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Electoral College should be abolished

I am 31, was born and raised in Hawaii, and am somewhat learned (owning a baccalaureate degree from the University of Hawaii). I am also a jaded American voter.

I did not vote in the presidential election and, during Tuesday night's media coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court's presumably final decision on the counting of votes in Florida, I was reminded why. In fact, approximately 80 percent of people I work with did not vote either (established by a crude happy-hour poll).

In an election close enough to make every dimple chad presumably count, my vote wouldn't have in Hawaii. Gore had already won this state. So, even if there had been another election, Gore would have extended his popular-vote lead but the Electoral College would still have given the presidency to Bush. The time for election reform is near.

Al Miyahara
Pearl City

Tribute to presidential ripoff

Two men running for one big prize,
One of them was stupid, the other wise.
Large amounts of greenbacks
Were thrown about,
Everywhere they went to talk or shout.
The public was split on whom to choose,
But one of them must win, the other lose.
Finally the Big Day eventually arrived,
Many people voted,
Hoping their candidate survived.
When the last ballot was laid to rest,
People watched their TV
To see who passed the test.
When it was decided it was too close to call,
Some people were happy, others appalled.
Then the courts were called into the game,
For no one could decide;
The numbers seemed the same.
With attorneys and briefs from both sides,
Many arguments were presented
To help the courts decide.
The surprising result of all this hullabaloo,
Is that all who had voted didn't have a right to.
Turns out our constitutional right to vote
Isn't really there, someone forgot to note.
More than 200 years, it's been a mistake,
Our freedom is a fake.
Our Supreme Court justices
Will confirm this too,
You thought this was America
But the joke's on you!

Gina Maria Lay

Clinton is hero abroad but not at home

Clinton brings peace to Northern Ireland.

Clinton brings peace to the Middle East.

Clinton visits Vietnam.

He should stay home and worry about Hillary dumping him after she's sworn in.

John L. Werrill

President should not pick U.S. justices

The current system of the president appointing justices to the U.S. Supreme Court should be changed by whatever means. It is too political, since individual justices side with the ideology of whichever president appointed them.

Moreover, the current system lessens the checks and balance between the three branches of government -- the executive, legislative and judiciary -- allowing the executive to dominate.

A better system would be to have a group of government scholars screen and select a few candidates and to send the names of possible justices to a commission, created by Congress. The commission would select the justices from this list.

How Tim Chang

Quotables "I'm going to work harder than ever, because the odds are now huge." Beadie Kanahele Dawson HONOLULU ATTORNEY AND MEMBER OF SEVERAL WORKING GROUPS THAT HELPED TO SHAPE THE NATIVE HAWAIIAN RECOGNITION BILL After U.S. Sens. Daniel Akaka and Daniel Inouye announced that the measure is dead in Congress, and that a Republican president and divided Congress will make its passage even more difficult next year "The American people deserve a revised voting system so we don't have to experience this (again)." Steve Postmus MAKIKI RESIDENT Relieved that Al Gore has conceded and that George W. Bush has assumed the title of president-elect

Heco contributes to solar program

Your Dec. 4 article on the dedication of Hawaiian Electric Co.'s newest Sun Power for Schools photovoltaic installation at Kahu-ku High School highlighted one of the many exciting things that occurred recently for Kahuku.

The dedication event showcased not only the installation of solar technology at the school, but also the diversity of talents -- scholastic and performing arts -- of Kahuku High students. It's a partnership we're excited and proud to be a part of.

Readers may not have picked up on the fact that the PV systems now up and running at 14 public high schools were funded not only by Heco, Helco (Big Island) and Meco (Maui), but also by contributions from electric customers who voluntarily contribute to the program as a way to support renewable energy and Hawaii's schools. Several hundred of our customers have been contributing since the program began in 1996, making it possible for many additional schools to receive solar power.

Because of its success and importance to Hawaii's young people, Heco recently extended the Sun Power for Schools program for two more years.

Chuck Freedman
Spokesman, Hawaiian Electric Co.

David Murdock has done much for Lanai

Give me a break, Tim Dahlberg (Letters, Dec. 7). You've probably never been to Lanai. It's easy to take shots at David Murdock from Phoenix, Ariz.

Here's a tidbit of news that you should know before running your pen: Are you aware that Murdock had signed over 50 acres of land for Hawaiian homesteads on Lanai?

To my knowledge he is the only developer to do so.

He continually gives hundreds of thousands of dollars to our school. I hope one day he will build a new one on the island.

Yes, Murdock hopes to make money on Lanai someday -- and so do the 1,000-plus people who work for him.

Hey Tim, check your backyard. Before your missionary ancestors got to Hawaii, they had a run-in with the Indians of the Southwest.

