Posted on: Wednesday, May 26, 2004

Letters to the Editor

Tour book authors are strip-mining the magic

Tour book greed revealed: Andrew Doughty and Harriett Friedman have violated the privacy and welfare of residents and visitors in the name of sales, and it's working.

They may face litigation, but they'll have the money to defend, so they'll succeed, as our society warrants.

This isn't freedom of speech but a fire sale on privacy and preserved resources. Every guide writer knows that Hawai'i's treasures are fragile, and that tourists must be guided prudently.

Doughty and Friedman want to live "anonymously" on Kaua'i? What right do they have to privacy? They too should be revealed for the parasites they are.

An early Snorkel Bob guide declined to give directions to a turtle habitat, saying, "Those of you meant to find it, will." If Doughty and Friedman find it, it will disappear. Fie on them and their evil way of strip-mining the magic.

Voter turnout rate 'still around 70 percent'

The May 20 "Jasmania" editorial said "only 385,462 people voted out of 676,242 registered voters. That's 57 percent." Not so.

Very little purging is done of the registered voter list. Until 1995, Hawai'i law was that the clerk shall remove the name of any registered voter who did not vote in two consecutive elections.

The Motor Voter Act effective Jan. 1, 1995, changed all that. It allowed only four narrow reasons that a voter's name could be purged, one being the death of the voter. The Elections Office follows the federal law.

The lowest turnout from 1980 to 1994 was 77.1 percent. Hawai'i has a high out-migration percentage. Many prior voters are still on the list even though they have moved. For the prior 20 years, the purge reduced the number of registered voters by an average of 15 percent every odd year and increased them by 16 percent.

Since registration continues at the same rate, the purge rate dropped drastically, causing the turnout rate to go down almost 10 percent every two years, creating the situation we have today. I believe the actual turnout rate is still around 70 percent.

Democrats didn't seek to erode Lingle's power

It is with great concern that I write regarding the May 17 article ("Bills called attacks on Lingle") that unfairly suggests that the Democratic-controlled Legislature conspired to erode the governor's power.

The governor's senior policy adviser, Linda Smith, apparently incited the story when she pointed to "four bills approved by the Legislature" as proof of Democrats' alleged intent.

Smith is wrong.

Smith inaccurately describes the legislation she complains of. For example, she contends that S.B. 1491 repeals the governor's authority to transfer excess special funds to the general fund. This is not true.

Democrats have wrestled for years with the very issues Smith raises. Smith alleges that Democrats passed H.B. 2741, which will require the governor to justify the creation and funding of unauthorized deputy director or special assistant positions, to interfere with the executive branch's management functions. Note that Democrats passed stricter legislation in 2002 to abolish such positions during the Cayetano administration. Gov. Cayetano vetoed the proposal.

Smith criticizes legislation that gives independence to the Elections Office and Campaign Spending Commission and creates an elections commission (consisting of four Democratic- and four Republican-appointed members). The Legislature passed this proposal due to the Lingle administration's efforts to censor the chief elections officer and executive director of the Campaign Spending Commission. Democrats believe that elections and campaign spending functions should be conducted with autonomy.

Notwithstanding Smith's comments, Democrats are still willing to work with Republicans. We know that the public does not appreciate petty partisan posturing. But that standard applies to Smith, too.

Jasmine exemplified aloha spirit to America

All of Hawai'i should be proud of our "American Idol" contestant Jasmine Trias. Jasmine is a winner. She exemplified the aloha spirit to all of America.

Week after week, Jasmine endured the pressures of the contest, and toward the end, the harsh criticism from the judges (especially from we all know who). Throughout all of this, Jasmine was always humble. Her charm and grace never wavered, and that impeccable smile was always there. She is living her dream. What else could a person ask for?

We should continue to give her our blessings and support. I commend Jasmine for doing a great job. Jasmine, you are our American idol, and we love you.

Editorial leadership certainly needs review

I'm glad the lead editorial of May 23 reminds us of the fact that leadership is not sacrosanct but should always be open to regular review.

In a similar, and I think much more relevant, spirit, The Advertiser should conduct weekly polls determining (1) the credibility the paper has and (2) whether the present editorial leadership should be replaced.

Obviously, these editorial writers believe they are eminently qualified to direct the thinking of the president, the governor and the citizens of Hawai'i — and maybe God?

If they should lose the support of the majority, they could run for these offices and receive all the votes they deserve. I'd be willing to bet $100 that if the poll were limited just to the employees of the newspaper, the present editors would not receive the opinion of "best qualified."

