Creativity needed to alleviate traffic

Isn't it interesting that our politicians, in their infinite wisdom, are able to talk to us, again, about a rail system (which has already cost millions of dollars in studies alone) while to this very day there are park-and-rides all around O'ahu that have had, on a daily basis, a 1 percent occupancy.

Stupid ideas never stop being stupid ideas, and yet they are still being entertained by chief executives.

Now they are talking about a rail system again and, because so much has changed over the last decade and a half since the idea was last shot down, we're going to have to do another study to determine if it is more feasible now than it was before (when costs were lower and there was more real estate available).

If anything, we need a subway system, or some kind of a ferry/train system that will be faster than a boat and will decongest the roads while still allowing the commuters to use their own cars. I don't take the bus because I don't want to be stuck someplace without transportation if I need to be somewhere in an emergency. I think that is the sentiment of most of my fellow citizens.

We could also restrict the use of oversized vehicles to before 6 a.m. until after 8:30 a.m.

Also, we could use Nimitz for delivery vehicles only and restrict the freeways to passenger cars and buses.

There are a lot of ways to do this without costing the state a lot of money that could very well be more effective.

What the state needs is to be more creative rather than bringing bad ideas back into the mix.

Stop using weed-killer on the steep slopes

I am appalled by the horrible practice of road-maintenance crews to spray weed-killer on steeply sloping road shoulders.

This exposes bare dirt by killing the protective vegetation cover and causes never-ending erosion of the fragile slopes. Most of that dirt-laden runoff washes down into the ocean, suffocating coral, etc.

On Lilipuna Road, they recently had to remove tons of washed-down dirt from the road (only after I complained repeatedly). That dirt would have washed into Kane'ohe Bay.

The city and state must stop that practice and mow the vegetation on such steep slopes when needed.

Fix the problem and recycling will work

I've read the letters regarding can/bottle recycling and frustration at long lines and slow service, as well as the state's bewildered question, "Where have all the cans and bottles gone?" as revenues continue to far exceed payouts. I smugly continued to use our wonderful facility in Kapolei, with good service and little wait time. That is, until recently, when daily visits found the trailer closed with a sign proclaiming "Trailer full."

I called the state recycling line, was told there were problems handling the current needs, positive steps are being taken and that I should call the recycler to verify when they could accommodate recycling. I called the recycler and was told they wouldn't know the status of the Kapolei trailer until the next day. Could it be that the proper infrastructure was never put in place before the law was enacted? Will this result in less recycling than before?

In answer to the question "Where have all the cans and bottles gone?" I can answer that one. They're in the trunk of my car, in my garage and in bags alongside houses all over this island, waiting not-so-patiently for someone to fix this problem.

Same old same old with DLNR excuses

In response to DLNR Chairman Peter Young: Yes, there is a focus on a turnaround. It's called backpedaling.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources is desperately trying to deflect focus on recently proposed management audits. Yes, Mr. Young inherited a mess, but has he and his division managers been part of the problem or part of the solution? It appears for the most part to be more of the same dysfunctional chaos at DLNR under his leadership.

The story of the baby who was severely burned after stepping into a smoldering beach fire is truly tragic. Mr. Young's response to this incident was to state that these beach fires are quite common and that DLNR enforcement officers would step up their efforts in detecting these beach fires as well as citing the violators. Doesn't this seem a bit reactionary? Did a baby have to be severely injured before enforcement efforts were "stepped up"?

Mr. Young directed the public to call the DLNR enforcement division phone number at 587-0077 to report beach fire violations. I urge anyone to call this number after 4:30 p.m. or on the weekends and see if you talk to a live person. Odds are you will not, as the enforcement division does not have a dispatcher after 4:30, only a recorded message. In other words, your complaint will not be heard until the following business day.

I can't recall the last time I saw a beach fire during the day. Does the DLNR expect to catch the violators sitting around the smoldering coals the following morning? There appears to be little enforcement on weekends or holidays when many resource and recreation violations occur. A call to 911 HPD only advises you to call the DLNR number.

Pardon the pun, but is sounds as if Mr. Young is just blowing more smoke.

