Posted on: Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Letters to the Editor

Lower gas prices by cutting the tax

Your article about the Legislature's less-than-brilliant scheme to cap gasoline prices illustrates, perhaps inadvertently, what is so ridiculous about this law ("Gasoline price cap on track, PUC says," Feb. 10).

The alleged "problem" is that drivers are paying too much for gas (have they looked at home prices, medical costs, utilities and college tuition lately?). So what do the politicians do? They slap a limit on the wholesale price with a formula that makes filling out your income tax return look easy.

Speaking of which, here's an idea for helping consumers and service station dealers out at the pump: Why don't the politicians just cut the state tax we pay on gas, which happens to be the highest in the country? No, that would probably be too simple.

Water main traffic jam: It was no big deal

I am writing to you about last week's east-bound traffic because of the water main break. I have to laugh because I hear people complain about the awful traffic they were in. They were complaining that it took them one hour to get home.

I live in 'Aiea, and it takes me that long every day, without accidents or road problems. If there are road problems or accidents, it takes double the time or longer.

It's ironic because west-bound traffic is the east-bound's traffic if there's an accident or road problem. Hopefully, the city and state can do something about this awful traffic, especially for people who live out in the west. 'Aiea is not so bad. I feel for the people who live in 'Ewa and Kapolei.

Don't forget ignored residents in Wai'anae

It amazes me how something new like a rail transit system stirs up so much positive and negative controversy to include tax hikes to support this new system. Question: Who on O'ahu benefits from this system?

Hooray, Kapolei residents. It's in the making for your people to get a new road to get on the freeway.

Meanwhile, we in Wai'anae, the second-class citizens whom nobody pays attention to, will, slowly from the back, merge with you to the freeway.

I'm putting my money on Mufi Hannemann, who I know will care about our traffic situation on the Wai'anae Coast. Here is a mayor who takes action on problems the average smart guy thinks is a minor problem.

When we improve conditions on this island, let's improve the whole island, not only where the people who wear coats and ties work.

It's time for us to celebrate, not opine

Congratulations to all the nominees who were recognized in this year's Grammy awards. To be acknowledged for your artistry and, foremost, to be a part of this portal to perpetuate Hawaiian music nationwide, is paramount.

Let's not let questions about the voting process, the voters or any negativism darken such a shining moment. Let's give kudos to the winner and move forward.

Increase gas tax to ease our traffic

House Bill 1309 taxes the wrong source for the revenues required by the counties to improve their transportation system. These revenues should be derived from increasing the fuel tax.

The fuel tax surcharge would be the most equitable revenue source since the amount of tax paid would be in direct proportion to the usage of the transportation system.

Even the riders of buses and taxis would be paying their share through increased fares, and the goods and services we buy would reflect the passed-on fuel surcharges.

By tacking on a large-enough fuel surcharge, we would see an immediate improvement in traffic congestion without spending a penny on new roads or a rail system. As fuel becomes more expensive, more people will start catching the bus or start carpooling, and there will be less and less joy-riding.

To conserve fuel, there should also be less speeding on our roads.

Thanks to all involved in veterans center

Ground was recently broken for the new O'ahu veterans center. Under Gov. Cayetano, Norman Mizuguchi spearheaded an appropriation for the center through the Legislature years ago, and the money sat idle until a building site was located. After much searching, the Foster Village site was found.

The good people of Foster Village, and their community association president, Mr. John Drake, saw the positive aspects of having this center located in their neighborhood. That, plus the hard work of Rep. Lynn Finnegan and Sen. Norman Sakamoto, helped shepherd this center to fruition.

However, the center is only under construction today due to the tireless, unending, relentless work of Fred and Sandy Ballard. These two citizens displayed proactive leadership, ensuring that this veterans center would be built no matter what the obstacles. They brought all the stakeholders to the table and never gave up. Well done to all, but a special mahalo to the Ballard family!

Was that Hannemann wielding the baton?

Old copy editors never die, they just continue chuckling over unintentional humor that occasionally surfaces in the best-edited pieces. I refer to the Feb. 14 issue, front-page, bottom-right story on the final concert by Royal Hawaiian bandmaster Aaron Mahi, second graf:

"Mahi, 51, has been replaced by Mayor Mufi Hannemann as part of the new mayor's move to bring his own team to city government."

Picturing Mayor Hannemann waving the baton just struck me funny. Thanks for much-needed relief to the generally depressing news that greets us most every day.

Require road test if written test failed

When I renewed my driver's license several years ago, it was a surprise and disappointment to be told that no longer is a written test required. I had reviewed the questions in the manual and that did refresh my memory.

Since persons over 70 must renew their license every two years, at least require them (or even anyone over 65) to take a written test.

A road test for everyone over 70 would require many more test-givers than are now available.

But anyone who fails the written test (or has had an accident for which he or she is at fault) since their last renewal, should be required to take a road test. Let's face it, we could all use a driving refresher course.

