Clean up government before raising taxes

So the city wants to raise our real property taxes (Star-Bulletin, March 3)? Wait! Honolulu residents already bear a heavy tax burden. Before raising taxes, we should eliminate the waste, mismanagement, inefficiencies, and misappropriation of money in both city and state government. The city and state are consistent: Each year we are entertained and dismayed by stories of corruption and ineptitude.

I think all taxpayers would welcome a government effort to save money as private businesses do. The government should make employees accountable, control its costs, and pay attention to the needs of its clientele. Let the government demonstrate this, and I believe taxpayers would accept a tax hike. Then again, if the government did this, we wouldn't need a tax hike.

Brad Wong

House bill will worsen Central Oahu woes

Jeff Mikulina of the Sierra Club was right in pointing out the cozy relationship between developers and our government in their effort to fast-track development of the proposed Pacific Health Center in Waipio through House Bill 550 (Star-Bulletin, March 3). The bill would exempt this project from all planning, zoning and construction standards. Rep. Marcus Oshiro (D, Wahiawa- Poamoho), a member of the Wahiawa Hospital Association, whose subsidiary, the for-profit Pacific Health Community, Inc., is pushing the development, introduced the bill on Jan. 21.

The parcel covered by the bill also includes the proposed Castle & Cooke Koa Ridge Makai 3,300-unit residential development. Last year the Mililani Neighborhood Board intervened before the Land Use Commission in a failed attempt to prevent the reclassification of the land for the proposed development without binding provisions for construction of schools and roadways to support the new population.

This bill would remove the last glimmer of hope for Central Oahu for improvement in already unacceptable traffic and education situations, make daily commutes even more daunting and certainly would be a blow to the governor's vision of more home rule for the counties.

Doug Thomas
Mililani

Lingle used spotlight to promote Hawaii

It is so refreshing to have a governor who can speak so intelligently about our state that she is invited to appear continually on national news channels. The national news media have taken notice that Hawaii has something important to say and a new governor who can articulate our message to a national audience. Hawaii has been lacking that ability for some time.

During Governor Lingle's visit to Washington, D.C., she not only testified before Congress but also was invited by FOX, CNN and MSNBC to be interviewed about Hawaii and the impact a war with Iraq might have on us. She made sure that everyone in the nation knew that Hawaii is open for business investment, and that we have the best-tasting coffee in the world.

Instead of just playing golf with the president as past governors have done, Lingle has taken the stage to promote our state as a great place to visit, invest and do business.

Pam Lee Smith
Ewa Beach

Gov misrepresented Hawaii's stance on war

I take offense that Governor Lingle, while in Washington on state business (using our tax monies), openly pledged her support for the president's handling of Iraq and of his desire to go to war. She did this even though the state House has passed a resolution (and the state Senate probably also will do so) opposing Bush's intention to attack and bomb Iraq without U.N. backing.

Lingle apparently is so enamored with the bellicose and bungling president that her ability to assess the mood of Hawaii's citizens is clouded. Her statements that "Hawaii's citizens would support the president in case of war with Iraq" and that "there is reluctance in Hawaii to be critical of the president" are unsubstantiated.

Is Lingle intentionally downplaying the rallies being held throughout the islands (and the world) to condemn this president's dreadful international policies, or is she truly this poorly informed on this vital issue? Given the horrendous impact on our nation's and the islands' economy should a war be launched, her position is a real disservice.

John Witeck

A little bit of effort is good for the aina

As most American males know, the latest bathroom urinals flush automatically as the user steps back. It seems to me that this is the ultimate testament to the outrageous laziness of the users. With the older models, all one needs to do to flush is to flick the handle down, yet many of the users still do not flush after use.

This lack of consideration for later users and janitors is simply careless selfishness, which also can be seen in the lack of consideration of people who do not make the slightest effort to recycle. If everyone made some effort to do so, our problem with waste disposal would that much alleviated.

As I remember from eighth-grade social studies back in 1973, a certain amount of trash could be incinerated as a source of energy, but too much will lead to unacceptable air pollution. If recycling lessens the amount of trash considerably, it would be feasible to incinerate other trash as an energy source and to ease our landfills.

If the people of our society would respect the aina by recycling responsibly, our environment would be that much the better.

Stuart N. Taba

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