Letters
to the Editor

Write a Letter to the Editor

Saturday, September 12, 1998

In the political fray...

Lingle is class act compared to Fasi

This political season Frank Fasi, the five-time loser, is running true to form with his nasty negative campaign style. After five attempts at the governorship, he just doesn't realize the voting public is not impressed with his tactics, nor are voters impressed with his credentials for governor.

On the other hand, have you noticed that Linda Lingle simply won't stoop to play the "Fasi Game"? The Maui mayor brings real class to the governor's race for the first time in 20 years.

Governor Cayetano is correct, in part, when he says, "This election is about values." Now the voters of Hawaii must decide which set of values they hold: the straightforward clear vision of Lingle, or the murky sleaze, smear and race-baiting so dear to her opposition.

Robert S. Ferguson
Kaneohe
(Via the Internet)

Cayetano has done well despite poor economy

George Ariyoshi left a huge budget surplus after serving as governor, but John Waihee turned it into a deficit by spending and increasing the number of state employees. Ben Cayetano inherited this mess and was also caught in the downturn of the Japanese economy.

Cayetano cut spending and the number of state employees. Belt-tightening was necessary in view of our economic slowdown.

He also played a key role in the investigation of the mismanagement and breach of fiduciary duty of the Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate trustees.

Given what he has done in the past few years, could Lingle as governor have done better?

How Tim Chang

Stan Koki brings many strengths to GOP ticket

In his Sept. 1 column, A.A. Smyser offers voters a friendly suggestion on how to vote for lieutenant governor: Support the person most likely to help Republican gubernatorial candidate Linda Lingle become our next governor. Unfortunately, Smyser made the wrong choice.

Stan Koki is the best person. Mayor Lingle will create jobs and fix our economy by working closely with business, as she did on Maui. That's why Koki is the man who can best help Lingle. His business skills built American Carpet Co. from nothing into a Hawaii Business Top 250 corporation. He knows how to create local jobs; he did it himself!

Also, Koki will best help Lingle work with the next Legislature. He served six years as a Windward Oahu state senator, a seat Mike Liu lost in just two years. In the Senate, Koki worked effectively with Democrats, becoming one of only two Republicans appointed to serve as committee chairman.

While in the Senate, he was able to influence policy. He prevented the women's prison from being built on Mount Olomana, an Oahu natural landmark. And he also saved taxpayers $25 million. His win-win skills built victories that changed policy, the kind of victories that Lingle seeks.

Koki's community ties also help Lingle. His local business background and his significant involvement in local cultural and volunteer work have helped him generate an army of supporters, most of whom never worked for a Republican before. Democrats asked Koki to seek office as a Democrat, but he chose not to compromise his strongly held belief that Republican principles offer more support to families struggling to keep or find jobs here.

Smyser suggests bigger philosophical differences between Stan Koki and Mike Liu than seem the case. While our party is virtually united in opposing partial-birth abortion except when the mother's life is at stake, the issue divides Democrats.

Hawaii's people are focused on job creation as our No. 1 challenge. Stan Koki knows how to create jobs in Hawaii, jobs we need now to hold our families together. Mike Liu is an honorable man but, if the question is who will help Lingle the most, the correct answer is Koki.

Sam Aiona,
Galen Fox,
David Pendleton
Republican House Members

An L&L ticket would lead Republicans to win

Mike Liu's business sense makes him the outstanding candidate for lieutenant governor.

Every year as a legislator, Mike received Small Business Hawaii's highest ranking for support of small business; in 1995 he was named "Small Business Hawaii's Outstanding Legislator of the Year." He worked for Bank of America in marketing and advertising and in affordable housing and small business lending.

Liu is recognized as an expert on money matters. When the state had a surplus of $600 million (remember those days?), he wanted a rebate to taxpayers, rather than spending it on more government. It didn't happen and look where we are today.

He has also served at the federal level in charge of the largest agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Forest Service with 50,000 employees. He was selected by President Bush because of his expertise in law and finance.

Mike Liu earned the respect of his colleagues in the state House and Senate and has a reputation as someone who does his homework and speaks with forceful honesty. He is moderate on social issues. A ticket of Lingle and Liu would be a winning one on Nov. 3.

Shirley Hasenyager
Kailua

Abercrombie, Mink are supporters of veterans

I hope that Frank B. Black's motivation for chastising Reps. Neil Abercrombie and Patsy Mink (Letters, Aug. 28) was based on ignorance of the facts. Contrary to what Black alludes, Abercrombie and Mink adamantly opposed the House Republican leadership's willingness to divert monies from a vital veterans' health program to partially finance HR 2400, the Federal Highway Bill.

In fact, Abercrombie co-sponsored a resolution that implored House Transportation Chairman Bud Schuster (R-Pa.) and House Budget Chairman John Kasich (R-Ohio) to find alternative means of funding this measure other than raiding this particular program. Needless to say, the House Republican leadership ignored that resolution.

Both Abercrombie and Mink have wholeheartedly supported numerous federal programs that benefit our country's veterans. To blame either of them for this latest example of Speaker Newt Gingrich & Co.'s questionable fiscal priorities is laughable.

Instead, Black and other veterans should confront GOP congressional candidates Gene Ward and Tom White, both of whom would undoubtedly support the current House leadership if elected.

Donald R. Koelper
(Via the Internet)

QUOTABLE "It's a tough market and we're looking for quality people." -- Washington State Patrol recruiter Ron Baldwin in Hawaii. "I believe certain trustees received kickbacks worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from relatives via elaborate real estate transactions." -- State Attorney General Margery Bronster, calling for removal of Bishop Estate trustees. "I don't think there's a fancy way to say that I have sinned." -- President Clinton on his affair with Monica Lewinsky. "The president has pursued a strategy of deceiving the American people and Congress since January 1998, delaying and impeding the criminal investigation for seven months and deceiving the American people and Congress in August 1998." -- Independent counsel Kenneth Starr's report to Congress.

