RECYCLING

EXECUTE CURBSIDE ON FRACTION OF BOTTLE FEES

I was very sorry to see the curbside recycling program canceled.

Hawai'i residents are very conscientious and will almost certainly respond well to a convenient, sustainable recycling program. What could've been simpler or more convenient? Just put cardboard, glass, plastic bottles, aluminum cans and old newspapers into one container and take it to the curb on specified days whenever full. I imagine 70 percent compliance or better would've been achieved.

Contrast that with the very cumbersome bottle law program. Use water to wash containers, use space to store containers, use gas to return containers, and use up a lot of time in order to get 5 of 6 cents back.

Why don't we cancel the bottle bill, but continue to charge that 1 cent per container as a recycling fee (about $7 million per year) and use it to fully fund the curbside recycling program? The result would be more recycling (the bottle law's rate to date is only 49 percent), for less effort, less time wasted, less water wasted, less gas wasted and less money wasted (1 cent versus 6 cents for 51 percent of us) by consumers.

'CHORUS LINE'

SHOW'S PRODUCERS STINGY ON SALARIES

Hawai'i's musicians' union distributed informational handbills during the recent Honolulu run of "A Chorus Line" at the Hawai'i Theatre. The show also played last week at Maui's Castle Theater.

Unlike the last time the legendary Broadway show played Hawai'i, the production company, Encore Attractions, and its local presenter, Tom Moffatt Productions, paid the pit musicians approximately 25 percent less than Hawai'i's prevailing wage for commercial theaters ($600 vs. $810 a week) with no health or pension benefits.

Hawai'i's professional musicians rely on touring Broadway shows — "A Chorus Line," "Miss Saigon," "Grease," etc. — to set the wage standard in the local marketplace, and for years Hawai'i audiences have enjoyed the fruits of these standards in the form of the highest-quality musical theater featuring Mainland and often our locally based musicians. Thanks to these producers, our local musicians will find it harder to receive a living wage the next time a Broadway show comes to Hawai'i.

We did not discourage people from attending these performances, but we did want to let the theater-going public know the sad reality behind the glamorous production.

The message we are sending to Encore Attractions, Tom Moffatt Productions and to the Hawai'i and Castle theaters is simply that they should support Hawai'i's professional musicians by presenting professional shows that provide a living wage for all who work in Hawai'i. They should reward artists — not arts profiteering.

LAWSUITS

HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IS BROKEN, NEEDS FIXING

The problem of the uninsured in Hawai'i is being compounded by a growing number of people who may have insurance but either lack timely access to healthcare or have almost no access to healthcare.

Physicians are being squeezed between a fixed income and the ever-rising cost of their medical practice. To top that, medical liability insurance has skyrocketed, forcing physicians to either leave the state, retire early or stop doing risky procedures.

Hawai'i has lost approximately 29 percent of its orthopedic surgeons and 9 percent of its obstetricians during the past few years. In addition, 42 percent of OB-GYNs plan to quit obstetrics.

Trial attorneys blame medical liability insurers for gouging doctors, and healthcare insurers for charging the public too much and paying unfairly very little to the doctors for their hard-earned professional expertise.

One the other hand, medical liability insurers blame the trial attorneys for bringing frivolous or nonmeritorious lawsuits against the doctors. Even if they are thrown out or settled out of court, they cost money.

Both sides keep throwing darts at each other with their data, and the ones who keep getting injured are the physicians and their patients.

Legislators and administrators need to get together and fix our broken healthcare system.

FLAWED PREMISE

WEIGHTED FUNDS SYSTEM WILL TEAR UP OUR SCHOOLS

The Board of Education's recent decision to implement the weighted student formula in school funding is another example that where education is concerned, all the decision-makers of this state need to spend less time traveling abroad and more time in the public schools for which they are responsible.

Based on the outcome of the Oct. 20 BOE meeting, we are now facing a funding structure that will cripple many of our most vulnerable schools. Despite the fact that the "weighting" system was supposed to meet the needs of these schools, most, if not all, of our rural and small schools will lose huge sums of money to schools like mine — mega-schools with more than 2,000 students.

While building efficiencies of scale might fit a sound business model, it is the antithesis of sound educational practice. The premise that the state has taken is that there is adequate funding, and that a little reshuffling is all that is needed. Unfortunately, when the new funding system actually makes things worse for our schools, it's a sign that perhaps the original premise is flawed.

Maybe the next visit our decision-makers take could be back to this issue. They could start by visiting the schools they believe have had too much money over the years and explaining how they should do more with less; but it might be a rough trip.

IDIOTIC LAW

GAS PRICES ARE NOT SOMETHING TO 'ENJOY'

Last Tuesday's headline "Gas prices likely to drop Monday" prompted me to write this. The story's first line says, "Hawai'i motorists, who are enjoying falling gasoline prices this week, can expect more of the same next week."

