Editorials
Saturday, April 17, 1999Legislature should
restore prison fundsGOVERNOR Cayetano's frustration with the Legislature's refusal to fund construction of a new prison is understandable. This should be a high priority for the state in view of the need to relieve overcrowding in the prison system and end the practice of sending inmates to mainland institutions.The issue: The administration's budget included $130 million for a new prison to relieve overcrowding, but the project was deleted by the Legislature.
The administration's proposed capital improvements budget included $130 million in general obligation bonds for a 2,300-bed prison, to be constructed near the Kulani Correctional Facility on the Big Island. But the project was deleted by legislators.
Cayetano charged that the prison was dropped to make more money available for "pork barrel" projects. He warned that he would block the release of funds for projects he considers unnecessary -- and might pardon inmates who were scheduled for release soon in order to relieve overcrowding.
The threat to pardon inmates was unwise and could backfire on the governor. But he has reason to be angry. The legislators don't seem to understand the urgency of this problem.
The governor could invite private companies to finance and build the prison, but this would be more expensive because the state can borrow money at lower interest rates than private firms.
Choosing a site for a prison will always be difficult because no one wants to live near it. Andrew Levin, co-chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, represents a Big Island district and opposes building the prison on the island. That position reflects the opinions of many of his constituents. But such parochial concerns must not be permitted to prevail over the strong state interest in dealing with prison overcrowding. A new prison is essential.
If the Legislature is incapable of confronting this problem, how can it be expected to deal with the much more complex issue of stimulating the economy? Neither problem is going to go away.
Refugees in Israel
This is the week when Jews hold annual memorial services for the millions of victims of the Holocaust. It was also the week when a planeload of refugees from Kosovo arrived in Israel. That was no coincidence. The persecution of the Kosovars evoked the pain of the Holocaust, spurring Israelis into action.
Israel accepted a small group of Kosovo refugees for six months although most are Muslims. The government has airlifted tons of food, medicine and supplies to refugees in Macedonia and Albania and has opened a mobile hospital in Macedonia.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the 112 ethnic Albanian refugees at the Tel Aviv airport. He told them that Jews have "a special sensitivity to suffering" and are moved by the plight of the Kosovars.
The Netanyahu administration encountered strong public criticism in Israel for initially offering only lukewarm support to the NATO military campaign against Yugoslavia; the prime minister subsequently endorsed the attacks.
Among the arriving refugees was a woman whose parents had sheltered several Jews during the Holocaust and had been recognized by the Israeli government. It seemed only fitting that Israel should reciprocate.
President Quayle?
DAN Quayle has announced his candidacy for president, and an unlikelier prospect would be hard to find.
As vice president to George Bush, Quayle became an object of ridicule for his misspelling of potato and other gaffes. It was painfully obvious that he could not function effectively in the national spotlight. His selection as a running mate was one of Bush's worst decisions.
Yet here is Quayle, seven years out of office, seeking the Republican presidential nomination against such probable or announced contenders as Texas Gov. George W. Bush, Arizona Sen. John McCain, former Red Cross director Elizabeth Dole, publisher Steve Forbes and commentator Pat Buchanan. They will eat him alive.
In launching his candidacy, Quayle pledged to rebuild the nation's moral values "after a dishonest decade of Bill Clinton and Al Gore." Granted, Clinton's morals leave much to be desired, but family values seem like a thin foundation for a presidential bid.
Quayle's biggest problem, though, may be to get people to take him seriously. Nothing is more damaging to a politician than to become the butt of jokes.
Published by Liberty Newspapers Limited PartnershipRupert E. Phillips, CEO
John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
David Shapiro, Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor
