PROPERTY TAXES

HOMEOWNERS TARGET OF HANNEMANN TAX POLICY

Your editorial of June 3, "Property tax relief should be across the board," should have been titled, "Property tax relief should target homeowners," inasmuch as the top tax priority of the Hannemann administration has been to provide broad-based tax relief for homeowners.

Last year and again this year, Mayor Hannemann proposed the creation of a homeowner classification of property tax, with its own rate. Despite the adoption of this policy by all sister counties, Honolulu has not done likewise.

Last year, the mayor persuaded the council to approve a $200 tax discount for properties that qualified for the home exemption. This year, the mayor's recommendation to provide homeowners additional tax relief of $376 was reduced to $200 by the council.

Providing for a tax discount rather than a rate reduction is a sound one: Higher-valued properties benefit more when the tax rate is reduced, whereas the proposed tax discount is a set dollar amount that produces a larger tax benefit for lower-valued properties.

The Tax Foundation of Hawai'i testified that lowering the tax rates would not benefit renters. That is, reducing the tax rates would benefit the landlord and investor more than the tenant because a landlord is not obligated to pass on any reduction in property taxes, to renters. In truth, the dramatic increase in rents over recent years has been largely due to a supply-and-demand problem and a shortage of available housing.

CHINA TRADE

IMPORT OF TOXIC ITEMS MUST STOP IMMEDIATELY

I am aghast at the abject failure of the president and Congress to address immediately the potential disaster that could easily result from the criminal laxity both in China and by the Food and Drug Administration in dealing with the import to the United States of toxic toothpaste containing diethylene glycol, poisonous pet food, Thomas the Train toys painted with lead-based paint, tainted cough syrup, vitamin supplements, ineffective and diluted counterfeit drugs and many other products that are harming the American public without our knowledge.

The United States should immediately halt all food products and ingestibles from China until a process is in place to ensure their safety and effectiveness.

To those who will say that such actions would disrupt trade, cause instability in the Chinese economy or create other dire results, I would ask this question: Are you willing to let China continue to import counterfeit and dangerous products while Americans fall ill and die?

WWII

NISEI SOLDIERS AFFECTED THOSE WHO FOLLOWED

Thank you for helping to preserve memories of some of the greatest soldiers in American history. I am always moved by any story that gives recognition to the members of the 100th Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team. I wish there were a way to let them know that many soldiers like myself are so proud of them and they have affected many others after them.

Even though I am sansei and a Japanese-American soldier in today's Army, I still live to follow in their footsteps as I serve my country today.

These men are true heroes and if I ever faced that type of combat and fighting they did, I can only hope that I would have the perseverance and dedication they had.

I was assigned to the U.S. Army Reserves 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry in 1987. I will never forget how a survivor of the "Lost Battalion" that was rescued by the 442nd Regimental Combat Team approached me while traveling on an airplane in my Class A uniform on the Mainland. This elderly gentleman had tears in his eyes when he saw the famous unit patch on my shoulder and he told me, "Sonny, you wear that patch with pride — those boys saved my life."

Let us not forget them — ever.

OPEN LAND

O'AHU MUST WORK TO PRESERVE KAWELA SPACE

Maika'i, Maui and U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono, for protecting the coastal area from Pa'ia to Sprecklesville.

We on O'ahu must do the same and put our hard-earned taxpayer dollars to preserving our last open ocean areas of Kawela Bay eastward to Kahuku Point and all of the beachfront alongside Kahuku Golf Course. If funds can be used to purchase hundreds of acres of Campbell Estate land for U.S. Fish and Wildlife, certainly legislators can do the same for their people.

Speak out, Hawai'i, before investors like Oaktree Capital Management LLC and Continental Pacific LLC — who see only dollar signs from luxury hotels, condominiums and luxury lots — destroy every last bit of seashore our mo'opuna should enjoy.

Wake up our elected city officials and demand a halt on permits that sustain no quality of life for residents and disrespect our ancient burials.

TRIBUTE

JUDGE LIM LAUDED FOR HIS AMAZING INTELLECT

I write this letter to honor someone I consider to be one of the greatest jurists in Hawai'i, indeed throughout the country. The Honorable John S.W. Lim, associate judge of the Intermediate Court of Appeals, passed away last week.

I served as a law clerk to Judge Lim in 2002. My tenure with Judge Lim began as soon as I finished law school and lasted one year.

Now I realize this was too short an amount of time to have spent with such an amazing man. I will always consider him as having the most amazing intellect I will ever encounter.

He taught me more in the short time I worked with him than I will learn the rest of my legal career. I owe him much.

I am deeply saddened that Judge Lim will no longer be a part of our lives and the legal community.

From Texas, I wish his family and friends well and hope that all who knew Judge Lim will celebrate his life and cherish his memory.

TRAFFIC

MOTORISTS NEED BETTER ROADWORK WARNINGS

I am writing to complain of the lack of planning and coordination between the state and the contractors and a lack of consideration for the public in recent roadwork along Ala Moana.

On Saturday, June 16, Ala Moana in the vicinity of South Street was reduced to one lane of traffic on the makai side. This caused a horrendous backup of vehicles heading toward Diamond Head.

Even past the roadwork, traffic was still reduced to one lane.

Traffic lights were not altered to facilitate this traffic change. There were no signs on the roads coming from the airport to urge drivers to take the freeway or a route through town to travel east. The resulting traffic congestion was intolerable and the planning unacceptable.

This cavalier attitude of the state and the contractors must cease. Signs must be posted suggesting alternative routes. Traffic lights must be altered to facilitate the flow of traffic.

In addition, the state should erect permanent electronic signs on both street levels leaving the airport to advise motorists of road work, accidents and alternative routes.

EDUCATION

VOCATIONAL CLASSES A BETTER SUMMER OPTION

Public school students are on their abbreviated summer break.

Some parents have registered their upset over the paucity of summer school options. Kids fail classes. Traditional summer school dishes out more of the same coursework these students just failed. Perhaps this is counterproductive.

Perhaps a more effective option for intermediate and high school students would be a vocational-technical summer institute, a collaborative effort among schools, unions, businesses and communities.

Students would have a range of options to choose from, and applied academics, of course, would be imbedded.

Reluctant students may just wake up to the real purpose of school — to prepare them to become responsible, contributing members of their communities. Maybe next year?

TAGGING

KAILUA GRAFFITI FIGHTER OFFERS SUGGESTIONS, TIPS

I'm writing regarding Lisa Lange's June 18 letter about graffiti. She asked what can be done to help solve the problem.

I also live in Kailua, and about 10 years ago, I had similar concerns and joined a citywide graffiti task force. I also began working with Steve Holmes, our councilman at the time.

Steve kept donated paint and rollers in his car trunk, and whenever he saw graffiti, he'd stop and paint it out.

At one point, I worked through John Felix to organize a Kailua-wide paint-out. But I discovered that rather than working through organized efforts, it was much easier and effective to just do it yourself, which I've been doing for the past 10 years. My understanding is that there are some other folks in Kailua who do this as well.

The city tends to concentrate on the highways and public roadways. Communities really need individual citizens and civic organizations to help.

If you are persistent, the problem becomes less and less as the kids eventually give up when they realize it will be painted out right away; it's all about "in your face" attitude and peer recognition.

You'll notice as you drive around Kailua that the main streets and most visible areas are pretty much free of graffiti at this point.

If you have an area near your home that's been tagged, I suggest you just paint it out and stay on top of it. Not only will it reduce the graffiti in your area, but it's a very empowering and fulfilling feeling to take back control of your neighborhood.