The death of the van cams
Mansho's next home should be in prison
Rene Mansho apparently resigned her seat on the City Council as part of a plea bargain. Is this an indication of yet another slap on the wrist reserved for our elected politicians compared to the harsh punishment that an ordinary citizen would have to endure for an equivalent crime?It is clear that Mansho's abuses are significantly worse than the crimes committed by Andy Mirikitani, who now is serving time in prison. The treatment of Mansho should not be blurred by gender bias or her political connections. She knowingly did the crime; now she must do the time.
Because of the magnitude of her larcenous schemes, employee abuses and attitude of self-entitlement, Rene Mansho belongs in prison. This would illustrate, once and for all, to our elected officials that we voted for them to serve us, and not their own greedy needs.
Michelle Schultz
Military debate is about our country
Makua Valley is sacred ground and so is every ground we stand on.God created everything we see and everything we touch. So let's begin with the truth that people who object to our military training will compromise our freedom and the pursuit of happiness.
These people who stand against the principles of our country's freedom are like cancer and reject everything our country was built upon.
Sure, they will say, let's prevent wars and be neighborly, but did that ever work? Here we are in the year 2002 and our bookcase is covered with books about wars since the days of the early Bible.
Let's make no mistake. Our armed forces will fight to the death to uphold our country's freedom and the flag that we respect.
This is not an issue of Hawaiian sovereignty or any ethnic debate, but about our country -- America.
Let's not divide when our United States needs us the most. Let's stand up and be counted.
Adrian Silva Jr.
Terror will end when all people are happy
Can there be one sane and intelligent person on this planet who believes that by killing or capturing Yasser Arafat or bin Laden, terrorism will cease?Terrorism will subside considerably when every human being on this planet -- of any race, religion or national identification -- has shelter, food, fresh air, water and a future open to the opportunities he or she seeks and a way to pursue these opportunities. Not all of us want to be The Donald, a Saudi sheik, the Queen of England, Madonna or even the oil-rich Bushes. The planet could not sustain all of us living such lifestyles, anyway.
The planet is rich enough, however, to offer these options to almost every man, woman and child in the world today -- if we have sense enough and courage enough to limit our reproductive proclivities.
I think there are enough of us -- the sane majority, if you will -- of every race, religion and nationality to confront the challenge to make this happen. Join forces as members of the human race and speak out.
Bettejo Dux
Kalaheo, Kauai
United States cannot succeed in isolation
The article "Report says U.S. actions are hurting international law efforts" (Star-Bulletin, April 4) reveals one form of our leadership in deglobalization. While the United States leads the world in corporate globalization, we are said to be "undercutting efforts of other countries." There are other examples of our unilateral deglobalization actions.One of the earliest acts of the Bush administration was to cancel U.S. participation in global organizations for family planning. Soon afterward, America refused to sign the Kyoto treaty, which was approved by 166 nations, to deal with the environmental effects of national policies. The United States rejected the agreement in 2001.
The report notes that Bush opposes a treaty supported by Clinton -- an agreement by 139 nations to create an International Criminal Court. Bush also rejects a widely favored test ban treaty and has not signed an agreement with 140 nations to ban land mines.
All of these and many other deglobalizations are strongly supported by our rich, powerful and conservative leaders. To columnist David Sarasohn (Star-Bulletin, April 7), the Bush deglobalists are wrong in believing we can succeed nearly alone in the world.
Jerome G. Manis
Senator worked for Makakilo traffic light
I would like to thank my state senator, Brian Kanno, for his hard work and loyal dedication to our community. Over the years I have talked with Kanno on numerous issues, and I know he always puts his constituents as his first priority.A couple of years ago I was fighting for a traffic light at Makakilo Drive and Palahia Street. After battling it out with the city and the state Department of Transportation, I was told it was a dead deal. I continued to express my concerns regarding a need for the light to Kanno.
Kanno continued the fight and early this month the light went in to operation. What a difference the light made. It is now safe to turn at that intersection. Thank you, Senator Kanno. Your hard work will not go unrewarded.
Shane Kincaid
Makakilo
Fighting price-gouging isn't anti-business
Your story "House passes measure to cap gas prices despite objections" (Star-Bulletin, April 10) said in part that State Rep. Colleen Meyer (R, Laie) said regulation of gas prices will affirm to mainland businesses that Hawaii is unfriendly to business. It also said that the national average for regular unleaded gasoline the day of the story was $1.42 a gallon, while average per gallon prices in Hawaii ranged from $1.54 in Honolulu to $1.79 in Hilo and $1.87 in Wailuku.Meyer should know that any business that comes to Hawaii and lies, cheats and steals the way Big Oil has done is not welcome here. Better we create a public utility to take the place of Big Oil.
Meyer also said she thinks the Legislature is "moving too quickly." Anyone who thinks 40-plus years is "too quickly" should be eligible for state-sponsored psychiatric care.
It's not against the law to make a tremendous, rip-off profit? That's why we were forced to give up on our $2 billion lawsuit. Now we should make it against the law. Let's not wait another 40 years.
