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Saturday, May 1, 1999

Democrats are famous for doing nothing

I am continually amazed when otherwise intelligent people seem perplexed as to why our governor and legislators do nothing, year after year, to correct the state's festering problems.

David Shapiro, in his April 24 column, seemed almost on the verge of a nervous breakdown describing how Cayetano blamed his Democratic Party brethren as "incapable of making tough decisions," to which they retorted that Cayetano is running a "do-nothing administration."

Pointing fingers, forming task forces and ensuring their next election success through pandering to the unions are the modus operandi for the Democrats.

To inanely ask why voters continually elect the same politicians and expect different results only demonstrates that you get what you vote for. The real question is whether Hawaii can survive another four years of this.

Garry P. Smith
Ewa Beach

Don't balance budget on back of retirees

When are our politicians going to keep their hands off state employee retirement funds? The money is for state and county retirees, period.

Why doesn't membership in the system have a say about the funds? Maybe it is time to get a class-action lawsuit together and have the system removed from the state budget.

Perhaps then we can hire a private trust to manage and administer the funds to benefit the retirees, as was intended in the first place.

Floyd Burns
Pearl City

Funds must be restored to Bishop Museum

I have written a strong recommendation to the Hawaii Legislature and to the governor that substantial appropriations be added at this late date to bring the proposed state appropriation for Bishop Museum ($380,000) back to where it was in 1990 ($2.2 million). I realize that the state government's funding situation is difficult, but it is absolutely essential to maintain the services of this premier institution, so crucial for anyone whose work involves biological knowledge in the Pacific region.

Bishop Museum is the repository for biological specimens upon which all work on the topics of biodiversity conservation and the detection and management of invasive alien species depend.

Yes, I am far from neutral because my own work involves these topics, but I am confident that the future quality of life for people in Hawaii and throughout the Pacific depends upon such work. I am also confident that if crucial services of the museum must be shut down, conservation in Hawaii and the Pacific will languish.

Lloyd L. Loope
Makawao, Maui

"Officially, the HGEA position (on Bronster) was neutral. I went to (Russell Okata) and asked him." Brain Kanno STATE SENATOR Explaining how he went to talk to Russell Okata of the HGEA before deciding to vote against the confirmation of Attorney General Margery Bronster "Personally, I think it's a kid with too much free time." Robert Stevens RADFORD HIGH PRINCIPAL On who might have planted a phony bomb at the campus, which closed the school for a day

Sharing the wealth will stem flow of brain drain

Thank you for your series on Hawaii's brain drain. It should be required reading for everyone holding any political office in Hawaii.

My daughter, who graduates from Cornell University in May, and I will live in Hawaii at least as a home base at any cost, but only because my parents and grandparents sacrificed their entire lives working in the plantations to buy land that I now live on.

Land is the door, and water is the key to open the door. Both of these are in the hands of major corporations that now live in fear of not knowing how to control what they have, and having too much of it.

Share the water, share the wealth, share the ability to develop and land prices will drop. People could live humbly on the land and miracles will happen, lest the serpent eat its own tail.

Audrey Antone-Blaak
Makawao, Maui
Via the Internet

Convention center looks like a white elephant

The American Moms Convention is going on this week at Hilton Hawaiian Village. We haven't heard anything about conventions being held at the Hawaii Convention Center.

What is wrong with the center? The facility is certainly big enough. But maybe it isn't convenient enough for conventions.

Taxpayers have to consider the possibility that it was all a big waste. Are the center's promotion and operation OK? This looks serious.

Takashi Endo

Dogs should be barred from Kailua Beach

I walked Kailua Beach regularly, day or night, because I enjoyed it so much. It was refreshing and soothing to the soul. On a recent Sunday night, however, my serenity was shattered. I was bitten in my right thigh by one of two unleashed dogs. The owner ran away and called his dogs to follow him.

I will continue to walk Kailua Beach, but it will never be the same. The feeling of safety is missing. I don't want dogs on Kailua Beach. If the law must allow it, dogs should be on leashes, with stepped-up police enforcement and large fines for disobedient dog owners.

Randy Higa
Kailua

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