You want noise? Then head over to Waikiki

Amen to recent letters to the editor complaining of Waikiki noise! Having lived in Waikiki for the past 14 years, I would say the vehicle backup beeper noise is the worst. Not too far behind are some minibikes, full-throttle motorcycles and modified auto exhaust mufflers.

The sirens and the car alarms any time, day or night, add to the Waikiki "experience."

I have been in many major U.S. cities and many times in Asia and Europe, and find Waikiki the worst in terms of noise. If you intend to buy or long-term rent in Waikiki, check out the noise level day and night before you sign anything.

This truly would be paradise if the noise was controlled better. Now, where did I put my noise-reduction earmuffs?

Mark isle crosswalks with lane reflectors

There is a problem with pedestrian safety in crosswalks but more laws is not a solution.

Crosswalks without lights are hard to see. At night they are almost invisible, as is almost any pedestrian, regardless of clothing color, with all the street and store lights. Crossing six to eight lanes of busy highway, trusting those faded painted crosswalks, is a death march. I try to be a safe driver, but I have a hard time seeing them.

Pedestrian overpasses would work, but I hear that they are too expensive. Lights at every crosswalk would do it; I don't know how popular that would be.

Here is a quick, inexpensive, partial solution. Mark the crosswalks with the reflectors that are used to mark lanes. They would be much more visible and it's easy to see when some markers need replacing. Need something more complicated and expensive? Ask the legislators.

Lingle should sign Legacy Lands Act

I urge Gov. Lingle to sign House Bill 1308, the Legacy Lands Act. This act addresses two rapidly disappearing resources in Hawaii: affordable housing and native natural resources. Both are in need of assistance and chronically short of funding. The development and land speculation that are rapidly expanding in Hawaii are partially responsible for the adverse pressure on both. The greater the land speculation and sales, the more revenues are retrievable via the state's low conveyance tax. The Legacy Lands Act will make an insignificant increase in this tax for only the most expensive properties, while it begins to add to Hawaii's long-vacant land protection fund and the Rental Housing Trust Fund.

Almost all of the money used to purchase these high-end properties comes from out of state, and it is appropriate that a small tithe on their sales price be used to help the victims of the speculation, human and nonhuman. Additional outside monies, federal and private, can be drawn into Hawaii, leveraged by revenues generated by the Legacy Lands Act. All these monies will be spent in Hawaii. This is equivalent in principal and effect to the addition of new businesses to Hawaii, but without the need for capital investments or governmental growth.

I fail to see any adverse aspects of the Legacy Lands Act, and do hope that the governor can see this as well.

Help needed for veterans' health care

There is a bill before Congress (House Resolution 515, S331) called "Assured Funding for Veterans Health Care Act of 2005." It would ensure mandatory funding for veterans' health care. All veterans should notify their congressional delegations to either support this bill or explain why not.

Will Hawaii's congressional delegation support this legislation? Since it won't embarrass the Bush administration or fit the "hate Bush" program of the Democratic Party, I sincerely doubt that any of Hawaii's Democratic senators or congressmen will support this legislation. And of course there's the "We really love the troops" liberals. I also doubt that any of these people will contact their congressional delegation regarding this vital legislation, since it does not support their "hate Bush/blame America" agenda.

It also might be a good idea to explore a program whereby any military facility that is closed should be turned into retired veterans' housing, with priority given to single veterans (20-year service minimum) who retire at the rank of E-1 to E-9 (private to sergeant major). Former base housing also could be set up for married couples who retired from the military.

Support groups could help surrogate parents

Jane Kamanu is just one of more than 14,000 grandparents and other relatives in Hawaii who are raising their grandchildren -- parenting for a second time -- informally, outside of the foster care system ("Resident evicted over grandchild stirs debate," Star-Bulletin, June 13).

The Executive Office on Aging is a recipient of a grant from the Brookdale Foundation to help grandfamily caregivers receive support to make their lives easier. We are working to initiate relative support groups statewide and to build networks of agencies to address system challenges on the issue of relatives as surrogate parents.

This unfortunate circumstance for the Kamanu family is a reminder of how much work is ahead of us in building a system that eases the burden for grandparent caregivers and enhances the lives of the children they are raising.

Black coral proposal strikes a balance

Regarding your June 4 editorial, black coral harvesting and conservation have coexisted in Hawaii for four decades. To help ensure their continuation, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council voted to prohibit the harvesting in federal waters (3 to 200 miles offshore) of black corals that are under 48 inches in height or 1-inch diameter at the base of the trunk. This lets black corals reproduce for an additional five years, by removing an exemption that let some divers collect black corals in federal waters when they reached 36 inches in height or 3/4-inch in diameter. The proposed change was prompted by a recent survey that "hints" at reduced population size of very young black corals in the Auau Channel.

The amendment provides the same outcome as a five-year moratorium, while maintaining an industry that brings millions of dollars and hundreds of jobs to our local economy.

The council encourages the state to adopt similar regulations for its waters (0 to 3 miles offshore), where divers can currently harvest black corals with a minimum 3/4-inch base diameter and no height restriction.

UH loses football fans for a few bucks

Gary Hisaoka's letter to the editor ("Longtime fans priced out of UH football," June 17) illustrates that the University of Hawaii can be as dumb as some businesses. An attempt to grab a few more bucks from a longtime customer backfires more times than not. It says to the customer, "We know we have you hooked, now cough up some more dough."

Customer loyalty over the years should be rewarded, not taken for granted. It's okay to raise prices for new customers, but to maintain the loyalty of longtime customers, simply grandfather them in at their current price. Doing so says, "We appreciate your business," and makes them feel special rather than had.

It's not about the money, it's the principle of the act that causes such a rebellion as the one expressed in Hisaoka's letter. Rest assured Gary's wrath was heard by many more than just those who read his letter, and most likely in words you probably wouldn't print.

Bible quotes show human beings' biases

This letter is in response to the June 10 letter to the editor "Gay students need safe environment" by Robin Nussbaum, board member of The Interfaith Alliance Hawaii. I thank the universal God every day that the United States is governed by a Constitution and not by the hateful interpretation of the Bible that some Christians often quote.

The Bible is not an infallible document, as many would claim. No one knows the personal biases that went into this book as it was being transcribed, therefore it is the Constitution of the United States that should govern our laws, and not the so-called Holy Bible.

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