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Kauai is too eager to please Pflueger

Mahalo to Star-Bulletin writer Gary Kubota for his excellent Aug. 29 story, "View interrupted," on the disappearing ocean view along Kuhio Highway on Kauai.

To illustrate the way things are done in the county government on Kauai, note the following words from Deputy County Engineer Ian Costa to Jimmy Pflueger, referring to the fact that "the executed work does not correspond to the approved drawings."

Costa offered Pflueger the following: "Therefore, either the permit drawings will need to be amended to reflect the conditions at the project site, or the site conditions will need to be corrected to match the approved drawings."

One wonders if the Kauai police, on stopping a motorist going 80 mph, would offer the following to the driver: "Sir, if you tell us what speed you were going, we can change the speed limit to match your speed."

Raymond Chuan
Hanalei, Kauai

City could have avoided Ewa Villages fiasco

Looks like everyone is pointing the finger at someone else in the Ewa Villages scandal.

What no one is saying, however, is that the Federal Accounting Standards Board in FASB No. 34 decreed a few years ago that all cities and states should comply with generally accepted accounting practices by 2002.

That means city property will have to be inventoried and valued, deferred obligations will have to be booked, and that any CPA, businessman or City Council member will be able to look at the city books with great comprehension.

I wonder: If the city had complied with FASB No. 34, would we have had the Ewa Villages scandal? Oh, and by the way, why don't you ask city administrators what they are now doing about compliance with FASB No. 34?

If they fail to act, watch Moody's drop the city's bond rating with borrowing costs going out of sight.

Dick Rowland
Aiea

Quotables "It's a little hard to forget a Gulfstream jet." Steve Alm U.S. ATTORNEY IN HAWAII On former islander and bankruptcy filer Sukamto Sia, arrested by the FBI for three counts of fraud, including one charging concealment of $7.6 million after selling a jet for $20 million in 1997 "(In 1994) I lost to Jeremy Harris. In 1996 I ran again and lost to Jeremy Harris. So it's about time that I win." Lillian Hong A SMALL-BUSINESS OWNER WHO IS AMONG EIGHT CANDIDATES RUNNING FOR MAYOR OF HONOLULU During a forum at the Pohai Nani retirement complex sponsored by the Kaneohe Business Group

Many still struggle to make livable wages

As Labor Day approaches, most families are preparing for the three-day weekend. News that Hawaii''s economy is finally getting better is certainly uplifting.

But underlying the good news and celebrations are the stories we don't hear about: the many low-wage workers who aren't getting the benefits of a rosier economy and who probably won't even get Labor Day off.

As we prepare our picnics, put on our beach clothes and load our stuff and ourselves into our cars, let us remember the individuals whose labor brings us the things we enjoy. Workers across the globe, throughout the U.S. and right here in Hawaii deserve safe working conditions, livable wages, dignity and respect.

The wealthiest nation in the world still has a lot of work to do to eliminate economic inequality for those whose labor creates this wealth. Labor Day is a once-a-year event, but a vision of economic justice, shared by all religions as well as the labor movement, is worth holding onto year-round.

Nancy Aleck
Director Hawaii Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice

Gore feigns ignorance about fund-raiser

After reading your Aug. 24 editorial, I'm amazed how anyone could believe Al Gore didn't know he was attending a fund-raiser when he went to the Buddhist temple. As far as I know, he isn't a member of that faith -- although from what we've seen in the past 18 months, I suspect that he was on that day.

Gore didn't know he was going to a fund-raiser? Give us a break! Think about it. How many sitting vice presidents travel all the way across the nation to make a newsy visit to a Buddhist temple?

Everyone else goes to a religious center for a better purpose than receiving money.

Ray Thiele
Kailua

Aiea's world champs know meaning of aloha

The parents of the Aiea Little League Junior Division All-Stars that won the 2000 World Series championship in Taylor, Mich., want to thank all who provided support, donated much-needed funds, and volunteered endless hours in preparing the team for the ride of a lifetime.

