This is no time to take hurricane money

I recently graduated from the University of Hawaii-Manoa with a degree in meteorology. Knowing some statistics in this field, I say it is a dangerous time to use any monies from the Hurricane Relief Fund.

In 1982 and 1992, Hurricanes Iwa and Iniki hit Kauai and West Oahu, resulting in severe and costly damage. Both years were El Nino years. Recent observations indicate a continued evolution of El Nino, which is associated with a wide range of climate anomalies, including a higher frequency of hurricane activity.

Legislators, be cautious. We saw what Iwa and Iniki did to Kauai. Imagine what could happen if a strong, slow-moving hurricane slams into Oahu. Something to think about.

Lance Yamasaki

State borrowing from fund is illegal

Your April 1 editorial on the proposal to borrow money from the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund is off the mark. Whatever you call it, raiding or borrowing from the hurricane fund is illegal. So the borrowing scheme of gubernatorial candidate Andy Anderson and Governor Cayetano is just another ill-conceived raid attempt, albeit one in slow motion.

Borrowing the hurricane money begs many questions. If the legislative leadership refuses to cut spending to balance the budget this year, how will they balance the budget next year when they have a similar shortfall and the first installment of the "borrowed" hurricane money plus interest comes due?

Will they "borrow" again from the remains of the hurricane fund? Or will they write legislation to forgive the debt and never repay the money?

Sen. Bob Hogue
(R, Kailua)
Minority Policy Leader

Why does education have to be cut first?

The April 4 Star-Bulletin reported that the Senate Ways and Means Committee voted to raid the Hurricane Relief Fund for $55 million to pay for education programs. The committee chairman, Brian Taniguchi (D, Manoa) said, " ... we'd like to fund education ... "

The implication is that if the state does not tap the hurricane fund, education in Hawaii will receive inadequate funding. Committee member Jonathan Chun (D, Kauai) said, "Tell me what libraries we're going to close, tell me what schools we're going to stop funding, tell me what classes we're going to have to cut, tell me what UH program has to go."

Of the myriad programs that the state pays for, apparently education is at the bottom of the funding priority list for many of our legislators. Otherwise non-education programs would precede it on the chopping block.

Apparently, education of our children ranks last in the minds of many politicians. Sort of tells us why Hawaii education ranks where it does among the states, doesn't it?

Doug Thomas
Mililani

Death should not be hastened by others

There has been much discussion lately about personal choice in death. All these stories from the proponents of physician-assisted suicide talk about watching a "loved one" waste away slowly without being able to hasten their deaths to avoid pain and expenses to family and friends.

This is not about personal choice -- this is abandonment.

We should remember the phophetic words of John Dunne: "Never cease to know for whom the bells tolls. It tolls for thee."

I would like to sincerely thank Sen. David Matsuura for his foresight and integrity in standing up to significant public scorn and not allowing bad -- and potentially devastating -- public policy to go forward. Physician-assisted suicide is bad public policy.

Death is the ultimate human act. We have too much we can learn from it to hasten it when pressured by this instant-loving society. When the time comes, I expect to savor every minute of my death so I can learn as much as I can.

Susan Golden
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Speeding isn't worth the grief it can cause

Curtis Takano's letter in the April 3 Star-Bulletin said the traffic-camera enforcement vans cost more money than we think. He is correct when he says the 4,000 speeding defendants will lose money in time off from work to explain why they where driving above the posted speed limit.

So what's a person to do to solve this problem? The best solution would be to observe and obey the posted speed limit sign to begin with. Then one would not be cited at all.

Now, what exactly does the fact that Hawaii has the lowest death rate, eight per 100,000, have to do with the camera vans monitoring the road?

It does not matter if Hawaii has the lowest death rate in the nation if yours is one of those eight families who loses a love one in a vehicle accident.

Let's use plain old common sense and courtesy when driving, and remember that getting there faster is not worth the life of another person.

Michael Nomura
Kailua

Stop trying to make UH something it's not

Who are these people who keep telling us that we have to join big-time football and spend money we do not have to meet this goal? Who are these wheelers and dealers who would cavalierly dispose of the treasured Rainbow name merely for marketing purposes and a touch of macho madness?

Do these people really believe that if they accomplish the ultimate and win the national championship that they'll even come close to matching the accomplishment of Hank Vasconcellos and his band of two dozen players who beat the Cornhuskers? Which accomplishment do they think would have given the players and the community more pride, more sense of achievement?

A sense of proportion and an understanding of the place of sports in a community must return to the University of Hawaii. Hurray to its sailing teams that accomplish more with less.

Richard C. Will

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