MAKAKILO QUARRY

WHY WAS AREA NOT DESIGNATED INDUSTRIAL?

Here we have a classic example of short-term interests leading to long-term problems.

On one side are the developers who build houses right on the doorstep of an established quarry business.

On the other side are the buyers of these houses, who obviously knew they were buying a house right beside a quarry operation but did so anyway.

The developers made their money and are long gone, while Grace Pacific is left holding the bag.

And where were the planners of our second city? Why was the area around the quarry operation not designated industrial or commercial? A business park along Farrington Highway would have shielded the nearby homes and eliminated most, if not all, the problems that now exist.

And one more question: Kapolei Knolls is so close to the H-1 Freeway that most of the noise, dust, and other nuisances are probably generated by the freeway traffic.

By opposing the quarry expansion, a small number of homeowners would be responsible for higher construction costs across O'ahu.

I applaud Grace Pacific for its willingness to go the extra mile at its own expense to meet homeowners' concerns.

That company should receive a "Good Corporate Citizen" award!

TRANSIT

ALREADY RUDDERLESS, WITH NO CLEAR COURSE

The picture of the Waipahu of the future on your May 25 front page tells us better than a thousand words ever could what the proposed fixed-rail system is truly about.

It confirms what so many have been saying: It is not about reducing traffic, it is about development. Real estate speculators, contractors and their friends in government are salivating at the prospect of their riches while the public is being deceived about the merits of better alternatives to reduce traffic congestion. Where does the rampage stop before all that is special about Hawai'i and its ability to sustain itself is lost?

Editorializing in your May 21 edition, you wrote that unless each political party grows its own next generation of leaders, "Hawai'i will be rudderless and drift toward its future rather than charting a clear and sensible course." Are we not already there? Where are today's leaders who have a clear and sensible vision for this island? They are bobbing up and down in an ocean without a charted course, driven by short-term profits for the few and devoid of sense of stewardship and long-term vision.

Concerned with the direction into which we are heading, former Gov. George Ariyoshi warned in his recent address to the state Democratic Party: "We need to ask the questions of how much water we have, what is our carrying capacity and about our natural resources."

The promoters of fixed rail and associated development interests have yet to answer those questions.

ONLY THING WRONG WITH RAIL IS IT ISN'T BUILT YET

It isn't a surprise that the Stop Rail Now group is struggling to get the signatures required to get the initiative placed on the ballot.

Regardless, the proposal will be soundly defeated should it come to a vote. I think the Stop Rail Now group has significantly underestimated the despair and frustration of those who commute from the Leeward coast, Central O'ahu, and the 'Ewa Plain. Traffic congestion and its impact on the quality of life for the many people who reside in these areas is a flashpoint issue.

It's no longer about reducing the amount of traffic, rather it's about an alternative option of travel for those who choose to do so. And preliminary inquiries indicate that the rail will have heavy ridership, supported by the significant increase of ridership on the existing mass-transit system — the bus.

Meanwhile, it's good to know that all a citizen has to do is start a petition and get a specificed number of signatures to put an issue to a vote.

I wonder how many citizens would be interested in repealing the bottle-deposit law? Can enough signatures be garnered to put to a vote the required closure of the Waimanalo Gulch landfill? How about a halt to development of Kapolei and the 'Ewa Plain? I bet a petition to put these issues to a vote would fill up faster than the Stop Rail Now initiative.

The only one thing wrong with the rail — it's not built yet and is 25 years too late.

CITY COUNCIL

TRANSIT AUTHORITY POWERS A BAD IDEA

The idea of a transit authority to coordinate the various transportation efforts is a good idea.

The idea to give the new transit authority all the powers the City Council plans on is a bad, bad idea.

To give the transit authority the ability to levy taxes would truly be taxation without representation.

To give the transit authority the ability to condemn property without due process would be a travesty. We might as well all sign our property over to the developers right now.

It would seem our noble City Council is once again seeking to abdicate its responsibilities. They already let someone else choose the technology because they didn't want the responsibility. If the job is too difficult, then step down. It's time for you guys to earn the pay raise you recently "allowed" yourselves to have.

Our government is based on a system of checks and balances. When you give an institution such as a transit authority all the powers the City Council wants to give them without any checks, then we are headed for some very hard times.

They need to go back and redo their work and create an agency that is answerable to the public or to a least the people the public votes for every four years.

One other thing. Won't the Legislature have to approve the transit authority's ability to collect taxes? That's not something they give freely.

ROD TAM

CITY COUNCIL'S CENSURE DOES NOT GO FAR ENOUGH

City Councilman Rod Tam refuses to go to Hawai'i's Hispanics to apologize for his racially insensitive remark. He wants to work on "racial understanding projects" with them instead.

Seems to me it is Mr. Tam who needs the racial understanding. Mr. Tam says the word wetback is a legal term. Is the "n" word a legal term? Do you suppose we could all forgive one of our local news anchors if they choose to one day color the local news with slurs for other racial groups?

Duane "Dog" Chapman used an insensitive remark in a private telephone conversation and lost his television show and was nearly run out of town.

Rod Tam makes a similarly offensive remark in a public meeting and a censure is all he will receive?

If Hispanics comprised a bigger voting bloc, do you think the City Council would offer a more equitable solution? Rod Tam's xenophobic remarks hurt racial understanding.

The City Council's slap-on-the-hand response is disgusting.

CONVENTION CENTER

BIKE RIDERS SHOULD GET FREE PARKING IN GARAGE

I think bicycle racks are needed at the Hawai'i Convention Center pronto. Maybe bikes, along with mopeds, motorcycles and all other eco-friendly vehicles, should get free parking at the center.

This past weekend, I parked my all-electric "bike" in the HCC parking lot. Looking up at that steep driveway I hadn't noticed the sign "no bicycles," but I also hadn't noticed any accommodations for bicycles on the lot either. So, thankful that no one was trailing behind me, I tested the slope and made it.

But I made a mistake. I thought I could get free parking at the HCC (many places allow that), being eco-friendly and all.

Instead, the parking attendant accusingly yelled at me, "Don't even think about running off without paying because we've got you on camera." Must be a tough job. I explained I thought it was free, asked for directions on bicycle parking and paid the $5.

Now I don't feel good. On the way home, I looked for the bicycle racks (the next day, too) and there are none. While there is talk of making a continuous bike route, the Hawai'i Convention Center needs a safe place to put our bicycles.

Is there a camera? I hope so. I'd like my $5 back.