Letters to the Editor
AKAKA BILL
POLITICIANS FEAR LOSS OF HAWAIIAN FUNDING
It is no doubt true that the majority of Hawai'i's people support Hawaiians making their own decisions about their cultural and traditional practices. Everyone already has this right in America, as well as the right to control our land, education, etc. The vast majority support the Hawaiian renaissance. We share the pride of the children of Hawai'i's indigenous people in their ancestors' gifts.
I think that the vast majority of Hawai'i's people also agree that to create a race-based government where one does not exist and has never existed is offensive to our nation's commitment to equal justice and the elimination of racial distinctions in the law.
Our politicians seem to be blinded by their fear of losing funding for Hawaiians. The Akaka bill is not a step forward for Hawaiians or Hawai'i but is a misstep that will incite racial tension and encourage discrimination. The Akaka bill cannot withstand careful public scrutiny so it is being propelled by spin and backroom deals.
Dennis Davis | Honolulu
TYPOS
LEGISLATION SHOULD BE WEIGHED ON ITS MERITS
It bothers me to recall that certain leaders of our state were so heartless toward Gov. Lingle's mistake of a small typographical error on a message about House Bill 1309 a while ago. Gov. Lingle has efficiently accomplished so much in the past few years that I believe a little typo hardly "raises concerns not only about the status of the affected bills but on the precedent set and integrity of the process," as House Speaker Calvin Say states.
Meanwhile, I really appreciate Senate Majority Leader Colleen Hanabusa, saying that "the issue is whether the veto message gave lawmakers enough information about the governor's intentions," and I believe that the public knows, or should know, where Gov. Lingle stood on her veto decision. The intent and the reasons are very clear and legitimate. She objected to the bill because the taxes would be collected by the state and sent to the counties, and she prefers that the counties collect the tax.
Furthermore, all five bills that were vetoed on that day contained the same mistake in the last paragraph, showing that it clearly was a typographical error. Those who accused Lingle of intentionally making the clerical errors on the proclamations to distract from her possible signature are just taking advantage of this unfortunate but understandable situation and blowing it way out of proportion.
I'm happy that the bill, one that has the potential to change the whole transit system of Hawai'i, will be implemented according to its qualities rather than being rejected on a technicality.
Ke Chen | Advertiser Youth Community Editorial Board member; Makiki
MISTAKES
QUESTIONING THE WAR WILL HELP OUR TROOPS
Mr. Paul Mossman's letter of July 7 questions Sen. Inouye's comments on the war and states that national unity requires that we suppress such questioning. In reality, such outspokenness has been part of American history since our Revolution.Our troops cannot or will not complain, but they do write home. The resulting public criticism and good reporting help keep our generals and their civilian masters on their toes and ensure against unnecessary military casualties.
Numerous mistakes have been made in the post-9/11 war on terror: lack of equipment for ground troops, lack of armor for vehicles, failing to use American troops effectively at Tora Bora, not finishing Afghanistan before starting Iraq, prematurely shifting special forces to Iraq from Afghanistan, no plan to occupy Iraq (leaving it to the troops to figure out), no plan to reconstruct Iraq and no exit strategy.
Mistakes are inevitable in war; learning from them is not. Public debate helps with the process. Whatever we think of the war, we are in it and we need to talk about it.
Our foes have always confused our vigorous national debate with weakness. I hope al-Qaida makes the same mistake; however, we should not.
David Cameron Duffy | Kailua
LEGISLATION
KUDOS TO HANNEMANN FOR PUSHING RAIL AHEAD
With the recent developments in the rail bill, I would like to give kudos to Mayor Hannemann for showing our fellow government officials how to get things done.The previous rail bills have been voted down and shoved aside, from the Fasi days to the Mansho no vote. Meanwhile, the public has suffered the effects of an overburdened road system not only on O'ahu but on the Neighbor Islands as well.
Hopefully our local politicians will take note and help solve the problems of our gridlocked roads. I don\'t know if rail is the answer, but doing nothing will mean a lot worse for the future of our infrastructure.
Ernest Brezeale | 'Ewa
LIMITS
HOUSING PRICES WILL CAUSE FLIGHT OF YOUNG
In his July 13 letter ("A new housing crisis?"), Robert Bruce Carleton asks two pertinent questions of me, specifically: (1) "Could high housing prices cause population outflow of young \'ohana?" and (2) "could local government loosen up limits on building?"My answers: (1) Yes, almost certainly; and (2) yes, but unlikely. The two answers are related (see CAVE people: Citizens Against Virtually Everything).
Paul H. Brewbaker | Chief economist, Bank of Hawai'i
SCHOOL BINS
RECYCLING NECESSARY, EVEN IF IT COSTS US
In response to Justin Hahn\'s July 12 letter "Recycling program at schools a failure": The efforts at recycling in the Islands must be continued whether profitable or at a cost to taxpayers if we want to avoid living on an island of garbage, becoming a health hazard to ourselves.Mr. Hahn, are you one of those who doesn\'t recycle but will fight against another landfill in your neighborhood? I hope not. If so, give us support, not criticism.
Beth Perry | Kailua
