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Editor

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Wednesday, April 15, 1998

All OHA trustees should resign now

I am one who knows, first-hand, the rinky-dink, egotistical, Mickey Mouse pranks that thrive in the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

If the OHA trustees would take a step out of their stirred-up dung, they will find the importance of Hawaiian self-determination took place at the fourth gathering of Native Hawaiian groups (Ho'omalu ma Kualoa), where a resolution calling for all of their resignations within 10 days and a special election to be held in 90 days was passed unanimously.

Samuel L. Kealoha Jr.
Kaamola, Molokai

Time-share industry requires regulation

As a one-time "owner" of a time-share unit, I'm all for any legislation that regulates time-share companies. They do not protect their investors and are unscrupulous in their dealings.

I paid cash for a two-week unit and was able to use it three times before being notified that I did not have a deed and, therefore, was no longer a time-share owner.

Unfortunately, it may be that an additional tax is necessary to help this industry shape up.

Dan Ryan
Walla Walla, Wash.

'Brown Bags' didn't deserve to be trashed

I was extremely disappointed with John Berger's April 7 commentary on the 18th Brown Bags to Stardom concert. This April 4 program at the Waikiki Shell was a feat of love and dedication by the staff of I-94 and each of the contestants.

Even for my untrained eyes and ears, I could see that many of the young artists who sang, danced or played an instrument that night went through hours of grueling and tearfully long practices.

I enjoyed the concert more than I thought possible. The cool and gentle Hawaiian night air was filled with sparkling and glittering music, good will, kindness and camaraderie among schools, contestants and audience. That much was clearly evident.

N. Nishimura

Legislators ignore option of gambling

Why is it that the majority of Hawaii's people support some form of legalized gambling to help turn around our economy, and yet our elected legislators are not doing anything about it?

This is because our colonial legislators are smarter than anyone else and know what is best for us ignorant citizens. Our lawmakers do not care about the will of the people.

Never mind that some form of legalized gambling is supported in 48 states. Our legislators will not allow Hawaii's people to even vote on the issue of gambling or any other important issue, since our state has no recall or referendum.

Where is the freedom to decide the fates of our lives in this state? The answer is that we have no real freedom. Freedom is the ability to vote on the issues that truly affect our lives.

Nathan Miller

Carvalho should not have been freed from prison

Your newspaper says Alexander "Boy" Carvalho had been in prison for 10 years. It should have been 100.

My memory is still fresh with the efforts many of us made to save his wife, Kathy, whom he beat to death. My understanding was that he didn't get a murder conviction because the jury wasn't allowed to hear all the previous abuse he had committed.

More than 100 units of blood products were used, and I can still hear her sorrowed children after it was over. This man never deserved to see a day of freedom. Yet, here he is, repeating assaults on another woman. And if this current girlfriend escapes, there will be another one.

Who associated with the criminal justice system understands what needs to be changed, and will lead an effort to change the laws so that this never again happens in Hawaii?

Roz Luther
Kailua

Lingle should acknowledge history of women's struggle

In her April 3 column, Diane Chang wrote, "When Maui Mayor Linda Lingle met with members of the Star-Bulletin editorial board last month, somebody (OK, it was me) asked if she considered herself to be a feminist. The Republican candidate for governor frowned and paused for a moment. 'Feminist? I don't know what that is,' Lingle replied. 'I consider myself a humanist.' "

Obviously, Lingle never had history in school. So many women running for office don't know about the struggle our fore-mothers waged on behalf of the right to vote. A woman in office and voting would have been impossible 100 years ago.

Sometimes, women are women's worst enemies. It is the slave mentality - keep them in their place so the status quo is maintained. So sad, because we have much to learn from each other. There's no need for male mimics in office.

Barbara Russell
(Via the Internet)

Privatizing cafeterias worked for Montana

Privatization is clearly not a cure-all, and there are certain government services that should indeed remain government-managed: the police, for example. Yet, privatization of school food services offers potent cost-savings and efficiencies, and is a satisfying option for users (the students).

By privatizing food services, the school district in Billings, Mont., has now eliminated a $100,000-a-year deficit and made $116,000 a year, in addition.

This money has been invested back into school repairs, infrastructure development, meeting special needs and ensuring that every student has an up-to-date textbook for each course.

Moreover, the district's 13,000 students are far more satisfied and now prefer to eat in their cafeterias, rather than in off-campus fast-food restaurants.

William E. Sharp Jr.

9-year-old's science project had questionable results

Thank you for the recent New York Times article about Emily Rose, 9, who designed a science project to prove that a human energy field does not exist. In her experiment, practitioners of therapeutic touch (TT) were unable to routinely detect the presence of the child's hand.

The conclusion of her study was that any claims for the benefits of TT were groundless, and that its further use by health professionals was unjustified. As a practitioner of Healing Touch (HT), an offspring of TT, I feel compelled to respond:

The positive effects of TT/HT are often discounted by critics as "unscientific," yet these same critics are now promoting the dubious research of a 4th-grader.

The human energy field theory is NOT best tested by determining the practitioner's sense: It is better to consult the recipient. In pain research, our only way of determining whether a treatment or medication has worked is by consulting the patient. If we applied Emily Rosa's design to pain research, we would measure the health-care provider's ability to "sense" whether the patient was still in pain.

Emily's mother, Linda Rosa, serves the National Council Against Health Fraud Inc. This private organization appears to have as its sole focus discrediting such complementary and alternative practices as acupuncture, meditation and the "relaxation response."

