Ben embraces Pat's idea
about airport landing fees

During the 1994 gubernatorial campaign, candidate Pat Saiki clearly stated her position to reduce landing fees, lease rents and parking fees charged by the state Department of Transportation, Airports Division.

These airport fees (taxes) are placed in a special fund for airport improvements, and have grown to some $800 million.

Mrs. Saiki developed her position after countless meetings with leaders of the airline industry in finding ways to improve our import and export industries for Hawaii, and at the same time to assist the visitor industry.

Now, four years later, Governor Cayetano -- because of pressures from the reduced tax revenues for the second straight month of the 1997-98 fiscal year -- announces a moratorium on landing fees for two years. Again, too little too late.

James I. Kuroiwa Jr.
Chairman
Honolulu County Republican Party

Sending inmates to Texas
may cost big in the end

In December of 1995, the state began moving inmates to Texas. Take a brief look at what has transpired since:

A major escape and an international manhunt.

A riot-sized brawl, one man dead.

A work stoppage ended with use of force.

Maggots in the food.

Harassment of visiting relatives.

Other states pulling their inmates out.

A "training" video with kicking, crawling, dog bites.

All of the above in less than two years! Now let's take a look at our Hawaii system. Has one of these things happened here? We can go back 10 years and nothing!

Now don't get me wrong. I myself am an inmate. I write this as I share my one-man cell with two cell mates.

Sure it's crowded. We need answers. But was Texas the best we could come up with? We saved money? Wait until the bill arrives.

Michael Antony Maggiacomo
Halawa Correctional Facility

Homosexuals just want
fair treatment under law

Letter writer Robert M. Ing reported that "gays haven't suffered as much as Christians." This is no doubt true, but is hardly justification for continuing to discriminate against gays, and continuing to deny them the civil rights provided for ALL in the founding documents.

Ing would seem to suppose that since Christians are being oppressed, beaten and mistreated somewhere in the world, this unfortunate fact gives license for the homophobes here in Hawaii to abuse gay and lesbian citizens.

What we must seek is a republic which offers us the closest possible approximation of freedom and justice for all, of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, of an equal standing before the law.

Ward Stewart

Estate should establish
world-class university

Bishop Estate has not been fulfilling its duties as mandated by Pauahi's will -- providing education for the children of Hawaii. Kindergarten through high school are just the preliminaries. Education is college and beyond.

My understanding is that KS/BE has an endowment equal to Harvard and Yale combined. It also has 30,000 acres of land in Hamakua that it plans to fill with eucalyptus trees. Instead, it could build a Stanford of the Pacific that could be called the University of Kamehameha. This would accomplish a lot of wonderful things:

A big economic boost with all the construction jobs.

A beautiful campus with enough space to dorm all its students, from all over Hawaii as well as the world.

Tuition scholarships for all qualifying local students.

Advanced degree in marine biology, volcanology, astronomy, and tropical agriculture, with the outstanding resources of the Big Island.

Millions of dollars in research money coming into the state.

What would it take to get KS/BE to really fulfill its mandate?

Robin Smith
Honokaa, Hawaii
(Via the Internet)

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Bishop Estate Archive

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