Posted on: Monday, April 4, 2005

Letters to the Editor

Proceed with caution in cutting down trees

While I am pleased to see Mayor Hannemann exercise good judgment in wanting the county to live within its means, I would caution him not to be too shortsighted or opportunistic in selecting the targets of his efforts. What might seem like a good way to make a point today might end up costing us more in the long run, not only moneywise, but certainly valuewise.

Specifically, let's proceed with great caution in cutting down trees that beautify our community and enhance the quality of life for all. And let's make decisions that contribute to our image as the kind of destination that people want to visit.

Folks who want their ocean vacation surrounded by concrete, signs and highways can go to Miami Beach.

Every time we cut down a tree unnecessarily or clutter our island beauty with signs, we become more like every place else in the world, and less like paradise.

Gated communities don't sit well here

The story on gated communities and Lee Cataluna's March 29 column struck a chord with me.

I completely agree that gates are socio-economic dividers, today's answer to "living on the wrong side of the tracks." Let's face it: People are elitist and like feeling superior.

And while many cite the need for "added security," this need bucks the fact that crime has been declining nationwide for over a decade. People are irrationally afraid. So up go the gates, along with alarms and private security firms.

If Hawai'i isn't careful, it will wind up like other snowbird destinations like Phoenix and south Florida. Miles and miles of walled-in gated communities punctuated by golf courses and traffic signals announcing a "break in the wall."

Is this Hawai'i? No, it's hell.

One interesting thing happened in Florida with all the hurricanes last year. The gated communities had their share of damage and wanted the state to pay for downed-tree and debris removal. The state said those are private roads so the bills are all yours.

Low pay, quality of students major drags

Several recent letters and the March 15 commentary by Loretta Krause all point out that the state of teaching in Hawai'i is in sad shape. In spite of the obvious attractions the state has to offer, there is a severe and growing shortage of teachers in Hawai'i.

As an alumnus of UH-Manoa, I traveled to California to get my teaching credential. After obtaining my credential and comparing what is offered in our state as compared with others such as California, I could not justify in any way teaching in Hawai'i.

Although low pay in an area with a high cost of living was the major consideration, the fact that Hawai'i students do not have the same basic skill level as most of their Mainland counterparts was also an important factor. Classroom discipline and respect for authority or lack thereof weigh just as heavily on a teacher's decision about accepting or declining a position as does pay.

Seeing our Hawai'i students arrive on visits to the Mainland and feeling so out of place due to lack of ability to speak proper English is just one example of how far we still have to go. Education is the key to choices in life. Parents, wake up, turn off the Play Station, the TV, open the books and get your kids involved in their studies.

I miss Hawai'i, but I'm very happy here in California. I surf and I teach and I feel that the students respect my efforts. Until we establish a tradition of "school first" in Hawai'i, we will never be able to compete with other states for teachers, nor will our students compare well with their Mainland counterparts, who, for the most part, have more academic rigor and seem to have more of a sense of urgency about their education.

Rainbows/Warriors are losing their identity

Please don't laugh at me while I stare at the new silver and black football helmet and wait for the electrified H to morph into the Oakland Raiders skull and crossbones. Ever since June Jones was given absolute Al Davis-like power over UH football, the Rainbows have been nipped, tucked and Botoxed into a replica of the Oakland Raiders.

The original green and white is magically evolving into the silver and black. The progression from the Rainbows to Warriors to Raiders is halfway there. UH football has also acquired Oakland's penchant of reclaiming suspect players given up by others and its tough-guy image.

What does all this mean? June Jones says, "The bottom line is the bottom line" and "The real reason is to open another avenue of revenue."

We've come a long way, baby, from the time UH football was played for peanuts, but upsets over powerhouses did happen and the Rainbows represented our people, diversity and inclusion for all the world to see. What happened to that bottom line?

Despite the danger, legislation shelved

Once again Hawai'i legislators shelved bills to prohibit growing drugs and industrial chemicals in food crops and set safety standards for genetically modified organism open-field tests. And ooops! once again, a biotech corporation has distributed tons of GMO insecticidal corn not approved for human consumption.

Some 37,000 acres of Bt10 corn were planted, and USDA officials found it in eight states. The Chosun Ilbo Korean newspaper reported that Bt10 corn may have been sent to Korea as animal feed, but Syngenta declined to list countries that received it.

Michael Rodemeyer, of the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology, says, "The release reflects the absence of a thorough monitoring system for GMO products in the U.S. food supply."

British studies have found Bt toxins difficult to digest and likely to bind to the human gut. Nature, the magazine reporting the Bt10 release, published an article on Bt corn toxins oozing into soil from roots, potentially harming soil ecosystems.