Teachers should accept what's given

I am very happy for our dedicated public school teachers and their new, well-deserved contract, giving them generous raises. So, now that they will be the third-highest-paid starting teachers in the nation (Advertiser, April 29), why aren't they happy?

All I read are quotes that "it is a good first step," "more needs to be done" or "the cost of living isn't factored in." That's true, but nobody who works in Hawai'i, with the exception of federal employees on COLA, get to factor in the cost of living. We all deal with it, and while some teachers do work eight hours or more per day, many do not. Additionally, most workers in other fields are required to work 70 to 80 more days a year than public school teachers do; is that factored in?

Many other occupations also require working at night, on weekends and on holidays. Let's all be thankful for what we have and consider that there are many other skilled and hard-working individuals less well off.

Businesses won't absorb increase

It was amusing reading the section on "Major state issues addressed during this session" in the May 4 Advertiser.

Regarding the minimum-wage increase: You state in the "What it means" column that "businesses will have to absorb the higher labor costs." I am in business, and I do not think businesses absorb the cost; in reality, they pass the additional cost on to the consumer through price increases in their products or services. If businesses absorbed the cost, they could not stay in business very long.

The increase in wages also dictates an increase in workers' comp and temporary disability insurance as well as added FICA, Medicare and state unemployment payroll taxes. Businesses cannot absorb all these additional costs.

Therefore, the ultimate loser is the consumer (who will be paying more for goods and services) who thinks he will be better off with the increase in minimum wage.

As Mr. Uyehara of Aloha Tofu mentioned in his recent letter, any increase has an effect on other wage levels as well. This is true. As a practical matter, all wage levels will need to be increased, not only those on minimum wage.

It is slowly getting to the point that businesses no longer have incentive to hire people, but will seek automation in every way possible.

Sovereignty? Keep things the way they are

I am a student at Wai'anae High School and I am doing a project on Hawaiian sovereignty. I don't understand why people want sovereignty so badly. It just wouldn't make sense.

The overthrow happened in 1893, and I don't believe we'd make it on our own now. Do you believe that I am wrong as a Hawaiian to not want Hawaiian sovereignty? I like things the way they are, and I wouldn't mind if they stayed that way.

Deferred compensation works

Allow me to call your attention to a nationwide plan already in effect that not only provides retirement savings plans for the employees involved but also effectively provides a tax cut for those participating in the plan. This plan does not require any money from, and is entirely independent of, Social Security.

This plan is called Deferred Compensation for Public Employees and is authorized by Section 457 of the Internal Revenue Code and implemented for Hawai'i public employees in Chapter 88E HRS. With Mayor Fasi's approval, I established this plan for 12,000 employees of the City & County of Honolulu using Aetna Insurance as the carrier. Because of the volume of business generated, we were able to negotiate a very desirable service fee with Aetna.

Three years later, the state of Hawai'i and the counties of Hawai'i, Maui and Kaua'i established a deferred compensation plan for their employees, using Prudential as the carrier.

Originally, the plan provided that a public employee could defer 25 percent of gross income, tax-free, a maximum $12,500 a year. Depending on the amount deferred, there was an immediate tax benefit. The plan offered five investment options, including fixed annuity, variable annuity stocks, bonds, money market, etc., so that no matter what your age or retirement goal, you could be as conservative or liberal as you desired.

You could not withdraw out of your account except for an emergency. A local board would approve or disapprove such a request, with no recourse. Also, you could change your options on a monthly basis. Other than that, there was no responsibility on the part of the employee to be concerned with the day-to-day operation of his fund. This was the responsibility of the professionals at Aetna, whose first concern was to make sure the account performed satisfactorily.

Pursuant to the above, I propose that the director of Internal Revenue be instructed by Congress that the provisions of Section 457 be extended to all American workers.

Canada has had a similar plan in effect for many years. It is known as the Retirement Savings Plan and covers everybody. I visited Australia and New Zealand. They also have similar plans.

As for Social Security, Newsweek (April 2005, page 49) contains an article by Allan Sloan entitled "A Piggy Bank for Social Security" in which he states, "A trust fund invested only in treasuries is of no real use; under the Sloan plan, we'd invest the surplus in mortgages and corporate bonds." I would add state and municipal general obligation bonds. It's as good an idea as any that I'm aware of.