Stop being PC about
identifying ethnic groups

It's all very fine of your newspaper to be considerate about not wanting to wound the ethnic pride of a group by printing "bad things" that identify a person within that group.

Take the March 27 article about the terrible incident involving the robbery-beating of an elderly Honolulu woman. The article was lengthy, suitably detailed and quite compassionate.

Yet everything about the no-good was mentioned -- except his ethnic background. A valiant effort included that the color of his hair was black. Who else in Hawaii except Caucasians have black hair? Just about everybody.

When are you going to stop pussy-footing around? Any responsible, law-abiding person of any ethnic group should be willing to have their own bad guys specifically identified.

If the shoe fits, help put it on the right person quickly, before he/she does in someone else.

Ray Thiele
Kailua

Penalties should be felt
by johns as well as hookers

I am in support of deterring prostitution in Hawaii by imposing 48-hour mandatory jail time for those convicted of a first-time prostitution offense. However, I have yet to hear any mention of "johns" being subjected to this new penalty.

It's no secret that it takes two to commit the act of prostitution. Yet, throughout this "pondering," I have not heard one mention of the "johns." Once again, the focus seems to be on penalizing the prostitutes.

Will we ever learn that unless the laws are applied to both the parties involved in this criminal act, it will never go away or decrease?

I believe a lot of "johns" would reconsider their actions, if they knew they could get a couple of days in jail. A two-day jail sentence isn't so easy to explain to your boss, your wife and your kids.

Kelly A. Hill
President, Sisters Offering Support
(Via the Internet)

University deserves
better coverage by local press

I take personal exception to your March 24 article headlined, "UH's new honor: Pork Barrel U," and the negative connotation behind the University of Hawaii's success in obtaining funding for specific programs sponsored by the federal government.

The term "Pork Barrel U" is demeaning to those faculty and students who work hard and diligently to put together competitive grants in support of what they can do best: research in the interest of our nation.

Your article is characteristic of the manner in which the press continually misrepresents what is good about UH. Our state has a good university in which it should take pride, one in which faculty and students are continually attempting to maintain islands of excellence in spite of massive budgetary cuts which would devastate most comparable institutions.

What we should expect from our "free press" is, at the least, minimal support at those times when our university does well under national competition, rather than to make it appear that we are in some way cheating the system.

Richard John Guillory
Professor
Biochemistry and Biophysics
University of Hawaii-Manoa

More cuts should be made
in fatty state government

Governor Cayetano says his department budgets are cut to the bone. I assume he's referring to the funny bone!

Why does state government need so many public relations and information officers? Cayetano can't even cut fat from the Waihee administration, like the $90,000 salary for the deputy state librarian.

And why are we giving state cars and daily travel allowances to appointed directors and deputies? Because they sacrifice so much for public service?

It seems like we, the taxpayers, are the only ones being cut to the bone.

William Kam

Hawaii and Japan
have much in common

A.A. Smyser's March 20 column about the slow progress on reforming Japan was the most interesting, forthright, honest analysis of the Japanese economy and its problems. I hope everyone read it -- particular Hawaii legislators.

Similarities between Japan's and Hawaii's economic problems are evident. Foremost are the obstinate bureaucracies which resist any change, and economic systems that are basically closed or very hard to enter.

While Hawaii's Legislature proposes feeble and pathetic pursuits after revenues (sin taxes on cigarettes, cabarets, etc.), business closures and bankruptcies are at an all-time high. Future predictions of state revenues are also bleak. Taxes are not the answer; they are the problem. Business needs to be lured to Hawaii with incentives, and tax breaks are needed to help them get established and to stay.

The irony of Hawaii's economic problems is that its No. 1 industry, tourism, is overly dependent on the Japanese tourist. Without any improvement in Japan, more than likely there will be very little improvement in Hawaii.

Herbert H. Frantz
Pearl City

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