Pay hike for judges is long overdue

Judges have exactly the same problems like everybody else. They have mouths to feed, taxes to pay, kids to educate, mortgage payments, household bills and other expenses as all families do. To deny them a pay increase since 1990 is grossly unfair.

Many Hawaii judges have given up lucrative law practices. They could make two to three times more income than the pay they receive as judges. Their dedication and sacrifice to accept judgeships should be sufficient reason to grant them periodic salary increases - and the time to begin is as quickly as possible.

Should this not occur, the people can expect to lose more high-quality judges, and even more will be hesitant to accept such positions in the future.

Fair is fair! Give them the salary they rightfully deserve as they are worth the service they perform.

Philo Owen

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Turkeys endure torture
for our annual feast

Soon it'll be Thanksgiving and millions of Americans will eat turkey dinners, but what does Thanksgiving mean to the turkey?

Quoting from the magazine The Animal's Agenda (November 1992): "15,000 or more birds (turkeys) with three square feet of floor space each are forced to sit and stand in filthy litter, breathing burning ammonia flames and lung-destroying dust. They develop respiratory diseases, ulcerated feet, blistered breasts and ammonia burned eyes.

"Turkeys are debeaked and detoed to offset the disadvantages of over-crowding, leading to downgraded carcasses. Toes are amputated without anesthetic. Beaks are amputated in a hot blade machine."

These tortures are just the tip of the iceberg. Want to help the turkeys? This Thanksgiving why not drop by "Down To Earth" restaurant on South King Street near University Avenue or the Vegetarian Society of Honolulu (672-4207) for a vegetarian "turkey" dinner which tastes like "the real thing" or contact these places for recipes if you want to cook your own meals.

Let's make this a Thanksgiving when even the turkeys can be thankful.

Eric Bahrt

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Give us Enola Gay facts
without the spin, please

Contrary to the headline "Americans increasingly like to 'spin' history,'' on page A-3 of your Nov. 16 edition, this American does not like people to put a "spin" on history.

This article included a fine example of "spin" when it cited the intention of the former director of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum to have the Enola Gay B-29 bomber exhibit "prepare to grapple with - the proliferation of nuclear arms that remains problematic to this day."

The purpose of this exhibit should have been limited to a historically accurate presentation of the events and pressures that resulted in President Truman's decision to use atomic weapons to bring an immediate end to that long and devastating war.

I agree with the veterans that the attempt to politicize the Enola Gay exhibit by including individuals' opinions related to grappling with complex issues involving nuclear proliferation was wrong, and I am pleased that the exhibit was revised to include only historically relevant information.

Alan S. Lloyd
Kailua

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Bill wouldn’t require hotels
to make conversion

Star-Bulletin reporter Gordon Y.K. Pang correctly summarized the aspects and impacts of Bill 103, (1996) in his article of Nov. 5, "Bainum proposes tax credits for hotels."

There was, however, a misconception expressed by Andre Tatibouet in the same article which I would like to correct. Tatibouet is quoted as saying he doesn't think the tax credit will work "because a number of the nonconforming buildings would be forced to convert to apartments."

He goes on to say, "I'm not sure how tearing down a hotel and then replacing it with an apartment building helps Hawaii's residents."

Actually, hotels would not be forced to convert to apartments. The current Waikiki Special Design District states: "In case of total voluntary destruction, a nonconforming use or structure may be replaced by a new structure containing either (1) up to the same floor area of the structure prior to its destruction, with the same use, or (2) up to the permitted floor area limit of the precinct for similar uses, whichever is less."

Thus, a nonconforming hotel could be voluntarily torn down and replaced by another hotel with the floor area set forth in the forgoing requirements, as long as it complies with height and yard requirements and other applicable regulations.

The tax credit bill is not a panacea, but an alternative that makes good business sense for the visitor and construction industries, Hawaii's residents and economy. We all need to work together to develop other imaginative solutions to revitalize Waikiki.

Duke Bainum
Honolulu City Councilman
District IV