Hob Osterlund
Clinical Coordinator
Pain Management Services
The Queen's Medical Center

Hawaiians need to get their act together

I remember being proud to be a Kamehameha graduate. I remember being excited about the creation of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Despite decades of good intentions mouthed repeatedly by governors, legislators and trustees, the state-created agencies, OHA and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, have failed to improve the lot of the Hawaiian people.

Beneficiaries must become more involved in choosing good leaders driven by a sense of urgency and focused on providing the means to enable permanent residency. Constant vigilance is required.

Too many Hawaiians are giving into fear or disgust, choosing apathy over involvement, and despair over righteous anger. Future generations will read about our current affairs as history and wonder at our apathy when so much was at stake.

Marisa Mia Plemer
Haleiwa
Class of 1967, Kamehameha Schools

Hawaiian healer proposal is nonsense

The bill regarding traditional Hawaiian healers is another example of alternative medicine gone insane. The dogmas of multi-culturalism and medical relativism dictate that all healing systems and methods are equal, regardless of the evidence or lack thereof. The proposal that only those with a certain minimum of Hawaiian blood should be allowed to practice the allegedly miraculous methods of traditional Hawaiian healing opens a whole new world.

Since the English discovered how the heart works, maybe only Anglos should be allowed to be cardiologists. Only Germans should be radiologists and X-ray technicians. Only ethnic Chinese should do acupuncture. And why limit the concept to health care? Maybe only Italians should make radios and only Greeks should do classical sculptures.

Such nonsense is unconstitutional.

Kurt Butler

Kula, Maui

Ways to improve great UH basketball program

Thanks to the UH Rainbow men's basketball team for thrills and excitement over the last two years. The efforts and charisma of the players were greatly appreciated. They were also good citizens in the community.

A few suggestions to the Athletic Department and the Board of Regents:

Don't play commercials on the scoreboard immediately after a time out, when the momentum is at a fever pitch. It takes away from the home court advantage, kills fan enthusiasm and everyone knows who the sponsors are. Timing is the issue here.

A multitude of fans, young and old, like to linger after games to bask in the excitement and mingle with their heroes. Why the rush to clear the premises?

Selling 10 tickets per fan for playoff games seems excessive and may encourage scalping.

Finally, and this one is for the regents: Only UH and the Air Force Academy don't accept athletes who are academically on the border. All other schools in the Western Athletic Conference allow admission to marginally academic student athletes. UH should do the same.

Jim Reed

Task force plan misleads with promise of savings

The intelligence of the electorate once again is being insulted by the politicians supporting the Economic Revitalization Task Force plan.

Their propaganda stresses that overall taxes for every taxpayer will be reduced. It is argued that the proposed increase in the general excise tax will be more than offset by the proposed reduction of income taxes.

This is, at best, a misstatement of fact. There are many taxpayers whose major sources of income consist of Social Security, a pension and perhaps a few municipal bonds, which are all tax-free.

They may have a modicum of securities producing taxable income but, in many instances (such as my own), this is not sufficient to cross the threshold of tax-free income.

Thus, they currently pay no state income taxes. If the ERTF plan as currently proposed is adopted, these people will pay the increased GET without any offsetting benefit from the reduction of income taxes.

Louis H. Trigg
Pearl City

Reconstructed vehicle law should be repealed

I am a small-business owner trying to stay afloat through our slumping economy.

HRS Sec. 286-85 requires inspection of designated reconstructed vehicles, but only in counties with a population in excess of 500,000. This inspection is largely duplicative of the state motor vehicle safety inspection requirements, and applies only to the City and County of Honolulu.

There have been no safety-related problems associated with reconstructed vehicles in the other counties which do not inspect the vehicles. Also, there has been no documentation of accidents caused by unsafe conditions due to such reconstruction or customization within Honolulu.

SB 1196, SD1, which is the repeal of the reconstruction law, is a bill that all Hawaii needs passed. The recon law is an unnecessary regulation that was meant to catch stolen parts, but it hasn't. It has cost small business plenty.

The passing of this bill is supported by many who believe the law is outdated and anti-small business.

Jerry A. Bertram
President, The Sled Shop Inc.
Waianae

Democrats are to blame for our economic woes

It's no secret: The Democrat Party machine should receive an F for the way it continues to flog the state economy. My views might be dismissed by some as partisan, but look at the facts: The health of our economy, in large part, depends upon the policies of elected leaders. When the administration, judiciary, House and Senate are dominated by Democrats, who else should take responsibility?

In politically balanced states, good policy has led to better economic conditions. Michigan, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Virginia and Wisconsin bear testimony that change to conservative economic policy works.

With conservative fiscal practices, these states have given tax-paying families and businesses a break, with tax and regulatory relief - yet they still have money to build more prison space, teach their children and attract business. It must be nice.

Fred Hemmings
Kailua

Make Hawaii a cheaper place to live and visit

Governor Cayetano says his economic reform effort "would shift an estimated $80 million of the tax burden each year out of Hawaii. This $80 million would be paid by visitors and non-residents."

What visitors? Hello? Maybe I've missed something but don't we hear, year after year, how the visitor counts keep dropping? And now we're trying to increase the already exorbitant cost of a Hawaiian vacation.

Hawaii is not cost-competitive with other vacation destinations. It has simply priced itself out of the tourist business. I have traveled enough to know that the same amenities can be had at other places for a far lower cost.

Take Florida. It also suffered the ravages of a hurricane the same year that Iniki hit Hawaii, and yet its insurance costs are much less and the overall cost of living in Florida is 40 percent lower than in Hawaii.

You want visitors to come here? You want residents to stay and put their money back into the local economy? Then take the necessary steps to lower the cost of living here as a benefit to both groups.

K. David Coe
Hilo, Hawaii

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