City should follow private sector's lead

After watching the televised City Council deliberations over the budget, I think Councilman John DeSoto needs a reality check.

Where does he get off saying that taxpayers "don't give a rip"? I definitely give a rip. And I expect my elected official to give a rip as to how I feel about this issue.

My councilman, Steve Holmes, has failed me. He was the one person I could always count on to scrutinize the administration's budget. Now it seems like he has succumbed to being a rubber stamp for Harris. Gone are the days of accountability.

So many private businesses are experiencing the same fiscal crisis as the city, and have had to reduce costs, forgo pay raises and, yes, even let people go because projections are down. Let's get back to the business of the people and focus on basic city services. Cut the fluff.

Allison Aku-Sato
Kailua

Harris should find pay raise money himself

I applaud Governor Cayetano's decision not to release $10 million to the city to help fund its public-worker pay raises. As a state employee, we have seen layoffs and drastic cuts in our budgets, and have struggled to continue to do our jobs and provide needed public services.

If the Harris administration can cry that the city is hurting with its $130-million deficit, and then can "find" more than $20 million overnight for its budget, it should look harder to fund the pay raises.

Harris must make some tough decisions, just as the Legislature, governor and state employees have had to do.

C. Nakamoto
Mililani

Abercrombie clarifies his Kosovo votes

Your May 10 editorial on U.S. involvement in the Kosovo/Yugoslavia conflict hit the mark in several respects. We do indeed lack a coherent policy in which our means are appropriate to the ends. You are also correct in noting my efforts to encourage a diplomatic settlement.

Please allow me to amplify on my two recent votes in the House of Representatives:

I voted for HR 1664, the Defense Supplemental Appropriations for FY 1999, not because I support the current policy on Kosovo, but because the bill replenishes non-Kosovo-related accounts, which have already been depleted to fund operations in the Balkans. In addition, the measure includes a well-deserved pay raise for U.S. military personnel around the world, including those stationed in Hawaii.

I voted against HCR 82, which mandates removal of U.S. troops from "positions in connection with current operations against Yugoslavia," because of its over-broad wording. It would require withdrawal of U.S. troops providing humanitarian assistance for Kosovar refugees in Albania and Macedonia. If interpreted literally, it would also apply to U.S. bases throughout Europe and even installations within the borders of the U.S. itself.

Rep. Neil Abercrombie

A.G. isn't surprised that she lost her job

Margery Bronster is not naive and did not learn anything new from her job as attorney general. She is very sophisticated and fully understands that many of her recent travails came with the territory.

Basically, this evolves around the realities of money and power.

Randy Harris

Senate president deserves no thanks

In response to his low public opinion ratings, Sen. Norman Mizuguchi whines that he has a "thankless job." Somehow, I don't recall anyone forcing Mizuguchi to become leader of the Senate, or being overly concerned with the economy prior to this legislative session.

Could it just be a case of too little, too late? Perhaps that would explain why nobody is exactly heaping the mounds of praise on Mizuguchi that he thinks he deserves.

Terence Yeh
Via the Internet

Bishop Estate Archive

Quotables "It happened that way, no reason. Girl, girl, girl -- then boy." Ryuzo Yanagimachi UH PROFESSOR OF ANATOMY AND REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY On how University of Hawaii researchers, who pioneered the cloning of female mice, have now cloned a male mouse that fathered two healthy litters "We've just come to realize we'd much rather live on less and be happier in Hawaii." Chip Hawkins ATLANTA ELECTRICAL ENGINEER On how he and his family -- as well as other former Hawaii residents -- have decided to return to the islands despite the economic uncertainty

Mirikitani is right to protest BYOB bar

I used to think that Corky Trinidad was Hawaii's best cartoonist, until I saw his recent front-page mockery of Councilman Andy Mirikitani. This was an ill-informed attack, suggesting that Mirikitani is an immature crybaby whining about something harmless.

I am very grateful that we have somebody such as Mirikitani in public office. While others have their heads firmly stuck in the sand, he sees the problems this society has because of the proliferation of pornography and related businesses.

Corky should do some research and study the links between porn and sexual attacks, harassment and abuse, especially when the victims are children.

Kalina Chang
Kahaluu
Via the Internet

Waikiki has lost its Hawaiian charm

The sentiments expressed by Brian Yum's May 25 letter to the editor really struck a chord. I've been visiting Hawaii regularly for more than 20 years and have also noticed the gradual "takeover" by the designer stores, not only on Kalakaua Avenue but also in the Ala Moana area.

Each year another favorite restaurant or local business disappears and is replaced by a designer palace. I could be in Sydney, Beverly Hills, New York or any major European city.

While I realize things cannot always remain the same and that change is a natural progression, I do miss the atmosphere that was uniquely Waikiki. I would much prefer to support local businesses but they are getting harder to find; I guess they just can't compete with the big dollars offered for prime locations.

I shall, of course, continue to make my annual pilgrimage to Waikiki. From there I can catch TheBus to Kaimuki or any of the other local neighborhoods, where I know I can still find things Hawaiian.

Trish Bush
Sydney, Australia
Via the Internet

Legislature Directory
Hawaii Revised Statutes

---

Write a
Letter to the Editor

Want to write a letter to the editor? Let all Star-Bulletin readers know what you think. Please keep your letter to about 200 words. You can send it by e-mail to letters@starbulletin.com or you can fill in the online form for a faster response. Or print it and mail it to: Letters to the Editor, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802. Or fax it to: 523-8509. Always be sure to include your daytime phone number.