Robert G. Devine
Ocean View, Hawaii
Ownership change risks Ward service
I am dismayed at the sale of Victoria Ward Centers to General Growth Properties Inc. For some years, General Growth's Ala Moana Center has become less and less appealing for local residents. We've lost Ming's, Carol and Mary, Watumull's, Andrade's and so many more. Many of us don't feel welcome at Ala Moana.I have shopped at nearly every store in Ward Warehouse, for varied merchandise, fair prices and excellent customer service. I would hate to lose even one of these wonderful, unique stores. Tourists, too, seem to appreciate the ambience and merchandise selection. General Growth, please let us keep a superb resource.
Sylvia Stoddard
Mililani
Bottle bill is good for tourists and residents
As a citizen of Hawaii and a consumer, I strongly support the bottle bill. About 75,000 bottles and cans are thrown away every hour. States with bottle bills recycle more than 80 percent of their beverage containers; Hawaii only recycles about 20 percent.The public strongly supports the bottle bill. A bottle bill would make recycling easy by ensuring widespread and accessible locations to return containers.
Litter and trash leave the wrong impression on visitors. Residents and visitors alike would be relieved if bottle and can litter disappear from beaches and roads. A bottle bill would reduce costs of disposal, recycling and litter clean-up currently paid for by taxpayers.
Debbie Wyand
A few cents a bottle won't hurt industry
The bottle bill before the Legislature presents a powerful opportunity to clean up Hawaii's environment while raising our quality if life. Every hour, 75,000 bottles and cans are thrown away in Hawaii. These containers don't disappear. They go into landfills that pollute the environment and take away space from agricultural and residential use.Since Oahu's landfills already are reaching capacity and no neighborhood is welcoming a new landfill in its vicinity, doesn't it make sense to recycle, reduce and reuse to slow our frantic pace of waste disposal?
These containers, which otherwise would just rot in landfills, could go to good use by being recycled into new containers.
The beverage industry is against the bottle bill because it says the deposit and handling fee would cause people to buy fewer drinks. Data from other states that already have the bottle bill prove this to be incorrect. A few cents extra for a six-pack will not hurt the beverage industry, nor will it hurt consumers. Furthermore, what's more important: keeping the land safe and usable for future generations, or spending a few more pennies for our drinks?
Molly Broaddus Stubbs
City is passive about need for restful parks
It is unfortunate and misguided that our mayor and City Council limit local aesthetics to areas that impress tourists and ignore residential areas where the people live 365 days a year.Waikiki has been greatly beautified with shade trees, lawns and improved beaches. But shaded, passive parks in neighborhoods are few and far between. We residents were told not to expect aesthetic improvements in our parks or streets. I guess they spent all their aesthetics in Waikiki.
In Makiki, for example, even senior citizens cannot venture out of their concrete high-rise cubicles for a nice walk or talk or game of chess or cards in a cool, beautiful park. Nor can families take their friends, guests or keiki for a picnic in the huge field-like eyesore because of the scorching sun. It should be an oasis, a thick forest that invites all categories of people.
And how about Waikiki-type water falls and landscaping for us, too?
After tourists, next on the preferred list come athletes. The kids, who have huge playgrounds and athletic fields at all schools, get to have Makiki Park as well. All others are excluded from this uninviting ugly, uncomfortable field.
So families, seniors or anyone else seeking a decently landscaped, shady escape from their homes must go to Waikiki if they are able, or stay shut in. And they say charity begins at home.
Carol Ensworth
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Ding-dong, the van cams are dead!
Cams worked, lawmakers didn't
Legislature wasted $8 million in one day
I am extremely disappointed in our state Legislature's action regarding the van cams (Traffic cams dead," Star-Bulletin, April 10). In February, I spammed the legislators with e-mail asking them to wait until the courts ruled on the constitutionality of the program before taking up whether to fix or repeal it. This week the Legislature killed the van-cam project and the next day the courts stated that without identification of the driver the project was unconstitutional.What a difference a day makes. Had the legislators had fewer ants in their pants, the courts would have discarded the project for them and there would be no discussion of paying $8 million in damages to Affiliated Computer Services.
ACS certainly had its lawyers go over the agreements and they chose to accept the possibility that the courts might close down the project. This is a normal business risk and ACS executives decided to take a chance. What they did not know was that the legislative action one day before the court decision may have created a windfall for them.
Shame on the legislators for giving away our hard-to-come-by tax dollars.
Philip B. Sterry
Kailua
Van-cam repeal sets appealing precedent
The state government has just established a precedent that will come back to bite them in the rear end. They are repealing the camera vans because the speeders do not wish to pay for tickets.Hey, if we had only known it was this easy to get their attention. Perhaps we could organize the parents of children in public schools, the owners of land in Waikiki recently condemned by the mayor, lower gas prices and perhaps actually put people with more than 25 arrests in jail. It could be worth a shot.
Our attorney general is about to sing and I have to run. Cannot miss this.
