Letters to the Editor
TRANSIT TAX
LINGLE HAS APPARENT CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Public officials should avoid even the appearance of impropriety. Lingle family ties to Hawai'i's largest auto dealer group raise a cloud over her veto of the mass transit tax.
Gov. Lingle's uncle is Nick Cutter, head of the Cutter Group, and members of her extended family receive millions from auto sales. The auto dealers would be hurt by mass transit and prefer that the state expand the roads instead.
Google users can also quickly discover that Gov. Lingle's first public statement after her 2002 election was to say she was considering "double-decking" the H-1 Freeway — effectively increasing the island's auto capacity.
Gov. Lingle may indeed have principled "home rule" reasons for her veto, but the public will be left with serious doubts about her motives because of the apparent conflict of interest. She should have allowed the bill to become law without her signature.
Jim Bickerton | Manoa
LEGISLATURE
VOTERS SHOULD GIVE LINGLE MORE SUPPORT
Dale Evans, president of Charley's Taxi & Limousine, indicates that Gov. Lingle should not let House Bill 1309 go past her desk without a veto and seems to feel she will not live up to her pledge not to raise taxes (Letters, July 6). The last time I checked, the voters of Hawai'i have not given Gov. Lingle the tools necessary to totally fulfill the pledges she made in her campaign.
For some reason known only to those who voted, and to those who felt it not important to vote, they gave Hawai'i a progressive moderate governor and then tied her hands by saddling her with a very liberal Democratic Legislature.
Don't beat up on the governor for not doing things to improve the lot of the people of Hawai'i; point the finger to those who elected the Legislature.
How do the voters of Hawai'i improve their lot and live the quality of life that is within their reach? They throw out the individual who believes in tax and spend and providing for his cronies.
Give Gov. Lingle the tools she needs and deserves to do the job we elected her to do. Give her a veto-proof Legislature.
Frank Henrion | Kailua
NO TAX HIKE
GAS COSTS WILL OBVIATE THE NEED FOR FIXED RAIL
The governor, members of the state Legislature, the mayor and members of the City Council are all sticking their heads in the sand and ignoring the prohibitive increase in the cost of gasoline projected for the state over the next five years. It is projected by the end of 2006 the cost of a gallon of gasoline will be over $3 a gallon and within five years, over $4 a gallon.
The impact of the cost of oil on the economy of the state will ripple through every facet of life here. Residents are going to find driving a motor vehicle a luxury few can afford. As a result, there will be a corresponding decrease in motor vehicles on the roads. People will be forced to carpool, vanpool and, God forbid, ride the bus. As a result, traffic congestion will be reduced to the point highways should be adequate for the volume of daily traffic.
The state and city already have mechanisms for amassing funds for transportation in the state gasoline tax, which is the highest in the country, and the city vehicle tax. If these funds, along with federal funds, were used judiciously and strictly for transportation needs, then there should be no need to increase the general excise tax.
Last, the major problem with a fixed-rail system is that it is fixed. Once in place, it is very difficult to change. I am not going to belabor the point that a fixed-rail system is a bad idea for O'ahu, but raising the GET to pay for it is even a worse idea.
Charles M. Ferrell | Honolulu
CORRIDOR
HERE'S HOW TO SOLVE OUR GRIDLOCK PROBLEM
Concerning the gridlock problem on O'ahu, I would offer the following:
To accomplish this, I believe a combination, or hybrid, corridor should be built along and above the existing major route. Such a roadway would include 12 lanes, to include four emergency lanes and four lanes in each direction. If volume requires it, the lanes would be reversible in periods of peak traffic. For example, from 4 a.m. until noon, all lanes would be in-bound. From noon to 8 p.m., all lanes would be out-bound. Included would be two express toll lanes in each direction that could also be used by express transit vehicles.
Finally, to complete a rainbow spectrum of utility and meet the needs of all, here would be a two-way rail line down the middle, as with the Century Freeway in Los Angeles.
Bill Miller | Pearl City
MANY BENEFITS
LOOK TO SINGAPORE FOR HOW TO DO RAIL SYSTEM
Let's invest in our future and build a rail system for Honolulu.
Singapore has a good approach to public transportation. To reduce traffic, the government imposed taxes that can triple the price of a car. An electronic road pricing system charges higher fees during peak hours. Singapore discouraged cars but also developed a system of buses and rail lines. It took 10 years of planning, but its rail system is very convenient and efficient.
Some stations were built for existing places like the convention center. Other stations attracted development and became hubs of economic activity, creating hundreds of jobs. Shopping malls, food courts, theaters, health services and other businesses grew up around the stations.
The value of mass transit is more than the cost of transportation. You have to add tax revenues from the businesses that grow up around the stations, the revenues from thousands of jobs created by those businesses, the money saved by not building more roads, the benefit of giving mobility to a large portion of the population, the environmental benefits of concentrating development along the rail corridor, and the health benefits of a cleaner environment.
