Why didn't NOW protest
About two weeks ago, on a late-night TV talk show, Patricia Ireland, president of the National Organization for Women, chastised the vice president of the Promise Keepers for referring to the women's rights activists as "pro-abortion" instead of her more accurate maxim, "pro-choice."
Jiang's visit to Hawaii?Although I am not a Promise Keeper, I was amazed at how much easier it was to sleep as a result of Ireland's gem of enlightenment.
Thus, properly schooled in the intricacies of choice, I was ready for the arrival of Chinese President Jiang, the leader of perhaps the world's largest offender of women's rights, in Hawaii.
What could be more anti-choice than forcing women to have abortions, I thought? Surely, Ireland and her battalions would be at Pearl Harbor to vividly display their disdain for Chinese mandatory child-birth laws. But surprisingly, no NOW soldiers, no intricately drawn-up pickets, assembled.
Honestly, I wasn't surprised. After all, it takes a lot of time to harass a group of men promising to become better husbands and fathers.
Don't worry, ladies. I'm sure the women of China understand.
Lt. Chad G. Wahlin, USN
Task force proposals will help
The economic task force's proposals regarding taxes would not benefit middle- and lower-income wage earners and small businesses struggling to make ends meet.
banks, big businessReduction of the corporate tax would be beneficial only to those big businesses and financial institutions showing perennial profits at the end of each fiscal year. Increasing the general excise tax, synonymous with the sales tax, by 20 percent to 5.3 percent from the current 4 percent would hurt only consumers, since the cost would be passed down.
More innovative ways to increase revenues in lieu of tax increases must be found, e.g. creating more tourist-oriented facilities similar to the convention center; a state-of-the-art sports complex; medical and learning institutions that could be rated as among the best in the Pacific/Asian region.
Ways to increase employment in the private sector should be the primary objective of the task force.
Toshio Chinen
Pearl City
Oahu needs light-rail system
Honolulu is a charming, well-managed city, one of the top 10 in the United States. But it has an Achilles' heel: traffic.
for transportationRelentlessly, it is eating away the vitality and mobility of our fine city.
The travails of Interstate H-3 have confirmed that no more major highways will be built on the island of Oahu. The state Department of Transportation and the city Department of Transportation Services are making a fine effort to apply the so-called management alternatives of the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization, but neither one nor all are sufficient for the next century.
I recommend that the state undertake the next try at rapid transit on an exclusive right-of-way, that the initial funding be $200 million of highway special funds available through public objection to the Nimitz viaduct, that no general funds be used, that the technology be modern light rail on a single pedestal, and that the alignment be the state-owned right-of-way on H-2 and H-1 except through the central city.
The governor is respectfully requested to submit this overdue proposal in his capital improvement projects to this regular session of the state Legislature. The mayor should not object.
E. Alvey Wright
Kailua
Trustees: Best defense is
Over recent weeks, we've been deluged with the ifs, ands and buts of our distinguished panel of trustees who, supposedly, if you listen to them, perform their respective duties with the utmost of honesty, integrity and total respect for Princess Pauahi Bishop's wishes.
good, pricey offenseNow we have the whole state -- including the attorney general, ministers, judges, teachers, students -- wondering if this tight group is up to speed and, my goodness, what on earth does each of them do with $885,000 a year?
Of course the best defense is a good, expensive offense (or is it the other way round?). So why not muster the cream of the crop of crony attorneys. Most if not all of this splendid crop are good friends of John Waihee, who also aspired to such a lofty trustee position but then suddenly dropped out of sight. Or did he? Oh, dear.
What we need are some movers and shakers, with the resolve to dig deep and get rid of these blatant blood brothers who feather each other's nests, right under our noses. It stinks.
John L. Werrill
Legal shenanigans keep
First, an employee of Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate is threatened after she informed the Attorney General's Office of alleged improprieties. Then the attorney general herself is threatened for leading the continuing probe of Bishop Estate.
tarnishing trustees' imageThe chances of the IRS revoking the tax-exempt status of Bishop Estate/ Kamehameha Schools seem better with each new revelation that seems to tarnish its image.
Meanwhile, the KS/BE attorney keeps saying that Bishop Estate and its trustees did nothing wrong, yet he continues going to court and is opposing almost everything the AG's office does.
Robert Taylor
Students support Chun
We share the view expressed in the Oct. 27 letter by Robert R. Dye -- that Mike Chun is eminently qualified to continue in his post as president of Kamehameha Schools.
so trustees should, tooMike has a sense of humility that many of us could use, not to mention his ability to communicate which is exceptional. School children are frequently a lot smarter than many of us who have long since departed from the classroom. And those at Kamehameha seem to think that Mike is an exceptional president.
Let's hope the trustees pay attention to that.
Hardy Hutchinson
Kailua
Bishop Estate Archive
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