Return envelopes should be provided

Do you ever have one of those nagging things you tolerate for a time like that tag inside your shirt that itches or that aggravating pebble in your shoe? I've got one with the University of Hawai'i athletic department.

It's not the premium prices we are asked to pay to hold on to our seats. I'm not happy about it, but there are plenty of other fans to voice their displeasure about that.

For the past two years, the UH athletic department has sent out its football season ticket forms without a return envelope.

I doubt there is another program in the country that does that. It is just basic business practice. If you want repeat customers, you make it as convenient as possible to keep those customers.

For the past two years, I have sent over $1,000 to the university for tickets, and it can't supply me with a return envelope? I think that it is symptomatic of a bigger problem.

Pahoa Elementary: closing the education gap works

An urban legend claims that a bumblebee's wings are too small to lift its weight, and therefore it's impossible for a bumblebee to fly.

The Advertiser recently reported that Hawai'i's students from low-income families score well below the average state student in public education. The article cites educators' belief that we cannot expect schools to eliminate this achievement gap on a rigid timetable ("Test-score gap remains for low-income pupils," Feb. 7).

But what about the schools that are quietly reducing and even eliminating the achievement gap for low-income students?

Pahoa Elementary is a rural school in a high-poverty community on the Big Island. Approximately 90 percent of the students come from families that live in or near poverty; about 15 percent have special-education needs; and a large number speak English as a second language.

In the past three years, the school has adopted a schoolwide curriculum and completely redesigned how it teaches students. In three years, the number of fifth-graders proficient in reading rose from 28 percent to 46 percent. In those same three years, the number of fifth-graders proficient in math rose from 10 percent to 28 percent percent.

In 2004, the Pahoa Elementary students from low-income families scored higher than the overall average Hawai'i public school student. In three years, the school eliminated the achievement gap between their low-income students and the rest of the state.

Is this magic? No. These changes in Pahoa and elsewhere are due to strong principals working with their teachers and staffs to identify a schoolwide curriculum, create a new approach to students that believes in their success and work hard to implement their plan. This raises the radical idea that perhaps we didn't need to have an achievement gap all these years.

What has driven these schools to change? They were motivated by No Child Left Behind, the very law many educators say is unfair because the goals are unachievable and unrealistic.

Perhaps the No Child goal of 100 percent student proficiency in reading and math is not achievable.

Perhaps requiring us to eliminate the achievement gap in 14 years is not realistic.

But who will decide what percentage of our students can't succeed?

Who will decide how many more years is realistic?

Even more importantly, who will tell those low-income students at Pahoa Elementary that their wings are too small — that they can't fly?

Chapter 38 demise was welcome

We find James Longwell's comments (Letters, Feb. 11) interesting, particularly his characterization of letters from both Ray Soon (Island Voices, Jan. 21) and Kimo Kalama (Feb. 1), regarding the demise of Chapter 38. We know Ray well, and would not pretend to be his spokespersons, but some third-party critique of Longwell's comments is perhaps appropriate.

First of all, although Ray is presently with kamehameha Schools, he was formerly head of the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL), and has a long and consistent involvement with Hawaiian land issues, including the preservation of these lands. Chapter 38 is certainly within this sphere of interest.

If his present association with Kamehameha Schools is seen as proof of bias against land theft, then he joins legions afflicted with the same blessing.

Longwell is further "amazed" at Kalama's statement that "limiting home ownership is part of our free and democratic society." We are likewise amazed, since this quotation is purely Longwell's construction, and did not appear in the Kalama letter. Kalama does not mention "limiting home ownership"; he instead speaks to the corrupt practice of eminent domain as the vehicle to transfer land between private parties. We share this concern.

We also share Longwell's vision of home-ownership as a valid "American dream." However, we differ in methodology. We say buy from a willing seller. Longwell encourages condemnation from an unwilling seller. He speaks of the 19th-century American immigration from Europe of those escaping the tyranny of land barons and royal families, and the western settlement of these immigrants "at great cost to the Native American Indian."

Indeed, it seems that the collectively oppressed then became instruments of a new collective tyranny, with the collective blood-letting of native peoples an acceptable price, and theft of their lands an acceptable prize for the "Manifest Destiny" of that era. Longwell may embrace that legacy; we do not.

Further, we should not confuse the granting of westward-moving homesteads keeping pace with settlers as the government-designed fulfillment of dreams for home ownership. It was instead the necessary inducement to fulfill the political imperative of populating the continent to the Pacific reaches, to pre-empt and discourage land ambitions of the European powers. We also note that while this westward mayhem was in full bloom, the Hawaiian kingdom was firmly established. That is the legacy that we embrace.

Longwell also enlists President Bush as his ally in this "American dream." We daresay, however, that Mr. Bush would vigorously defend his property rights should any lessee of his Crawford ranch property seek condemnation conversion to satisfy his personal "dream."

Chapter 38 was enacted in 1991 by a slim 5-4 majority. It was painfully repealed in January by a 6-3 majority. This is proof of democracy in action. Isn't democracy wonderful?