Norman Mizuguchi is displaying arrogance

Senate President Norman Mizuguchi has reached the pinnacle of arrogance by completely isolating himself from his constituents. He does not take or return telephone calls. He does not answer or even acknowledge letters. If he has an e-mail address, his office staff will not divulge it.

Every indication is that the senator is not aware of or does not care about the opinions and needs of his constituents. His political actions benefit only special interest groups and political expediency. His appointment of Gary Rodrigues to the Judicial Selection Committee and his vote against Attorney General Margery Bronster were only two examples.

How sad to realize that voters in our district will very likely have forgotten all of this at election time.

Dean Powell
Aiea
Via the Internet

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Bill would aid secrecy of tourism authority

The Honolulu Community Media Council, by unanimous vote of the 40 members present at our May meeting, has asked Governor Cayetano to veto HB 221, "A Bill for an Act Relating to the Hawaii Tourism Authority."

We are alarmed about the passage of this bill that authorizes the HTA to withhold from public inspection and copying any consultant's report and internal analysis relating to the formulation of the strategic tourism marketing plan.

We strongly object to the process by which HTA has decided it has the right to withhold certain information for at least 18 months on the basis that releasing it might hurt Hawaii's "competitive edge" in the tourism marketplace or otherwise "frustrate" the board's business efforts.

The secrecy provision was added during conferences between members of the House and Senate and was never opened to public discussion.

Our members are indignant that the HTA and supporting legislators have passed a bill that runs roughshod over our rights as citizens to be informed of plans and practices exercised in our names and with our tax money.

Helen G. Chapin
Chairwoman
Honolulu Community Media Council

Drivers of mayhem are plentiful

Danger lurks in many forms on our highways (Star-Bulletin, May 12, "Fast and deadly"). The situation worsens with aggressive and reckless drivers who refuse to obey the posted speed limits, overtake on solid yellow lines and while going around curbs, and who accelerate during a heavy downpour or in a dense fog.

Then there are the drivers who, for some odd reason, hesitate to activate their headlights during dawn's early light or when evening appears. This situation makes passing other vehicles very dangerous.

But the biggest clown of all is the inebriated motorist who is an accident or death waiting to happen. Constant emphasis of safe driving habits can never be overstated or outdated. So please, all you light-headed, hard-headed and heavy-footed maniacs of mayhem, chill out.

McWarren J. Mehau
Mountain View, Hawaii

Quotables "I knew when we established the show we would be looking at a variety of traveling venues. But (we never) imagined we would be showing at the Smithsonian." Arnold Hiura HAWAII JOURNALIST AND EXHIBIT CURATOR Excited that the traveling display, "From Bento to Mixed Plate: Americans of Japanese Ancestry in Multicultural Hawaii," has opened in the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries Building in Washington, D.C. "I figure when they start winning, (then) they can raise prices." Darryl Tamura UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII SPORTS FAN Complaining about the increased cost of season tickets for UH football, despite the team's 0-12 record last season

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Public health school needs resuscitation

Governor Cayetano and I share a vision of Hawaii as the center for health and wellness in the Pacific, where we can provide world health-care opportunities found nowhere else. If we expect to achieve this status, we will need health professionals trained in public health practices appropriate for Hawaii and other areas of the Pacific.

To this end, no single institution is more important than the UH School of Public Health. Since it was accredited in 1965, thousands of health professionals have graduated from the school and are now working in Hawaii and throughout the Pacific area and Asia.

Yet the existence of the school and its programs are in jeopardy because of a lack of funding and support by UH. Since 1992, the school has not had a permanent dean. Years of budget cuts and prolonged neglect have resulted in a 40 percent reduction in faculty and staff.

If we expect to protect and preserve the health of our people and teach others, we must commit sufficient funds to enhance these programs.

Bruce S. Anderson
Director, Department of Health

Quarantine facility should be privatized

What a disgrace! Had the state Department of Agriculture raised the price of a 30-day stay in the state Animal Quarantine from $290 to $655 in 1997, I never would have moved here. This is rapidly (or should I say rabidly?) turning into a farce.

Service at the present facility leaves much to be desired:

The entire station shuts down at lunchtime for two hours.

It is closed on Mondays, Fridays and holidays.

The facility closes at 4:30 every afternoon it is open, except on Wednesdays, when it closes at 5:30.

If you are working, you can't visit your pet at all. Since this self-serving bureaucracy ignores the needs of those who pay it, the quarantine facility should be turned over to private enterprise.

Rhoda Goo
Aiea

Harris engineered new Council leadership

As I hear the new City Council majority of six deny that Mayor Harris engineered the removal of his so-called rival and bravest critic, Mufi Hannemann, as Council chairman, and that the six did it as a team because of Mufi's budget stance and style, I say this: Give me a break!

From a Council observer's standpoint, it is clear that Harris saw Hannemann as a threat. Harris used a heavy hand in threatening city employees to come out by scaring them into believing that their jobs were going to be cut.

Who was the one who proposed laying off city employees last year? Harris! And wasn't it the Council that, in fact, insisted that city employees not be fired over Harris' poorly planned reorganization of city departments and agencies?

It's time the public sees Harris as the long-nosed Pinocchio he really is.

Lorraine Crichton

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