Letters
to the Editor

Write a Letter to the Editor

Monday, August 31, 1998

Debate over
governor’s race

How is Cayetano going to pay the piper in 1999?

Citing upbeat statistics, Governor Cayetano is saying the economy is turning around. But look at what has been deferred for the past two years:

Since 1997, legislators have been raiding "special funds" as a means of balancing the state budget. As of 1998, they have taken the money from these funds to try blancing the budget.

Members of the UPW have promised to strike in 1999 if they do not get pay raises.

The state took away 30 percent of the counties' portion of the hotel room tax as a means of funding tourism promotion.

For years, the Legislature has toyed with the idea of taxing pensions. Next year is sure to be when it goes after elderly pensioners.

Cayetano claims to have done all he could to reduce government expenses and boost the economy. If this is true, what will he do to pay off all of the deferred items that the Legislature has been putting off?

If the economy is really as great as Cayetano says, we should be able to take care of these problems and start paying off the $13 billion debt that the Democrats have saddled us with. But don't count on it.

Laurie Von Hamm
Ewa Beach

Lingle's win will mean great things for the state

Dave Shapiro and his journalism student probably won't find any of the big government "beef" in the Lingle campaign that is so prevalent in the other party (Volcanic Ash, Aug. 12). But here are some of the things Lingle's campaign means:

An end to the "can't do" attitude of our government that has made the state look generally incompetent and made people believe government wastes our money.

An approach to education that concentrates on the needs of the students instead of the demands of the teachers' union, and finally gives our kids the education the other party has promised but can't deliver.

The probability that government will get out of our way and let us create an economy that will employ our children and grandchildren.

A promise that government will cease to be a "who-you-know" bureaucracy where multiple agencies and departments all do the same things badly and don't have accountability to anyone.

A sense of real leadership that will bring new ideas, business and opportunity to everyone in Hawaii. Union members, this means you, too.

Keep looking, Mr. Shapiro. You'll find the beef if you really try.

John Irons
Lanai City, Lanai

City is making a mess of traffic in Waikiki

The protection of public street parking, the provision of municipal parking lots and the requirement of ample and inexpensive off-street parking by builders have never been high on the city's agenda.

Instead, it seems intent on replacing essential traffic lanes with unnecessarily large sidewalks, resulting in the stifling of traffic flow and creating more fumes, noise and stress.

Vivid recent examples of this include the elimination of one of two makai-bound Kapahulu Avenue lanes at the Kalakaua Avenue intersection, creating a needless bottleneck.

Another is the proposed elimination of a Kalakaua lane in order to turn the wide existing promenade into a smaller, more sensuous promenade meandering through Kuhio Beach Park.

The most baffling aspect is that, as soon as sidewalks are widened, all sorts of obstacles and barriers are imposed to make promenading and just plain walking almost impossible.

Huge chunks of sidewalks are carved out to serve as docking bays for commercial and government vehicles. Trees and planters take up much of the space, as do concrete printed-matter dispensers.

Giant traffic and light fixtures add to the obstacle course as do bike racks, waste containers, kiosks, kobans and, if the city has its way, sidewalk cafes.

If the city cannot correct the old traffic and parking woes, it should at least stop creating damaging and expensive new ones.

Richard Y. Will

Residents should vacate Manoa Valley

In response to J. Kimo Alama Keaulana's Aug. 17 letter, yes, let's not desecrate Manoa Valley any further. But let's take it one step further and tell Manoa residents to give us back our aina.

Power lines are so manini when compared to the homes in Manoa. If we converted all of the land under the houses to the way it used to be, what a lush valley we would have.

As an added benefit, we wouldn't need the new power line either. No homes -- no need for power.

Kapiolani Maile

Maili elementary students benfit from electric fans

On behalf of the 900 students at Maili Elementary, I thank people on Oahu for generously donating fans. The project was the brainchild of Calvin Domen, who was inspired by newspaper articles reporting on the progress of Waianae schools as they implemented year-round education.

When we started school in mid-summer, the heat was overwhelming. Yet we were gratified by the response of the community, families and especially students to the change in schedule. It seems that everyone was ready for summer to end and for school to begin.

Again, mahalo nui loa to everyone for the positive response. We have more than enough fans for our school, and will be sharing some with other elementary schools in Waianae.

Linda m. Victor
Principal, Maili Elementary School

Consumer office didn't shirk its responsibilities

Both your Aug. 18 article about Global Prosperity Group, "Questionable finance group escapes Hawaii inspection," and your follow-up Aug. 19 editorial omitted material facts and were misleading.

Your reporter was told that, although an investigation of the workshop would not be initiated based solely on the information from Marc Douglas, an investigation might be appropriate later depending on additional evidence. This was not in your article.

We evaluated Mr. Douglas' "quo warranto" complaint to the company, his request for a refund of $1,875, and his position as a former associate and director of the company.

We concluded that an investigation at that point would not have been an appropriate use of government resources. Also, cease-and-desist orders are outside the scope of this office.

This is a far cry from what your editorial characterized as "an open invitation to fraudulent operations."

Jo Ann M. Uchida
Executive Director
State Office of Consumer Protection

Tugboat's view of Mo was lacking in coverage

The media missed the boat during the arrival of the USS Missouri by not covering the Bremerton-to-Honolulu towing operation from the point of view of the tugboat.

Video from the tug during the tow would have been fascinating. An interview with the captain of the tug on the day of Mo's arrival would have been captivating, and might have enlightened us as to what problems were encountered on the 2,600-mile voyage.

This slant would have been interesting, especially since the former island cruise ship, the USS Constitution, mysteriously sank during a towing operation across the Pacific a year or so ago.

Ray Graham

---

Write a
Letter to the Editor

Want to write a letter to the editor? Let all Star-Bulletin readers know what you think. Please keep your letter to about 200 words. You can send it by e-mail to letters@starbulletin.com or you can fill in the online form for a faster response. Or print it and mail it to: Letters to the Editor, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802. Or fax it to: 523-8509. Always be sure to include your daytime phone number.