Bishop Estate should pay tuition of Hawaiians at UH
Free tuition at the University of Hawaii for qualified students of Hawaiian ancestry -- what a great deal! However, the tuition cost should not be borne by UH. It should be paid by the Bishop Estate.Hundreds of millions of dollars that should have been used for education have been taken out of the state and invested elsewhere by the estate's trustees. Now is the time to bring some of that money home and use it for its intended purpose.
Let the Bishop Estate pay the UH tuition for all qualified students of Hawaiian ancestry. Maybe this will help put an end to the trustees' constant misuse of Bishop Estate funds and their blatant disregard for the Hawaiian people.
Bill Erler
Aiea
McKinley rally shows disregard for students
What kind of message is our Democratic Party conveying to teachers and students?On the one hand, our governor has given teachers raises, plus seven more days to educate Hawaii's students.
On the other, McKinley High students were released from classes early for a political rally held on the school's campus. One newscaster said the time lost would be made up at a later date.
Imagine the ramifications if a teacher had applied for a use permit for a school facility during school hours for political reasons. Why didn't the Democrats hold their rally at another location? Why not feed some money into our private sector to help our economy? Couldn't they have used our new Hawaii Convention Center?
C. Schrader
Princess Kawananakoa deserves more respect
What's this? Abigail Kawananakoa -- former president of Iolani Palace; of the blood family of Prince Kuhio, King Kalakaua, Queen Liliuokalani, King Kaumualii of Kauai and Kuhio of the Kamehameha line; and senior heir in most of these family lines -- is voted out? And all because of sitting on the family throne!Don't the people of Hawaii realize that they have just insulted our heritage? With all of the growing hopes of nationhood heading toward fruition, why let some individuals harboring a personal resentment against Kawananakoa kick our alii nui out of her own palace?
It sounds a little like Liliuokalani vs. Dole and the U.S. Marines in 1895!
After over a decade as a strong and loyal supporter of the Friends of Iolani Palace, I am terminating my membership and will strongly encourage others to do the same. I will not consider renewing it unless the princess is given an appropriate response, and this lynch mob hiding behind closed doors is not it!
Ken Kaumualii Hodges
Sunnyvale, Calif.
Outdoor Circle doesn't endorse any candidates
The members of the Outdoor Circle need to set the record straight. As a nonprofit, tax-exempt, environmental education organization, our organization cannot and does not support or oppose political parties or candidates.Some members are running for elective office this year. As an organization, we neither support nor oppose their candidacies, and have not endorsed them. The political activities by persons in their individual capacities should not be attributed to the Outdoor Circle.
Our by-laws prohibit any elected official from serving as a director or officer. Should an officer or director be elected, he or she will be required to resign.
Carol Hendricks
President, The Outdoor Circle
UH-West Oahu doesn't deserve criticism
Diane Chang's Aug. 28 column, "Student devastated by shabby treatment," is an affront to the students and faculty members of the University of Hawaii-West Oahu. It contains incorrect information and seeks to gain sympathy for Lisa Yonashiro's plight, a plight of her own making.Yonashiro is a graduate of Hawaii's public school system and, as such, should know that one must pay all fines for overdue or missing books. Why should this policy be any different in the UH system?
I am a student at UHWO. All faculty and administrative members treat students with the utmost respect and dignity. They go out of their way to find time to assist any student having difficulties, whether in or out of the classroom environment.
It is not our politicians, UH administrators or anyone else who owes Yonashiro a mea culpa. Instead, it is she who owes them, the West Oahu student body and all of your readers a profound apology.
Joseph P. Scheiber
President, UHWO Business Club
Pearl City
Fasi has a long history of getting tough jobs done
I am one of the 800 or 900 owners who bought two-bedroom Kukui Plaza condos, one of Frank Fasi's many projects, right smack downtown. Kukui Plaza has two high-rise towers, a five-acre garden park, a swimming pool, covered parking, etc., and all for $1 a month in lease rent, good for another 50 years.This proves that Fasi helps people and gets the job done, even if he has to step on some people's toes, and maybe squash some, to do it. We've got too many lame-brain bureaucrats around here not doing the right things. Fasi for governor!
Clement S. Lee
Maritime authority idea shows Cayetano's vision
Creating a maritime authority is good public policy for two reasons:1) The waterfront is very important for our economy.
