Will government please not cause gridlock?

It seems common sense has eluded some of our government officials when considering how to fix our gridlock problem. What should have been only a 20-minute commute recently turned into an hour and 15 minutes because of 1) a rubbish truck making its rounds and 2) a street cleaner sweeping the streets.

Mind you, this was during rush hour on perhaps the busiest back streets in Honolulu: School, Prospect and lower Manoa Road. Surely, a better time could have been chosen to provide these services. Traffic was backed up at both locations for over a mile. And this isn't the first time I've encountered this problem.

It would seem logical that these types of traffic nightmares could be avoided if they would only start an hour earlier or an hour later. Then all of our children would be safe in their classrooms, and moms and dads would have arrived at work, on time!

Lesa Roberts
Via the Internet

Direct foreign flights are good for Hawaii

In an Oct. 14 Dave Donnelly column, Republican Rep. Barbara Marumoto was reported as being bemused that Governor Cayetano wants regular flights to and from Tokyo's Haneda airport, rather than the distant Narita airport, especially since regular flights have existed for years between Honolulu and Haneda on China Airlines.

We should be careful not to trivialize or politicize our governor's carefully launched initiatives in this area, especially since the issue is a sensitive one among Japanese policymakers.

If such a statement was actually made by Marumoto, I strongly suggest that she join the governor and unify behind this important initiative to improve and increase air access between Hawaii and Japan.

Robert J. Fishman
Chief Executive Officer
Hawaii Tourism Authority

Don't blame workers for wanting parity

The real issue in the recently resolved dockworkers' dispute lies in the foundation of the Hawaii vs. mainland pay inequity. Having worked in the high-tech field in Silicon Valley, I made a decision to return to Hawaii. I get paid 40 percent less than my peers on the mainland, while having the same skills. But now I have a greater amount of work, tasks and functions that I'm in charge of.

Don't I deserve to be paid competitively in this land, where the cost of living is greater than in other cities? Are you telling me that it's my choice to live here and that I have to accept a reduced wage because everyone else, on the whole, makes less here? Don't tell me that it's the price I have to pay to have a job in Hawaii!

We shouldn't discriminate against longshoremen just because they want what we all want -- a fair share of what we deserve for the work that we do. If we deny them a competitive wage, we're perpetuating the price of paradise and letting employers laugh themselves all the way to the bank.

Kevin Jacinto
Lihue, Kauai
Via the Internet

Quotables "Messengers! That's what they were. The porpoises were there to welcome the ship. It was a stirring, absolutely magical sight. Like a painting come to life." Herb Kane HAWAII ARTIST AND HISTORIAN Marveling on the brace of porpoises that flanked H.M. Bark Endeavour as the replica of one of Capt. James Cook's ships entered Kealakekua Bay on the Big Island "Our desert is very precious and useful. Just because it's vacant doesn't mean it's useless. (Your governor) doesn't fully understand the desert of Arizona." Lucy Shipp CHAIRWOMAN OF THE YUMA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Decrying Governor Cayetano's comment that Hawaii should give up plans to build a 2,300-bed prison in Hawaii and instead build one in Arizona because "you can build it in the middle of the desert and nobody cares"

City is wasting money on Hanauma Bay center

Do you know of any wise business that would construct a new building and increase the staff to operate it without a clear idea of how it is going to pay for the new venture? This is exactly what is happening at Hanauma Bay.

Four years ago, the city built new buildings at Hanauma Bay that are now slated to be torn down to construct a new education center for patrons using the bay. The city spent more than $400,000 to design a new education center for Hanauma, when a world-class educator could have been contracted for under $100,000 to design a viable solution to the dilemma of how to educate park users effectively.

It's too late to save that $400,000 design fee. But it's NOT too late to save the $30 million it's going to cost after 20 years of principal and interest on a 20-year bond.

Do we need a new building at Hanauma or should we put the money into our own neighborhood parks? Let your City Council representative know. Your opinion counts. After all, it's your money.

Tom Henderson
and Dodi Gronau
Niu Valley

Hanauma Bay story was excellent

Congratulations to the Star-Bulletin for Gordon Pang's Oct. 27 article on the Hanauma Bay improvement project. The debate over the project at the City Council's Zoning Committee Oct. 26 meeting was reported in an objective, balanced and truly professional way.

I am a strong supporter of the project, but there are other views that deserved -- and received -- a hearing. Pang concisely but fairly presented the positions of both sides, as well as the deliberations among members of the Council on the issues raised. Your Oct. 28 editorial and letters sections further fleshed out the story.

Reporting like this does a real service in informing your readers on issues of public importance. It is one of many reasons that the Star-Bulletin is an asset to this community and, if it indeed closes, will be sorely missed.

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

Focus on one artist wasn't justified

I have some misgivings about your Oct. 8 article, "Neu World." While all the artists in the show appreciated the attention given to our show, it was Jason Teraoka who was featured in the article. If he "has the most to say about art," then let him say it, rather than attempting to compress his lifetime into a funny anecdote.

If your writer had talked to the entire group, she would have been able to provide some honest insight on the show and its artists. There was never a group "consensus" that one of us had more to say about art than any other.

I am happy that Jason got press, and he should get more, but we all did a lot of hard work for this show and should be represented.

Cade Roster
Via the Internet

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