It's time for a reality check.

First try a monorail servicing Hawai'i Kai

Originally, I was not going to reply to Robert R. Kessler's May 2 unconstructive criticism regarding my letter on mass transit; however, while appreciating his comments, I decided that it would be unjust to allow someone to mislead the public and incorrectly publish hypothetical, false assumptions about the attitudes of me and the people of this state.

He questions why I do not use TheBus. My response is that I do, occasionally. I'd ride it more often, though, if TheBus weren't so costly and inefficient at times. For example, when I used to catch TheBus from Kahalu'u to Ala Moana to go to work a few years ago, I would leave my home two to two-and-a-half hours early to ensure that I made it to work on time. Aside from departing in very long intervals where I live, TheBus makes multiple stops and does not have the right of way (unlike a monorail).

Las Vegas is expected this summer to open its monorail, which is 100 percent privately financed and will not use any tax money for building or ongoing support. This state-of-the-art urban public transportation system is projected to service over 19 million riders per year (www.lvmonorail.com).

The Honolulu Advertiser recently published an article regarding overpopulation in Hawai'i Kai. I propose we build a mini-version monorail system from Hawai'i Kai to Ala Moana and see how large ridership is there. This would cost less than building one from Kapolei to downtown, and if ridership is high enough, we can expand it to other desired parts of the island.

I always believed that if it's not broken, don't fix it. The problem is that our current means of transportation is congested and needs major repairs.

So who will use it? I will use it, Mr. Kessler.

Raze Pentagon instead

President Bush says the United States will demolish Abu Ghraib prison. And what's that going to accomplish? Demolishing the Pentagon would bring peace and morality to the world.

Police should be out on the streets fighting crime

I take exception to the Honolulu Police Department's criticism of property owners in Chinatown.

According to the police, it is the owners who allow dealing of drugs on their properties. Your recent article, however, made known the fact that it is the owners themselves who do not want drug dealing in or around their places of business. It simply is not good for business.

Anti-drug rallies have been held and many calls have been made to the police by owners and others. When drug activity has been observed and owners have told the offenders to move away from their premises, the perpetrators have threatened owners, such as their windows will be smashed or other harm will befall them.

For years, I have been getting my haircuts at Hotel near River Street. I take TheBus to the shop, but I usually walk back to Longs, buying bananas or other things in Chinatown. I have seen drug dealing and prostitution, right there, out in the open, in broad daylight. I also pass a building at 79 N. Hotel Street, right in the heart of all this illegal activity. What is located in this building? It's the Chinatown substation of the Honolulu Police Department!

Have I (or you) ever seen even one police officer on foot patrol in the very area where the police claim owners are "allowing" drug dealing? No! Should the police be doing their job by patrolling these very streets? Yes! Do the police have a responsibility to the Chinatown community, including building owners, to constantly monitor, deter and arrest those causing the drug problem? Yes, most definitely!

Rather than dump multiple summonses on the owners, why aren't the police out on the streets doing their job, rather than sitting in their air-conditioned substation, citing the owners? And, please, I do not want to hear another police officer respond by saying the usual "We don't have staff" and "We don't have the money." They have a job to do and they should do it.

Mrs. Gima, take a bow for being wonderful

It is with great sadness that I bid aloha to Waialua Elementary School. My two children have attended this school for the last nine years, and this June my younger child will graduate from sixth grade to attend intermediate school.

I want to thank the staff at Waialua Elementary for the safe and caring environment they have provided. The personal touch this school gives is so special. A good example of this is Mrs. Furuichi in the front office, who, year after year, seems to know every child by name and what class each is in — truly amazing!

To the teachers who have provided my kids with a warm and caring learning environment, and for all of you who gave my children the extra time and help when they needed it, I am extremely grateful. I would love to mention all of you by name, but there is not enough space.

So, I would like to pick out one special teacher to publicly recognize and thank. Her name is Sandy Gima. Mrs. Gima is a second-grade teacher and is also an instructor for the Drama Academy. Mrs. Gima motivates and encourages her students, while at the same time providing them with a loving environment. She is a role model for every person who enters the teaching field. She has provided the drama students with an academy that allowed their acting talent to show, even though this meant many, many hours of her own personal time spent after school working with the students.

So, Mrs. Gima, thank you. Thank you for your dedication, your caring and the love you have shown to my children. Thank you for being such a great teacher to my kids and watching over them, even when they were no longer your responsibility. At school, you were more than their teacher; you were their "other mommy."

And for that, you will always hold a special place in our hearts.