B&Bs used to evict tenants too quickly

Currently the Honolulu landlord/tenant code only requires 45 days notice by a landlord to evict a tenant except when converting the dwelling to condominium or demolition; under these conditions 120 days are required. However, the code only requires 45 days' notice to evict a tenant when changing from long-term tenancy to a vacation rental.

This is a significant flaw since all post-1989 vacation rentals are illegal. All vacation rental conversions are displacing the ability of long-term tenants to seek replacement housing. How can 45 days' notice be enforceable to evict a tenant for the purpose of conversion to an illegal vacation rental?

The logic of the 120-day notice for demolition and/or condominium is based in part on loss of long-term rentals. Therefore, this should be applied to vacation rental conversion as well.

I propose amending the landlord/tenant code to provide for minimum 120 days' notification to tenants evicted for conversion to vacation rental or renovations leading to vacation rental conversion of the dwelling; within one year after the eviction date.

This will add a layer of protection to displaced people in the hostile rental market.

When is 'when' not enough?

"It's not a matter of 'if'; it is a matter of 'when.'" England's chief of security said it again. In fact, he said that the British public had been told several times earlier that it was not a matter of "if."

And so we have been told.

In an era when the tactics of terrorism often preclude prevention of an attack, such governmental warnings are meant to somehow soften the impact of the horror when the attack comes. We had been warned.

The assumption on the part of government that such attacks, successful ones, will continue indefinitely is unsettling. There appears to be tacit warning that there will be no changes in the fundamental cause that provokes such violent action, hence they will continue.

The statement of a political science professor from college days still rings loud and clear: Cause and effect are just as predictable in foreign policy as they are in physics and chemistry.

A government's position that no changes will be made, even in flawed policies, because that would give the impression that such change was prompted by the terrorist acts, validates the warning. That is, the attacks will continue. In the interim, like a poor physician, the symptoms of the disease will be treated, but not the underlying cause. And if the pain does not go away, ever more powerful (and costly) medicines are available.

The citizenry has been conditioned to this governmental approach and hence usually takes it for granted and asks no questions when it is provided as an answer. Immediately following the horrendous crime of 9/11, plaintive cries of "Why do they hate us so?" were never answered. It was not a time of examining the cause of that terrible effect. It was a time of rallying a nation against the enemy. Fair enough. But now, this long time afterward, with the expense of uncounted thousands of lives and deep incursions into the country's treasury, the nation has still not been given an answer nor have any significant changes been made in our policies that precipitate the continuing attacks.

So we are again asked to remain standing while we wait -- on our toes. Because it is not a matter of "if"; it is a matter of "when."

Teachers should make closer to coaches' pay

It is always heartening to see that the University of Hawaii-Manoa coaches and athletic directors are being paid fairly. Riley Wallace and Herman Frazier are well worth the $20,833.33 a month, or $250,000 a year, apiece, that was recently reported in the Honolulu newspapers.

What is not fair is that UH professors who have written well-received books, done important research and received Excellence in Teaching awards earn less than 20 percent of that. Is it irony or merely sad that none of the recipients of the University of Hawaii's annual Frances Davis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching has ever earned more than $4,400 a month ($52,800 a year)?

Let's underscore that: The very best teachers of undergraduate students make 20 percent (or less) of that which the basketball coach and the athletic director earn.

There are also 197 administrators in the UH system (one for every 16 faculty members) who earn, on average, $140,000 a year. Which means that no winner of the highest UH award for undergraduate teaching has ever earned even half as much as the average administrator.

The Frances Davis Award is an important teaching award. It signifies extraordinary merit, and it ought to come with money attached. How about if the winner of the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching for the whole UH system were to get an $87,200 cash prize? That way these truly outstanding teachers could also say, "Not only am I a terrific teacher, I also make, just for this one year, the same amount as an average UH administrator."

Ocean liner would be an alternative to flight

This letter is in response to the Star-Bulletin's recent reporting on NCL's Pride of America, the second U.S.-flagged ship in about 50 years.

Hawaii needs an ocean liner and not another interisland cruise ship. The ocean liner would provide an alternate to flying and providing transportation service between Hawaii and the U.S. mainland.

Hawaii is the only state that does not have a choice of public transportation for interstate travel. Passenger-carrying aircraft operated by an airline is the only choice for a Hawaii resident. Because Hawaii is unique in its location as a state located near the center of the Pacific Ocean, the ocean is its highway for safe travel. The Superferry, in addition to offering interstate service, could provide open ocean service between Hawaii and Los Angeles in three days sailing time at 39 knots (45 mph) ferry speed. NCL's Pride of America sailing at 20 knots could provide the trip in six days.

It's about the game, not the player

I am scared to think what will happen if Michelle Wie actually wins a golf tournament. Recent actions on her part have made it clear that the game tailored for her age and gender insults someone of her talent and skill. As a golf novice, I am under the impression that the golf course is the adversary, not the participants.

Once Michelle defeats an all-male field of golfers, what next? Can a man who can't quite cut it on the PGA tour play with the ladies? Fair is fair. I'm not against crossing gender lines in sport, but I am against detracting from the sport in favor of the individual.

Leave Waikiki's marketplace alone

I read your July 21 article about the plan to redevelop the International Market Place into a more upscale retail place and I thought I'd write about why the Queen Emma Foundation should not do that. The International Market Place has a charm of its own that cannot be replicated elsewhere in this world. My family and I enjoy browsing through the many shops that offer so many choices and competitive prices. Update the bathrooms, improve security (especially at night) and fix the termite infestation, but don't change anything else.

Like the Australian visitor said in your article, the International Market Place is one of the many reasons why we love going back to Hawaii. We've been to many upscale malls and redeveloped areas where we live and I cherish the International Market Place's atmosphere as a down-to-earth place where people can mingle and conduct business in a fun and family-friendly environment. The foundation should not to take the aloha spirit out of such a wonderful place.

How to write us The Star-Bulletin welcomes letters that are crisp and to the point (150 to 200 words). The Star-Bulletin reserves the right to edit letters for clarity and length. Please direct comments to the issues; personal attacks will not be published. Letters must be signed and include a daytime telephone number. Letter form: Online form, click here E-mail: letters@starbulletin.com Fax: (808) 529-4750 Mail: Letters to the Editor, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7 Waterfront Plaza, 500 Ala Moana, Suite 210, Honolulu, HI 96813