WHY DEPRIVE PEOPLE FOR BENEFIT OF A FEW?

Why is it that nobody including The Advertiser has tried to clearly explain the legal trail of rights regarding the ceded lands? My understanding is that there were no land rights under the early kings, only permission to use the land at the king's will.

Legal title to land under Hawaiian rule only started as a result of the Great Mahele of 1849. The land where clear title was not filed then reverted back to the king. This land was then ceded to the state. The issue of legality of the takeover and the U.S. Congress apology apparently have no bearing over the ownership of the land.

When the people of Hawai'i voted for Hawai'i to become a state within the United States then the ceded land legally became part of the state lands to be used by the state government for the benefit of all of the people in the state. Why is it then that our Legislature feels it incumbent upon it to deprive all of the people it represents for the benefit of a few? I would think it is unconstitutional to give away our lands with no clear legal basis and then even go to the extent of planning to pass a law that is designed to subvert a potential ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court.

RECOVERY ACT

ENERGY INDEPENDENCE KEY TO NATIONAL SECURITY

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act contains approximately $80 billion in funding for promoting energy efficiency, renewable energy, and higher-mileage cars, including $25 billion for energy efficiency and $20 billion for renewable energy incentives.

This is not frivolous spending. This is energy independence. I agree with the president that energy independence is not only economically important, but is the single most effective issue for national security. Why?

1. We are sending billions to Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, Russia and South America for oil — and some of this has come flying back. It makes no sense to fund our enemies.

2. We are a country that excels and thrives on innovation. Energy will be the biggest market for innovation in the future. Wouldn't it be nice to sell China energy technology and reduce our enormous trade deficit?

You can help fight terrorism by simply changing your light bulbs, installing a solar water heater and driving less. Don't believe it? Just look at the immediate collapse of the oil market when gas prices approached $5 a gallon and consumption was reduced just 15 percent (according to the Energy Information Administration).

CIVIL UNIONS

HB 444 IN TRUTH AKIN TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

Thank you for your fair and balanced editorial about civil unions and HB 444, (Advertiser Feb.24), and most importantly your endorsement of the democratic process.

Hawai'i has a great diversity of people and opinions, so it's not surprising that there are many passionate viewpoints on HB 444 relating to civil unions. Special thanks for taking a rather bold stance for understanding, supporting and sharing the truth about the almost indistinguishable differences between civil unions and same-sex marriage.

While we respect the strongly-held beliefs that people have on both sides of this argument, we see this fundamentally as an issue of preserving traditional marriage.

Your concluding remarks about HB 444 give reason for all of us to pause: "HB 444 should be recast to seek a new amendment that would take the question to the voters in 2010."

Back to the future with the 1998 vote all over again? The fact of the matter is that no state legislature has ever legislated same-sex marriage — it has always been court-imposed, like Massachusetts and Connecticut after they legislated around the edges with domestic partnerships and civil unions, but they could never get the votes for same-sex marriage. (Not even recently in liberal-leaning California.)

Letting the people decide again to stop such a movement in Hawai'i will be an inspiration to many, but will make others shudder who know it is only the courts that are on their sides, not the people.

STATE, CITY

EFFICIENT GOVERNMENT CRITICAL FOR FISCAL HEALTH

It's time, time to reengineer government. I challenge anyone to tell us taxpayers that the state and city governments are as efficient as they can be.

With tax revenues dropping the governor, Legislature, mayor and City Council are scrambling to identify expenses that may be cut to get us through this financial crisis. Some may have merit but they would be temporary — hiring freezes, furloughs and salary freezes, for instance. And of course, increases in fees and taxes are on the front burner — those of course are unlikely to be temporary.

Government needs to take a business approach on how to deal with this challenge. The timing is perfect. A study should be undertaken to evaluate technologies that can reduce labor costs, redundancies, increased productivity concluding in a restructuring plan.

Understand I believe in unions. They will of course strenuously object to such a plan, that's the unions' job. But our elected leadership must have the political will to make the right decisions (probably painful) for the state and counties.

Implementing a restructured government will most certainly be long lasting and foster fiscal health far into the future. With the bad economy and current high taxes many of us are already on our knees. Increasing fees and taxes will kick folks while they are already down. So please develop a comprehensive plan that includes an efficient government.

If there is all that can be done to streamline the government and taxes must still be adjusted, then I'll bite the bullet.

PRO BOWL

DON'T TAKE AWAY OUR UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY

Thank you, Hawai'i Tourism Authority, for: