SENATE RACE

VOTERS NEED TO KNOW JONES ACT'S IMPACT

Cynthia Sims was dead-on regarding the Jones Act and Sen. Daniel Akaka's view on the matter (Letters, Aug. 14).

Hawai'i residents need to remember that we are basically held hostage by our shipping and transit unions several times a decade when they determine that they aren't being paid enough or receiving enough benefits.

The Jones Act is another tool that will enable them to continue doing the same thing over and over.

Take this opportunity to understand the Jones Act and what Ed Case is suggesting before you cast a vote for the continued holdup of Hawai'i's already overtaxed residents.

CASE UNDERSTANDS COST OF JONES ACT TO ISLANDS

Republican Sen. Wesley Jones from the state of Washington authored the Jones Act in 1920, for his powerful Seattle business constituents. They were afraid that their exclusive control over Alaska might be threatened by cheaper Canadian and Japanese shipping. How did Jones accomplish this, an act that benefited the powerful few in Seattle but hurt all Alaska (and Hawai'i) consumers? By cynically baiting his bill with labor-friendly provisions to disguise its nasty consumer hook.

Kudos to Cynthia Sims (Letters, Aug. 14) for pointing out a GAO study indicating that the Jones Act costs every Hawaiian household over $4,000 a year (probably more for Alaska). Seems like Ed Case is the only one of our congressmen who has not swallowed Jones' 86-year-old rotten bait.

DEBATE WILL DO NOTHING TO CLARIFY CAMPAIGN

Generally, a debate between political opponents helps clarify positions on issues and also reveals candidates' true character.

A debate between Sen. Daniel Akaka and his "Democrat" challenger would serve none of these ends. The positions of Sen. Akaka and his challenger on the key issues are clear from their records.

Sen. Akaka opposed the Iraq war; his challenger supported it. No debate will change that.

Sen. Akaka's open, humble nature and his integrity have earned him the respected and endearing title of "Uncle" Danny. His opponent, however, solicited and took donations for his re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives just one week before he revealed his U.S. Senate campaign posters. Rep. Case deceived his own donors.

Rep. Case hopes a debate will similarly deceive voters. As a lawyer, Mr. Case can slant his questions and spin his responses in a debate. Voters who want the truth should beware of Mr. Case's ploy to use a debate to mislead them. The contrast in positions, personality and character between Sen. Akaka and his challenger are dramatically obvious and well known. A debate makes little sense here.

ELECTION 2006

MANDATORY VOTING NOT A PRODUCTIVE ENDEAVOR

While Norman Ornstein's idea comes from a motivation to get people to vote, it is still a flawed idea ("Mandatory voting works in other nations," Aug. 14).

Forcing people to vote through coercion isn't productive. Instead, we should publicly finance elections for candidates who choose to go through the qualification process.

Already, 78 percent of Maine's legislature is made up of "clean elections" candidates who used public money. These candidates accepted no special-interest money. Not coincidentally, since using the public funding mechanism, voter turnout rates have increased in Maine and are now the highest in the country.

HOOSER BEST KNOWS ISSUES IN HIS DISTRICT

As a professional tour guide, I drive the roads of Maui regularly. It is appalling to see the changes in our traffic congestion in just the past year, with little relief in sight from our Honolulu-dominated Legislature. My guests, frequently high-end visitors who can vacation anywhere they please, vow never to return to their beloved Maui because they no longer want to spend precious hours sitting in stop-and-go traffic that has become the norm.

To fix this problem before it gets any worse, we need strong representation by people who know the issues that growth is bringing to the Neighbor Islands.

There is only one candidate who is directly familiar with the issues we face: Gary Hooser. He and his family actually live in the 2nd Congressional District, which he hopes to represent.

I would hate to see yet another Honolulu-based politician who has little current knowledge of the problems we face try to represent us in the U.S. Congress.

Hey, neighbors in the 2nd District, support and vote for Gary Hooser. One of us.

COMMUNITY ISSUES

NEIGHBORHOOD BOARDS NOT DIVERSE ENOUGH

Kudos to The Advertiser for addressing the very serious issues of the neighborhood boards.

However, most of the time I am convinced that the neighborhood boards are nothing but a "self-aggrandizing" mode for many of the board members. Notice the pattern: They will start being a neighborhood board member, and a year later you find them running for some political position in their own district or their own county. I also noticed that board members don't represent the racial and cultural diversity of their own district. How many board members are Micronesians, Hawaiians, Filipinos, Samoans, Tongans, Vietnamese, and so on?

I must say, though, that I love the Wai'anae Neighborhood Board. I've attended board meetings several times, even though I live in Mo'ili'ili. It's genuinely diverse and members are very passionate about important issues in their community.

Right on, Wai'anae!

HOMELESS

WAI'ANAE LOOKS TOWARD REGAINING BEACH PARKS

Last week's cleanup of beaches along the Wai'anae Coast was a great start in reclaiming our beautiful coastline for our residents and visitors.

The mayor and his people showed us that they are not just talk, but are willing to roll up their sleeves and work side by side with our community groups to make things better.

We have a long way to go, but with the city and state working together to provide alternatives for homeless families, we can look forward to restoring our beach parks for our families to enjoy in safety.

This past weekend's Sunset at the Beach event at Ma'ili was a rousing success. And, the cooperation of the homeless people to voluntarily relocate so the rest of the community could once again enjoy the park was a significant turning point. We all want to help people in our 'ohana who for whatever reason find themselves without a home to live in. But, forfeiting our rights to use the parks is not the answer. All of us want a better long-term solution.

BEACHES

PLAN NECESSARY TO MANAGE CONSERVATION

I want to applaud Chip Fletcher for his Aug, 13 commentary "Stemming the Tide." When he mentions purchasing land, he's talking about the rightful use of eminent domain, a law that has been abused for many years in the transferring of parcels from one private owner to another.

The county and state have been responsible for many of our woes. The terms "planning" and "management" simply don't exist between the two in the long-term scheme of things. What everyone needs to see is an aerial photograph of O'ahu in 2106. The rate of ocean rise is accelerating, and 2 to 3 feet may be a conservative figure for the next 100 years.

I doubt there's any real stopping of what's to come, but at least we can try to manage beach conservation with a plan.

CEASE-FIRE

UNITED NATION USELESS IN MIDEAST CRISIS

We all know the U.N. is useless. It didn't even call for the two Israeli soldiers to be returned. Does one really think this "so-called" cease-fire will really work? What has the U.N. done that even comes close to working?

LANIKAI-BORN HERO

PARAPLEGIC SWIMMER AN INSPIRATION TO MANY

There was no mention of this race in your paper, and I'm compelled to tell you about one incredible and special swimmer.

Lanikai native Barry McKeown swam the North Shore Challenge in record time of 1:23 on Aug. 5. What makes his swim so significant? Barry was the only paraplegic swimmer and finished ahead of many others. The crowd erupted into cheers as he swam into Waimea Bay!

Barry lives in Alameda, Calif., and trains daily in a public pool in Berkeley. When he's not in the pool, he's caring for his three children, paddling and working full time as an RN at the San Francisco Veterans Hospital.

I became reacquainted with Barry this summer, in Berkeley, after 35 years, post-Kailua High School. I marvel at his focus, drive and commitment to better himself.

I believe people should know what an extraordinary human being he is, as he inspires and encourages others. He's my hero!