Is Hawaii embarrassed to be part of U.S.?

Dartmouth student Aaron Akamu complained about a planned luau-themed party by a fraternity/sorority, which was canceled as a result. Akamu claimed party organizers were "culturally insensitive" to host a big alcohol bash with grass skirts and fake leis.

Instead, Akamu should be screaming about Governor Cayetano leading a luau and giving away shell leis made in the Philippines at a San Francisco baseball game recently. This was the governor's way of celebrating the 40th anniversary of Hawaii's statehood.

Why go 2,500 miles to celebrate? Because it is not politically correct to do something like this in Hawaii. Did you note how there weren't any government-sponsored recognitions or proclamations relative to the 40th anniversary of statehood?

Don Arakaki
Ewa Beach
Via the Internet

Plan would improve Hanauma Bay

Many thanks to Susan Scott for her thoughtful Aug. 30 Ocean Watch column on conditions at Hanauma Bay and proposed improvements there. Mahalo, too, for your editorial encouragement.

An earlier, more ambitious proposal by the mayor for reconfiguring the park, formulated with limited public input, generated strong opposition and exaggerated rhetoric on both sides.

Scott's clear-eyed appraisal of the basic issues concludes there is a need for long-overdue renovations to the park's deteriorating facilities and for a modern educational center to teach visitors about the bay and how to treat it. These are the essential features of the new, scaled-down plan.

As president of the Friends of Hanauma Bay, I joined bay manager Alan Hong as facilitators of the task force commissioned by the mayor in June to help revise the original plan. We were greatly impressed by the degree of consensus reached.

I hope others who are interested in appropriate maintenance of this unique site and in the sensible use of our limited tax dollars will learn about the new plan.

Richard W. Baker
Member, Hanauma Bay Improvements Task Force
President, Friends of Hanauma Bay
Via the Internet

Quotables "He was very abusive right away. Within the first week, he was calling me all kinds of names. He started hitting me within a month with such rage. He choked me until I'd pass out. (Yet I) didn't want to be the bad guy to file divorce and take the kids away from the father." Gloria Riveira DOMESTIC ABUSE SURVIVOR On a 20-year abusive marriage that caused her to suffer from post-tramatic stress disorder, which is being treated by a new type of "talking therapy" being tested on 120 Hawaii women "(He) has shocked himself. In Japan when he was young, he overheard doctors tell his parents that they didn't expect him to live long." Johanna Won JAPANESE INTERPRETER On Tadao Sato, who celebrated his 102nd birthday at a party sponsored by the Japanese Women's Society at Kuakini Hospital

A better way to buy long-term insurance

In her Aug. 28 "Other Views" column, Vicky J. Beck purports to show by way of a numerical example that it is vastly more economical to begin paying for a long-term care insurance policy at a "young" age rather than at an "older" age.

In her example, the sum of the 35 annual premiums of $579.51 --each paid between ages 50 and 85 -- is $20,283, while the sum of the 15 annual premiums of $4,060.73 -- paid between ages 70 and 85 --is $60,911. The implied conclusion is that if you wait, you will pay three times as much for your coverage.

This argument is specious. Because of the time value of money, a dollar paid tomorrow costs less than a dollar paid today. The fact is, if you believe you can invest your money at 11 percent (a very reasonable assumption for the long-term annual rate of return on a portfolio of diversified U.S. common stocks), waiting (i.e., starting your insurance payments at age 70) will actually save you nearly 30 percent compared to the cost of not waiting and starting your payments at age 50.

Beck urges her readers to "work with someone who specializes in long-term care insurance." They should also work with someone who understands the theory of interest.

Paul E. Buell
Fellow, Society of Actuaries
Via the Internet

Ousted trustees should stop their whining

When are the former "majority trustees" of the Bishop Estate going to stop complaining about the loss of their jobs? They blew it so now it's time to pay the piper --along with their attorneys, the IRS and the estate.

Maybe if the media would stop giving them ink and air time, they'd cut out their unbecoming behavior.

Robin Williams Makapagal
Kaneohe
Via the Internet

Of course a war memorial is patriotic

I must respond to Juan Rivero's Aug. 25 letter, in which he takes exception to the mayor's alleged "patriotic rhetoric" to intimidate people not in agreement with the restoration of the Natatorium. Rivero said Mayor Harris is trying to paint these opponents as unpatriotic.

I'm not sure where he is hear-ing this so-called intimidating rhetoric, but those of us who have been working with the mayor since day one have not.

The Natatorium is a war memorial, and as such was built to recognize the patriotism, achievements and sacrifice of our veterans. It is hard not to talk about a war memorial and not have patriotism connected with it. War memorials are also a reminder of what was fought for, freedom.

Bill Daves
President, Oahu Veterans Council
Via the Internet

Grocers should share price info via Internet

That was an interesting comparative food survey in your Sept. 1 and 2 issues. But we do not grocery shop on the mainland.

What we need is for local food markets like Big Save, Foodland, Star, Ooka, KTA, Sack 'n Save, Sure Save, Times and Daiei to assist their customers with their own Web pages. Information should include store inventory, product size, cost, unit cost and quantity in stock. Data should be updated nightly.

This would allow consumers to comparison shop online. Go for it! This would be followed, I'd bet, by the smaller stores joining in on the competition.

William J. King
Via the Internet

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