Good for a tan and plenty of laughs
A mainland acquaintance loves to visit Hawaii as therapy. She often mentions the laid-back, do-it-tomorrow lifestyle, and the projects and issues that never quite get completed or decided upon. Plus the constant disparity among the residents and our leaders in government, state or city.
We live in a so-called paradise that is really a "comedy of errors" to her, and there's little doubt she's not the only one who arrives for a good laugh, perhaps whilst strolling down Kapiolani Boulevard.
Two of her conclusions suggest it's the water we drink, or too much sun.
John L. Werrill
Honolulu
Friendship is the real theme of 'Sex' film
On Thursday night I strolled into Ward Theaters for my midnight rendezvous with the debut film that promised to continue singing the modern-day single girl's anthem. With uninterested female friends, a failed attempt to enlist even the rank and file of my male friends and a reluctance to see the film alone, I bought a single movie ticket anyway, reminding myself of something I'd read in a preview article on "Sex and the City," the movie, a day before: "Be fearlessly single."
Simple yet true, it is the single girl's mantra in a society that says a woman can't go to the movies without a date and should be married by age 30.
And did the movie deliver its promise? My vote cast, a big thumbs up with aloha for the big debut! More than a light-hearted spin on love and romance, the film also celebrates and deepens the necessary bonds of friendship -- that "other" love that so many of us single women forget about on our quest for true love with Mr. Right. Many might hail "Sex and the City" as another movie "for the girls," but it refreshingly comes with a message for women everywhere that is much more realistic than your typical romantic comedy.
Sharleen Alejandro
Kailua
Dog's fans don't deserve to breathe
Again we see the latest news on TV icon Dog Chapman, who has figured out a way to receive free advertising for life by routinely saying something controversial and then apologizing eternally on TV, radio and in newspapers -- man, what a deal!
There are people who don't have a clue about health care, geography, the arts or the world around them, but they keep up with the private lives of celebrities every day through TV shows and magazines. They live for "American Idol," (bogus) reality shows and other countless stupid things, refusing to grow up and get a life.
If I were a gardener, I would pull these freaks right out of society like weeds because they do absolutely nothing substantial in life yet consume the same amount of food, utilities and air as I do plus countless illegal narcotics on top of that -- with absolutely no real purpose in life other than to worship celebrities and be the shame of their families. Talk about the matrix!
Let's make this planet a greener one by pulling out the weed that smokes itself. And this is me putting it in a kind way.
Raphael Eredita
Honolulu
Con Con could give voters bigger voice
I applaud Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona's efforts to educate voters on the need for a Constitutional Convention. For a young voter like me, this is a first chance to support review of the state Constitution.
The last time there was a Constitutional Convention was before I was even born. Remembering that our Constitution is a work in progress that should reflect our lasting values yet align with the times, anyone can see that we are long overdue for a reassessment.
An issue I would like to see addressed, should a Constitutional Convention be convened, is initiative and referendum.
Having this in place would allow Hawaii residents to vote directly on initiatives they feel are important rather than relying on the Legislature. In a small state like ours, these changes could give the people a stronger voice and make us more active in the political process.
Jon Chin
Honolulu
GOP majority rejected bad behavior
This is a rebuttal to the opinion piece of May 21 titled,
"Debate was quashed at GOP convention."
A two-thirds vote of the majority of the delegates at the Hawaii GOP convention declared that they would not be bullied, intimidated, led astray or cajoled by someone who admits in his op-ed to swearing and cursing in the name of "free speech" and the right to debate. The convention cut off that kind of disrespectful, caveman behavior. So did the platform committee by a majority vote after full debate. The intent of the majority in both forums was to focus on what unites us, rather than what divides us.
Michael Palcic's behavior was clearly not condoned by the majority who demonstrated civility and reasonableness. The fact that the delegates clearly rejected incivility should not be obfuscated by an appeal to free speech advocacy and a slanted point of view. Yelling at the top of one's lungs, and prancing around the room to get one's voice heard, is childish at best.
Finally, Palcic's opinion piece misrepresented the facts and falsely claimed that no substantive resolutions reached the floor. To the contrary, the convention resoundingly adopted a resolution supporting the need for a Con Con. He apparently did not stay long enough to participate in the entire session and apparently ran out when he couldn't get his way. I hope this letter sets the record straight.
Darwin L.D. Ching
Platform Committee Chairman
Hawaii Republican Party Convention
Dems who reject Obama need new home
Now that the Barack Obama group has taken over the Democratic Party of Hawaii, supporters of Hillary Clinton and other candidates have been effectively iced out of the party.
Newly disenfranchised Demo-crats who will not be supporting Obama, if he is nominated, will need to look for a new political home or drop out of politics altogether. The new party leaders will not tolerate views other than their own. As for myself, I am going to sit this one out!
David Bohn
Wahiawa
We can make do with so much less
It is becoming increasingly clear that the Earth cannot sustain our continuous overindulgence in its resources. We have grown to be a culture that figures out how much we can get away with instead of how little we can get by with. From eating supersized meals, to driving gas-guzzling cars, to living in big homes and using lots of water and electricity, we tend to overdo it. By and large I think we are unaware how much we have and use.
