Environment reports are true, important

Rick Grigg's Jan. 11 letter "Environment reports are overly pessimistic" served no other purpose than to diminish the reality that there exist many real threats to Hawai'i's coral reefs.

The condition of Hawai'i's reefs may not be as bad as in other areas of the world; however, that is a poor excuse to ignore the problems that exist here. And, while there are healthy coral reef ecosystems in Hawai'i, there are many in the numerous bays and just outside the hundreds of stream outlets, right in the path of land-based runoff pollution, that aren't.

Perhaps the problem isn't that the media focus on "doom-and-gloom ecology," but that they don't do it enough. There is no doubt that our islands and environment are beautiful. There is also no doubt that human activities go on each day that threaten this beauty. These activities result in large amounts of muddy runoff, chemicals and other pollutants entering our waters, harming our coral reefs, as well as potentially endangering human health.

Perhaps a solution here would be to not focus on the good, the bad or the ugly, but to educate people about them and then focus on what we can do to help keep our coral reefs healthy and our waters clean. For this reason, programs such as the Sierra Club's Blue Water Campaign were created.

One only needs to look to the roads or streams on a rainy Hawai'i day to see the muddy water and debris that will eventually flow out to the ocean and our nearshore ecosystems. Stick your head under that water and you will see the sediment suspended in the water and settling on our sensitive coral reefs.

Pack them a lunch

I am sick and tired of hearing complaints about the cost of lunches in school. Since when was it a requirement for schools to provide affordable lunches? I pay enough in taxes and don't feel that I should subsidize our lunch program.

To all you parents grumbling about the cost: Why don't you pack a lunch for your kids if it's too expensive or lacks the quality you think they deserve?

It works: Neighbors working together

Each community in Hawai'i has its problems. Each also has neighbors who can work together to address these problems, as well as celebrate what they love about their community. Good local reporting is an important catalyst in the process, bringing people together, identifying common concerns and educating residents about their own neighborhoods.

The members of Hui 'O Makiki thus greatly appreciated reporter James Gonser's story "Urban challenges confront Makiki" (and The Advertiser's prominent placement of it) in Sunday's paper. As a group of residents working for a better Makiki, we would like to invite interested neighbors to our next meeting: Saturday, Feb. 12, 9 to 11 a.m., in the Makiki Library.

Welfare recipients should repay state

I have an idea for the state to make money: Why not make the people who take advantage of the welfare system pay back the money? Some of these people have been abusing the system for years.

As a taxpayer, I'm fed up with people who are too lazy to support themselves and their children. Why should the hard-working taxpayer foot the bill for these people? Instead of giving them money, why not educate them on how to find a decent job so they wouldn't burden society?

Just imagine if all the people who have used welfare paid just $100; you would have a huge fund for the state to use.

Bridge over Ala Wai remains a bad idea

Regarding Ruth Beard's Jan. 11 letter about another bridge over the Ala Wai: Welcome back to the neighborhood! I have also lived in the neighborhood since 1983. Here are the reasons for not building a bridge then and now:

• We don't want all the traffic that passes through McCully going through our neighborhood.

• This traffic would go onto the University-South King crossing and would make already heavy traffic worse.

• Ala Wai field would become a venue for undesirable characters from Waikiki to carry out their activities away from the eyes of police.

• Walking from this neighborhood to Waikiki over the McCully bridge is good for health.

Akaka bill opposition will get to the truth

Sen. John McCain's opposition to the Akaka bill was the right thing to do as chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee. He believes in straight talk, and beginning today, the people of Hawai'i will begin straight talk on the truth that affects all the people in the state of Hawai'i.

We will have discussions to understand why there are legal challenges to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. We will have discussions to understand the truth leading to the 1893 overthrow of the monarchy and the recognition of the Republic of Hawai'i. We will have discussions to understand that the United States forgave a large debt owed it by the monarchy to compensate Hawai'i for the ceded lands that were later returned to all the people of Hawai'i.

Through the process of dialogue, we will understand the truth, who is spinning the truth, and who are the true revisionists of Hawaiian history.

Hawai'i is the 50th state of the United States of America. Hawai'i is the true example of people of different cultures, religions and ethnicities coming together as one people in a free and peaceful world.

