Author's bias evident in study of fish in diet

The University of Hawaii study claiming fish consumption might not be healthy isn't very robust ("Fish aids heart by replacing junk food, study says," Star-Bulletin, May 9). The most it can possibly say is that diabetic patients might not benefit as much as the rest of us. (The study only included diabetics.)

More worrisome, however, is study co-author Amy Lanou's employment with the misnamed Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a PETA-affiliated animal rights group that opposes fish consumption on moral grounds. Lanou is already claiming her study gives consumers "good reason to steer clear of fish."

Of course, the study says nothing of the kind. This is what comes from mixing animal-rights activism with science: Neither ends up looking terribly good.

Don't kid yourself about those tax cuts

The headline "Property tax cuts fall short, some say" (Star-Bulletin, May 8) might have left people skimming through the paper with the impression that the City Council is planning to cut property taxes. Here's what's really being proposed:

» They're talking about cutting residential tax rates, not the actual taxes after your property assessment goes up. Your residential tax bill would essentially remain the same.

» They're talking about raising commercial property taxes, which residents would pay for when they shop at those businesses.

» They're talking about "paying" for these tax "cuts" by underfunding the amount set aside to pay for future health benefits promised city retirees, taking away some tax credits proposed for homeowners and renters, and cutting funding for vacant positions in the budget.

Translation: "We're gonna cut your taxes by raising your total taxes, not cutting spending, violating our fiduciary duty, and firing some people we haven't hired."

In this spirit of doublespeak, can we fund the pay raise the Council members awarded themselves by "raising" their pay by negative 20 percent?

Efforts for pedestrian safety deserve praise

I wish to commend Mayor Mufi Hannemann and his staff for their commitment toward improving pedestrian safety throughout Oahu. Their multimodal approach involves enforcement, education and upgrades on traffic signals. In the past few weeks, many crosswalks on King Street have been restriped with bright white paint, making it easier for pedestrians and motorists to see. These improvements are sure to have an effect and help address the sad reality that too many of our citizens have already been injured or killed in avoidable pedestrian accidents.

The mayor's office is rightly taking action to prevent further incidents of this nature. Dedicating money, time and resources to improving safety for our residents is commendable and deserving of praise. Mahalo, Mayor Hannemann, for making the lives of the people of Oahu a top priority.

Brash words aren't best path to wisdom

I find in ironic that KSSK radio host Larry Price attempted to derail Sen. Gary Hooser's political agenda by asking him what the color of his eyes were and where he was born. Price can't hide the fact that although he does not have "blue eyes," he is probably not Asian, native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. So where were your forefathers from, Dr. Price?

As Abraham Lincoln once said, "You can fool all of the people some of the time; you can fool some of the people all of the time; but you can't fool all of the people all of the time." Some further advice for Price: "Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt" (Mark Twain).

City working hard on street rehabilitation

We appreciate your recognition of the never-ending nature of fixing potholes ("Our opinion," May 7). We not only patch potholes (more than 140,000 since we took office in January 2005), but also provide new road surfaces. The latter can range from a temporary "skin coat" of asphalt to complete rehabilitation of the road, as we've done on Piikoi Street, Waimano Home Road, Hind Drive, Hamakua Drive, Makakilo Drive and streets in Mililani, to name a few. Rehabilitation of Beretania Avenue is under way.

The Department of Facility Maintenance has requested $3.4 million in its fiscal year 2008 budget for skin coat resurfacing.

The city budgeted $44 million for the current fiscal year and requested another $40 million next year for the rehabilitation program. We'll be starting work within the next two months on Ala Wai Boulevard, Keeaumoku Street, Sheridan Street, South Street and University Avenue.

The bottom line is that we're doing a lot more to keep the roads smooth, thanks to our hard-working city employees.