While serving in the Peace Corps in Africa, I saw how little most people survive on and what ingenious use they made of "trash." For example, they cut up metal cans to collect rain water from their roofs and fashioned sandals from discarded tires.
I greatly appreciate our comforts and abundance but am dismayed at how much we waste. I wish we could load up Matson liners with all the extra stuff we accumulate for garage sales and donate it to needy countries.
If each of us does our part to cut down our consumption, donate to others and share our resources in the spirit of aloha, the whole world would be more sustainable. Let's do more by using less.
Suzanne Hammer
Honolulu
Food was great, but water ought to be free
Arghhh! I was charged 25 cents for a small cup of ice water at a McDonald's restaurant the other morning! With $4 gas now at the pumps, I hoped that some things, such as small courtesy cups of ice water, would always be free, especially in the Aloha State.
But my McDonald's parfait yogurt with a hot, refreshing cup of coffee was great that morning and McDonald's friendly restaurant ambience no ka oi!
Frankie Kam
Honolulu
Safety stickers don't tell whole story
I disagree with Robert Mandap's apparent assumption that only vehicles with expired safety stickers are "unsafe"
(Letters, May 24). The safety sticker requirement issue is loaded with controversy.
Even a valid sticker is no assurance that the vehicle is safe; it just means the sticker itself is current. Issuing vendors can be illegitimate in that they don't really inspect anything, just sell the stickers and the accompanying paperwork and then collect the fees.
Unscrupulous auto repair shops can con unsuspecting or naive automobile owners into repairs they don't need to pass their vehicles for a safety check. This creates business for them, and the customer, who has no idea he is being taken for a ride, ends up being happy he got a safety sticker. This still happens all the time.
Personally, I think it's the responsibility of the vehicle owner, not the City and County of Honolulu, to maintain his car in good mechanical condition. In this era of rising gasoline, food and living expenses for some perhaps that safety sticker will have to wait until next paycheck.
Greg Darr
Kailua
Schedule will help DOE keep up with repairs
In response to a
May 29 Star-Bulletin article on deteriorating schools: Maintenance should be a fixed cost in the Department of Education budget.
There should be no need for teachers and parents to plead and cry for help. This is how it should be done: The cost should be projected in the following way: Thirty-five high schools at an annual maintenance cost of $100,000 will be $3.5 million; 70 middle schools at a cost of $75,000 will be $5.25 million; 140 elementary schools at a cost of $50,000 will be $7 million. The total cost will be $15.8 million, which is less than 1 percent of the $2.4 billion education operating budget.
Therefore, if you spend 1 percent of the budget annually on maintenance you will not face a major repair bill after many years of neglect. Maintenance should be an ongoing thing. Let the schools handle this area with the money appropriated to them. This is a slow process, but even at a snail's pace we should eventually catch up.
Herbert Morioka
Honolulu
Governor shouldn't ignore I-Save Rx bill
Kokua Council fought for years to find a program that would allow our citizens to be able to afford the drugs they need. So we were pleased when I-Save Rx prescription drug bill, as described in your excellent
editorial on May 12, finally passed the Legislature in spite of the governor's veto.
Unfortunately, we have discovered that the governor has notified the Legislature that she has no intention of implementing the bill, saying it is illegal even though the governors of five other states had no such compunctions.
Kokua Council was one of the organizations supporting the I-Save Rx prescription drug program. Our members are mostly seniors and many have to use costly medicines. As the editorial pointed out, the law would have allowed Hawaii residents to buy safe, quality prescription drugs from Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand over the Internet at greatly reduced prices.
We want the governor to reconsider for the benefit of the many residents who have to decide between buying food or buying medicine.
Laura G. Manis
Legislative chairwoman
Kokua Council
City is working hard to stay No. 1 in 'green' index
The new Brookings Institution report that ranked Honolulu No. 1 out of 100 U.S. cities for our low carbon emissions was great news, but we will not be content to rest on our laurels. We're moving forward aggressively on many important initiatives to further protect our environment and enhance our quality of life.
Our rail transit project is exactly what's needed to provide key improvements cited by the study to reduce pollution: promote more transportation choices and transit-oriented development.
The study found that cities with rail mass transit systems and densely populated urban cores have far smaller "carbon footprints" per capita than sprawling metropolitan areas dependent on private vehicles. Our rail system will give thousands of commuters and visitors an alternative to private vehicles and clogged freeways, while providing important opportunities for new housing, commercial space and public facilities along the rail line.
Our 21st Century Ahupuaa Plan closely examined other environmentally friendly policies, and they are now reaching fruition. We're continually expanding curbside residential recycling, replacing buses and police cars with efficient hybrid vehicles, increasing the capacity of the HPOWER garbage-to-energy plant, operating ferries from Kalaeloa to Aloha Tower and adding bicycle lanes to our roadways.
A few will always nitpick when good news is announced, but we're confident that the Brookings report provided an honest assessment of Honolulu's ranking and made it clear that we are moving in the right direction with rail transit and other important initiatives. Our goal remains to leave Honolulu better than we found it.
Mufi Hannemann
Mayor of Honolulu