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Wednesday, October 21, 1998

Wording of amendment is clear and precise

Mely McGivern, in an Oct 9. letter, "credits" us for the wording of the proposed constitutional amendment defining marriage. The wording was approved after hours of testimony and debate among members of the House and Senate, and many members of the community.

The original version of the proposed amendment passed by the House read: "Shall the due process and equal protection clause, Article I, section 5, of the Constitution of the State of Hawaii be amended to specify that statutes, regulations, laws, rules, orders, decrees and legal doctrines that define or regulate marriage, the parties to marriage, or the benefits of marriage shall not be deemed in violation of this section or any other section of this Constitution by virtue of a limitation of the marriage relationship to the union of only one man and one woman?"

Compare this to the original version passed by the Senate, which read: "Shall the State have the power to reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples, provided that doing so does not deprive any person of civil rights on the basis of sex?"

In conference committee, the Senate and House agreed on the final language of the amendment, which is clear, precise and legally valid.

The issue before the voters is quite simple. They are being asked if the Legislature or courts should decide this issue.

Sen. Matthew M. Matsunaga
Sen. Avery B. Chumbley
Co-Chairmen
Senate Judiciary Committee

Majority of Hawaiians want special election

Thank you for printing a major part of my statement in your Oct. 3 Insight section. However, in editing my words for a View Point column, you erred in saying that "73 percent of Hawaiians voted to support." My statement actually read, "In 1996, 73 percent of Hawaiians voting in a special election supported holding an election." The two statements have very different meanings.

Winona E. Rubin

Abercrombie didn't try to save military jobs

I have found Rep. Neil Abercrombie's defense record despicable. Your newspaper has not thoroughly reported on his military spending votes during his career in Congress.

Abercrombie cast the deciding vote to lay off 13,000 defense workers in Hawaii (Clinton budget FY '94). How do I know this? It's in the Congressional Record, my friends. This is not what some media people want to tell you, but it is the truth. Abercrombie's reckless votes cost my friends and me our jobs.

It is time to decommission Abercrombie. He must step aside because he couldn't help save my job.

State Rep. Gene Ward will fight for our jobs, so I say let's give him a chance.

Thomas Oliver Plant

Support of Jones Act shows poor judgment

Neil Abercrombie's support for the Jones Act is deplorable. He repeatedly states that Hawaii needs the Jones Act because Matson shipping will be there for Hawaii. Well, I have news for him: Matson's loyalty is to A&B's "bottom line," not to the people of Hawaii.

The Jones Act has given Matson a virtual monopoly -- for 72 years and counting -- on ocean freight service to Hawaii. Although it has this monopoly, Matson cut service to Hawaii by 25 percent. This cut in freight service hurts small businesses.

We can send a strong message for lower costs and better service by repealing Neil Abercrombie on Nov. 3.

Gail McClish

Governor has nothing to brag about, really

In his television commercials, Ben Cayetano is boasting about his accomplishments, yet:

This is the only income tax cut in Hawaii's history.

Putting Hawaii $1 billion in debt is good only for the construction union. It doesn't help the teachers, lawyers, doctors, sales clerks, food workers, etc. They will have to repay that debt.

He may have trimmed the government but one department has 30 workers with three levels of management. That seems excessive. How many more are the same?

The convention center is mostly unused and unavailable to the public. The traffic will be terrible there when there is a large convention.

The state cannot afford a second university on this small island. Put the money where it is needed now -- at the Manoa campus.

The money used for the Miss Universe Pageant should have come from the $60 million allotted for the tourism budget, not from an additional fund from the Legislature.

It was evident long ago that the Bishop Estate trustees were not performing their duties according to trust laws, even before Cayetano became governor. Of course, Cayetano would not have wanted to embarrass his former colleagues of the Legislature, like Henry Peters and Richard Wong.

As I see it, these are not things to brag about.

Frances R. Hardy
(Via the Internet)

HSTA, Cayetano deserve thanks for teachers' raise

I don't know about my colleagues, but the numbers in my paycheck went up. Yes, I worked seven extra days to get the extra pay, but it still went up. When I add this amount to the increases I've already received during this contract, it adds up quite nicely.

I plan to work for another 20 years. Over this time, the amount I've received during the contract will compound to more than $37,000, and that's nothing to sneeze at.

Thanks, HSTA, for getting us the raise. Thanks, Ben Cayetano, for giving it to us.

Todd T. Tashiro
Pearl City

Lingle is way too glib about her achievements

I must admit that Linda Lingle can be a very attractive candidate. She is a gifted communicator, and really does have a knack of telling each audience what it wants to hear. But words are just words. The substance behind the words is what troubles me:

Lingle says she would have "zero tolerance for cronyism," yet she gave non-bid contracts to her husband.

She says she would "end the adversarial relationship between government and business," yet on West Maui she held up a much-needed project for years while she attempted to extort unreasonable concessions from the landowner.

She continually touts the "Maui Miracle," yet the amount of debt on the island, the number of county workers and property taxes all went up during her tenure as mayor.

Maybe that is why Lingle did so poorly on Maui in the primary. Maybe the people who lived the "Maui Miracle" know something the rest of us don't.

Barbara Yadao-Petti
Kapolei

Miracle of turnaround happened 'just in time'

Governor Cayetano would have us believe that he has turned the economy around and the state will enjoy a $150-million surplus in 1999 instead of the $500-million deficit he had told the 1998 Legislature.

What turned the economy around so quick? Surely the Economic Revitalization Task Force's provisions couldn't have done their magic this soon.

Could it have been the payroll lag of state workers? No, that doesn't take effect until the end of this fiscal year. And with hotel occupancies at a five-year low and bankruptcies at an all-time high, it couldn't be the business activity.

I know, it must be the election.

Kala Huttendorf

Fasi supporters on Maui will vote for Cayetano

There's no miracle here on Maui. The primary vote in favor of Cayetano in this county gave him the verdict. To suggest that Lingle supporters voted for Cayetano on the Democratic ballot because of the mayor's race is bull. Wouldn't it have made more sense to vote for someone besides him?

Fasi doesn't need to tell us whom to vote for in the general; we already know. We're Fasi's faithful, the 49,000 voters who think like and believe in him.

If my math serves me right, 49,000 (Fasi's votes) plus 96,000 (Cayetano's votes) equal more than the 109,000 votes that Lingle garnered during the primary. Not to mention that only one-fifth of all registered voters in this state turned out last month.

Ben, I hope you offer Frank a job. You know in your heart that he'll do good for this state.

Edward Chung
Kihei, Maui

Hawaii needs change now more than ever

It is difficult to accept Walter Heen's assertion that the governor's race is about the difference between Democrats and Republicans. People are sick and tired of:

Not having enough food on the table, losing their homes and losing their children to mainland jobs.

Having our country's worst-performing public schools for well over 10 years.

People are saying that enough is enough!

Gene Dumaran

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