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Lawmakers are great -- at hurting businesses

The state Legislature has been in session for less than a month, and already there are four proposals that would kill the local restaurant industry:

Raising the minimum wage to $9.50 an hour.

Raising the tax on alcohol and tobacco to pay for heroin and crystal meth programs. (We serve food and beer, not crack and smack. Pharmacies that provide the chemicals to create these drugs should pay for these programs.)

Raising the shipping cost on our product.

Reducing the driving-under-the-influence threshold to .04 from .08.

Are all of you legislators on the same page? You are suppose to be creating industry, not destroying it.

Michael K. Griffith

Other ideas abound for Hanauma Bay

No one is disputing the value of "education" at Hanauma Bay, although some do question the "must attend" requirement for visitors. We are confident that "education" via a 5-7-minute video can be met without building 13,000 square feet of buildings on the upper rim, including a "snack bar" restaurant and a gift shop.

The city has no business turning this beautiful conservation district site into a commercial, revenue-generating tourist attraction. No one is denying that the faithful volunteers at the bay should be rewarded but not at the expense of the natural environment.

We have positive suggestions:

Retain and use the buildings on site only for activities that must be done there, for example, user orientation, ticket sales and monitoring use. All other administrative activities and offices should be at the former Job Corps site.

Much more appropriate to the ambiance of the nature preserve would be the construction of a Hawaiian-style halau-type building under the kiawe trees for a briefing area.

Use a lunch wagon for the truly hungry. Gift shops can be found at Koko Marina or in Waimanalo.

Mayor Harris should listen to citizens who wish to comment, not only to his staff, paid consultants and volunteers seeking more convenient facilities.

Roy Benham

Mandate bike riding helmets for kids

Recent letters have objected to the child helmet bill currently before the state Legislature. Since our organization is strongly behind this bill, let me explain why:

State law already mandates helmets for those under 18 who are riding motorcycles or mopeds. The bill before the Legislature would bring consistency to the law.

The 1998 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report on cycling accidents, available online at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/ncsa/pdf/PedCycle98.pdf (Adobe Acrobat required) points out that children in the 5-15 age group have about double the death rate and almost triple the injury rate as cyclists at large. This is not surprising, given their lack of training and cycling experience compared with older folks. Serious brain injuries, unlike other injuries, last a lifetime.

The cost of a helmet is far less than the cost of a bicycle. And the lifetime costs of a serious head injury are shared by the community in the form of insurance payouts, medical care, special care for the learning disabled and loss of productivity.

There is ample precedent for the state mandating roadway safety equipment for youngsters. For example, child safety seats are required in autos.

We will continue to support this bill so that children are protected until they are old enough to make the helmet decision themselves as thoughtful adults.

Eve DeCoursey
Executive Director
Hawaii Bicycling League

Quotables "Loosen up a little bit, maybe think about losing the coat and tie for a while." Al Gore PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE Joking with Jay Leno, host of "The Tonight Show," and making fun of his own stiff and staid image "What it says is, if you've been beaten in the past, it's OK to kill." Keanue Shoaf RELATIVE OF MAKAKILO STABBING VICTIM ABE FIAAI After the prosecutor released Fiaai's wife, Sabrina, in the slaying pending further investigation because Fiaai had prior domestic abuse convictions

Department of Health needs support

Our state Department of Health is doing an incredible job on a shoestring budget. This is especially true with respect to the Adult Mental Health Division and the division that operates the State Hospital in Kaneohe.

The Adult Mental Health Division provides a consumer advocate to assist persons with serious mental illness so their rights are protected, and to help them get access to appropriate care. The central program administration of this division ensures that services are provided according to national standards, the best practices provided at the least cost.

Our State Hospital is seeking funding for community services for those meeting the criteria for discharge from the hospital.

If we don't support our Health Department, the consequences will/can mean loss of state land, higher taxes or loss of other programs to make up for the lost income. We all need to stop blaming each other and to pitch in to help the department that helps us.

Gordon M. Bronson

Service project could fix Kaimuki streets

This is in regard to your Feb. 7 article about Bank of Hawaii and the city arguing over ownership of streets and sidewalks in Kaimuki.

I am a member of the Army National Guard in Oregon, but I used to be with the 227th Engineers in Pearl City. The Guard is always looking for civilian projects as a way to recruit new soldiers and to give back to our communities.

Maybe the Hawaii Army National Guard could resolve the problem by fixing the streets in Kaimuki. A civil project is always a good way to do recruitment and earn the admiration of the public.

Michael Edgerly
Portland, Ore.

Legalized gambling will destroy Hawaii

Your legislators are once again discussing the legalization of gambling, a simplistic fix to a complex problem. Shipboard gambling is the worst type. It gives the casino a captive audience for the time the boat is out.

Locals who go to Vegas will now be able to lose their money all year long. Domestic violence and crime will increase, as will alcoholism, as losers become desperate. Many tourists will wind up broke in a week.

Money that spent by visitors in stores, restaurants, bars, groceries and at other attractions would be diverted to gambling.

Be prepared to hire more counselors for those suffering from gambling addiction, alcoholism, domestic abuse and depression.

Joe Segal
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

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