Letters to the Editor
RECOGNITION
MANY HAWAIIANS DON'T WANT KINGDOM BACK
Regarding the Nov. 29 letter from Rolf Nordahl, "Hawaiians will take time on sovereignty": Mr. Nordahl should be made aware that many Native Hawaiians, including myself, who support the Akaka bill do not necessarily want "their kingdom back," nor the total independence he seems to imply.
Rather, we want political recognition in order to help protect existing programs that support Native Hawaiians.
Moreover, political recognition would mean more Native Hawaiian involvement in the administration and control of these (their) programs.
I cannot envision a modern-day "kingdom" with a "king or queen" for a host of reasons. Suffice to say, the Hawai'i I grew up in, Nanakuli, and the Hawai'i I love is the Hawai'i of the Nakagawas, the Sousas, the Hanohanos, the Changs, the Paragosos, the Ryans, the Kims and the many others who make up this wonderful place.
And we are blessed that it is situated on this "loveliest fleet of islands" and under the flag of the United States of America.
Lawrence A. Woode Jr.'Ewa Beach
CITY PROGRAM
ROAD-MAINTENANCE EFFORTS ENCOURAGING
I greatly appreciate your paper bringing to the attention of the public our efforts to address the need for a short- and long-range road-maintenance program for O'ahu.
Recently, the City Council passed two of my resolutions on this subject: The first requested the administration to come up with a short- and long-range road-maintenance program by Dec. 31; the second requested the administration to enter into a partnership with the Hawai'i Asphalt Paving Industry (HAPI) to use its expertise and knowledge of our roads and the paving industry to assist the administration in creating its road-maintenance program.
The administration has indicated that such a program would first require an assessment of all the roads in the city's jurisdiction, so I was very encouraged to hear that the administration is working with HAPI in order to accomplish this important first step.
Speaking as a member of the council's Budget Committee, I feel it is important that the road assessment be completed as soon as possible so that it can be used to formulate an accurate budget for our road-maintenance needs in the coming years.
We do not want to follow in the footsteps of the previous mayor, Jeremy Harris, who abandoned a successful road-maintenance program instituted by former Mayor Frank Fasi and who neglected our roads in favor of expensive and glamorous Vision Team projects.
Councilman Rod TamChairman, Public Works and Economic Development Committee, Honolulu
MASS TRANSIT
HANNEMANN BLATANTLY ABUSED CONTRACT SYSTEM
Kudos to Councilman Charles Djou for requesting a federal investigation into the city administration's award of $9.7 million for a mass transit study.
It seems that Mayor Mufi Hannemann and Rep. Neil Abercrombie are trying to bully themselves out of this mess. What Mufi did by awarding the contract to his transition team chairman is blatant abuse (you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours).
If this is going on at the beginning of the transit program, watch out, because it will only get worse.
James Rodrigues'Ewa Beach
SUBCONTRACT
ABERCROMBIE REACTION WAS STRANGE, ARROGANT
Whoa — isn't the Honorable Mr. Abercrombie acting a bit "antsy" here? I consider the request of Councilman Djou on a mass transit subcontract very appropriate and reasonable. In consideration of our sad political scenario here in Hawai'i in the last 50 years, Abercrombie's reaction is at least strange.
Abercrombie is quoted, "When he steps into my territory ... " What arrogance! This is "we-the-people territory," and if an elected official (Djou) raises flags and safety devices, he is just doing his job on the people's account.
Where there is smoke, there is fire, and Mr. Abercrombie is appearing too nervous to yell at the smoke while ignoring a possible fire.
Hanni HartmannHonolulu
AID TO MEXICO
ADDRESS ROOT CAUSES OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
Your Dec. 5 editorial, "Bush on immigration: tough talk, weak plan," was somewhat on target, but did not address the root causes of illegal immigration.
Most immigrants come to the U.S. to better their lives. The majority love their home countries, their " 'aina," and would rather live there if the standard of living were better. Thus, improving conditions in their homelands would reduce the number of illegal immigrants.
Rather than spending billions on fences, we should use that money to boost economic development in Mexico and other sources of illegal immigrants. Sure, this will be expensive, but not as costly as spending money forever to keep people out. They have to know there is a future where they are.
Funny enough, such an approach also addresses some of the root causes of terrorism.
Steve CravenHonolulu
NO HOTEL
KAILUA DOESN'T NEED ANY MORE VISITORS
Regarding Connie Wiedeman's Dec. 6 letter "Kailua needs low-rise hotel to accommodate visitors": Settlers like Wiedeman should move to Las Vegas if they like hotels so much.
