Let little kids ride their bikes on sidewalks

I am an 11-year-old boy who rides a bike. I am very concerned about bike safety for kids riding on the streets. We are not allowed to ride on the sidewalks, and the street riding is very dangerous for little kids. I got a $50 ticket the other day for riding on the sidewalk. I see policemen on their bikes on the sidewalks, but if we ride on the sidewalks we get a ticket. It is UNFAIR that they get to ride on the sidewalk and do not get a ticket.

It is not safe for kids to ride on the roads because cars do not see the bikes and could hit us. I heard stories about people getting hit by cars, buses, trucks, motorcycles and vehicles that go very fast. I also have seen people get hit.

We should be able to ride our bikes to school and the park without having to worry about getting run over or getting a ticket. There are no bike lanes on many busy streets, and it is dangerous for us. I need to ride my bike for transportation, but it is too dangerous for me to ride on many streets that I need to go on. I do not have a bus pass so I need to use my bike. I think a law should be passed to let little kids ride on the sidewalk.

Bruddah Iz understood what a Hawaiian is

I've read with interest letters regarding what constitutes being Hawaiian. I think what Bruddah Iz had to say about it sums it up the best.

Bruddah Iz said that he thought being Hawaiian was doing the right thing. Not stepping on anyone else's toes to get what you want or where you're going. Being Hawaiian is in your heart. It's the love you give to others as well as the love you give to the aina, the land, and to yourself. It's a way of life. Being happy with who you are, how you got where you are and knowing where you're going.

He said more, but I hope this pretty much sums it up. Never did he mention blood or anyone's bloodlines or "pedigree."

I have always thought of Bruddah Iz as not only a wonderful and gifted musician, but also a fantastic man. A man so very wise beyond his years! A man so very kind and gentle. A man we should never forget.

Iz, I'm still listening.

Kahuku art students were polite, courteous

Last Wednesday I had the pleasure of being a guest lecturer for three of Jerylin Florimonte's art classes at Kahuku High School. It was a joy to be in the presence of those fine young men and women. They showed such respect, attention and courtesy, asked good questions and gave good responses, that I was most pleasantly impressed. They were also very cooperative when the teacher or I asked for assistance. They were the most polite group of young people that I have come in contact with in quite some time.

So often the various media show such negative things happening among our young people nowadays, but these sterling teenagers showed the other side of the coin. It gives one hope and faith in the younger generation.

I don't usually write letters to the editor, but I felt it was important to let the community know about these fine young citizens of Kahuku. Kudos to the school, the administration, faculty, staff and most of all to the students of Kahuku High School. Me ke aloha pumehana.

We can't trust them with tax increases

Top 10 reasons not to trust local government to raise our taxes:

I could probably come up with another 10-20 if I had the time. If the sheer ongoing waste was mitigated, they'd have enough money for light rail and more.

Family trapped by rain-slicked streets

It was raining today, as the impatient drivers whizzed by.
It was raining today, as the young family of three tried to cross the street.
It was raining today, as I heard the cars' tires squeal.
It was raining today.

City pay raises leave homeless out in cold

City officials are giving themselves pay raises (Star-Bulletin, April 21) at the same time the city has closed the application list for rent subsidies (Star-Bulletin, May 19).

Meanwhile, the homeless problem in Honolulu continues to grow worse all the time. The head of the salary commission attempts to defend the pay raises as "only" costing $170,000 per year. For that much money at least 15 homeless people could be housed and given back their human dignity.

The homeless problem will never be solved as long as extra disposable income for overpaid politicians is considered more important than basic necessities for poor residents of the city.

Hawaiians need better spokesmen

Sen. Clayton Hee's May 15 letter to the editor made me grimace. When I (a non-Hawaiian) moved to the islands seven years ago, Hee was engaged in well-publicized, disgusting internecine machinations to gain control of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Now he seems to be doing the same in the Senate.