John Ornellas
Lanai City, Lanai

Workplace violence is becoming less rare

I read with sadness the stories in your online edition about the stabbing death of the executive chef at the Sheraton-Waikiki.

Last January, I spoke in Hawaii at a meeting of the Oahu Industrial Security Awareness Council about violence at work and the seriousness of threat issues.

The November 1999 Xerox case in Honolulu shows us that this problem exists in the islands, and parallels similar sad events on the mainland.

In the vast majority of threat assessment cases in which I have consulted, co-workers knew about problem employees before they lashed out.

In retrospect, they often wished they had told their manager or others about the bizarre behavior, threats or building sense of rage in the perpetrator employee.

I hope Chef Matsuda's family will find peace in this trying time.

Steven Albrecht
Author, "Fear and Violence on the Job: Prevention Solutions for the Dangerous Workplace"
San Diego, Calif.

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Hawaiian issues remain

Ceded lands belong to all Hawaii residents

In his Dec. 11 column, Charles Memminger wrote, "Hawaiians have what should be a simple question for the state: 'You know that land we gave you to save for us all those years ago? Where is it?' To figure out which lands are ceded and which are owned by everyone else is a task."

Let me ease Memminger's mind. The ceded lands do not belong to any particular racial group. The state is not obligated to save the ceded lands for Hawaiians. Everyone collectively owns all the public lands of Hawaii (see aloha4all.org and angelfire.com/hi2/hawaiiansovereignty).

In 1978, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs was created. The Legislature then took away ceded land revenues from public education to give to OHA. The Legislature can easily correct the second mistake and can propose a constitutional amendment so the people can vote to undo the first mistake. The courts may correct both mistakes sooner.

Meanwhile, we certainly should not spend tax dollars to answer an obscure historical question. Government should help people based on need regardless of race, not based on race regardless of need.

Ken Conklin
Kaneohe

Akaka bill deserved defeat in Congress

The defeat of the Akaka bill is good news for the native Hawaiians as defined in the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920. It would have treated them different from other federally recognized tribes throughout the United States.

Under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, American Indians of one-half (50 percent) or more Indian descent are allowed to reorganize into tribes and set the criteria themselves for enrollment into their tribes. By contrast, the Akaka bill would have allowed anybody with one drop of Hawaiian blood, including those with "one ancestor out of 500," to set criteria for enrollment. This is a denial of equal protection.

Rather than reintroduce an unconstitutional and sloppy bill, Senators Akaka and Inouye should spend their efforts seeking to allow the native Hawaiians to reorganize under the existing Indian Reorganization Act of 1934.

Emmett E. Lee Loy

Don't criticize OHA without the facts

I am a firm believer that people are entitled to their opinions. Edith U. Ellis, in her Dec. 5 letter, says that, as chairman of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, I intimidate the administrative staff into doing my bidding and following only my directives.

If that were true, the OHA administrator would not have scheduled the swearing-in ceremony on Nov. 28, only to have the ceremony canceled because a candidate filed a complaint challenging the 2000 elections. Unfortunately, the administrator did not follow my advice.

Ellis opines that I have managed to keep the same staff attorney "to suit (my) motives" despite the fact that the entire board voted to rehire that same staff attorney.

Finally, Ellis states that OHA's former portfolio consultant was not rehired due to my influence. Again, the entire board voted to hire the new portfolio consultant whose fees to OHA, incidentally, are less than those of the former consultant.

Ellis would be better served if she understood the facts in lieu of casting aspersions based upon incorrect information or uninformed opinions.

Clayton Hee
Chairman, OHA Board of Trustees

Senator Akaka only wants to help Hawaiians

Could Senator Akaka be considered a racist? What would you label someone who looks to his own race as preferential for legislation?

When you look at his legislative record it would appear that he has but one agenda, to promote programs and bills for people who are of his own race.

Recently, Akaka proposed and successfully passed legislation that gave $200 million in housing assistance to native Hawaiians already receiving benefits of free land under the Hawaiian Home Lands program.

Prior to this, Akaka submitted a bill that would give Hawaiians their own government, consisting only of their own race, paid for by the United States. This is in addition to all the other Hawaiians-only programs that he has established, enhanced and perpetuated.

What about the other 80 percent of the people in Hawaii who do not have this royal bloodline to lean back on? Akaka has not only ignored the needs of the majority of Hawaii's citizens, he has continually pushed his own racist agenda that the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled as unconstitutional.

The melting pot of Hawaii includes all races -- Filipino, Samoan, Chinese, Hawaiian, Japanese and yes, even those of haole blood. Isn't championing the rights of one race over that of all others the definition of a racist? I would say so.

Garry P. Smith
Ewa Beach

OHA Special

Rice vs. Cayetano arguments

Rice vs. Cayetano decision

Holo I Mua: Sovereignty Roundtable

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