lingle's line-item vetoes in House Bill 2743, which raided $43.6 million from various special funds.

Incumbent legislators running for re-election this year will no doubt say that they did not raise taxes in 2004. What they won't be telling voters is that there will be no more money remaining in the special funds to be raided. It is a virtual certainty that the taxpayers of this state will face tax increases after the November elections regardless of the outcome.

Sen. Sam Slom was correct when he said that "this Legislature is about not what is right for the people, not what is prudent nor what is affordable, but what the HGEA wants."

City focuses too much on tourists at our expense

When I see how our tax money is only put back into tourism rather than reward us residents, in any way, for our putting up with the extra traffic congestion, environmental damage, landfill demands, damages and costs for "ecotourism," etc., I get concerned that the concept of "charity begins at home" is long gone.

It feels as if everything on the mayor's mind is about impressing the tourists, who don't even live here.

The last straw is the messing up of Kuhio Avenue. Why? To make something else aesthetically pleasing for the unappreciative tourists? Making Waikiki look good is at the expense of many of the rest of us who live in the residential areas.

When has there been anything aesthetically done for those of us who spend our lives here? Our roads are a mess. And it seems the city lacks money to frequently pick up rubbish that piles up on our sidewalks such as mattresses, toilets, termite-eaten cabinets, couches, etc. I doubt that toilets and mattresses, couches and termite-riddled cabinets ever, ever pile up in Waikiki. It would be awesome rapid response if people would just drop their junk off in Waikiki.

Waikiki gets fountains, grassy areas, shade trees, lovely Kapi'olani and Ala Moana parks, etc., but our barren parks remain ugly, treeless ballparks. And of course we aren't important enough to have lovely fountains or shady walkways and picnic tables. We don't even have sidewalks in many of our residential areas. But any place a tourist might see is treated differently. Check out Manoa and Makiki, for example.

This situation is shallow, transparent and phony. And it hurts.

Keep it clean and we'll have better communities

I'm 8 years old and I think more people should pick up litter in their community. So our communities would be a lot cleaner and more people would want to live in that community.

Also, more tourists would want to come and live in Hawai'i because not only is it sunny here, but also clean. I think it is really important that we pick up litter because it will help keep our communities clean and safe, which will also be better because tourism is our biggest source of money.

Thank you for considering my opinion.

Give yourself the best Mother's Day present

There's no better Mother's Day present than a healthy baby. But many moms unintentionally risk their children's health by eating tuna and other fish contaminated by mercury.

As a nutritionist, I know that pregnant or nursing women can pass this dangerous pollutant along to their babies — with potentially tragic results.

Like lead, mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can wreak havoc on a child's developing brain and nervous system. Acute exposure can cause mental retardation, blindness and cerebral palsy. Lower doses can inflict learning disabilities. In adults, consuming mercury-contaminated fish may increase the risk of heart attacks.

The problem is huge. Millions of American women and children consume unsafe levels of mercury — contaminated fish, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Different species contain widely varying levels of mercury, as well as unpredictable amounts of DDT, PCBs and other pollutants, so no fish is truly safe. The best course is to leave this risky food off the plate — and give you and your baby the gift of health.

Windward theater article appreciated

Thank you, thank you for the front-page article on Windward O'ahu theater by Eloise Aguiar ("Windward O'ahu your ticket to theater," April 27). It not only brought focus to the remarkably fine theater being produced on the Windward side, but helped to bring attention to live theater in general throughout our state.

There is a great variety of fine, fine theater — in Windward O'ahu, in Honolulu and on the Neighbor Islands. What a wonderful tribute to have the spotlight shine on one locale that is producing outstanding plays and musicals.

It makes all of us proud to be a part of the theater community, and it is our hope that many will read Ms. Aguiar's article and discover for themselves the joys, excitement and rewards of attending live theater in Hawai'i. Long may it flourish.

