Star-Bulletin closing after 117 years A selection of letters expressing reader reaction in View Point

Sacred Falls mourner shouldn't be charged

Sometimes the people who make up the workings of our state government make me wonder what planet they are from.

Gary Moniz, head of the state Conservation and Resources Division, is a prime example. A man came from California to visit the site at Sacred Falls Park where his fiancee was killed but he was refused permission to go there. He went anyway, did what he had to do and no one got hurt.

So now, Moniz is considering filing criminal charges against the man? Obviously, he has never lost anyone dear to him and cannot understand the need for closure.

But for goodness sake, forget about your pride, Mr. Moniz, being hurt by this man's disobedience and let the matter drop. Leave him with his grief.

Steve Lombard
Laie
Via the Internet

Government resists access to records

Something is inherently fishy about charging the public 50 cents a page to copy a public document.

Last year, the Legislature passed the law mandating such a charge for all state agencies. Legislators then responded to the public outcry in their typical good-for-nothing fashion: They passed an amendment -- not placing a limit on the charges -- but setting a minimum price.

This requires departments to charge no less than 5 cents a page. Boy, that sure remedied that problem! What were they thinking?

Governor Cayetano could have instructed state agencies to charge a fair, uniform price, but preferred leaving it up to the whims of his department heads. What was his reason?

Furthermore, the state budget department is required by a separate statute to charge 50 cents a page for copying. Why?

Simple: An exorbitant copying charge discourages the public from accessing public documents, which helps keep the people ignorant as to what our elected officials are up to.

Roy Frank Westlake

Here's real reason that men channel surf

My wife and daughter lightheartedly scold me about my "habit" of skating quickly through the channels of our TV set. They accuse me of mindfully exercising the power of life and death over these programs with the dexterity of a mad terrorist.

Not so. It is by no means a habit; it is an excellent skill -- fine tuned with diligence and practice, and driven by a father's duty as protector of the family.

There are too many commercials, many of them long and tedious. There are many programs that are uninformative and worthless. Also, too much of the information on TV is propaganda, pornographic and harmful, all invading our home through the tube.

In this electronic age of information overload, someone must step forward and guard the gates to protect the family. To do this, I have honed my ability to -- within seconds -- judge what may be harmful and then, with the digital agility and quickness born of paternal duty, I zap the offending programs.

God bless us fathers.

Nelson S.W. Chang

Quotables "Honestly, I don't feel like I've paid my dues. On the other hand, I wish I had done this a long time ago." Melissa Short FORMER MISS HAWAII On making her debut as the lead in Diamond Head Theatre's "Cinderella" "Their priority seems to be suing corporate interests rather than determining why our people here are sick." Cheryl Yamane VILLAGE PARK RESIDENT Told by attorneys and a toxicologist who conducted a health survey of the Waipahu area that they have enough data to sue pineapple and sugar plantations, and the chemical companies which supplied their pesticides, over higher instances of illnesses in the area

A.G. misstated position on Hawaiian claims

The Aug. 10 letter co-authored by four attorneys of the Individual Claims Unit, state Department of the Attorney General, misstates the law and what the governor's veto actually will accomplish:

The Legislature did not "side" with the governor's position on the claims process. The 1997 Legislature did enact a law subsequently ruled to be unconstitutional on the basis that it improperly delegated legislative authority. During this past session, the attorney general attempted to enact into law what the court had ruled to be unconstitutional. The A.G.'s proposal was rejected by the Legislature, a major concern being the impact of the law upon the 50 percent of the claimants who have completed the claims process.

The governor vetoed the bill because the Legislature did not implement new criteria. The veto may cause the filing of up to 2,800 lawsuits by Dec. 31, 1999. The claims processed to date represent a monetary amount in excess of $16 million, plus the possibility of attorney fees and costs assessed against the state.

What is most troubling is the impact of a lengthy legal process on elderly claimants. These claimants have not and will not realize their dreams of living on a homestead. Now, they may not receive their just compensation for the state's breach of trust.

It is an abdication of responsibility when the governor chooses to have the judiciary make policy decisions. This is what the A.G.'s Office is now advocating, when lawsuits are viewed as the best way to resolve an issue.

Sen. Colleen Hanabusa (D)
Chairwoman,
Committee on Water, Land
and Hawaiian Affairs

Tax-exempt estate is public's business

Jack M. Schmidt Jr. suggests in his Sept. 9 letter that we should mind our own business when it comes to the Bishop Estate.

He omits one small detail: The estate is a tax-exempt trust and therefore is exempt from millions of dollars in taxes. The rest of us have to ante up all that money every year.

If the Bishop Estate decides to pay all the taxes it would otherwise be subject to, perhaps the IRS and others can butt out. Until then, unless Schmidt plans on paying their taxes for them (as well as Milton Holt's hostess bar tab), I am happy that someone is watching the farm.

Khal Spencer
Via the Internet

Abortion as crime fighter is horrifying

It saddens me that A.A. Smyser said in his Sept. 9 column that the Star-Bulletin was proud to have stumped for abortion legalization in the 1970s, and that this may have led to a reduction in crime in the 1990s.

When I was in Costco yesterday, I noticed two young boys stealing some Pokeman toys. Does anyone really believe that these two precious young boys should have been killed earlier to prevent their future crimes?

Steve Holck
President
Aloha Pregnancy Care & Counseling Centers
Kailua

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