Melvin Chang | Makiki
HARRIS BOOK
CRITICS DEMONSTRATING LACK OF UNDERSTANDING
Regarding city Managing Director Jeff Coelho's suggestion (Advertiser, June 23) to destroy "Renaissance of Honolulu" and Ann Kobayashi saying "It's embarrassing": Has either of them read former Mayor Jeremy Harris' book and understood what it says?
Just reading the book, one is inspired by the thinking of sustainability that has brought beauty, calm and safety to our city. And with continued study of what is best to meet our needs, and good planning that is in the book if you really read and think, we will have a truly modern model city for others to admire and follow.
Yes, delaying redoing our highways is annoying, but to do them now when we are just repairing structure would require digging up the roads again.
True, the highway department did not do the job of potholes in a timely or organized way, which really shows lack of leadership in the department, as we all know exists in so many of our city and state departments.
We all should put on our thinking caps and read "Renaissance of Honolulu." Just to look at the book one senses its beauty of thought. I'm so incensed that anyone could say such inconsiderate things about such a beautifully written book.
Lucille Gibson | Kailua
ANARCHY
FIREWORKS MARRED 4TH AT ALA MOANA PARK
Ala Moana Park was like a war zone on Fourth of July evening. Kids and young adults were going wild with loud and dangerous fireworks aimed at people on the beach. The kids had no supervision as they played with and threw live fireworks, and there was no law enforcement present.
People had to protect themselves as best they could from the reckless anarchy. Police were directing traffic on the street, but they were needed more in the park and on the beach.
The dangerous anarchy and the litter that was left behind are a disgraceful way to "celebrate" our nation. The money wasted on fireworks should be put to a better use and laws should be enforced.
Also, the parade in Kailua has always been a nice hometown celebration. We were told this year that no anti-war signs would be allowed. And yet there were very large military vehicles towing huge anti-aircraft guns giving a decidedly pro-war message.
Also, we were told that, at the end of the parade, we would not be allowed to gather at the schoolyard for lunch, as we had before. And yet, at the end of the parade, there was a huge sign in the schoolyard — "Republican Party of Hawai'i" — and they were having a rally there. In celebrating our nation, the same rules should apply to all.
Nancy Bey Little | Makiki
SUPPORT BBS
VACATION RENTALS ARE ON THE FRONT LINES OF ALOHA
Vacationers using vacation rentals haven't selected a community at random. They've selected yours and mine. They've paid a premium to fly here and to enjoy our community and what it offers. They want to see and feel the aloha spirit in practice. They want to brag about it to their friends and family on the Mainland.
They're spending hundreds of dollars a day at such places as Times and Foodland, at Kailua Beach Rentals and the Salvation Army. They're spending money at Island Treasures and Mary Z's. They're buying postcards, shave ice, beach mats and T-shirts at First Stop and Island Snow. They're drinking Kona coffee at Kalapawai Market before walking on the beach. They're grinding on Deb's Ribs and sharing nightly aloha at Buzz's. They're eating breakfast at Boots and Kimo's and Cinnamon's and lunch at a variety of food outlets. They're buying suntan lotion and slippers at Longs and eating ice cream at Cold Stone. They're going to church at St. Anthony's (and are welcomed to that parish 'ohana at the beginning of Mass). They're spending money in our community because they live with us and take seriously recommendations on restaurants and shopping locations.
We're looking a gift horse in the mouth while debating if vacation rental owners should have the right to open their homes to those who seek less commercialized and corporate Hawai'i vacations. I have a desire to Keep Kailua Kailua in all its meanings. When my neighbor asks me if he has my support to lease his house or a room to vacationers, I will say yes.
For all: Support those vacationers who've chosen to stay in your town, and please support those who accommodate them. They, like the storeowners, are on the front lines of our town's and our state's aloha mission. Talk with the storeowners. Talk to your elected representatives. Talk to the vacationers.
Michael Graham | Kailua
BIOPHARMACEUTICALS
4 CONFLICTED PEOPLE HELPED SWAY APPROVAL OF GM ALGAE
Contrary to the headline on Sean Hao's June 29 article "Algae farmers get green light," it is not farmers who will be growing genetically modified (GM) algae in Kona. The companies growing these algae at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawai'i Authority in Kailua are Mera and Rincon Pharmaceuticals.
The algae approved to be grown by the Board of Agriculture are biopharmaceuticals with synthetic approximations of seven different human monoclonal antibodies, hormones or interlucins.
After receiving over 125 testimonies by doctors, marine biologists, algae experts and Native Hawaiians pleading with the Board of Agriculture to deny this proposal, the board decided to approve the algae introduction in a 6-2 vote. Among those board members who voted in favor of the GMO algae are:
It appeared that conflicts of interest were swaying members of the board more than public concern and testimony. Alan Gottlieb and Carl Carlson also voted to approve the GM algae.
While the board asked for public comment on this proposal, it failed to take it into account. This was a telling event about the board's overall lack of integrity and reason. Watching this five-hour meeting was a glimpse into the "business over safety, protection and preservation" mindset present in the Department of Agriculture.
Sarah Sullivan | Kealakekua, Hawai'i