I wondered then (as I wonder now) what Hee's heritage truly is. With a Chinese last name and Chinese features, does he really claim to be Hawaiian? There are few pure-blooded Hawaiians left, and I doubt Hee speaks for them. Unfortunately, the Hawaiians and their various organizations -- Hawaiian Home Lands, OHA and Kamehameha Schools -- have done a poor job of educating non-Hawaiians like me about the real issues that concern them. All I see is posturing and little substance. Perhaps if I had a better understanding of the real issues, I could be more sympathetic.

Meanwhile, it all seems to be about power, politics, money and entitlements. I note that the good Democrat and Hawaiian, Mr. Hee, chose to educate his son at Punahou and not at a public school or Kamehameha!

Liquor commission ignores its own rules

Already embroiled in controversy, the Honolulu Liquor Commission failed again. I was on hand at the May 12 meeting to hear the commission's decision on a liquor license application for a proposed establishment at the Island Colony Hotel ("Protests block liquor license for bar," Star-Bulletin, May 13). As I listened to the commission's discussion I heard a variety of numbers: 1,800-plus people living within the specified radius, some of whom are registered voters, full-time and part-time residents, some opposed and some not.

Citing the commission's own guideline, "if more than 50 percent of the residents living within the specified radius were opposed," the application would be denied. Residents voicing opposition equaled approximately 32 percent, and it wasn't clear if those were all registered voters or not. However, with dissent from neighborhood residents in their face, the liquor commission predictably folded. One commissioner acknowledged words to the effect that "while the residents in opposition are not more than 50 percent, 32 percent is still a significant number, and I feel perfectly comfortable in making a motion to deny this application."

If the liquor commission ever hopes to achieve legitimacy in the eyes of business people, I'd recommend they listen to fact-based concerns and not fear-based worries. Got guidelines? Use them!

Public schools are more like the real world

I am a freshman at Mililani High School and I believe I'm learning a lot about the real world by attending this public high school. In my opinion, private school students are sheltered and protected from the world around them.

We learn together with some students who are rich and some who are very poor. We learn with students of all religions and with some who have no religion at all.

We learn beside people of all races and some with physical disabilities. We also learn which crowds are dangerous and how to stay away from them. We also learn that everybody needs help every now and then.

Let businesses adopt our schools

We might not all agree on the idea of selling park names to corporations for advertising; however, there are still opportunities that the state could capitalize on along this line of thinking.

We can all agree that the public schools are in desperate need of an overhaul. Why not allow corporations to tastefully put their names on public school buildings, facilities and services?

Why can't a corporation help fund the new all-weather track or cover some of the expenses in food service and transportation needs? We already have an adopt-a-highway program where corporations are tastefully advertised. Why not adopt-a-school?

Bio fuels can lead way to energy freedom

Ron Miyashiro's May 17 letter to the editor was right on about using public transit for better fuel efficiency. Al Gore also wanted to put America's auto industry back on track by using a "Manhattan Project" to design new fuel-efficient engines and technology.

If General Motors had taken the lead it and the rest of the Detroit automakers might not be in a financial predicament today. The one vehicle today that is in the most demand is the Prius Hybrid.

Miyashiro must know that the bottom line is our dependence on imported oil and the subsequent economic burden that binds us to volatile international politics and unstable regions. That said, the solution, and one of many, is that America and Hawaii can put their farmers back into financial solvency by growing bio fuels and making a new "Manhattan Project" investment in renewable energy.

President Bush's recognition of Hawaii's Bob and Kelly King's bio diesel technology in Virginia could be the tipping point for a new energy era.

Why not give tax credit for catchment system?

Having moved from Manoa on Oahu using county water to Keaau on the Big Island one year ago where I'm on catchment, I find it surprising that the City and County of Honolulu hasn't mandated catchment systems for new developments or instigated a taxable deduction for those who build one on existing dwellings.

If HECO can do it for solar water heating, why can't the Board of Water Supply consider lobbying for a similar incentive?

With the summer drought coming on and Oahu's high thirst for water with new developments in the Ewa plains, it seems prudent that catchment systems should be integrated into dwellings.

Catchment water is free, and its usage isn't tied to sewer fees. It's a no-brainer for homeowners who now have another thing to worry about. Imagine watering your lawn guilt-free!

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