There is already a strain on the natural resources of the ahupua'a of Kailua — we don't need any more tourists or settlers.
During the last 10 years, the quality of life in Kailua has deteriorated because of tourism.
A hotel complex would be devastating to Kailua because it would only open the doors for more hotel development and a flood of settlers from Europe, the United States and Asia.
If Hawai'i and Kailua have to sacrifice their natural resources for tourism, then tourism is no better than terrorism.
Absolutely no hotels in Kailua.
Eric Po'ohinaKailua
RECYCLING
STATE THINKS IT CAN OUTDO PRIVATE SECTOR
To answer Dr. Vit Patel's questions in his Dec. 5 letter to the editor, "How come our Legislature did not require the sellers, each and every one of them, to accept any number of bottles and give refunds to the customers there and then? How could other states have been doing this for half a century and we cannot do it?"
It's because Hawai'i is the only state in the country that thinks it can do a better job than the private sector in administering the program, and should the state require the retailers to administer the program, it would have to give up the money it is scamming from the public and give it to the retailers to offset the cost of administration.
Van-cam scams, bottle scams, gas-cap scams — why doesn't the state just sell Portuguese sausage and Zippy's Chili if it believes it can compete with the private sector?
Bruce WongHonolulu
DOE TASK FORCE
SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS SHOULD BE GIVEN A VOICE ON ISSUES
Substitute teacher issues were reported in Thanksgiving headlines. Again, old issues, headlines, promises. The current Department of Education's task force concerns over pay and health benefits need to be discussed with and supported by substitute teachers.
The Substitute Teachers Professional Alliance (STPAL) is willing to work with the DOE in correcting these and other issues. With hundreds of members statewide, it seems only reasonable that one substitute from each county be present to represent substitute concerns. STPAL members wish to attend discussions and truly hope to be contacted by the DOE.
At this point, a true representation of substitute teacher concerns does not exist. For the DOE to rely on one substitute's opinion is not proper. The task force's present behavior is creating more questions than answers:
Substitute teachers merely ask to have their issues and concerns expressed via substitutes' voices and request we be invited to help resolve outstanding issues. It is time to build bridges, not barriers.
John HoffKoloa, Hawai'i
DEPARTMENT POLICY
KINSHIP CARE BEST FOR FOSTER KIDS
T. Johnson of Waimanalo wrote that she and her husband "attended the Hawai'i Foster Parent Association annual conference Oct. 14-15 and were shocked to learn of a new policy directive that has been initiated by Lillian Koller, director of the Department of Human Services" (Letters, Nov. 3). It is unfortunate that misinformation about the department's kinship policy is causing unnecessary heartache among potential foster and adoptive parents like the Johnsons.
The department's kinship policy is not new. It was written in our Child Welfare Services Procedures Manual in 1998, shortly after the Social Security Act was amended in 1997 requiring states to consider giving this preference. Our kinship policy also follows the federally mandated best practices and evidence-based methods of 49 other states and the District of Columbia.
Relatives are now the fastest-growing source of permanent adoptive homes for foster children. Research shows that placement of foster children with their kin is preferable and more beneficial in the long run for these children, even if a change in placement is necessary.
Research shows that kinship care provides more stability, including fewer placement changes for children in their care, as well as less serious mental health and behavioral problems. Kinship care promotes quality relationships and bonding with relative foster parents and greater family connectedness — for example, visitation with parents, siblings and other relatives. Likewise, siblings are more likely placed together in kinship care, which reinforces the family bond.
Although they are not relatives of the foster child who has been living in their home for the past eight months, the Johnsons have nothing to worry about the department's kinship policy. This policy does not apply to people like the Johnsons who only want to adopt, not foster, a child after the department has exhausted all reasonable efforts to locate the child's kin before we placed the child with them.
We wholeheartedly agree with Ms. Johnson that it is preferable to locate relatives and establish a strong connection early after a child is taken into the department's custody. That's why our department has recently made significant changes in the front end of our child welfare system to step up our effort to locate kin.
This includes new confidentiality rules allowing us to share the identity of foster children with genealogists who can find the children's kin, expanding Ohana Conferencing for effective family mediation to find kin, and partnerships with faith-based and community organizations to locate absent parents and kin.
We very much appreciate the Johnson family for providing a loving and permanent home for one of our foster children and we encourage others to do the same. We hope this accurate information about the department's kinship policy will promote better understanding and cooperation so that we can achieve what is truly in the best interest of our children.
Lillian B. KollerDirector, Department of Human Services
