Praise him, from whom all traffic flows

In his May 13 letter, Mitsuru Takahashi stated, "I can show you how to build the traffic roads of the future for Oahu without congestion, even with three times the population and cars on the road -- a bold plan using today's freeways, highways and streets to start island wide."

If Takahashi is the "Freeway Messiah" we all have been looking for, perhaps he should put his plan on paper and present it at the next City Council meeting for review. If it's doable, he just might wish to consider running for mayor or even governor.

Highway accidents prove Oahu needs rail

So, one day the zipper-lane barrier is damaged at 8 o'clock in the morning. Motorists headed west on the H-1 freeway are stuck in gridlock for the entire day and into the night. The very next morning, there's an accident in the east-bound lanes of the H-1. Again, traffic is a mess for the entire morning. Accidents during morning rush hour occur at least bi-weekly.

Still, there are those who oppose building a rail system. The only thing wrong with a rail system in Hawaii is that it's 20 years too late. A rail system running from West and Central Oahu through Pearl Harbor, the Honolulu business district and to the University of Hawaii would have heavy ridership, especially during rush hour.

For those who oppose rail, the solution is to bring the congestion and the mess that is Honolulu out to the Ewa plains. Meanwhile, living units (not necessarily houses) are springing up 10 times faster in Ewa than the infrastructure to support them. The developments resemble Cracker Jack box-like units stuffed into a sardine can. What happened to the moratorium on development of the Ewa plains until the infrastructure shortcomings are resolved?

Don't expect Dobelle to live up to promise

Regarding the May 11 story "Dobelle behind on his $125,000 homework," about former University of Hawaii President Evan Dobelle's agreement to perform a study for UH: He won't complete anything. He is not a hard-working, diligent person. If he was, then he would still be here. Instead, he chose to be a greedy, self-centered professional who enjoyed ripping off the university and the people of Hawaii, who have to pay for his shortcomings.

No insult intended to Punahou, Outrigger

Punahou School graduate Fred "Sonny from Kapolei" Hemmings wants you to believe how "his every fiber is of Hawaii" (Star-Bulletin, May 13). Fred also would like you to believe that my comments on the Senate floor regarding Punahou School and Outrigger Canoe Club were meant to be racist.

The fact is my son Ka'ohu will graduate this year from Punahou. Mahalo ia 'oe e ke kula o Punahou. Ka'ohu is also a Star-Bulletin first team ILH and All State Volleyball All Star from Punahou who has played in the Junior National Tournament for Outrigger Canoe Club for the past five years. Nui ko'u aloha no ka 'ahahui o Outrigger.

Let there be no mistake -- I meant no disrespect to Punahou School or Outrigger Canoe Club, as I believe Hemmings did to the Hawaiian people, past and present Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustees and OHA's beneficiaries when he said, "We have a Senate now going the way of old guard politics, the way OHA used to be run ... "

Frankly, one should expect more dignity from a Punahou School graduate. I'll say it again -- the last thing the kanaka need is a non-Hawaiian telling Hawaiians what's wrong with them.

Pearl visitors center is respectfully done

I am responding to recent criticism by Les Lunasco of Waialua (Letters, May 5) concerning the development of a visitors center at Pearl Harbor near the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial.

Prior to becoming a vendor at Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, I did not know and was not associated with its developers. During the past seven months, however, I have discovered that the developers are extremely patriotic men. Patrick Brent, CEO of PHVC, is a Marine Corps veteran, and Steve Colon, senior vice president of Hunt Building Co., is a Naval reservist. These men have utmost respect for our country and the memorials that surround us at Pearl Harbor.

PHVC has worked tirelessly with its neighbors and the U.S. Navy to address concerns about the planned development. If there is any indication of the developer's commitment to tastefulness, one only need look at the efforts being made on the temporary structure. It has a World War II Hawaii theme that complements the memorials. All employees wear military-inspired uniforms, and an educational program is mandated regarding significant World War II facts. The temporary facility provides shade, ergonomic seats, drinks and fresh food for the visitors, who sometimes must wait two to four hours to begin their tours.

