Lawmakers should take salary cuts

The House Democrats narrowly passed the measure to dip into the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund using the old "scare tactic" in arguing that if the fund is not tapped, education and health programs would face the greatest cuts.

But before targeting a necessary safeguard like the hurricane fund, the governor and his cabinet members should take a 10-percent cut in pay and the Legislature should take at least a 5-percent cut.

Even if the cuts were made, they still would be making more money than they should. It is time for them to tighten their money belt in order to help balance the state budget.

The governor's proposal of using $213 million and the House scaled-down version of using $130 million from HHRF are proposals that would jeopardize the welfare of the state.

If they refuse to return the monies to the homeowner policy holders, it is more unacceptable for them to raid the fund and use it to balance the state budget.

Drew Kosora

Democrats want to run our lives

State-sponsored traffic cameras. Regulated gas prices. Government-controlled health insurance rates. Is there no end to the Democratic Party's desire to run our lives and interfere with free enterprise? They keep trying to stuff van cams down our throat and now they want to mandate both gasoline and health insurance rates.

The Democrats' argument for taking over health plan rates -- medical costs are going up, so lower health plan rates -- is like an onion. It might look all right at first, but once you peel off the skin it starts to stink. Don't forget what a great job Democrats have done running our public schools into the ground. Messing with health insurance is certain to run our health plans into the ground as well.

Here's a tip for Hawaii's akamai politicians: Tread lightly. It's an election year, and the public is watching. If you want to do something constructive, how about providing business incentives that put people back to work again?

Bud E. McGwire
Kailua

[Quotables] "It's time to show the United States that this United Nations team can do something." Predrag Savovic Hawaii guard and most valuable player in the Western Athletic Conference tournament in Tulsa, Okla. Savovic, a Yugoslavian, is joined by two Canadians, an Israeli and an American in the Rainbow Warrior starting five. -- "U-S-A, U-S-A." Tulsa basketball fans Chanting in an attempt to distract Predrag Savovic as he went to the free-throw line on the way to Hawaii's title victory over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.

Waimea Valley purchase is wise move

Congratulations to the North Shore community, the city administration, the City Council and the office of Councilwoman Rene Mansho on the acquisition of Waimea Valley for a county park. This is an exciting time for the North Shore and those who care about the valley.

Special thanks to the Stewards of Waimea Valley (recently awarded an international award for their work to protect the valley), City and County of Honolulu staff, staff of the Waimea Arboretum Foundation and Waimea Valley, and the residents of the North Shore.

These groups and individuals supported and participated in the Citizens Advisory Committee that successfully created the Community Master Plan for the valley.

This comprehensive process developed a clear vision of preservation for the valley and won immediate support from the North Shore Neighborhood Board and Mayor Harris.

Blake McElheny
Haleiwa

Speed cameras keep our streets safe

Yes, nobody loves them. They've been the brunt of jokes for months. But let's face it: We need the van cams. The police have obviously been ineffective in regulating speed limits. Anyone who's driven on the H-1 after midnight knows that fast cars were weaving in and out at speeds in excess of 100 mph.

State Sen. Bob Hogue stated that the van cams told the public that they cannot be trusted. He is absolutely correct -- the public cannot be trusted. That's why people are dying. The general public cannot be trusted to follow the speed limit, signal before changing lanes or even give pedestrians the right of way.

The intersections never seem to be blocked when a police officer is standing on the side of the road. It takes the presence of a uniformed officer to insure that people don't block intersections during rush-hour. The same applies for the speed limits.

The state Department of Transportation and the media are at fault for the public's perception of this system.

In all its wisdom, the state tried to ambush drivers by not releasing key bits of information about the purpose and use of the system, and didn't know how to answer simple questions.

The media didn't help by carefully taking only bits and pieces of whatever the department gave out and then rewording it to fuel the public's anger.

We do need these van cams in one form or another. The whole system should be revamped, but we need something to stop the reckless drivers.

Fletcher Young

Tomey is the right man for the UH job

It is great that Dick Tomey is considered at the top of the short list to replace Hugh Yoshida as athletic director at the University of Hawaii. He has the talent, the passion, the connections and the vision needed to take the UH to the next level of competition.

He has a love for Hawaii and local people and will be a formidable presence at the NCCA. He has coached in a major conference, has had his teams play in major bowls and has seen them defeat top 10 teams on the road. These are areas where the UH can benefit from his experience and competence.

As a graduate (Class of 1969) of the UH and season football ticket holder since 1974, I and many others have wished for this. Tomey is one candidate who we cannot allow to waste away his talents as a color man for a minor television station. Sign him up quickly.

Let us make the right choice based on talent and not one based on politics and provincialism.

Clarence S.A. Zamora
Aiea

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