Governor Cayetano says, "Generally, aquariums are not major money-makers and cannot stand alone." Well, that should fit in perfectly with our Aloha Tower Marketplace and the Convention Center.
Also, how convenient that Bishop Estate owns a big chunk of the Kakaako waterfront. Is something fishy going on here?
John Weil
Kailua
That is, until I stumbled across something that was an aberration with my understanding of what that culture or society was all about.
Which brings me to my point: Why would anyone, especially in Hawaii, want to exclude other ethnic groups from participating in a baseball league ("AJA directors vote to keep out non-Japanese players," Oct. 1)? Beside the questionable use of public facilities, what is wrong about this decision and the way it was decided?
To begin with, isn't this racial restriction really like those in America's infamous past that excluded people from joining clubs and organizations, like the Pacific Club, the Waialae Country Club, etc., solely because of race? Was the lack of discussion before the directors' vote indicative of a deeper lack of sensitivity?
This policy runs counter to what the boys in the 100th Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team fought for: fair play the American way.
Harvey Hakoda
Pearl City
As you sit in gridlock for hours each day, remember that he is the man who killed rapid transit, a system that would have been the equivalent of 12 lanes of new freeway. Transit would have been expensive, no one will deny that, but 75 percent of the cost would have been paid by the federal government through grants and by tourists through an excise tax increase.
If you think that is too expensive, consider Morgado's main plan for solving our traffic problems. He has said for several years that the city should make people pay tolls of $2 to $4 a day to drive on the most highly traveled streets during rush hour.
I don't know about you, but I already paid for those roads with my taxes. Even if you split the difference and he only charged you $3 a day, it would cost $750 a year just to drive to work.
No thanks, Mr. Morgado. Keep your current job as an overpaid bank vice president and stop trying to reach into the taxpayers' pockets.
Anne Jarvis
If she has lived in the islands for 22 years, most of us would consider her a local. To think that Morgado is suggesting that anyone born outside of Hawaii should not be elected to public office is absurd. It seems like she is trying to portray him as a racist.
I voted for Arnold Morgado because he is an extremely honest person who doesn't take credit for other people's accomplishments. Most of all, if you give him your support, he will not stab you in the back.
Derek Tengan
Kapolei
Morgado served briefly as a young legislator many years ago when the high-three pension was not an issue or being abused. Later, he served for several years as a city councilmember and even as its chairman. During this tenure, he never hired any former legislators to work for the Council.
Currently, many people agree with Ajimura and Mayor Harris that the Legislature is at fault for not correcting the high-three pension regarding former legislators.
This year, there was a bill to reform this high-three pension. However, it was stuck in the Labor and Public Employment Committee, and was never passed out. The chairman of this committee was Rep. Noboru "Nobu" Yonamine, a staunch supporter and key person in Harris' election campaign.
In local talk, this high-three pension reform bill was left for "make-die-dead.''
If Harris is sincere about running a good and honest city government, he should not have hired so many former legislators at the taxpayers' expense. And he should have pushed for the high-three's reform.
Henry Kim