Legislature needs to aid family caregivers

A big mahalo to Rep. Marilyn B. Lee for her recent letter "Caregivers need our support." She has been a strong and consistent supporter of family caregiver issues, and those of us who are caregivers of family members thank her for her efforts.

It is, however, unfortunate that many of her colleagues in the Legislature are without the same awareness; so few of such proposed bills have made it past their initial hearings. But the family caregiver movement is gaining ground as we are slowly, but surely, making our voices heard.

I look forward to the day recognition and funding come to pass for programs (i.e. support groups, affordable respite care, subsidized day healthcare, tax credits, resource centers, etc.) that support the family caregiver.

Transit alternatives must be in place

I hope our legislators and governor have the vision to connect the dots between two issues currently under discussion and a third, transit.

Rep. Jerry Chang has raised the issue of road tests for drivers over 75. The dotted line here is that it will be much easier for anyone, including seniors, to give up driving if there is a good alternative. For most of us, including seniors, driving represents our freedom and independence to come and go as we please or must, limited only by traffic congestion.

Discussions of transit alternatives have largely focused on the commuting public and have not focused on the needs of the older segments of our population. By the time any transit plans are implemented, we will have a huge number of retired people, so any transit solution must address their needs.

The second issue is affordable housing. As any recent house-hunter will attest, there is a definite correlation between affordability and proximity to job centers. Thus, "affordable" housing developments will almost by definition be located far from job centers and will exacerbate our traffic problems.

To facilitate any additional housing developments without planning and building in any allowance for transportation other than car or bus would be irresponsible. Things like wide medians on thoroughfares and reserving rights of way for possible future transit development must be part of the affordable housing discussion.

Assisted-suicide bill sent wrong message

The state House was right in killing the assisted-suicide bill. It would not have sent the right message of compassion, tolerance and perseverance to our young people.

Had this bill gone through, we know that it would have provided a way to hasten the death of our ailing, elderly and sometimes depressed people. We have become such an impatient, self-serving society. We get mad if we have to wait five minutes in a line. Would it be any wonder that a relative of the dying would not want to hurry the process in the name of compassion? That is not far-fetched.

The bill addressed coercion, but how would that be detected? Already the elderly talk about not wanting to be a burden. It would be an easy step to hint to granny that she's a pain and suggest a supposed humane way to end it all.

Instead, we need to be teaching our young people how to cope with and help those who are elderly, sick or depressed, not make a way to assist them toward death. Mahalo to the Health Committee chairperson and committee members for sending the right message: be compassionate, tolerant and persevering.

England's privatization experiment failed

Did you know that England privatized its social security system 20 years ago and it apparently did not work? Now, due to fluctuations in the stock market, 75 percent of the population will not have what they would have had and not enough for retirement.

President Bush is copying the English idea, which didn't work. And, I'm told that England is now considering copying our current system.

Think about it.

Kahuku coaches should take heed

Deliberately or not, your Feb. 7 editorial misses the point and brings up extraneous issues about June Jones' salary and so-called "exit strategy."

Coach Jones was obviously not aiming at the students, and clearly not trying to make them feel guilty about going away to school. He is clearly aiming at the Kahuku coach who, in his opinion, steers recruits away from Hawai'i, without regard for the best interests of the student-athletes.

Your editorial points out that the "decision is one best left to families and the students themselves" and that "the decision should be theirs to make."

I agree, and so does, in my opinion, coach Jones. The Kahuku coaches should take heed.

Blame the litterers, not the grocery chains

William Reese Liggett's Feb. 2 letter clearly missed the point. The kama'aina grocery chains did not create or profit from the littering of the highways, beaches, parks and neighborhoods. It's the people who buy these things who littered our beautiful 'aina.

And it's the lawmakers who should be handing out the redemption money. They should have considered this before passing the law.

Local people were already taking their cans to the redemption centers; didn't the lawmakers think that the numbers would increase? Don't forget, the cans and plastics are only a small part of the litter. Who's responsible for those free ad-only periodicals that fly freely across our sidewalks? There are as many plastic and paper cups from convenience stores that are littering our fragile Hawai'i environment — aren't they selling litter, too? The grocers did not take the nickel; the lawmakers mandated that nickel plus the penny and made us pay for it.

However, I do hope that the major grocery chains and private recyclers help with a solution. And consumers should speak to their grocers and lawmakers as well. The solution is in the community — the people, the businesses and the lawmakers.

There are many to thank for 'Best Hawaiian Music'

At Sunday's 47th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, for the first time, a Grammy was awarded for the "Best Hawaiian Music Album" during the pre-telecast ceremony. While this watershed event for Hawaiian music is the culmination of over a decade of effort by numerous members of both the local music community and the Recording Academy, the tireless efforts of a core group of individuals over the last two years transformed this once-elusive dream into a reality.

At the top of the mahalo list is Deborah Semer. As executive director of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Recording Academy, Deborah embraced the idea of a Hawaiian music category and served as the axis and guide for the Hawaiian music community to achieve this long-lived goal. In the process, the chapter became the official home for Hawaiian members.

Los Angeles trustees Jonathan McHugh and Joe Chicarelli lent their support and expertise to the effort, and Keith Olsen, a Hawai'i-based trustee, was instrumental in drafting and refining the new category proposal that was ultimately approved. A big thanks to the vice president of awards, Diane Theriot, for her guidance.

There are many members of the local music scene who worked to increase awareness about how the Grammys could help Hawaiian music and to build local membership, which was necessary before the Recording Academy would even consider adding a Hawaiian music category.

They include: Gail Gouveia; Willie K (who has been active in this project since the mid-'90s); Karey Ann Oura of Riptide Records; Jim Linkner and Punahele Productions; the Mountain Apple Co.; everyone at the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts; Director Ted Liu, Judy Drosd and everyone at the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism for sponsoring a number of informational meetings and membership drives; Warren Wyatt at WorldSound (a Seattle-based artist management company) for acting as an advocate for local music; Dave Russell; Keola Beamer; Na Leo; and Keali'i Reichel and Ken Makuakane for lending their expertise in Hawaiian music.

Now that a Hawaiian music category is a reality, we cannot rest on our laurels. To maintain the category, qualified individuals must join the Recording Academy, enter albums and vote.

Dr. King brouhaha misunderstood

In his Feb. 2 column, David Shapiro criticized me and another writer for our recent letters in this paper. Unfortunately, Mr. Shapiro ignored the content of my letter and instead attacked my character through a series of unsubstantiated statements.

The main point of my letter was that the goals of those advocating for Native Hawaiian sovereignty and race-based entitlements are not reconcilable with the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This was in response to the local media's focusing on Hawaiian sovereigntists in covering the King holiday. Contrary to statements by Mr. Shapiro, I did not suggest that Native Hawaiians should be excluded from the King parade, nor did I in any manner denigrate Hawaiians or blacks.

In quoting from Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech, I merely pointed out that Dr. King had fought for a unified colorblind America. While Mr. Shapiro opined that Dr. King would have supported the claims of Native Hawaiian sovereigntists and entitlement advocates, he ignored the fact that Dr. King fought against elements within the civil rights movement (such as the Nation of Islam) who advocated a similar separatist agenda. In the end, Dr. King's vision prevailed and has been the guide for racial reconciliation within the United States for the past 40-plus years.

Nevertheless, Mr. Shapiro argues that Hawaiian sovereignty and Native Hawaiian entitlement programs are justified because of events that transpired more than a hundred years ago. What these advocates seek to obfuscate is the fact that Native Hawaiians have never been the subject of governmental or societal discrimination, and that race-based (as opposed to needs-based) programs have an undeniably detrimental effect on all of Hawai'i's citizens, including Native Hawaiians.

What is even more unfortunate (and contrary to Dr. King's teachings) is the manner in which the events of the past are now being used as a justification for animosity by Native Hawaiians against others. A Jan. 31 article in The Los Angeles Times described one of the effects of this hostility. In that article, a Marine was quoted as articulating an apparently prevalent sentiment among Hawai'i-based military personnel and their dependents that "[w]e're just not wanted [in Hawai'i] ... I can't wait to leave."

As someone who was born and raised in Hawai'i and is proud of our many and combined local cultures and history, I find these types of sentiments deeply disturbing. If there is anything that we should learn from Dr. King's teachings, it is that progress comes through a lively exchange of ideas. Vilifying those with opposing points of view does nothing but breed greater resentment.