Brainstorm! Challenge

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Lingle's trip fostered cross-cultural respect

Liz Randol writes that Gov. Linda Lingle's trip to Tel Aviv put Honolulu on the map for terrorists (Letters, May 31).

I was privileged as a senior at Santa Monica High School (Pam Dillingham was in the same class) to shake the hand of Martin Luther King Jr. He wrote from Birmingham jail that it was sometimes necessary to use creative tension. King anathematized the kind of prudence found in Randol's letter.

"Support the aged without reference to religion," says the Talmud, "respect the learned without reference to age ... the virtuous of all nations participate in eternal bliss."

Recently I attended the Global Summit of Women in downtown Seoul. A woman in a booth promoting Turkmenistan asked me where I was from. "Hawaii," I replied. Where is that? "It's an island chain in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Waikiki. Aloha. Hula-hula."

That booth operator never heard of the 50th state. If Turkmenistan is willing to pay for a 27-member delegation of state officials, headed by Lingle, then off they and she should go.

Richard Thompson
Visiting professor
Kyung Hee University
Seoul

Purpose of excise tax needs clarification

On paying the 4 percent use tax on personal items such as computers (Kokua Line, May 19): If the law can't be enforced, why even have it on the books?

Are we talking about Hawaii residents who go to the mainland on vacation, buy clothing or other goods and bring them back home? Those people are supposed to notify the Hawaii state tax office and volunteer to pay 4 percent on those items?

What about people planning to move to, or move back to, Hawaii from the mainland? If they buy goods to bring with them, are they supposed to notify the state tax office and volunteer to pay 4 percent on that? What if they purchase a car and drive it for six months or so, then ship it to Hawaii during their move? They're supposed to pay 4 percent tax on the vehicle to the state of Hawaii?

I have always been under the impression that a general excise tax is the tax on doing business. Whether the 4 percent is passed on to the consumer is up to the retail business. (It is passed on by all retailers that I have come in contact with.)

So, which is it? Four percent on doing business or 4 percent consumer use tax? If it's a use tax, then the state has to tell retailers they can no longer charge 4.167 percent use tax.

I was never aware that the 4 percent was actually a tax on the consumer for using something. Who thought that up?

Bill Martin
Kurtistown, Hawaii

Inmates don't all enter system as monsters

It is a common belief that we inmates of our state prison system are unscrupulous opportunists who allow personal gratification to be our measure of what is right or wrong. We are believed to be monsters.

Contrary to this belief, many of us are sensitive, intelligent and charitable. Often this is what gets us in trouble in the first place.

Granted, some have no place in society, but their numbers are few. Most often we are the misplaced drug- and alcohol-addicted, the mentally ill and the physically impaired. We are often victims ourselves, merely a reflection of society's ills. We come from broken families, alcoholic and drug-addicted parents, we are the physically, sexually and emotionally abused children. Many times, our role models were the offenders themselves.

To address our criminal issues, our society places us in closet-sized cells, three or four to a room, often with broken toilets. Our meals are sparse, with mostly vegetable-end cuts, rice, bread and fatty meat trimmings, often green in color.

Prison life is a subculture where gangs perpetuate further criminal behavior as violence is often necessary for survival.

Few members of society seem to care. I sometimes wonder who the monsters truly are.

Michael Spiker
Inmate, advocate
Waiawa Correctional Facility

Health insurance rates far outpace inflation

Every year for the past four or five years Kaiser and Hawaii Medical Service Association have raised their rates at three to six times the rate of inflation. At the same time they have increased so-called copay charges and eliminated services like dental, which was dropped last year, thus compounding the astronomical increases.

This amounts to organized theft from employers and employees alike. A government oversight commission is supposed to prevent this theft. This year Kaiser asked for a 13.8 percent increase and our wonderful insurance commission only allowed them a huge 11.7 percent increase.

It is time to halt this trend and return to a free market system by eliminating the laws requiring employers to provide prepaid health to their employees. This would correct the predatory pricing almost overnight by putting competition back into the system.

All companies would have choices and the predatory health care companies would have to sharpen their pencils to get a share of the business. This would bring more honesty back to Hawaii almost overnight.

As long as these massive companies can hide under mandatory requirements they will continue to abuse their positions of dominance.

It is time to end mandatory health requirements now!

Frank Wandell
Holualoa, Hawaii

Let Maryknoll students enjoy their ceremony

I've been hearing people talking about going to Maryknoll's upcoming graduation ceremonies because Jasmine Trias is graduating this year.

Now is not the time to be selfish and insensitive. This is Jasmine's private family's and friends' time, not a time for fans, groupies and the media to invade. Plus, this is a time for all the other graduates to be honored and celebrated. Not taking anything away from Jasmine, but this is a time for the entire Class of '04 to be in the spotlight, not just Jasmine.

Let's not be inconsiderate. Let them all shine as one class, without any of the "American Idol" hype.

Jeff Kino
Honolulu

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[ BRAINSTORM! ] The ponds at the state Capitol are full of icky green stuff. What, besides holding an election, can we do to get rid of all that scum at the Big Square Building? Or should we just replace the ponds with something else? Tell us what you think, whether you know of a way to clean the ponds or if you'd rather see a remodel of the Capitol grounds. Anything would be an improvement. Send your ideas by June 16 to: brainstorm@starbulletin.com Or by mail: Brainstorm! c/o Nancy Christenson Star-Bulletin 500 Ala Moana 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210 Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 Or by fax: Brainstorm! c/o Nancy Christenson 529-4750