Canceling Legislature would aid economy

Each session the Legislature considers more than 5,000 new bills. Some of these bills add government controls to our lives, costing millions of tax dollars for staffing and funding. Others simply add taxes.

The remaining bills just add to the confusion by puffing union benefits, costing more millions. As seen in the 1999 session, very few bills add something meaningful to people's lives.

And don't even think about the cost of the legislative session.

If our anointed representatives really want to save the economy, they should vote not to have next year's session. The result: no new laws, no new taxes, no new union promises and a savings of millions in lawmakers' pay, session costs, staff salaries. Oh yeah, the state can make some money by renting out the building.

Peter Aiello
Maunalani Heights
Via the Internet

Taxpayers can't afford to subsidize hotels

If our legislature is so foolish as to pass legislation giving tax credits for resort construction, I hope the governor will veto it.

If the resort business is viable then it ought to be able to finance its own construction. If it can't prosper without subsidies, then it's not the kind of business we should be investing in.

State government should stop using the tax laws to tell the private sector what business Hawaii should be in. State government should (a) protect the environment and (b) remove present barriers to competition in business and education.

Neil Frazer
Kailua
Via the Internet

Quotables "We never thought of it as a competition. At first we were afraid none of us would get it. At the first reading, we were terrible." Jason Momoa Named to the cast of "Baywatch Hawaii" Describing how he beat out a thousand other local hopefuls in the "Baywatch" auditions "We'll come back, and we'll continue to come back (to Hawaii). But I don't think we will ever go back to Sacred Falls." Russell Phillips Honeymooner from Salt Lake City Who was injured along with his wife in a landslide that killed eight people on Mother's Day at Sacred Falls State Park

Bishop Estate board should be honorary

We can rejoice at the courageous decision of Judge Bambi Weil to permanently revoke the appointment of Lokelani Lindsey as a Bishop Estate trustee.

One of Lindsey's most damaging decisions was to unilaterally terminate the nationally acclaimed Kamehameha Early Education Program and the Traveling Preschools. More than 10,000 children in districts heavily populated with Hawaiians were deprived of a good beginning to life by Lindsey, who terminated 200 well-trained teachers and closed down the outreach program.

With new funding from the Carnegie Corp. and the Packard Foundation, the Good Beginnings Alliance has resurrected educational play-mornings for the keiki of Koolauloa and Ewa, and on Kauai, Maui and the Big Island.

The solution to keep future trustees from micromanaging is to convert the Bernice P. Bishop Trust Estate to a nonprofit corporation with an honorary board of directors, much like Harvard, Yale, Punahou and Iolani schools.

Even five angels from heaven, appointed by the probate court, would have difficulty managing a world-class educational institution as trustees instead of serving as directors with a world-class CEO in charge.

Robert R. Midkiff
President, Good Beginnings Alliance
Former Bishop Estate trustee

Senators have lost votes and respect

Rejecting Margery Bronster's reconfirmation as attorney general proves that certain politicians are not qualified to fill their positions. All 14 senators had their reasons for voting no. And yet, they're all full of baloney.

Sen. Marshall Ige knows that he's guilty of what he's accused of. Senate President Norman Mizuguchi is a back-stabber. As for Sen. Rod Tam, my family and relatives all voted for him in the past, but not anymore. I have a big family and, in the next election, he'll be minus their votes.

Jeremiah Estabilio

Lawmakers allowed estate to harm economy

One item that has been avoided for years in the ongoing Bishop Estate controversy is the impact of the policies implemented by these trustees and their effect on families and the economy.

Their disregard for the general population resulted in the loss of many businesses, hotels and related jobs, and brought financial devastation to thousands of families. Their unwillingness to invest in Hawaii has helped ruin our economy.

Our senators ignored these issues over the last 10 years for the sake of politics and personal gain. When exposed, they ignored them and the public voted them in again. When the governor showed courage and got good leaders to address our problems, our senators sabotaged the effort.

These senators are not leaders; they are out of touch and should be removed now. In particular, Aiea needs better representation than Norman Mizuguchi.

Rich Rosen
Aiea
Via the Internet

State already gives break to film industry

In his April 22 letter, Jack Law suggests that the state do more to attract the film industry to Hawaii by allowing retailers to treat sales to the film industry as wholesale sales, which are eligible for the excise tax rate of .5 percent.

State tax incentives already in place allow a motion picture or television film producer to claim a credit for 4 percent of the production costs and 7.25 percent of the hotel costs in Hawaii, plus an exemption from state income tax.

These incentives have benefited film producers including "Wind on Water," "Hotel," "Honolulu CRU," "Fantasy Island" and "Father Damien." These credits are easier to administer and track than the wholesale rate proposed by law.

Ray K. Kamikawa
State Director of Taxation

U.S., China must make amends

The news of the accidental NATO bombing of China's embassy in Yugoslavia and subsequent demonstrations in China really worry me. I hope the friendship and mutual respect between the U.S. and China can be restored quickly.

How sad if the misunderstanding and mistrust compounded into a war in this nuclear age.

It would be prudent for the leaders of the world to consider the limitation of using military might only for self-defense and to promote world peace and harmony through nonviolent means.

James C.S. Chou

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