Patients should remain at Waimano

The Legislature, with the help of the state Department of Health, has decided to evict the 12 remaining developmentally disabled residents with severe challenging behavior problems from their two small houses at Waimano Home and place them in the community.

These residents have been kept at Waimano because they are a danger to themselves and others. Most of them have been moved into the community before and have not succeeded. They were returned to Waimano because they exhibited aggressive behavior.

The DOH, however, persists in its endeavor to place all of them in the community, disregarding the fact that 5 percent of these people are unable to be mainstreamed.

One million dollars will be spent to build a sanctuary on the Big Island for orangutans to live in peace. How about some financial aid so our retarded loved ones can do the same? They are, after all, human beings.

Patricia M. Volberding

Honor Ireland's death by celebrating life

Dana Ireland's murderers did more than terminate a beautiful young spirit. They left behind the wounded and walking dead. Their killing goes on every day (Star-Bulletin special report, June 8-10).

To Dana's family, friends and the people of the Puna district:

Do not allow this killing to continue. Do not give these deformed creatures the power to kill your spirits.

They may have taken Dana's body, but don't let them have her spirit or yours.

They will keep killing as long as the people of Puna don't feel safe. Defy this power. Go for a bike ride, light up a Christmas tree, walk down the fishing path of Waawaa where Dana's attackers left her, rebuild the memorial rock and flower garden of Kapoho Kai Drive.

They can't kill Dana's spirit or yours as long as you fight back with Dana's joy for life.

Gina Maria Lay

Quotables "Our estimate is that Hawaii golf courses are doing two-thirds to one-half of what could be done." Eric Campbell PRESIDENT, SELECT TEE TIMES, AN INTERNET GOLF RESERVATIONS COMPANY On how his company's method of reserving golf rounds for tourists could increase business for Hawaii golf courses "Every sensible person has to realize that numerous internal problems and...the isolation of our country on the international scene cannot be solved or overcome with this kind of government and under the present circumstances." THE HOLY SYNOD OF THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH Demanding the resignation of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic

City budget-balancing magic looks suspicious

The new City Council chairman Jon Yoshimura said, "I'm confident that we'll be able to balance the budget." From the way I read, it sounded like the mayor already had him on, like a puppet on a string.

There's no way you can balance any budget with a shortage of dollars, such as $11 million, unless you're a "Houdini" or some "fairy godmother" who can pull millions of dollars out of a hat, which just happened recently with the mayor's administration and Yoshimura. But, unfortunately, it wasn't from a hat.

He also mentioned that he and other members are seeking options to help pay for retroactive pay raises for members of the Hawaii Government Employees Association and United Public Workers. I wondered what options are those.

I have a strange feeling something is very fishy about balancing this budget. I just hope this $11 million doesn't come out of our (taxpayers) pocket.

John Toilolo
Ewa Beach

Doubletalk doesn't fool property owners

OK, Rene Mansho. Would you or some other Honolulu City Council member like to translate your statement in the June 8 Star-Bulletin, to wit: "There are no increases in property taxes, only an adjustment on how much people pay in property taxes."

I must say, Councilwoman, that your years on the City Council have not been wasted as you have mastered the art of political double talk.

Now, as a poor taxpayer with only two bachelor's degrees and a master's degree as well, I ask you to kindly translate exactly what you meant in the statement above. English please!

John L. Shupe
Via the Internet

Tax rate hike hurts those who lost most

Rather than increase the tax rate for all land use categories by the same amount, the City Council has placed the highest increase on those owners whose property lost the greatest amount of market value.

In other words, those who lost the most property value lose again by being required to pay higher tax rate increases than those who suffered less devaluation.

Thus, condo/apartment owners who lost 13 percent value are hit with a 13 percent rate increase while hotel/apartment owners whose value went down 3 percent have only a 3 percent hike.

This doesn't sound fair, logical or honest. Yet the mayor has the audacity to call all property owners winners under this plan.

To call losers winners can make sense only in the system of budgetary voodoo doodoo that the mayor and the Council do so well.

Richard Y. Will

Senate should admit mistake on Bronster

I flipped when I read in the June 4 newspaper that Sen. Marshall Ige hinted the state Senate would open an inquiry into the conduct of former Attorney General Margery Bronster. The Senate wasted a lot of valuable time at taxpayers' expense during the last session, and now it is going to do it again?

As Rep. Ed Case said, "the session was permanently marred" by the Senate's rejection of the Bronster confirmation. I wholeheartedly agree. The Senate should admit it erred.

Mrs. L. G. Crockett
Ewa Beach

Sympathy for whale defenders is unwarranted

The news media have been reporting that the carcasses of emaciated gray whales have been found on beaches. They attribute this to the growing population of whales and their diminishing food source.

A few months ago, the media also covered the harassment of the whale fishermen of the Makah tribe by "Save the Whales" advocates. If whales are now overpopulating the oceans, why is the media giving sympathetic coverage to whale advocates and negative coverage to nations that consider whales as a food source?

Roy S. Tanouye
Waipahu

Legislature Directory
Hawaii Revised Statutes

---

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.