Increase in minimum wage
will hurt small business

Your Feb. 14 editorial regarding the hike in minimum wage missed a crucial point. This is a backdoor tax increase. Rep. Nobu Yonamine and his ilk are more interested in the added tax revenues that this measure will generate than in any spending money for our workers.

Most minimum wage jobs in Hawaii are "second" income jobs, e.g. spouses and working children, and as such these wages are actually taxed at much higher levels.

This hidden windfall will come directly out of the resources of the small business community. Here, you were correct. Any additional financial burden on small business will continue the destruction of one of our state's key economic sectors.

Richard K. Rice
Kailua

Lawyers will get rich
if no-fault reform passes

It looks like the attorneys are going to do it to us again. They see the concern we all have over high automobile insurance rates, and they have come up with a scheme to make money off it.

Let's see if I understand their theory correctly:

First, they want to go back to a system of auto insurance that was so bad, we got rid of it years ago. I guess they're counting on us having bad memories.

Second, their solution to reducing costs is to have everyone sue each other to get any auto accident resolved. I guess they feel that attorneys' fees and court costs don't get included in the cost of insurance.

They also fail to mention that we will wait years before having a lawsuit settled. Or do they think that increasing the number of lawsuits will speed up our court system?

Message to our state Legislature: We need solid automobile insurance reform, not a way of lining the pockets of lawyers!

E.J. Putt
Kaneohe

Rapists should undergo
mandatory HIV testing

Lawmakers are mulling legislation that would require rapists to take HIV tests. Are legislators stupid or what? Why shouldn't rapists be tested?

Pam Lichty of the American Civil Liberties Union says that it would violate these people's constitutional rights. What about the victims' rights?

Susan Arnette, deputy public defender, claims that the HIV tests should be given to the victims instead. Why should the victims be subjected to this? The victims didn't violate anybody's rights.

Many women are ashamed to report rapes, thus the rapists go free. Maybe HIV testing will deter rapists from repeating their offenses.

Bertha K.Y. Char

Union is trash-talking about
times for pick-up

Regarding the Star-Bulletin's Feb. 18 article on pushing back the time of trash collection:

Let's see if I've got this right. As taxpayers, we pay for the city refuse collection service. We elect the City Council and a mayor to represent us in dealing with our employees who provide this service - and it truly is a service.

Our employees in turn are represented by the United Public Workers union and Gary Rodrigues. Now comes the UPW attorney who is quoted as saying, "Any attempts by the city to establish hours of work for employees, like civil service status, is clearly improper and violates the collective bargaining statute."

Did I miss something? If not the Council, then who? Let's wish Councilman Andy Mirikitani the best in getting some answers.

John L. Wagner

Hawaiians should be
prime parade supporters

Shame on all the Hawaiians who were outraged when funds for the Kamehameha Day Parade were cut. What happened to all the Hawaiian civic groups that claim they want to preserve the culture, or even the Bishop Estate, which was established for the Hawaiian people but exists primarily to create millionaire trustees?

Put your resources where your mouths of protest and clenched fists are. Stop begging for handouts!

Gail M. Tajima

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Same-sex archive