The combination of the business experience, financial capacity and patriotism makes PHVC the ideal developers of Halawa Landing at Pearl Harbor. They will ensure that the visitors center will be run in a tasteful and respectful way.

Hawaii's 'plague' isn't that hard to bear

I laughed all the way through Cynthia Oi's May 11 column, "Life in Hawaii is just a plague of suffering." We need to laugh about those things sometimes or we might actually cry and feel sorry for ourselves. The good and the bad in Hawaii are two sides of the same coconut.

That is not to imply that we shouldn't try to do something to improve our community, but her column illustrated a truth: Each good aspect of Hawaii has a downside. And you know what? It's all good, even that.

Another phone book? Make that two

So Hawaiian Telcom is reverting to split phone books. Good! The old one was a back-straining, table-collapsing monster.

Although I normally believe that competition is a good thing, what's the deal with all the new phone books that are showing up on my doorstep? Does anyone believe that I will keep three massive sets of phone books next to my phone? Does anyone believe I will rifle through three sets to find a number, especially when I can do it infinitely faster thanks to Google?

First thing I did when I received the latest set of phone books was deposit them in the trash, as I did with the second set. Sorry if this harms the environment, but I'm sure the Legislature will fix this with yet another tax, er, recycling law.

I don't want or need multiple phone books. I don't believe anyone needs multiple books. To save a tree or two, these companies really should ask if I want one before sending a set.

Trauma doctors are in short supply

Hawaii is hemorrhaging doctors as skilled specialist physicians seek better practice venues in which to live. This is hitting especially hard on trauma care, which is now a crisis on the Big Island where orthopedic surgery coverage for emergency rooms is almost nonexistent. I have no confidence that the global solutions needed to keep Hawaii doctors from leaving or quitting will happen quickly, if at all. However, the trauma-care problem is easier to solve, but requires the political will to achieve it:

Allow and encourage the community hospitals to serve the limited community needs that they are capable of, and don't expect them to try to be all things to all people always. The current approach is failing. The obvious flaws in the current approach are hurting patients, and it is burning out the doctors, including me.

Nurses love to take care of their patients

Thursday, May 12, was the birthday of Florence Nightingale. This marked the end of National Nurses' Week.

At a time when insurance rates and other factors are causing hospitals to reduce services, Hawaii nurses are there to put patient care first -- always.

Hawaii nurses hope Nurses' Week helped motivate people to choose a career in nursing. We face a nursing shortage that is fast becoming critical. Nursing won't make you wealthy, although the Hawaii Nurses Association is working hard to improve compensation, benefits and working conditions. But there is still no better career than helping the people of our islands.

Hawaii nurses thank everyone for your demonstrations of appreciation all last week and we look to you for your support for our continuing efforts to maintain and improve patient care for everyone in Hawaii.

It should be OK to crush those cans

The HI5 bottle recycling program is a good idea, but as it is currently set up, it appears to be a way of taxing the public under the guise of environmental correctness. The state has received about $19 million and has paid out less than $4 million, for a profit of $15 million.

The reality is that the sheer inconvenience of redeeming the bulky bottles and cans makes it difficult to redeem them and actually encourages the simple disposing of them in the trash. Crushing them, making them less bulky, would be more conducive to convenient and efficient redemption.

By this time, every can and bottle in Hawaii should have been marked with "HI5," and it would not make any difference if they were crushed and weighed for redemption.

Curbside collection of crushed containers in clear plastic garbage bags would be easier and could be collected by charities or the needy for redemption by weight.

New judge aids in fight against date rape

Mahalo to our newest judge in the Second Circuit Court, the Honorable Richard Bissen Jr., who recently was sworn into office in Wailuku. He was the governor's point person in support of the national Teen Dating Violence Prevention Initiative. This project educates teens about what is appropriate behavior and what constitutes sexual assault and date rape.

The Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women and the Hawaii County Committee on the Status of Women support this national initiative and thank Bissen for being one of the first supporters of the teen-dating project.

The HSCSW Search Committee Chairwoman Susan Pirsch, and members Sheila Leas and I are working hard toward finding an HSCSW executive director and moving forward on projects such as TDVPI.

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