While the boys started off on different baseball teams, the entire Aiea community cheered us on. And, as we traveled the road to the World Series, we met lots of folks who had once lived in Hawaii but who reside on the mainland.

Through them, we learned that the spirit of aloha and ohana never dies. Especially memorable are a couple of incidents:

While the team was playing in the division tournament, we met a bunch of families that grew up in Hawaii but who now live in Boise, Idaho. They invited us to a picnic where they served delicious local grinds such as kalbi ribs and rice, layered California sushi and macaroni salad, along with Idaho favorites like smoked elk. They also provided the food at our championship celebration dinner. Not only did they cook for us, they came out in full force to cheer on the boys. They even waved a big State of Hawaii flag and arranged to have a Ka'u Crater Boys CD played over the PA system. This was a big boost, particularly when we played the home team.
As we were huddling around the elevator entrance of a hotel in Oakland, Calif., a gentleman asked us where we were from and what we were in town for. When we told him, he wanted to know if there was anything he could do to help. Later, he secretly donated a very generous amount of money to the team. It turns out that this man lives in Kona and was in Oakland on a business trip. He wouldn't give us his name, but goes by the nickname, "CJ." The team thanks him very much and hopes that he reads this letter.

As players and parents reflect on this championship, it's good to know our boys have learned more than baseball. They've acquired new friends, learned the value of teamwork -- on and off the field -- and experienced the true aloha spirit through their encounters.

Dani Asuka

Congressional delegation should reconsider

We've all seen the expensive, full-page ads by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs trying to convince the public that the sovereignty activists should be granted the status of Native American.

We have also seen our congressional delegation fall all over themselves in supporting this action. Representatives Mink and Abercrombie and Senator Akaka seem to have forgotten that there are more than a million non-sovereignty types in Hawaii who would like to remain citizens of the U.S.

As one of them, I ask these politicians the following:

Do you represent all the people of Hawaii or just OHA and its supporters? Have you considered how this will affect other citizens?
Every one of OHA's demands will cost Hawaii taxpayers a lot of money. Will we, our children and grandchildren be hit with higher income and property taxes to pay for all this?
If they receive Native-American status, will these new minions be subject to their own laws and constitution, and no longer to U.S. law? Will they then be allowed to discriminate against other races?
If all the so-called ceded lands are turned over to this new government, how does that affect our economy? There are airports, schools, hospitals, etc. on much of this property. What would prevent them from gouging the public with higher rents -- like in the heady days of Bishop Estate?

Art Todd
Kaneohe

Conklin should go back to the mainland

As a haole with a deep appreciation and profound love for these islands, our people and our diverse cultures, and who has lived here almost 24 years so far, I have a message for Kenneth Conklin: Butt out.

His quest for a seat on the Office of Hawaiian Affairs board of trustees, no matter how well intentioned, is inappropriate. Plus, he is embarrassing people like myself who strive to do good things in our own quiet ways.

I hate to sound like the infamous Haunani Trask, but it might be a good idea for Conklin to go back to where he came from. The Hawaiian people have already had to endure the missionaries who, like him, were well-intentioned.

In my humble opinion, Conklin hasn't been here long enough to know what is going on and to have paid his dues. Sir, please give up your campaign for OHA trusteeship. You're the wrong guy at the wrong time.

Robert "Rabbett" Abbett
Kailua

Were Kamehameha's methods legal?

I am not for or against Hawaiian sovereignty. It's not for me to say. But, as I've read many letters to the editor setting forth the U.S. government's illegal takeover of the Hawaiian kingdom, one vital fact always seems to be missing.

According to my understanding, when Kamehameha decided he would be ruler of the islands, anyone who disagreed with him got pushed over a cliff or suffered some other lethal action. Is this the "legal" Hawaiian kingdom to which people keep referring?

Caroline L. Dunn

OHA Special

Rice vs. Cayetano arguments

Rice vs. Cayetano decision

Holo I Mua: Sovereignty Roundtable

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