Why are Kim's parents getting city loan, anyway?
I am profoundly puzzled by how calm people seem to be about the city loan to City Councilwoman Donna Kim's parents. First of all, who created and voted for a loan program that ignores the income of some owners of a property when making low-interest loans for the upgrading of that property? Doesn't the partial owner whose income was ignored benefit from the improvements to the property?Moreoever, what sort of example is Kim providing us when she shifts responsibility for the upkeep of her property to taxpayers? This attitude of being sure you belly up to the public trough in order to make sure you get your share of the gravy is disgusting. It is one of the major reasons why the city finds itself in its current economic condition.
Andrew Rothstein
(Via the Internet)
Hawaii is in recession because people are idiots
I used to be proud to be from this state. But lately, boy, it's been hard.First, we have a government that clearly doesn't give a damn about its residents' wishes. The governor returns a back scratch with a back scratch, and seemingly half of the voters of Hawaii returned crooks to office.
Then you have the police union, other unions and the mayor, all driving the city in circles, because they can. State judges complain about their $86,000 a year salaries. Hey, I don't make even a third of that.
Then we have the bus drivers who don't seem to give a damn about a thing called a schedule, and a water park being built in Kapolei with all the heavy machinery coming through an area with one road.
Wow, no wonder this state is in recession. We are all idiots. As a life-long resident, I am ashamed of Hawaii at this point.
John Hyytianinen
Kapolei
(Via the Internet)
Newcomers: Remember why you moved here
I have lived in Hawaii for 22 years. I made a decision at age 9 that I was going to live in this state; it just took me a while to get here. But I have no regrets.But that's not true of some people who move here. Arthur M.Grant's complaints (Letters, Dec. 28) about the bus system are typical of people who fall in love with Hawaii, make the move here and then all they do is complain.
That's because, mentally, they still haven't left the mainland. Everything there is better. The transportation system, the stores, the availability of products, the rent, the salary, etc. If the bus service in New Jersey and Philadelphia is so great, why isn't Grant there?
After people make the move to Hawaii, they seem to forget all the things that made them want to move here in the first place. Things do move at a different pace in Hawaii, just as they do in Italy, England, Yugoslavia, New York, California, etc. You just learn to adjust.
Mr. Grant, get to the bus stop a little earlier. That way you'll get to work on time. Then, without that vexing problem on your mind, you'll be able to enjoy all the reasons that encouraged you to move here in the first place. You'll have time to stop and smell the pikake.
Caroline L. Dunn
(Via the Internet)
Mayor hasn't proposed axing homeowners' tax exemption
Jim Fromm's anti-government diatribe (Letters, Jan. 4) must have been aimed at confusing rather than enlightening readers. His language is extreme, his tone hysterical and his allegations are demonstrably false.To set the record straight, the mayor has never considered eliminating anyone's "homeowner's exemptions." The mayor, the City Council and the Blue Ribbon Citizens Advisory Committee are looking at whether tax breaks now available only to certain groups continue to be justified in light of falling property tax collections that have severely cut city revenues. It would be irresponsible to do otherwise.
The city's budget shortfall has nothing to do with mismanagement. If it did, Honolulu would not enjoy an AA financial rating from Moody's. The truth is that the city has cut property tax bills five years in a row while actually improving services.
Fromm demands that we "stop wasting money on far-fetched dreams." What far-fetched dreams? Are parks and public shorelines far-fetched dreams? Fromm apparently believes we have no responsibility to build for our children's future. Fortunately, he is in a small minority.
Chris Parsons
First Deputy Corporation Counsel
City & County of Honolulu
(Via the Internet)
Police must do thorough traffic investigations
I understand Panos Prevedouros' frustration (Letters, Dec. 26) over being stuck in traffic and the length of time HPD takes to investigate traffic accidents. But he demonstrates ignorance by blaming the officers and by suggesting that they are not properly trained.I am an HPD officer who has been at the scene of more than 100 traffic accidents. It takes an officer about 15-30 minutes to investigate a "manini" collision. Any more time than that is usually spent either waiting for vehicles to be towed or for vehicle fluids, which may be hazardous to ensuing traffic, to be cleaned off the road.
If an investigation takes over two hours, it is usually because someone involved in the accident has either died or are in critical condition. Because of the seriousness of the situation, the parties involved are afforded a thorough investigation by the vehicle homicide section. These officers are specifically trained to investigate motor vehicle collisions.
Prevedouros states that our officers need to be trained to "get in step" with contemporary national practices. Perhaps he would be qualified to make such a statement if he were an expert in law enforcement, but he is an associate professor of civil engineering.
Therefore, he should be blaming the members of his own profession, as it is they who designed Hawaii's roadways -- roadways that can become ineffective during a traffic accident.
Christian Roylo
Mililani
(Via the Internet)
Congress should consider meeting via the Internet
I don't know about the rest of you, but I think it's time to end this ridiculous fiasco in Washington D.C. I'm not just talking about the whole Clinton debacle; I'm talking about the entire ongoing mess.A long time ago we sent our representatives to Washington, D.C., so they could meet and vote on issues that concerned our everyday lives. Now it is no longer necessary for these representatives to go to our nation's capitol. With all the vast telecommunications networking available today, these representatives can stay home and vote from here.
The state of video teleconferencing technology today is such that any discussion and debate can be accomplished electronically. We do it every day via our home computers and on the Internet.
The benefits to the country would be enormous. Representatives would be here in the real world and keep a grip on the issues that concern their constituents, not to mention the added benefit that we could keep an eye on them. Second, the savings would be incredible and would rein in the staggering cost of having to support the representatives and their staffs in Washington.
Even if we paid representatives a million dollars a year, allowed them to have one or two assistants and installed the latest technology in their homes or (modest) offices, the cost would be a drop in the bucket compared to what these characters are costing us now.
R.L. Parnell
Haleiwa
(Via the Internet)
Where is the grand plan for hi-tech Hawaii?
Again and again the magic wand of "high tech" is held aloft like Excalibur, poised to solve our economic problems with one gigantic stroke. But I have yet to see any sort of "business plan" for high-tech industries and Hawaii.If you are going to proclaim this magic elixir over and over again, surely, you must have the financial details. Show us the money! What money does the state plan to invest and where is it going to place our tax dollars? What money is the private sector going to provide and where is it going to spend it in our economy?
It is irresponsible to keep proposing a fantasy solution for our deeply seated economic and educational problems. There is no magic elixir! If high tech didn't work in Oregon, which has one of the best higher educational systems in the country, a low cost of living, and a strategic location between Silicon Valley and Redmond, Wash., what makes our leaders think that high tech will work here? Please, please show us the details in dollars and sense.
David Webb
Mililani
(Via the Internet)
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