All students should have school books to take home

Traditionally the week after Labor Day is when public schools hold open houses for parents. This year as you visit your children's classrooms and meet their teachers, be sure to ask this important question: "Do students have their own copies of books to take home?"

If the answer is no, notify the principal, call the Board of Education and contact your legislators. As parents we share the responsibility for educating our children with these three entrusted groups. Our children learn what is important to us by what we pay attention to.

If your children don't have books, now is the time to let your voices be heard.

Nancy Wright Slain
Chairwoman, Operation Textbook
Kalaheo High School
Kailua

Economists have skewed perception of the world

In your Sept. 3 issue, you quote ex-bank economist Leroy Laney as saying, "Some of you don't think you're doing that well, but the numbers do show a good record." In other words, "Don't worry, be happy." Obviously, it's time for us to learn something about the politics of economics

Unlike normal people, the economist believes that money is the measure of all things, and the more of it that changes hands, the better off everyone is.

At the core of the economist's ideology is a vicious circle. He begins with the premise that everything can be understood as a market, and that markets produce the best outcomes. If a particular market isn't producing the best outcome, there is only one possible reason: It must be insufficiently market-like.

So the next time an economist climbs on his soap box to peddle his snake oil, just remember that economics is nothing more than politics in disguise.

Jay Hanson
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Hawaiian community is starting to unite

After 100 years, the national flag of the Hawaiian kingdom flew proudly at Iolani Palace. Queen Liliuokalani said that, someday, her children's children shall rise once more. At noon on Aug. 12, we, her children, were there. All the many groups that seek justice were united in one spirit, the spirit to move forward in the revival of the Hawaiian nation.

President McKinley and all those who signed the Joint Resolution of Annexation committed high treason against the Hawaiian kingdom and its people, both native and non-native. McKinley violated his own presidential oath to uphold the Constitution.

When you are the greatest empire in the world, I guess military might must be the only law that matters.

We spoke their language, dressed like them, accepted their religion, fell in love with them and married them. What did we do so wrong to have them unlawfully annex Hawaii against our people's petitions of protest?

Richard P. Kinney
Hawaiian Political Action Council
of Hawaii

Sign-waving shouldn't cause traffic hazards

Mahalo to Tanner Oh for his Aug. 29 letter to the editor on sign-wavers along Pali Highway. I appreciate Oh raising the issue of potential traffic hazards. Because of my campaign's concerns, we stopped sign-waving at certain areas near the Pali Highway two weeks before Oh's letter was printed.

As we enter the final days leading up to primary election day, let's remember that public safety is the No. 1 issue when sign-waving.

Audrey Hidano
Candidate
State Senate, 13th District

Were columns on feminist issues fact or fiction?

We read with amazement Diane Chang's Aug. 24 column, "Columnists need to get their groove back." In it, Chang self-righteously condescends to Boston Globe columnists Patricia Smith and Mike Barnicle. Both Smith and Barnicle were fired for making up sources and conversations and presenting them as fact in their columns.

Chang implies that this would never happen at the Star-Bulletin because "experienced journalists" look over her work there and because "accountability is very important."

We beg to differ. Can anyone read Chang's columns of April 12, 1996 ("Somebody's who's not nice and proud of it") and Jan. 13, 1995 ("Mulling the b-word that rhymes with witch"), and not strongly suspect that at least one, if not both, are fictional conversations passed off as fact? Does Chang care to offer any proof that these columns are not every bit as fictional as those Barnicle and Smith lost their jobs over?

John Heckathorn
Editor
Honolulu Magazine

Editor's note: Chang believed it was clear to readers when she wrote these two columns that they were based on actual telephone conversations but were mostly fictional. She apologizes for any misunderstanding.

Princess gave publicity to Hawaiian monarchy

News articles tell the story about Hawaiians having the lowest life expectancy of any ethnic group in Hawaii and the highest incidence of heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, obesity, smoking and alcohol abuse.

But what has been getting the most attention, from the public, is the fact that Abigail Kekaulike Kawananakoa sat on the throne at Iolani Palace and might have caused less than $1,000 worth of damage to the throne's antique fabric.

What Princess Kawananakoa did was give publicity to the Hawaiian monarchy and proving that it has a place with the other monarchies of the world in the Life magazine story, "An American Princess." This is especially cogent now, during the centennial of the Hawaiian Islands' annexation to the United States.

Let's get our priorities in order here, for the kanaka maoli.

Jack Law
(Via the Internet)

McKinley band members were great volunteers

Please allow me this opportunity to salute the McKinley High School band. Its students volunteered to man the children's games at our Kaiser 40th anniversary picnic, and they were wonderful!

With 6,000 people in attendance, they were busy but they never lost their smiles or patience. My 3-year-old thought she was in heaven.

In large part this was due to every single volunteer we encountered who went out of his or her way to make it special for all the kids. What an outstanding group of young people!

Kyle Grace
Pearl City

Molester's sentence shows justice has gone to the dogs

A man kills a puppy dog and gets one year in jail. A man molests four young boys and gets five years' probation.

Although the two acts were wholly disparate with respect to their nature (physical cruelty/molestation), the victims (a puppy dog/four youths) and the result (death/psychological trauma), thus making comparison totally subjective, it appears to me that there is no relation to the nature of the crimes and the relative severity of the respective punishment.

Maybe there is something to be said for mandatory sentencing, after all.

Louis H. Trigg
Pearl City

---

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.