to the Editor
Mayor balks at dealing with important issues
Nobody wants a landfill in his backyard. Decisions about landfills and waste disposal are complex and shouldn't be turned over to a commission of citizens. These are hard decisions bound to make some people unhappy, but we have elected our political leaders to make them. Trying to pass them off onto an ad hoc citizens' commission is political cowardice (Star-Bulletin, Dec. 2).The mayor and City Council have the resources to evaluate the complex technical and cost aspects of the problem. They should think long and hard about the problem and then make the decision based on the merits of the case. I am disappointed that Mayor Harris has not faced up to this.
His leadership was similarly absent during the recent bus strike and its aftermath. Decisions about fares and service needed to be made by transportation experts in the bus company and the mayor's office. Leaving these decisions to the City Council with its various constituencies and the rush to patch something together led to the mess that occurred. Once again, Mayor Harris failed us as a leader.
Harold Loomis
Honolulu
Only the Akaka bill can protect Hawaiians
Hawaiians are indigenous to these islands, just as Inuits are to Alaska, and Amerindian tribes are to the mainland. They have federal recognition, so why not Hawaiians?What provokes wannabees who are not Hawaiian to take legal action against Kamehameha Schools? Or to cry out for abolishment of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands?
It's jealousy in the case of Kamehameha Schools, a private, well-endowed educational system that gives Hawaiian children the best chance they will ever get to become academically and culturally equipped to function equally in the business, education and service industries of a westernized society that decimated their culture.
It's fear, in the case of doing away with OHA and DHHL, two groups that protect what's left of Hawaiian rights and lands.
I'm a haole who feels "lucky to live Hawaii" because of the Hawaiian culture and the people who live it. Please, speak to your representatives and senators. If the Akaka bill doesn't pass, all of us in every minority stand to lose paradise forever.
Marjorie Scott
Kailua
Hawaii's passion for football surprises
I would like to express my satisfaction with the two high school football games I watched Friday night (Dec. 5).As a fanatical fan of Texas high school football, I was very impressed with all four teams and will tell all in my home state of the Friday Night Heroes here in Hawaii.
Thank you to the players, coaches and fans of Aiea, Damien, Kahuku and St. Louis for a awesome display of heart, sweat and tears. I will leave the island soon but will never forget that night!
Daniel Richardson
Corpus Christi, Texas
U.S. goals in Iraq are worth the cost
Americans need to stand back and take a long view of what the future may entail. The terrorists have been making headlines with their dastardly suicide attacks against innocent people and seemingly attaining their goals of persuading the populace that their objectives are going to be fulfilled. On the contrary, we should take solace in the fact that we will prevail; these infractions against decency are like mosquito bites and nothing more.President Bush may have gotten more than he bargained for, but his instinct is to uphold democratic ideals and provide Iraqis with the decent lives that all people are entitled to. To that end, we should stop bickering among ourselves and support his untiring efforts.
Katsumi Miyano
Honolulu
Tourism effort should focus on South Korea
Governor Lingle's plan to boost Hawaii's economy by asking for exemptions to current visa policy would have a better chance if its author had a better grasp of the facts. The governor's emphasis on China is obviously what guides her support of an 18-month, multiple-entry visa for tourists. Chinese tourists are now limited to a visa permitting two entries within six months.Hawaii's tourism budget has always focused more on programs to encourage Japanese and Chinese tourism. Today, however, it is South Korea that probably represents the most potential for increasing tourism revenue for Hawaii.
The Republic of Korea, the sixth largest trading partner of the United States, generated $21 billion in tourism funds spent in the United States in 2002 -- 9/11 nothwithstanding.
Lingle's emphasis on China suggests the lack of a national and a historical perspective and lessens the chances her voice will be heard on an issue important to Hawaii's economy.
Patricia Kim
Hawaii Kai
Lingle's commitment to education is firm
I was astounded at the shrill tone and distortions in Al Fukumoto's Nov. 9 letter to the editor ("Bush, Lingle are bad for working people").Fukumoto accused President Bush and Governor Lingle of engaging in class warfare by favoring the rich and powerful while not providing enough money for public education. To support his claim, he cites state budget officials who are recommending against full funding of a supplementary request from the Board of Education.
The budget director is actually recommending a $1.5 million increase in education spending, and the administration is not cutting the education budget.
Lingle's highest priority is improving public schools. One of her initiatives, which Fukumoto criticized, is the formation of the advisory group CARE (Citizens Achieving Reform in Education). By speaking with residents throughout the islands and hearing their priorities and recommendations, CARE is helping the governor put together an education reform proposal that will dramatically improve our schools.
Patricia Schafer
Honolulu
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[ BRAINSTORM! ]
What should the city do with
the elegant old sewage pump station?It's empty and fading, and now it's taking a beating from all the construction going on around it. The O.G. Traphagen-designed sewage pump station on Ala Moana Boulevard, more than a century old, is a monument to the glory days of municipal architecture, when city fathers took such pride in their community that even a humble sewage station became a landmark structure. Millions of tourists drive by it every year, and it's an embarrassing reminder of how poorly Honolulu treats its historic landmarks. Over the years, dozens of uses and excuses and blue-sky speculations have been suggested for the striking structure. Now we're asking you, Mr. and Mrs. Kimo Q. Publique, what should the city do with the elegant old pump building?
Send your ideas and solutions by Jan. 15 to:
Or mail them to:
Brainstorm!
c/o Nancy Christenson
Star-Bulletin
500 Ala Moana
7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813Fax:
Brainstorm!
c/o Nancy Christenson
529-4750
