With a little creativity, city would be flush

Balancing the city budget is easy -- just raise the taxes and fees. Instead of doing it the easy way, how about some creative thinking:

» An untapped labor force could be the residents at OCCC. How about a chain gang to clean our parks and streets?

» Increase car safety inspection violations to $25 per each month delinquent. Two months late -- $50 fine. One year late -- $300 fine. If violators cannot pay the fine, impound their cars and auction them off. An added benefit will be to get a lot of uninsured drivers off the road, maybe even helping the traffic situation. If you cannot afford car insurance, catch the bus.

» $300 fine for red-light runners. If necessary, hire monitors. At least one or two vehicles run the red light at each intersection on every light change. This will more than pay for the monitors' wages. An added benefit would be fewer pedestrian accidents.

Make those who break the law pay.

Late senator upheld right of free choice

Your brief June 7 obituary on former state Sen. Vincent H. Yano failed to note his significant contribution in reforming Hawaii's law on abortion.

In their 1977 book "Abortion Politics," Patricia G. Steinhoff and Milton Diamond wrote that Yano was a key promoter of the 1970 law to repeal Hawaii's anti-abortion law. They said that Yano was a Catholic with 10 children and had been honored as a Knight of the Pope.

The authors wrote that Yano advocated repeal "despite his own strong moral opposition to the act of abortion. He was the personal embodiment of the argument that abortion law should leave the decision to the individual's conscience ... his presence undercut the church's opposition more effectively than any amount of anti-Catholic invective could have."

Yano was an great senator who should be remembered for his outstanding contributions to society.

Peep show law enacted to combat crime

The Downtown Neighborhood Board is pleased that the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled a city ordinance passed more than seven years ago that bans doors on peep show booths is legal (Star-Bulletin, June 7). We look forward to the law's implementation.

The bill was introduced at the request of both former Mayor Jeremy Harris' Downtown Chinatown Task Force and the Downtown Neighborhood Board to help clean up the drug- and prostitution-riddled Chinatown area. It was a sincere effort by community residents and businesses to reclaim and revitalize the area, to make it safe, to attract legitimate businesses, tourists and bring locals back for day and evening activities.

The removal of the peep show booth doors is a crime-fighting tool, as are the video monitoring cameras in Chinatown and Waikiki. It is not, as defense attorney Earle Partington said, an "example of the mentality of the 'religious right' ... enforcing its values on the rest of the population."

Roundabouts prove worth by saving lives

As work proceeds on the Foster Village roundabout, it might be helpful to review its history. City planning for the project began more than five years ago, in response to complaints from residents about speeding and pedestrian safety at the Haloa Drive-Ala Oli intersection.

Notwithstanding the vote by the Aliamanu-Salt Lake-Foster Village Neighborhood Board this year, the project had, and continues to have, the support of the district's past and pres-ent City Council representative, the past president of the Foster Village Community Association, a former state representative from the area and many residents along Haloa Drive.

This isn't the first time a traffic-calming project has stirred debate. The Salt Lake roundabout at Likini and Ala Napunani streets, which was built despite opposition, reduced the number of accidents in that area from 17 a year to zero.

In Makakilo the city didn't build a roundabout because residents objected. Some recalled that decision this year, after a boy was killed crossing Makakilo Drive. One resident told me, "The city should have put in the traffic-calming project. Why did you listen to us? You're the experts."

It is for these reasons and our concern for public safety that I recommended to the mayor that we proceed with this proj-ect. We stand by our decision and trust that it will ultimately protect the public's safety.

Let's silence noisy leaf blowers for good

This morning, the quiet in our neighborhood was shattered once again by leaf blowers being used by a commercial lawn service cleaning my neighbor's yard. Often we spend hours being assaulted by the decibels as the garden workers move up and down the street.

Many communities in California have banned leaf blowers. Why can't we do the same? We can't stop the noise from garbage trucks, ambulance and fire sirens, but we can do something about the offensive noise from leaf blowers. That ear-splitting, conversation-stopping noise reverberates through our closely packed neighborhoods, tarnishing the tranquility of these islands.

Kema parents must be held accountable

The failure of Hawaii's legal establishment to file charges against Peter Kema Sr. for either the death or neglect of his son is outrageous.

What is also disturbing is the attitude of Ron Jones of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, who is a former homicide detective. He says that parents giving away their children to close friends or relatives has been "going on forever everywhere ... especially back in the day" (Star-Bulletin, June 3).

The year 2005 isn't "the day," nor was 1997 when the child allegedly was given away. Other than in Hawaii, how could the boy get medical insurance and treatment, be admitted to school without proper guardianship or power of attorney papers or even his birth certificate if the uncaring father didn't intend to maintain contact with his son?

If a parent not being able to account for the whereabouts or the health and welfare of his child is not a crime in Hawaii -- barring a court-ordered removal of the child from his parents or the child's abduction -- then no child in Hawaii is afforded the legal protections given children in 49 other states.

There is nothing wrong with the hanai system. There is a lot wrong with misusing it, and those who do must be held fully accountable.

Governor should sign Legacy Lands Act

Sitting on Gov. Linda Lingle's desk today is a measure that will provide lasting protection of Hawaii's vast natural resources. The Legacy Lands Act invests a small portion of the conveyance tax collected annually into preservation of wild coastline, native habitat and special places. The bill deserves her signature.

For decades, I have studied Hawaii's incredible biological richness and history. As a social worker and environmental educator, I have shared my knowledge of Hawaii's secrets and natural evolution with countless students. The biological and cultural resources in wild areas and along undeveloped coastline are Hawaii's greatest assets.

If we hope to continue to enjoy the benefits of these assets, we must invest in their protection. The Legacy Lands Act will do just that -- invest in our natural legacy for generations.

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