KAILUA

CONVERT VACATION UNITS TO LONG-TERM RENTALS

Ryan May (Letters, April 10) must be new to Kailua, or he would remember that three years ago, Sen. Fred Hemmings did bring together all concerned parties and city officials, Kane'ohe Ranch, Kailua Chamber of Commerce and Kailua organizations to resolve the conflict over illegal rentals. There were numerous meetings and no resolution.

Current Kailua Neighborhood Board members do listen to everyone, and then they vote to support the voice of the majority of Kailua residents, who want illegal rentals curtailed.

If these illegal operations were converted to long-term rentals, Kailua would not have a rental shortage, property values would not escalate as rapidly as in recent years and neighbors would not be complaining about illegal activity in residential neighborhoods. Everyone would be happy.

Oops, I forgot. Illegal operators would only be making about a third of what they do now, so I guess greed still wins over doing the right thing.

HEALTHCARE

SB 1792 WILL HURT ISLE COMMUNITY HOSPITALS

I oppose Senate Bill 1792 to break up Hawai'i Health Systems Corp.

This bill will hurt rural hospitals in Hawai'i, and I am particularly concerned with my hospital in Kona. I run the emergency department at Kona Community Hospital and believe that HHSC is doing an excellent job in upgrading medical services on the Big Island.

If HHSC becomes fragmented, then we in Kona, Hilo, etc., will not be able to continue upgrading our services. We are having major problems attracting and retaining good physicians, and without HHSC and their efforts on our behalf, we will be in a much worse position to recruit and to provide quality medical care.

Please do not fragment HHSC — it will be a major problem, a disaster, for Kona Community Hospital and other rural hospitals in the state.

IRAQ WAR

AMERICAN PEOPLE NEED TO LISTEN TO PRESIDENT

On March 20, The Advertiser printed an article about President Bush asking people to be patient regarding the war in Iraq. We need to listen.

The U.S. is fighting an elusive enemy — the insurgents and terrorists in Iraq hide and fight among the civilians. Our forces just need the time to root them out wherever they are.

This war is to help keep the terrorist threat contained and to prevent another 9/11.

ENVIRONMENT

DUMPED MUNITIONS COULD BRING DISASTER

Is it an environmental disaster just waiting to happen?

Many thousands of tons of World War II chemical and explosive weapons were dumped in the ocean off our shores 60 years ago. And, they are still there.

Hurricane season is arriving, and global warming has many on edge. What if a storm cracks and pushes a weapon or its corroded contents onto the coral reefs and beaches? Will unimaginable havoc be created?

Last year, I found a 3-foot-long military container on the beach close to some rocks at Bellows Air Force Base. The label said "WHITE PHOSPHORUS" — "HIGHLY EXPLOSIVE." Was that WWII material, or from a modern-day exercise? I placed it onshore, and security closed the base. That night, the TV news filmed the Army detonating an explosion of possible WWII material. Was that explosion the result of what I had found?

The scattered weapon dumps should be removed. The lives and health of O'ahu residents are worth the removal costs.

Demand immediate action. Governmental indifference is not acceptable.

TRAFFIC SAFETY

JAYWALKING FINE SOURED THIS TOURIST IN WAIKIKI

I was stunned and outraged when I got a $70 fine for jaywalking in Waikiki on April 11.

The amount is outrageous, and it's nothing short of gouging the public under the guise of saving us from ourselves.

Could $15 or $25 have conveyed the same message?

The officer was "undercover," in plainclothes.

What use of precious police resources is that?

O'ahu taxpayers should be equally outraged.

Some individual discretion should be shown in the case of an adult crossing a road with no cars within 100 yards.

If I caused someone to smash on their brakes, then I deserve the fine.

However, there must be plenty of drugs, drunks and theft in Honolulu to keep you all busy without busting 54-year-olds for crossing the street.

Thanks for a sour end to an otherwise nice trip.

CROSSWALKS SHOULD BE ADDED, NOT REMOVED

In light of the recent pedestrian fatalities, some crosswalks are being removed because they are too dangerous. Others are being removed to make traffic flow better.

Removing crosswalks will not remove pedestrians and will not lessen pedestrian fatalities.

If anything, jaywalking and accidents will increase. Most pedestrians are in a hurry and will cross wherever it is convenient if there is no crosswalk within a short walking distance.

A better solution is to add more crosswalks. If more crosswalks are marked, people will be more likely to cross in a crosswalk than to jaywalk.

On Kainalu Drive in Kailua, there is a one-mile strip where there are no crosswalks. Pedestrians are not going to walk a half mile just to get to a crosswalk to cross the street.

Although this would not keep all pedestrian deaths from occurring, it would create a safer alternative for pedestrians.

KAIMUKI RAMPS

CITY IS REQUIRED TO ENFORCE PERMIT RULES

David Shapiro (Advertiser, April 8) missed the point in his discussion of the wheelchair ramp in Kaimuki.

The Department of Planning and Permitting has many responsibilities: to facilitate projects and to enforce zoning laws and to promote public health, safety and welfare.

There was a complaint filed about the wheelchair ramp, the department investigated the situation and on July 25, 2006, a Notice of Violation was issued for construction without a permit and construction encroaching on a required front yard.

The owner applied for an after-the-fact building permit on Sept. 20 but did not meet zoning setback and building code requirements and, thus, did not receive an approved permit.

The owner was offered several options, which he is presently considering. Had he followed up on the department's comments relating to zoning and building codes, he could have resolved the situation and avoided the current dilemma.

The department remains committed to helping the owner find a solution to the situation and is willing to help in any way it can.

LEGISLATURE

SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS ARE STILL OWED BACK PAY

Substitute teachers in Hawai'i are a professional group of working people who receive no health insurance, no retirement, no paid vacation and no guarantee of a job on any given day.

They are not represented by a union, but they are a loyal group of people with whom the state contracts, and from whom the state receives valuable and necessary services.

In 1996, the Legislature established a formula by which substitute teachers would be paid.

In 2005, Circuit Court Judge Karen Ahn ruled that the Department of Education had failed to pay substitute teachers the proper salary for 10 years.

The state owes them these wages. Their claim should be settled by this year's Legislature. To continue to stall paying the substitute teachers what they are owed is to continue to cheat them. That is wrong.

OBITUARY

MUSIC COMMUNITY WILL MISS DANNY BARCELONA

The article on the passing of Danny Barcelona (Page B2, April 9) needs an addendum.

As students at McKinley High School, my classmates and I were honored to know him.

It was wonderful knowing that someone with that level of experience was willing to talk to and encourage us.

Danny treated us as musicians and equals.

The music community and the students he touched will miss him.

CRIME

HOLD DRUG PUSHERS LIABLE FOR MEDICAL COSTS

Laws should be passed that hold illegal drug pushers both criminally and financially liable for the harm they cause their victims.

There should be no statute for limitations for that liability.

I know of a case where a drug pusher's poison led to medical trauma and extreme hardship to the victim and the victim's family. Recovery took years. By the time it could be proven who the drug pusher was, the statute of limitations had expired. The pusher went unpunished and began a lucrative legitimate business, unscathed.

The amount of harm illegal drug pushers cause to people, to families and to our society is mind-boggling. If illegal drug pushers were held liable for the medical bills of their victims, insurance companies would not be so burdened and neither would Medicaid and Medicare.