We can now find the truth.

Carlyle's plans for Verizon make good business sense

We are pleased that the consumer advocate has agreed to support the sale of Verizon Hawaii to the Carlyle Group. We have reviewed the conditions stipulated by the consumer advocate and we believe that we can incorporate them into our business plan to successfully launch Hawaiian Telcom, which will be the new name of Hawai'i's phone company.

When The Carlyle Group announced its plans to purchase Verizon Hawaii, we said that we would reconnect the company to its roots as a local Hawaiian telephone company and bring new jobs and investment to the company. This is our strategy. It is not a public relations strategy, it is a business strategy that makes sound financial and marketing sense.

As large Mainland telephone companies like Verizon and SBC seek to refocus their business on large urban markets and sell their telephone lines in smaller markets, like Hawai'i, Carlyle and other private investment firms are finding opportunities to breathe new life into these assets by transforming them into more competitive businesses, dedicated exclusively to the markets that they serve.

Carlyle's investment of tens of millions of dollars in a new billing and back-office system alone will significantly update Hawai'i's local telephone company. The result of this unprecedented investment will be a company offering more technology solutions, more bundled options specific to Hawai'i and an overall enhanced customer experience.

As Hawai'i's consumer advocate determined after a comprehensive review of the transaction, the transformation of Verizon Hawaii will take time and significant investment by Carlyle. Over time, we will add value to the company and to the community by investing in new systems, providing new products and services to our customers and supporting a locally based management team. Again, that is a business strategy that makes sense for Carlyle and for Hawai'i.

Lingle is pulling a fast one

Gov. Linda Lingle's selection process to replace Rep. Sol Kaho'ohalahala, as reported in The Advertiser on Sunday, amounts to nothing more than shibai. Here's why:

• The governor cleverly concocted a multi-step selection process in the name of "inclusive and transparent" government. Upon inspection, the deck is stacked, and the timing delays only serve to weaken representation for the people of the 13th District.

First, you can discount the touted impartiality of the six-member "preliminary" screening panel. Nelson Befitel, Georgina Kawamura and George Kaya are all longtime Lingle supporters and Republican political appointees who owe their jobs to the governor. On the other hand, James Apana, Shay Chan Hodges and Rosalyn Baker are all solid Maui Democrats beholden to the local Democratic rank and file. In other words, the governor has three votes and the Democrats have three votes. But, what happens if there is a tie? In a tie, the process defaults automatically to the governor.

Surely the governor will let her three supporters know whom she wants and whom she does not want in the position, easily influencing the creation of a "tie" situation.

Let's be honest. The panel makeup is bogus, and this is not the "inclusive and transparent" process that the governor would have you believe.

• The next step of the process is even worse. The interview process will be controlled by three people: Bob Awana, the governor's chief of staff; Linda Smith, the governor's policy adviser; and Sen. Les Ihara from O'ahu. With all due respect to Sen. Ihara, we question his knowledge of the people's needs on Maui, Moloka'i and Lana'i. The governor could and should have chosen Sen. Kalani English, who represents East Maui, Moloka'i and Lana'i. The governor and her team can spin this all they want, but it doesn't amount to what's best for the representation of the 13th District.

• Under the governor's self-serving selection scheme and timeline, the voters of East Maui, Lana'i and Moloka'i will not have a state representative until Feb. 7. This means that when the Legislature opens on Jan. 19, there will be no one to represent the people of those three communities in the state House. The governor's appointment process will mean that the people of East Maui, Moloka'i and Lana'i will have to find other legislators to propose legislation on their behalf.

The newly named representative will have missed the bill introduction deadline of Jan. 27. Likewise, the Jan. 31 grant-in-aid deadline will have passed, and the people of District 13 will have limited opportunity to seek public aid for healthcare, housing, economic development, youth services and other local needs.

• Finally, the governor knows as well as we do that naming a replacement for Rep. Kaho'ohalahala should not be a bipartisan choice. The Constitution states that the successor must be from the same party as the vacating legislator, so it is neither necessary nor meaningful to include Republican input on the selection of a Democratic replacement. Instead, the governor should consult with former Rep. Kaho'ohalahala, Maui senators and Maui Democratic Party officials, then make a timely and meaningful decision.