2) The consolidation improves government efficiency.
The current $2.5 billion maritime industry, which employs 9,000 people, will be greatly enhanced by a maritime authority. Governor Cayetano's vision should be applauded.
Liz Arakaki
It's time to overhaul the Democratic 'machine'
If an auto repair shop promised to fix the problems in your car, and failed two, three or four times, would you keep going back and listen to more promises? Why then, would anyone keep the same old "promises, promises" political party in power, year after year?Hey, we haven't gained all that much from the local "machine," yet they still keep taking our tax money. Why don't we try another group? Couldn't do any worse.
Linda Lingle and some new members of the Legislature just might devote themselves to producing results from our tax dollars.
Ray Thiele
Kailua
Bombing of drug plant was Clintonesque debacle
The blatant murderous destruction of a Sudanese pharmaceuticals plant based on "trace" amounts of VX "outside" the compound grounds smacks of gangsterism in its more ignorant form.Our lying, deceitful president has again laid a smokescreen of deception.
Beware, America. The Big Spin is on.
Martin Halsey Grubb
Pearl City
Bill pales in comparison to country's statesmen
Bill Clinton has been comparing himself to great Americans in search for his legacy. Here are a few comparisons that may help him:
Patrick Henry: I regret that I have but one life to give for my country.
Clinton: Draft dodger.
Clinton: Carry a small stick and talk a lot.
Clinton: I never had sex with that woman.
Clinton: It's Ken Starr's fault.
Thomas O. Matsuura
Starr has a license to terrorize Clinton
Never before in our history have we appointed an avid political enemy of a president to snoop into his private life with an unlimited budget and time.Either this is a very dangerous precedent, or President Clinton has been singled out for this outrageous persecution.
Nancy Bey Little
Mililani
Clinton's credibility is irreparably damaged
I am not a fan of Bill Clinton, and I think his performance on Aug. 17 was dismal. I was angered at his ending comments about how long the Lewinsky matter had gone on and how much it cost the taxpayers. It took him seven months to come clean. Had he done so at the outset both the time and money could have been saved.He seems unable to grasp that his credibility is shot. There is a flaw in his character that apparently causes him to lie whenever he feels it suits his objective. He denied for years and then finally admitted sexual relations with Gennifer Flowers. The same for smoking marijuana when he was a college student in England.
And there are a number of other incidents in which it seems he is lying again. What about Whitewater, Paula Jones, draft dodging, and, something really important to the country, Democratic fund-raising and selling of favors? Who can trust whatever he says on whatever subject?
This is a major character flaw the United States cannot allow in the person holding the office of president.
A man's sexual relations should be a private matter, but in this day and age those privileges of the common man do not apply to the president. That may not be right, but it is a fact. If one does not want his extramarital sex life to be spread in the public record, don't run for that office.
James V. Pollock
Kaneohe
(Via the Internet)
Would Gingrich be better than Clinton or Gore?
Consider the following political scenario: President Clinton is impeached, Vice President Al Gore becomes president. Later, the independent counsel finds Gore violated the laws on campaign financing. If Gore resigns, House Speaker Newt Gingrich takes over the presidency.Consider Gingrich's record -- a few years ago, he succeeded in shutting down the federal government for a few days because he was slighted by President Clinton on Air Force One. He agreed to write a book for millions of dollars, rumors of favorable treatment abound. The amount was later drastically reduced. He borrowed $300,000 from former Senator Dole at favorable terms.
He used private donations to advance his political goals. He demanded a divorce from his former wife when she was in the hospital for treatment of cancer.
Is this the kind of respectable individual citizen we want as president? Furthermore, is he as competent as Clinton in addressing and seeking solutions to major international and domestic problems?
How Tim Chang
QUOTABLE
-- Ann Kobayashi, co-chairwoman of Gov. Ben Cayetano's re-election campaign, on Linda Lingle's campaign accepting Cayetano's assertion that his camp is not behind the rumor that she is a lesbian.
-- Dwayne Yoshina, chief election officer, on the inability of absentee voters to use an optical scanner available to election-day voters to check their ballots for mistakes.
-- NASA space scientist Ed Weiler on the discovery of ice on the moon.
-- Viktor Chernomyrdin, nominee for Russian prime minister, on ending Russia's financial crisis.
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