Traffic solutions for Nimitz Highway

It appears that not very much planning goes into our traffic situation. After reading the editorial on double-decking on Nimitz Highway, I would like to suggest possible solutions. In the mornings:

• No left turns onto Nimitz from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. The reason is, traffic from the freeway goes down Dillingham, right onto Pu'uhale, then left onto Nimitz. This causes traffic to be piled up on Nimitz between Mokauea and Pu'uhale and slows traffic from the freeway. This occurs also between all streets from Pu'uhale Road, Mokauea Street, Kalihi Street and Waikamilo Road. This backs up traffic to the freeway.

• Shorten the light sequence into and out of Sand Island Access Road. This long sequence only accommodates people going to job sites on Sand Island, which also plugs the roads with traffic. This is where an overpass for ingress and egress would be needed — not the full length of Nimitz.

This banning of left turns would hold true for the afternoons during the rush hours.

Drivers would be forced to plan another route or stay with the regular moving traffic.

Here's how to improve overthrow activities

Each January, we gather on the grounds of 'Iolani Palace to commemorate the overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom. Activities occur the entire week. Organizations share their mana'o in a peaceful demonstration with the culmination of events on Jan. 17, commemorating the overthrow of our government.

The following recommendations are offered for this period:

• Keep the doors of 'Iolani Palace open to kanaka maoli and all the people of Hawai'i, and provide free guided tours throughout the palace.

• The board and staff should take a more proactive role in working with the different groups during the commemoration period.

• Place a table in the Grand Hall of the palace where our kupuna and community can place their ho'okupu honoring our ali'i.

• Increase the number of Native Hawaiian docents at the palace. This can be achieved through a student work-study program in partnership with the University of Hawai'i and scholarship recipients. The board may also choose to waive training fees for students with higher financial need.

• Create a mentorship program with palace docents and our future leaders. As a result, you create educational challenges for the student, and enhance leadership and comradeship between the student and mentor.

Preparedness team is doing a great job

The O'ahu Civil Defense and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center have done an excellent job in helping the state prepare for a tsunami and other disasters. The headline of your story on Jan. 21, "State tsunami plan called inadequate," was misleading and may erode public confidence in our abilities to warn and protect our citizens.

As Ed Teixeira from Civil Defense and Jeff LaDouce from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center testified, Hawai'i needs additional resources, upgrades for maps, retrofitting of buildings and more staff. I believe, however, that these two agencies have planned well for a state of preparedness with the resources available to them.

It is reassuring to know that we have such dedicated experts heading our tsunami preparedness team.

'Bong Bong' deserved his Island reception

Ferdinand "Bong Bong" Marcos is a respected governor of a Philippine province where most Hawai'i Filipinos come from; he deserved to be welcomed here by our governor.

But not according to one commentary, " 'Bong Bong' didn't deserve Isle reception" (Island Voices, Feb. 7). What did he violate to justify this thought process? Just because he is the son of a former dictator does not mean he should be punished for his father's actions.

UH's premium charge plan will backfire

"Sellout" is what the University of Hawai'i should name the "premium charge per ticket" plan.

If we couldn't even sell out this past year's Michigan State game, or any of our bowl appearances, what makes UH think that raising prices will help? I can't even recall our last sellout.

With rising costs of everything here in Hawai'i, unless you're a diehard fan, some things will have to get cut from the family budget. Entertainment costs, which UH football falls under, are easier to cut than the others.

Is this increase based on hoping to profit on the appeal of big-name teams coming here? Sure, this upcoming season we have the No. 1 team in the nation, in USC, and also Boise State, Fresno State and Wisconsin coming to town. But what about future years, when we don't have the marquee teams — will UH lower the prices? I don't think so.

UH is hoping to see green from all the money it'll make. The only colors it'll see will be the orange, blue, brown, red and yellow of all the empty seats in the stadium.