Kau shouldn't be slave to a need for prison
Kau needs bosses. Kau needs corporations. Kau needs government bureaucracy. Kau needs a prison.Reading these words on the letters page reminds me that, even at the end of the Civil War, some freed slaves argued for the return of the plantation system, because it was so hard to find "jobs." My own very dear friends in Kau realize that the end of the plantation era was an equally freeing and yet frightful event.
The effect of building a sustainable economy upon the individual and family is the ability to say, "No more bosses. We can control our own economy and our own destiny." Those who plead for prisons, pulp plantations, spaceports or other unsustainable economic dependencies are just seeking a return to what seemed a safe and secure existence, but which was a dead end for the prospects for economic diversity and freedom of choice.
If Ben Cayetano and his task force get their way, there will never be enough prison space, because the numbers of prisoners will expand proportionately to the course of destructive, unregulated economic growth and the disintegration of community which follows on its heels.
For the sake of magical, sacred Kau, it is time the people told their leaders, "Enough."
Ikaika Valdez
Pearl City
(Via the Internet)
High-occupancy vehicles are key to traffic mess
It's ludicrous that state Sen. Cal Kawamoto (D, Waipahu) intends to propose eliminating HOV requirements for the zipper lane.Perhaps Kawamoto is unaware of why the lanes were proposed in the first place. By allowing anyone to use these lanes, he would kill all motivation to car pool or ride the bus.
As a commuter during the early-morning rush hour, I, for one, would oppose such legislation.
Matthew Lum
(Via the Internet)
Don't let controversy derail Ewa Villages
The restoration of houses in historic Ewa Villages began in 1993 after many years of uncertainty as to the fate of not only the dwellings, but the very integrity of the former sugar plantation community.A significant milestone was the listing of Ewa Villages on the Hawaii Register of Historic Places in 1996. Its designation as a National Historic Landmark is now under consideration. These actions acknowledge it as a living legacy of the plantation era.
The restoration plan for Ewa Villages is ambitious and challenging because it seeks to achieve social welfare goals as well as historic preservation and urban development objectives. It aims not only to rehabilitate 279 historic homes in varying stages of disrepair, but also to upgrade substandard streets, drainage and other infrastructure. All of this is to be accomplished while minimizing the displacement of existing residents and maximizing their opportunity to purchase a renovated home at a modest price.
Historic Hawaii Foundation believes that, while it is unfortunate that errors and misdeeds may have occurred in this complex project and that such matters must be rectified, the city should not be deterred from its goal to complete the restoration of Ewa Villages. There is simply too much to lose if the city abandons or retreats from this goal.
John Whelan
Trustee,
Historic Hawaii Foundation
Sporting events should be moved to neighbor islands
I have read the letters and news stories describing the tremendous success enjoyed by Maui in becoming the new home of the Hooters Hula Bowl. My congratulations go out to all who were involved in the game's successful move from Aloha Stadium.We should give strong consideration to redistributing other sporting events away from Oahu in the near future. Let us consider the benefits of moving the Aloha Bowl to Hilo, the NFL Pro Bowl game to Kona, the Rainbow Classic basketball tournament to Kauai, and the Hawaiian Open to Molokai or Lanai.
These moves are certain to foster much needed economic development across all Hawaii, particularly those areas most in need.
Anyway, as with the Hula Bowl, which has generated little interest among the people of Oahu, only a small minority of our residents are interested in partaking of these juvenile spectacles of grown men engaging in children's games.
I do wonder, though. Is there any way we could work on a swap for the Merrie Monarch?
Richard Weigel
Aiea
IHS needs more help to shelter Oahu homeless
The IHS, Institute for Human Services, operates Oahu's only 24-hour emergency homeless shelters -- one for single men and a separate shelter for women and families.Hawaii Housing Authority calls it Oahu's only "elastic" facility, which means that it is always capable to adding one more bed while the transitional shelters have reached capacity and have waiting lists.
If they will come, we can accommodate many of the airport's homeless. However, IHS will close a shelter this fall if it does not receive additional support in the form of S.B. 2096.
Until Hawaii develops additional facilities for the mentally ill, such as Kalihi-Palama's Health Care for the Homeless Program's Safe Haven and other secure facilities with even more structure, it is in the community's best interest to fully support its existing resources, like IHS. Otherwise, there will be even greater numbers of homeless citizens on Oahu's streets.
Lynn C.Z. Maunakea
IHS Director
Democratic Party was right to criticize tax proposals
As a longtime card-carrying Democrat, I'm proud of my party leaders for opposing the Economic Revitalization Task Force's tax proposals. It isn't easy speaking out against something the governor and legislative leaders of your own party are promoting, because unity is so highly esteemed.In this case however, the governor and others are not in tune with basic Democratic principles. In their zeal to support and satisfy big business and people on the high end of the income spectrum, they have lost sight of the needs of ordinary people and small business.
The "trickle-down" theory didn't work when the Republicans tried it at the national level. So why are local Democrats promoting it so strongly?
Molly Rowland
Bishop Estate Archive
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