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POSTED: Sunday, October 12, 2008

Paddleboarders need separate space

Re the Kokua Line article, ”;Heavy Traffic,”; on Oct. 5 (about stand-up paddleboarders at Ala Moana Beach Park):

Before someone is injured in this designated swim area at Ala Moana Beach Park, I would suggest that a section of this swimming area, the Ewa end, which is used the least, be marked, allowing for stand-up paddleboards' non-exclusive use. This will allow distance swimmers to enter the area also for long workouts. The Diamond Head end of this swim area is used by many age groups and must be protected for their safety before someone is injured and legal action taken against the City and County, state of Hawaii and the person operating the paddleboard and/or owners. The mixture of paddleboards with paddles is not safe in a swimming area with older people and young children.

McCain should have chosen Lingle

Barack Obama was sure lucky that Sen. John McCain didn't pick Gov. Linda Lingle as his running mate.

He would have had a candidate who was completely honest, respected, able to balance the state budget, keep her administration the most honest and above board in years.

Also a person who could speak intelligently on a variety of subjects. One who wasn't involved in witchcraft as Palin seems to be in her exorcism seen on various media outlets.

Now that it has been found that Palin violated the public trust in the Troopergate firing controversy, her credibility is gone.

The presidential race may have taken a different turn had McCain chosen Lingle.

Hate speech flies at McCain rallies

“;Kill him”; “;Off with his head!”; The only things missing from the latest Palin/McCain rallies are the KKK banners and the white bed sheets.

Con Con tort reform could keep doctors here

As one of the last endangered orthopedic surgeons on the Big Isle, I took particular interest in the Oct. 8 Star-Bulletin editorial, “;Legislators need to address Big Island doctor shortage.”;

The high cost of medical malpractice insurance and so-called “;death of tort reform”; in the Legislature are significant factors in forcing doctors out of our profession, especially on the Neighbor Islands.

Recently, I heard Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona talk about the opportunity to reform our health care system through a Constitutional Convention. If we can empower citizens to decide whether our state should enact meaningful reforms to keep doctors from leaving Hawaii, I think we should try it.

For years, the Hawaii Medical Association has tried to enact medical liability reforms through the Legislature, but little has been accomplished. Without tort reforms, physicians may not be able to afford medical liability premiums, and patients could have diminished access to health care.

On Nov. 4, we have the chance to hold a Con Con and make health care more affordable. If the Legislature is too dysfunctional and conflicted to do it, then we the people must do it ourselves. It's not too late, but we must act now.

Rapid transit system will really HURT

The HURT (short for Ho-nolulu Urban Rapid Transit system ) has HURT everyone who lives on Oahu already by increasing out excise tax by .5 percent. It has HURT Oahu residents by diverting politicians' attention from other important matters. It will HURT what is left of our environment by building monstrous stations and ugly elevated tracks.

It will HURT future generations of taxpayers who will be stuck with the bill for an outrageously expensive capital cost that will only benefit those traveling from the Ewa plain into Honolulu/Waikiki to go to work at jobs that are probably going to disappear with the contraction of our tourist industry. It will HURT Oahu taxpayers who will be forced to subsidize operating expenses that are far greater than revenues generated.

In short, the Honolulu Urban Rapid Transit folly will turn into THE BIG HURT.

Did voter apathy contribute to crash?

During the last two weeks, I watched in horror as a good portion of my golden years retirement fund, my little nest egg, which I had worked so hard to accumulate over 29 years, literally evaporate before my eyes. I am still in shock, and the warnings not to panic seem like hollow words.

Then, as I observed all the finger pointing, I wondered if all the politicians knew who was to blame then why did they not do something about it? How could corporate fat cats line their pockets, then run away when the bottom fell out and now meekly accept government assistance?

I also thought about people who complain about situations but boast about why they wouldn't or didn't care to vote because they thought it futile to do so. It is high time they realize that every vote counts. When they didn't vote, politicians and special interest groups got the green light and oversight on businesses and checks and balances were eliminated.

Now the worst has happened. Wall Street is reeling in red, and you and I on Main Street are left holding the bag. But I guess many people never act until they have something taken away from them. If you don't vote, don't complain and accept it because literally, you don't count!

Did economic leaders miss Sunday School?

The present financial crisis and the response of our national legislators has raised many concerns. As one who has a limited understanding of economics, I've placed my trust in our elected leaders and others who have accepted the responsibility of designing and implementing our nation's economic policies.

While I don't feel my trust was misplaced, I do feel somewhat betrayed. During the 1940s and 1950s my generation was taught that within a strong, stable community, there were certain people you could always trust: parents, police officers, school teachers, clergy of all faiths, physicians and bankers.

Therefore, to my sense of betrayal has been added large measures of disappointment, anger and helplessness.

From our parents and Sunday School, we learned about the moral qualities of citizenship and the importance of kindness and service to others. Maybe the CEOs of our financial institutions missed those lessons. Maybe (and this would be a tragic reality) character, citizenship and good decision-making weren't included in their education or their family life or other community experiences.

In addition to the lost trust, we need to reclaim the teaching of moral principles and what it means to be a good person. Strengthening our weakened economy will require our leaders going back to some basic lessons about responsibility, integrity and fairness.

It's greener to compost that green waste

To the uninformed, the city's green waste pickup program looks good and environmentally friendly. I beg to differ. As a farmer who observes nature closely every day, I know that organic materials are the building blocks of healthy soil and plants. To have a huge, fuel-guzzling truck pick up peoples yard “;waste”; is totally inefficient.

The best thing to do is to keep all the organic material in your yard because it breaks down, becoming food for the plants. It's called a compost pile. Nature never produces more than it consumes - it is perfectly balanced. To take all the leaves, grass and branches out of the yard and then throw chemical fertilizer on the plants is ignorant. Truly green means you keep all the organic material that your yard produces in the yard - not hauled 20 miles away by huge trucks.

Put aside a corner of the yard for what the yard produces because when it breaks down it is the best fertilizer of all.

Don't like bugs? They help break down the organic matter so it becomes more easily metabolized by the plants. The leaves look like rubbish? That kind of thinking is the antithesis of sustainability. Use the leaves as mulch under hedges and around trees and shrubs.

Does everybody want a Versailles in their yard, which requires herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and chemical fertilizers to keep going. And what percentage of Oahu residents even have a yard?

It's better to keep organic material in the yard and not have taxpayers pay for a wasteful program. Belt-tightening is the name of the game, so get with it and make a compost pile.

Landowner holds local farming in its hands

In 2010 the nursery leases of Kamilo Nui Valley are up for lease rent negotiation with landowner Kamehameha Schools.

I can only hope the farmers' new annual rent will not be too inflated as their leases don't expire until 2025 and all efforts should be made to uphold agreements dated back to Henry J. Kaiser days.

But what seems to be of greater concern is the vision of some people to transform the nurseries into “;gentlemen farms,”; thus displacing real local farmers and killing any chance of increasing the amount of produce the valley can supply.

Local nurseries vs.estates?  The answer for Kamilo Nui Valley lies with the landowner who has the ultimate power to welcome true farmers and encourage diversified agriculture or hold hands with the non-farming community. Time will tell where the truth lies as 2010 is just around the corner.