Mayor right to veto bill on street performers
Mayor Mufi Hannemann's veto of the bill to ban street performers in Waikiki was the right decision (
Star-Bulletin, Jan. 4).
There's absolutely no doubt that the American Civil Liberties Union will spend as much money and time as it takes to have the law overturned as unconstitutional, even if it means taking it to the highest court in the land. In that case, a municipality already facing tough financial times would have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to defend a proposal that should never have been approved in the first place.
Why City Councilman Charles Djou and his colleagues had to cave in to big business in Waikiki is beyond me. Why they couldn't fashion a compromise is unfathomable.
The state of the city tells me that we need courage and vision and sacrifice from our leaders and our community. If the actions of the City Council are any indicator of these qualities, Honolulu is in big trouble.
Michael Higa
Aiea
Court fails to provide justice for dogs
What was District Court Judge Rhonda Nishimura thinking when she allowed the return of 64-plus pets to James Montgomery (
Star-Bulletin, Jan. 11) after his deferred guilty plea on 55 counts of animal cruelty? We know she wasn't thinking about the innocent dogs who suffered in unacceptable conditions under Montgomery's "care." Even Montgomery's own children were removed from the home, as the living conditions were endangering their welfare.
Nishimura has allowed Montgomery to reclaim the animals and sell them for his own personal profit. What was the judge thinking -- or should I say, not thinking? For the past year, these animals have been cared for by the Hawaiian Humane Society, either at the shelter or in foster homes. The humane society has been committed to protecting and caring for these dogs at any cost. Shame on you, Judge Nishimura, for allowing these dogs to leave a protected life and be returned to the hands of their abuser.
Since justice for animals is not being served in the courts to prevent inhumane backyard breeding operations in Hawaii, you can do your part by contacting the Hawaiian Humane Society before adopting or for guidance on how to find responsible breeders.
Rachel Ariola
Aiea
'Right on red' law endangers pedestrians
Let's do away with "right turn on red," which gives cars and pedestrians right-of-way at the same time. The attention of someone making a right turn is on traffic coming from the left, not on the crosswalk to the right. Many drivers negotiate the turn without stopping or making sure the crosswalk is clear.
J.P. Muntal
Kaneohe
Fishing village, canoes belong in Kakaako
Reading about the "People's Preferred Plan" for the Kakaako waterfront ("Group proposes Kakaako fishing village,"
Star-Bulletin, Jan. 12) was like experiencing a fresh ocean breeze. At last, a plan that makes sense for the special location and doesn't involve turning public land over to a private developer.
I can see taking visitors to a canoe hale. Or showing them native species of plants that are endangered -- much as the Alexander & Baldwin plan endangers our priceless environment.
Hawaii is famous worldwide for surfing, so a surfing museum makes so much sense. Out the window will be real, live surfers.
The PP plan sounds like a winner, like something the community can gather around and support. I suggest that Hawaii Community Development Authority put the brakes on its talks for the current unpopular plan. If it won't stop, the City Council should get it to back off and listen to the voice of the people of this island.
Larry Geller
Honolulu
UH nursing instructors should be paid more
We disagree with the Star-Bulletin's assessment that Governor Lingle's nursing faculty exchange program with the Philippines can mitigate our growing nursing shortage (
"Our opinion," Jan. 11). The editorial points out the root cause of the problem -- low pay for nursing faculty -- but somehow dismisses it as "not likely to change."
Why is this unlikely to change? Why should nurses be the only professional group not compensated by universities according to their market value? Medical, law, engineering and business school faculty are paid above-average salaries to attract and retain quality individuals, yet nursing faculty are not. I think it's time we stopped treating nurses as second-class professionals and got serious about paying these dedicated women and men what they are worth. At the same time, the University of Hawaii should expand its nursing programs so more qualified students have the opportunity to enter a well-paid profession here at home, something the governor herself spoke passionately about during her last gubernatorial campaign.
Travis Idol
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management,
University of Hawaii-Manoa
Cortney Midla
UH-Manoa nursing student
Closing bars earlier would prevent fights
Weekend and holiday nights in front of Waikiki nightclubs during the 4 a.m. closures are usually the scene of many fights. Those involved in fights for the most part are visibly intoxicated. This opens up possible liquor law violations committed by certain nightclubs that violate their liquor agreement by serving intoxicated patrons.
The longer the clubs stay open, the more the alcohol flows. The more the alcohol flows, the more potential for fights. Our elected officials need to create a law cutting back the closing hours from 4 a.m to 2 a.m. This should apply to all liquor establishments islandwide.
Rick LaMontagne
Honolulu
Exemption ought to rise and fall with value
Has anyone explored the possibility of making home exemption a percentage of assessed property value, instead of a fixed amount?
Property value fluctuates by default. Property tax fluctuates with the property value. Yet the amount of home exemption has remained fixed for years and years.
City Councilman Gary Okino's bill to double the amount of home exemption is a step in the right direction, but not a long-term solution.
Wendy Chen
Honolulu
City should tax no more than necessary
Honolulu Mufi Hannemann has plans for a fifty million dollar surplus. Why does Mufi need so much surplus? I thought the government was a nonprofit entity. Don't take any more than necessary.
Michael Nomura
Kailua
TSA deprives some of liberty, due process
Since shortly after the 9/11 terror attacks on the United States, the government has been keeping a "no fly" list of people who are barred from commercial air travel, supposedly because they are threats to safety. One of the people on that list is James Moore, the author of "Bush's Brain," a book critical of President Bush and his "architect," Karl Rove.
According to Moore, the government refuses to disclose its reasons for placing individuals' names on the list. Further, those individuals have no right to appeal their being barred from travel by the Transportation Security Administration.
The Fifth Amendment guarantees that no person shall be "deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." There can be no denying that barring a person from air travel is depriving him or her of liberty. For all of us in Hawaii, it would constitute confinement to the island on which we reside.
If James Moore can be barred from air travel by secret fiat, so can you or I. To put it in terms the nation's founders would understand, this is tyranny, and we need to put a stop to it now!
Thomas G. Gans
Honolulu
Filipino immigrants earned our respect
I read Corky Trinidad's "The Vanishing Filipinos" (
"My Turn," Star-Bulletin, Dec. 11). I am so glad that he addressed the issue of how Filipinos have quickly assimilated, but in their haste have nearly lost their identity. His cartoon says it all, demonstrating how many Filipinos, especially the younger ones, feel that it is better to pass themselves as something that they are not.
I am so thankful that when my paternal grandparents arrived in the Hawaiian Islands 87 years ago, as tough as a time they had during the early 1920s, raising eight children on Oahu, Maui and finally settling on Molokai, that they made sure their children would understand and be proud of their Visayan heritage.
I hope that with this commemoration of Filipinos many other Filipinos take the time to learn more about their heritage. I never got to know my grandfather, but I am thankful that I was raised by my grandmother. She taught me everything I know and made me who I am today. I miss her dearly, but this commemoration reminded me of the struggles she and my grandfather went through. Their dedication and perseverance are to be admired. All Filipinos should admire those who came to the islands for their courage, working in those hard times and preparing a better life for their families.
Kalani Mondoy
Glendale, Calif.
Former Hawaii resident