I choose not to eat insecticides, herbicides or antibiotics. I can't purchase corn or soybean products at the market due to contamination. If contamination continues, organically grown corn, soy, canola, flax, papaya, potato, squash and tomatoes may not be certifiable in the future. Ooops!

Child abuse must get better attention

What is the problem with the police investigations of child abuse on the Big Island? Nothing has been learned about the disappearance of Peter Boy after seven years, and now another child has been brought to O'ahu seriously injured. She nearly died, and there has been no arrest of anyone in connection with the incident.

The state should respond now with serious directives to get answers and provide assistance to the Big Island police if this is what it takes to get the investigations completed. The foot-dragging and excuses have got to stop. This is an outrage to the children who live in Hawai'i, and to the image of this state in general, that abuse is so tolerated and treated as less important than other police matters.

Bottle law shows official shortcoming

How ironic that Suzanne Jones' passionate defense of the bottle law appeared near the report that the state took in nearly $7.5 million and paid out roughly 8 percent of that. I believe her good intentions and feel sympathy for the workers at the dysfunctional collection centers — they are the victims of bad governance.

I've lived in other states having deposits and believe those laws are still in place, not because of their original intent, but for the money they make for whoever is holding the deposits. No difference here.

What truly bothers me is my growing lack of faith in our elected officials. If they can't operate a simple program like this, how can they be trusted with more important programs like education and infrastructure maintenance? Three trips to redeem recyclables during published hours found the center closed — either the truck was full or out of money.

I no longer care who voted for this program. It was enacted as a legislative body, it needs to be fixed or eliminated as a body. A full accounting of the funds and a statement of goals and objectives would be a good start.

Take a drive to the country and find out

This is in response to everyone who is addressing the issue of light-rail transit.

I used to live in 'Ewa Beach, where it took me one-and-a-half hours to commute to and from work each day. Thirty years later, I now reside in Waikele, and it still takes me one-and-a-half hours to get to and from work.

It is so frustrating to hear those of you who complain that "we don't need light-rail transit." We live in the countryside because we can't afford to live in Honolulu. All of you naysayers need to get off your 'okoles and drive to 'Ewa Beach, Kapolei, Makakilo, Wai'anae or Mililani at 4:30 p.m. I am positive you will change your attitude immediately.

Yes, we should raise taxes and stop spending research money. Now is the time to go for it while we have outstanding leadership skills in Gov. Linda Lingle and Mayor Mufi Hannemann.

Sex offenders should wear ankle bracelets

My heart goes out to the Florida family of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford, who was allegedly brutally murdered by sex-offender John Couey. Couey allegedly buried her body 150 yards from her home.

What will it take for our courts and judges to start ordering ankle bracelets placed on people like John Couey instead of on people like Martha Stewart?

Land use gone wild

The Hokuli'a case has spawned inevitable litigation that will likely cost the County of Hawai'i a hundred million dollars or more. All involved take a cavalier attitude toward a situation that will do irreparable harm to our county.

Legislative action is called for, both to stave off such a disastrous result and restore credibility to a land-use process that is completely out of control.

People are getting seriously hurt here. Do something!

Bill to ban cell phone use in cars is just a moneymaker

House Bill 88, HD 2, the bill banning driving while using a mobile phone introduced by Rep. Joe Souki, head of the Transportation Committee, passed in the House and is in the Senate. This bill would outlaw using mobile phones in a car unless you use a headset. Offenders would be fined $200 unless it is a first offense. In this case, the ticket would be waived if the offender goes to court and shows proof of a headset purchase.

Interestingly, Santa Fe, N.M., passed a similar bill four years ago. I called the police chief's office there (from my car, of course) and found out that even though citizens were reporting stress and accidents from trying to hide their phones, and tourists were complaining, the city public safety committee recently voted to retain it. I think I know why.

According to Santa Fe's New Mexican (newspaper and online), in the last six months the city police issued 1,900 tickets for driving and talking on the phone, double the citations of the previous six months. That's over 3 percent of the population of Santa Fe, and the number of tickets issued is growing, showing that the program is not reducing mobile phone use.

If Hawai'i issues as many tickets per capita as Santa Fe, the police in Hawai'i will be issuing 50,000 cell phone tickets annually at $200 each. That's $10 million for the state. What's next? A ban on applying makeup or eating a burger while driving?

Perhaps a more effective move would be education programs or add a ticket for drivers who actually have an accident while talking on the phone.

So, is HB 88 a law to make driving safer, or a way to raise state revenue, or both? You tell me. I can safely say that visitors having to pay $200 — or find a headset and visit the county courthouse to show the receipt — will not be their fondest memory of Hawai'i.