Let us get one thing straight: There is absolutely nothing to enjoy when it comes to Hawai'i gasoline prices. It is like saying that if you have been tortured with 10 different torture devices and one day you are being tortured with only eight, you "enjoy."

Let's face it, this shameful gas-cap law is no different from government-sponsored price-fixing. As I recall, price-fixing is highly illegal, and in the past oil companies have faced many such lawsuits, most of them by the states, as they are too big for any individual to take on. Most of these lawsuits fail or settle out of court because the claims of price-fixing are just too difficult to prove. Now with the gas-cap law, no more worries about lawsuits, as the price-fixing is "approved" by the government. What a joke!

The so-called "maximum allowed this week" wholesale price set by the law might as well be the "minimum required this week." Who has ever heard of the gas companies charging less than the maximum? Since when do the gasoline prices in New York, Los Angeles and the Gulf region have anything to do with those in Hawai'i?

Let us know the names of all the politicians who made this idiotic law a reality and we will make sure they no longer hold office after the next election.

HOMELESS

TRY LIVING ON THE STREETS AND MAKING A LIFE OF IT

I write this in response to Rod Ohira's front-page story on the homeless, Oct. 24.

I, too, have become a statistic here in Honolulu, forced to live in my van, and I believe that I can speak for all the homeless when I say the current leadership has dropped the ball on social issues.

I am well educated and a master craftsman with my own tools. I was in business for myself for most of my life; I have a laptop and market myself via the Internet and other means, yet to this day I cannot find work. Why? Because people take a dim view of helping the homeless. Yes, there is something about that term that frightens people away.

We are forced to live as animals in shadowy places, harassed by the police with no hope remaining, and this alone can bring on mental illness — and often does.

Yes, it is true that crime and, in some cases, drugs evolve through this lifestyle, but I challenge Mufi Hannemann or Linda Lingle to live like this for an extended period of time and see how their lives would be transformed; they might become humanitarians.

If I cannot work myself out of poverty with my education and skills, imagine how the rest of our homeless feel. This alone will and does drive people to drink; there is simply no hope.

There is much anger on the street, and rightly so; we know all about aloha, or the lack thereof: The rich get richer, the poor ...

Our city and state want us to become invisible and disappear. Well, I am homeless and voted in the last election. That's right, and my vote was for Duke Bainum. He indeed had workable solutions and knew what this tragedy was doing to our state. Time is going to show that in the end our conservative leadership will split our population into the rich and the rest of us, with no middle class left. Then we will have tent cities everywhere.

That is my opinion, but what would I know? I am just a homeless bum, right?

NEW DRUG COVERAGE

DO HOMEWORK ON MEDICARE NOW

In two weeks, the race to sign up for Medicare's new prescription drug coverage will get under way. Organizations approved by Medicare began marketing their drug plans on Oct. 1. Submission of drug plan applications will begin Nov. 15.

If it applies to you, you should now be doing your homework to understand this exciting new benefit. However, a word of caution is necessary. There is much to learn, and not all drug plans offer the same coverage.

To protect yourself against fraud, here are some important things to remember: No one can ask you to enroll before Nov. 15, no one can come to your door uninvited, and no one can ask you for personal information — like your Medicare number — during their marketing activities.

At HMSA, we're encouraging Medicare beneficiaries to review all relevant information, discuss it with family members, ask questions and safeguard personal information. We urge you to be diligent in your efforts. In the end, you should feel you have made a fully informed decision.

The new prescription drug coverage replaces the Medicare drug discount card you may have now, but you must apply before the end of the year if you want the coverage to begin Jan. 1, 2006.

Before selecting a plan, it's important to know what medications you're taking. Each plan has its own list of covered drugs. If a medication is not included, you will be responsible for the total cost of the drug.

Each plan has contracted pharmacies, and some networks may be more extensive than others. You should look for a plan with pharmacies in your area. It doesn't do you much good if the pharmacy is not easily accessible.

Remember, for those who apply before Dec. 31, Medicare prescription drug coverage begins Jan. 1. So now is the time to learn as much as you can about the new benefit and call upon credible community resources to address your questions before you apply for coverage.

Medicare is there to help. It has an online drug plan cost estimator so you can see how much you might save by joining a Medicare drug plan. To use the estimator, visit Medicare at www.medicare.gov/medicarereform/MPDP_Cost_Estimator.asp. Or you may call them anytime at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

For other questions, visit the SagePLUS Program online at http://www4.hawaii.gov/eoa/programs/sage_plus or call it at 586-7299. We urge HMSA members to visit www.HMSA.com or call 948-6000 on O'ahu. Members on the Neighbor Islands should contact their local HMSA office.

Don't let the upcoming race to apply for Medicare drug coverage overwhelm you. There's a lot to consider, but there are many places to turn for help.

To make the best possible decision, do your homework now, use community resources if necessary, and get your questions answered. It's an investment in time and energy that will pay big dividends down the road.