MAHALO

FIVE-DAY VACATION WAS FILLED WITH ALOHA SPIRIT

I brought my 81-year-old mother on her dream trip to your beautiful city. We were only there for five days, but what a wonderful five days they were.

We were struck not only by how clean Honolulu is, but by how friendly and polite the people are.

Everyone we met was welcoming, helpful and seemed very glad to have us there. They also seemed very appreciative of our business when we were in a store or restaurant. I kept thinking, "Don't they ever get tired of us tourists?" Apparently not.

Thank you to all who made this special trip so memorable for me and my mother. We truly felt the aloha spirit from the time we landed until the time we left.

RAIL

EZWAY PLAN IS NOT A MEANINGFUL ALTERNATIVE

Today I will return my Ann Kobayashi For Mayor yard sign. I had hopes she would stand for a meaningful alternative to steel rail.

Ann, you told me at a campaign appearance that you would not let a "no" vote on rail transit turn the project into just another highway widening project, yet that is exactly what you are proposing with EzWay.

By building three new lanes of traffic into town you will bring thousands more vehicles into the crowded streets of Downtown, Waikiki and Manoa. Your plan does not address what will happen to all of these additional cars in town.

Rather than promote energy efficiency and better land use, your plan will just encourage more drivers to bring their cars into town and encourage developers to convert more precious land into parking lots. The plan's so-called restrictions, on numbers of riders per vehicle and miles per gallon, are meaningless and unenforceable. It's just another elevated freeway.

STRYKERS

SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY IS A HIGHER CALLING

Three cheers for military spending ("Stryker project will create jobs in Hawai'i," Oct. 20).

This is a great time to hear about more work for Hawai'i's ailing economy. But there is a better way to give people work — for the short term and the long term.

With the construction of trails and facilities for the Strykers, 1,000 people have been given work for a year. But the land the Strykers occupy can be used for a higher purpose, which includes giving people work in the short and long term.

This can be done any number of ways, but diversified, local agriculture is one very important industry Hawai'i has neglected in favor of military dollars.

Hawai'i has a choice. We can depend on government handouts, hoping to line up pork barrel spending to pay the bills. Or we can plan a sustainable economy — one that will feed Hawai'i, perpetuate the life of the land and free us from dependence on continental powers.

If the good news is that 1,000 people have jobs, then that's not good news at all. Those jobs will be gone in a year, and then what do we have?

EDUCATION

CONCON MIGHT BE ABLE TO REFORM ISLE SCHOOLS

I would like to respond to Diane Aoki's letter of Oct 17. She said the teachers union can work to improve public schools, but a Constitutional Convention can't.

I disagree. First, the union cannot reform the Department of Education. The problem with the DOE is a lack of accountability. Every serious study of school reform has identified accountability as the keystone of school performance. Researchers also agree that unions are an obstacle to accountability and school reform. By definition, unions seek benefits for their members alone.

Second, a ConCon could indirectly foster more accountability in the DOE.

For example, our current statewide Board of Education is ineffective and anonymous to most voters.

If the DOE were divided into four county districts, then the voters might find it easier to elect effective members, whose qualifications they know about, to the four local boards.

In addition, they might require their boards to negotiate more sensible union contracts that would permit accountability.

No union is going to improve education, but a ConCon might.

ECONOMIC CRISIS

IT'S THE AMERICAN WAY TO FACE ANY CHALLENGE

The harsh news keeps piling up, and Americans are struggling with the recent economic crisis.

Yet, it is a great opportunity to reflect on the kind of people we are. Let us not forget that we are Americans, and that it's not in the American spirit to give up.

We've been through daunting times and we can survive this one. Let's remember the days of Dec. 8, 1941, and Sept. 12, 2001. Our country was attacked the day before. But, we didn't wave the white flag out of fear. We stood our ground because we were willing to do whatever we could to help our fellow friends and neighbors.

We stood our ground because we knew America had a tough fight ahead, but had the optimism to believe we can make it through.