State stands to benefit from bottle bill tax

Lowell Kalapa in Sunday's Island Voices is right on the money. The bottle bill must be recognized as the hidden tax increase and bureaucratic boondoggle that it will become upon implementation.

There is one other additional cost, however, to the taxpayers that was not mentioned in Mr. Kalapa's excellent commentary. If, as he says, $56 million is to be generated by the deposits collected, no time frame mentioned, $2.33 million will be collected as excise tax on this amount, to be spent on who knows what. In order to put this in terms that are easily fathomed, at 6 cents deposit per container, my six-pack of beer will increase in cost 36 cents. The excise tax will accordingly be about a penny more per sixer.

One can only conjecture how many six-packs of beer — or soda — are sold here in the state per year, but I'll bet it adds up to a bunch of pennies. That's just on aluminum cans. Further factor in all the other containers subject to this deposit, and the potential excise tax collected will be huge.

Kamehameha board making good decisions

Again, I sincerely applaud the Kamehameha Schools trustees for doing what Pauahi Bishop would be very proud to see happen. They made some difficult decisions that made some Hawaiians angry, asking for their resignation.

My earlier letter, which did applaud them for being a good group that worked well together, must be corrected to say that they are an excellent board of trustees. Their action to turn down the raise proposal by the salary board confirms this. That salary board should be replaced with people who understand what Pauahi Bishop is all about. She wanted her estate money spent to educate the Hawaiians, not enrich trustees. The present trustees had to clean up a huge mess left by the earlier selfish majority trustees and then move forward with their plans.

Their job is a difficult part-time position, but the present compensation is more than many earn working two or more full-time jobs. We should all applaud them for their sincere gesture and remember this when difficult decisions are made again. Imua!

Spay/neuter program has a costly catch to it

There has been a great effort by the Humane Society to reduce the feral cat population. By appointment, it will neuter trapped animals for free under its capture-neuter-release program.

Many times a stray cat is not really feral, but simply abandoned by uncaring humans. Often one adopts a stray, not as a cherished pet but out of compassion, and accepts the responsibility for feeding and seeing that it doesn't reproduce more unwanted animals.

In another program, the city issues Humane Society reduced-cost certificates for spaying/neutering pets, the cheapest being $40 for a male cat. The purpose is to encourage people to help keep the unwanted animal population down by making the procedure more affordable. However, of the veterinarians listed as participating in this program, none was found who would simply neuter an animal at the certificate cost without first requiring up-to-date shots and, in many cases, blood work. The minimum cost for this required service is about $300 in addition to the certificate expense.

The certificate program isn't achieving its intended purpose.

Wouldn't it be great if people who elect to take in abandoned animals could have access to vets who would neuter for the certificate cost and let it go at that?

Leidemann wrong to say nothing gained in sports

I couldn't disagree more with Mike Leidemann's May 3 About Men column, in which he states that there are no lessons to be learned from sports. He is also incorrect when he says that anyone who disagrees with his view must be a coach.

I am not a coach, and I see obvious fallacy in his reasoning.

Playing sports, especially team sports, teaches valuable lessons about life such as working together with others to reach a common goal. Team sports brings together people from all ethnicities and economic backgrounds and allows them to work together and learn from each other. Winning and losing with grace is another life skill that is developed by participating in sports.

As for his comment that "Sometimes, it's OK to give only 75 percent," well, I find that disturbing, to say the least. Would you want your doctor to give only 75 percent effort when performing open-heart surgery? How about a firefighter giving 75 percent of his effort in fighting a fire at your house?

And yes, perseverance beyond reason is indeed a virtue. Ever hear of the Donner Party? Or those rugby players who survived an entire winter up in the Andes after their plane crashed?

Mr. Leidemann needs to acquaint himself with the words of one of our greatest presidents, Theodore Roosevelt, who said, "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at best, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

It appears that Mr. Leidemann may be one of those cold and timid souls.