SUPPLY/DEMAND

NEW CONDOS WOULD EASE HOUSING MARKET

Many have been complaining against the development of residential condominiums in Kaka'ako. These protesters are the same people who constantly whine about the lack of affordable housing. Can't they see the paradox?

When the government artificially limits the supply of residential units available while demand is high, prices will skyrocket. Only when the inventory is larger than the demand will prices actually go down. It's that simple!

We can either have condos and affordable housing, or we can have open space and million-dollar homes. We can't have both.

KE'EAUMOKU

PENALTIES APPROPRIATE FOR DISTURBING BONES

Our families are recognized cultural descendants of iwi kupuna (ancestral remains) disturbed during construction of Wal-Mart at Ke'eaumoku Street.

We have read the DLNR report relating to an investigation of certain individuals for possible violation of the state burials law and are absolutely horrified by the disrespectful treatment of the iwi kupuna.

We applaud the efforts of the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the state attorney general's office for its investigation in this case.

However, it was the DLNR State Historic Preservation Division that exempted Wal-Mart from having to conduct an archaeological inventory survey of the makai portion of the Ke'eaumoku Street property, the location of the cemetery from which these ancestors were disturbed and removed.

Had the division followed a more prudent approach in this case, there is a strong possibility that this heinous situation could have very well been avoided.

The state did the right thing in settling with Hui Malama and Kaanohi Kaleikini, agreeing to be more vigilant in reviewing similar situations. Nevertheless, we support the findings and recommendations to impose civil penalties in this case.

WAIKIKI

CATCHING PROSTITUTES IS NOT ALL THAT EASY

This is in response to the letter writer who asked why prostitutes are allowed to walk the streets of Waikiki and hang out in hotel lobbies.

As defined by state law, a person commits the offense of prostitution if the person engages in, agrees to engage in or offers to engage in sexual conduct with another person for a fee. As a former undercover officer, I learned firsthand that making a prostitution arrest that will hold up in court is not easy.

Just because a person asks "Do you want a date?" or wears provocative clothing is not sufficient grounds for an arrest. In addition, prostitutes are well-versed in screening prospective customers to minimize their risk of being arrested.

HPD officers have made 62 arrests for street prostitution and 22 escort-related arrests since January. We have also conducted reverse-sting operations focusing on clients, or "johns."

Ensuring that Waikiki is safe for everyone who works in, lives in and visits the area is a huge responsibility that HPD takes seriously. And we are committed to working with the community to make sure that it happens.

PUBLIC SAFETY

KANE'OHE BAY SANDBAR MUST BE PROTECTED

I'm amused at Rep. Colleen Meyers' statements on Ahu o Laka, the Kane'ohe Bay sandbar. She said she saw fights at an offshore concert but isn't alarmed about what happens at the sandbar and didn't think it's abused.

Shouldn't she be a bit more concerned with public safety, the environment and cultural significance of the area?

The reality is its pretty much lawless out there, and most of the community knows it. Try to put on a concert without a permit in one of our shoreline parks where 40-plus people, many underage, are openly consuming alcohol and fighting and see what the HPD does. Bachelor parties complete with strippers are occurring on the sandbar. Littering is a problem. Dive the edge of the sandbar and you'll see the beer bottles. Boating while intoxicated is a problem, which has led to injuries and death.

Rep. Meyers should use her position to support expansion of DLNR enforcement staff in order to adequately provide for public safety and natural resource protection, not make sure the party keeps going.

CHEAP, SAFE

NUCLEAR ENERGY IS PANACEA FOR HAWAI'I

We will eventually need nuclear energy here in Hawai'i, as the supplies of oil and coal dwindle. A recent vision was to build a big nuclear electricity generating plant on Kaho'olawe and put huge undersea electric cables on the ocean floor carrying electricity to all the Neighbor Islands.

With cheap electricity, we could desalinate seawater, if necessary. We could use the cheap energy to create hydrogen fuel from the seawater for the hydrogen cell-fuel cars that are now possible; these cars burn hydrogen and emit water drops.

The Navy has had a relatively accident-free 50 years of a nuclear Navy, with the aircraft carriers and the nuclear submarines. Not many lives have been lost to nuclear accidents since the end of World War II. I would rather see a few lives lost to nuclear energy than an endless war in the Middle East over the oil and the money.

If this all sounds good to you, meaning the cheap and safe energy, then let's politely lobby with the state government, Hawaiian Electric, the Legislature and the people who have irrational fears of nuclear energy.

HOLIDAY

VETERANS DAY NEXT YEAR SHOULD BE NOTED

I composed this letter in my head while driving to a client meeting on Veterans Day morning.

As a consultant, I'm used to working on holidays, including some of the big ones. But as a veteran, I reflected on the irony that Veterans Day has become just another workday for many companies at a time when the country is at war.

Then I thought about America's newest veterans, including hundreds of citizen-soldiers from Hawai'i now serving their country in harm's way in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

Most will come home next year from their war zone, and many will return to civilian jobs. What will Veterans Day 2006 be like for them?

Will they have a once-traditional work holiday to "recognize the valor and sacrifice of our veterans through ceremonies and prayers" as declared in this year's presidential proclamation, or will it be just another workday?

Nov. 11 will fall on Saturday next year, so maybe it's a moot point. But however Hawai'i companies choose to recognize and honor the veterans among their employees, I hope they do so with an unmistakable gesture of goodwill and respect.

Like maybe declare Friday the 10th a holiday.

PLAYOFFS

FOOTBALL RULE IS UNFAIR

It's a shame that two of the top five high school football teams in the state of Hawai'i — St. Louis and Kamehameha (O'ahu) — won't be participating in the upcoming state football championships. Why is it that in high school sports such as basketball and volleyball, there is more than one ILH representative and only one team for football? Let's hope this rule changes so that a true state champion can be crowned.