Arnold Van Fossen
Traffic-camera vans violated civil liberties
The state's traffic enforcement program has been nothing short of an exercise in futility. The complete arrogance of the lawmakers to write into law a bill that goes against a basic freedom guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution is deplorable. If any of these lawmakers worked for a private company -- say, making investments -- and proceeded to invest in the manner that they write laws, the company would have been bankrupted in short order. The eyes of the legislators who enacted this bill were shut to any form of reason or due diligence.Kudos to Judge Leslie Ann Hayashi for striking down the portion of the law that allowed prosecutors to presume simply because a car was spotted speeding that the owner was driving. Had this not been stricken it could have set a dangerous precedent for "presumed guilt."
Those who put us down for wanting to repeal this ridiculous program because we are in favor of speeding must realize that this uprising had nothing to do with speeding and everything to do with protecting civil liberties. When a police officer gives you a ticket for speeding it is because he can show up in court and say that he saw you driving a car in a dangerous manner. Can a van operator do that? Now, should we start arresting people simply because they look like they are guilty of breaking the law?
Don Mangiarelli
Kailua
Hard questions about ACS contract
Here we are again facing another loss of millions of hard-earned tax dollars in the midst of this miserably failed traffic-cam "safety" program. Perhaps now is a good time for the citizens of Hawaii to really start demanding some explanations from our elected officials as to how exactly the company ACS came to be in Hawaii. Doesn't it seem strange that our "trusted" elected officials entered into a "temporary" three-year contract with this company, and doesn't it seem strange that this contract also included a $1 million pay-off if the program was cancelled prematurely? Also what about the fact that the state agreed to pay ACS a percentage even for tickets that could not be collected on?A government of the people, by the people and for the people ... I don't think so. It seems more like a government of a select few, by a select few, and for a select fews' buddies.
It's time to start holding our elected officials accountable for the decisions they are making on our behalf.
Daniel James Bryant
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Van-cams worked, Legislature didn't
Traffic cams brought safety to highways
Since leaving my birthplace of Hawaii four years ago I have remembered the frustration of watching everyone speeding and driving in a dangerous and sometimes crazy manner. I worked in the trauma room at the Queen's Medical Center for nine years and can remember when we would have a few bad accidents a week in the late 1980s to the early '90s.By the time I left in 1998 we had a few bad accidents every day. Trauma increased dramatically each year as people drove faster and faster and became less courteous. Motor vehicle fatalities became an almost daily routine. I would see people's lives drastically changed in a second due to a fatality or injury from an accident.
I visited Hawaii in February and noticed that the majority of the drivers were driving at the speed limit, and I felt a lot safer on the freeways. I was amazed at how safely everyone was driving. I truly believe that this was a result of the traffic cams and a heightened awareness of how fast everyone was going.
I am saddened to learn that the traffic-cam program has been cancelled. No one wants to get a speeding ticket, but it sure is better to have everyone slow down than to suffer the consequences of an accident. I hope Hawaii does not forget the aloha spirit on the freeways and roadways for their families' sakes now that the cams are gone.
Willy Oshiro
Seattle, Wash.
Legislators caved in to whining speeders
Let me be one of the first to congratulate our state legislators, the majority of whom appear to be puppets of their constituents, in their throwing out of the van cams. The bowing to pressure only demonstrates to our society that if you whine loud and long enough, you will get your way.By the way, what does this demonstrate to our younger generation? Speeding, which is by definition breaking the law, is OK, and even if you do get caught, a slick lawyer can get you off. No wonder our society is in the situation it is.
My voting for re-election of my state representatives and senators is not looking real good at this point. Look out, the Hawaii Speedway, otherwise know as the H-1, H-2 and H-3, is back in action and ready to claim more innocent lives.
James Roller
Lessons were learned from traffic cameras
Traffic cams are dead. What did we prove?
>> Laws matter only if you get caught. Change the enforcement laws to make it easy for people to sidestep the penalties. >> Laws are a matter of hypocrisy. Claim the right of innocence before proven guilty even though your registered car is witnessed speeding. >> Laws are whimsical. You can always tell which way the political wind is blowing, especially when it smells. >> Laws are established by manifest destiny. Get enough people to shout aloud at the Capitol and you can claim the right to rule. Whatever happened to civic and personal responsibility? Oh, I forgot. Speed limits are really just guidelines. Speeding cars are driven by amorphous beings from another world. Legalists live in compartmental realities. Politicians need jobs. And mob mentality has shaped our history. Congratulations! Feel good about reinforcing these idiotic notions.
Mark Obatake
Waipahu
Elected school boards should control funds
Now that the traffic cameras are gone for good, the Legislature can focus the remaining weeks of the session on fixing Hawaii's failing public school system. On the same day the van cams met their demise, House lawmakers passed legislation to ensure that voters, via a constitutional amendment ballot question, could choose to replace the state Board of Education with 15 elected district school boards.This was a huge victory to decentralize Hawaii's public schools. However, at this point the measure still might as well be called "A Bill for the 'Every' Child Left Behind Act," because, let's face it, without assurances to give the elected local school boards total control of their funds, every child in the state will continue to be left behind.
Tim Buckley
Waikiki
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