So, my fellow citizens, don't let hope slip by. It's not worth it to lose something more valuable than money.

Remember that we're Americans and we'll always be Americans. If we unite in one spirit, then surely we can overcome any challenge.

GOVERNMENT

FULL-TIME PAY? THEN BE AT CAPITOL FULL-TIME

Hawai'i legislators are part-time. They are permitted to work a second job.

If our legislators want to be paid full-time wages, I expect to find them at the Capitol 50 weeks a year for eight hours a day.

If our legislators accept full-time wages while working part-time, then shame on every voter in Hawai'i who keeps them in office.

GOVERNMENT

LEGISLATORS SHOULD PUT THEIR PAY RAISE ON HOLD

The Legislature is giving itself a 36 percent raise?

The schools' budget is being cut, there is a growing shortage of doctors due to poor reimbursement and lack of malpractice reform from our illustrious elected officials, and let us not forget the projected $900 million shortfall in the state budget and the higher general excise tax for rail.

The only responsible (or fair) thing to do would be to put this raise on hold.

Legislators, any takers? Thought not. As for the rest of us, don't forget to vote on Nov. 4.

LEAD PELLETS

SPEND MONEY ON KAILUA BEACH INSTEAD

I read the Oct. 10 story on the lead pellets on the shoreline in Kaimalino.

I grew up in that neighborhood and spent time surfing, fishing and playing on that shoreline while it was a skeet range property before homes were built there and so I can clarify a few things.

First of all, it's not a swimming beach. It's mostly jagged a'a lava rock (as my surfing scars will attest to) — it's not a place to swim and for the gal who did and got itchy, it's probably because there is a ton of seaweed — the fun kind that gets into the bathing suit and causes irritation.

Also, in the late 1970s or early 1980s, a sewage outfall was built off the adjacent Marine base. That might be the cause some itching, among other things. I don't recommend that anyone swim there for a variety of reasons.

Of all the adults and kids who have frequented that area and many that I grew up with, I have only heard one story of a possible issue.

I practically lived on that beach area in my younger years and was not affected by years and years of playing, surfing and fishing there.

While the lead pellets are there and can be removed if need be, I would rather see money being spent to help Kailua Beach survive the massive erosion rather than worrying about 50-year-old buckshot pellets on a jagged shoreline mostly frequented by a handful of fishermen, crabs and sea cucumbers.

KO OLINA

COMMENDS ALL WHO HELPED REOPEN RAMP

I want to commend everyone involved in getting the Ko Olina Boat ramp reinstalled, especially Gordon Pang who wrote the story in The Advertiser.

My father used the the ramp frequently before it closed. It was convenient, easy to launch the boat by himself and he didn't have to drive far.

When it closed, he joined others to have Ko Olina reopen the ramp to the public.

Unfortunately, he passed away before hearing the good news and will never be able to use the ramp when it reopens.

I am glad that the local people finally won against a big corporation and their unfulfilled promises. I wish more people would do the same.

TRIBUTE

DOROTHY GREEN HAD IMPACT ON HAWAI'I TOO

Thank you for reprinting the Los Angeles Times obituary for coastal activist Dorothy Green.

Dorothy visited Hawai'i in 1992 when I was serving in the House of Representatives. My daughter, Paula Daniels, lives in Los Angeles and had told me about Dorothy being the founding president of Heal the Bay, the grass-roots group that was dedicated initially to cleaning up Santa Monica Bay but went on to influence water policy in California.

During her visit, I convened a Women on Water Roundtable at the Capitol which included local water-policy activists Martha Black, Rep. Virginia Isbell and Save Kailua Bay leader Clara Olds.

Dorothy inspired us to continue to be vigilant about Hawai'i's water policies.

Dorothy was a mentor and friend whose vision of clean coastal water was so compelling that her legacy lives through the good work of many of our young leaders.

In the article, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa summed it up, Dorothy was "a giant of the environmental movement."