Letters to the Editor
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PAY RAISES
KAMEHAMEHA TRUSTEES GIVING WRONG MESSAGE
Lee Cataluna said it so well when she wrote about how callous it would be for the state Legislature to accept a pay raise. We should make those same recommendations to the Kamehameha Schools' trustees.
The day before it was announced that the endowments declined by more that $1.7 billion, the KS trustees' request for a 69 percent pay raise was made public. They, too, should be leading by example, and making the same kind of sacrifices that the rest of the community is experiencing. To be paid to serve, in the amounts they are asking for, appears out of touch with reality and sends a message of self-importance. Seems to me we are reverting to the self-serving years prior to the mid-1990s. I thought the trust monies were to go to the children and their education.
These are difficult economic times being faced by everyone. Kamehameha trustees will be sending the wrong message to the community if they accept this pay jump.
Teachers and staff at the Kapalama campus were asked to minimize use of air conditioning and electricity when possible, and they are taking steps to lead by example in many ways. What about our other leaders?
Kathleen Quinn, retired Kamehameha Schools teacherHonolulu
INAUGURATION
WE NEED TO BUILD ON OBAMA'S VISION OF U.S.
The inauguration of President Obama was, truly, an inspiring event. Those who embrace his progressive, inclusive thinking are jubilant about his leadership and many of those who disagree remain open and accepting. It was an incredible day.
The president provides us with healthy signs of healing for our fractured and hurting nation: the manner in which he reaches out to those who disagree with him, his challenge to all citizens to work together, his vision of a united America — "We are not a liberal America or a conservative America, we are the United States of America."
However, as our new president outlined the task ahead of us, he acknowledged the reality of the difficulties and the failures and the unforeseen problems. For example, we must engage people with extremist, fanatical views whose words are polarizing and whose actions are often violent, in our nation and around the world.
I think we need to build upon President Obama's vision in some other important areas as well:
Then, once we recognize who we are not, we can clarify who we are and decide who we want to become. Do we have the audacity to hope?
John HeidelKailua
AKAKA BILL
RIGHTS OF 'RECOGNITION' ARE NO GUARANTEE
Your editorial "Isles should send unfettered Akaka bill for a vote" (Jan. 16) makes at least one big assumption that needs mentioning. If the Akaka bill is approved, do you really believe that anti-Hawaiian groups and individuals are just going to throw their hands up and say, "we quit," as to their legal challenges?
Federally recognized American Indian groups within the United States have been challenged in state and federal courts for a long, long time, including many losses in the Supreme Court. Some of these have been in recent years. The rights and reservation system First Peoples have been left with are nothing to brag about.
Federal recognition only holds weight as long as the interests of the hegemony, along with the state of Hawai'i as we see right now, are not at stake. Regarding this bill, sometimes less is more.
Tony CastanhaHonolulu
TAKE PROPER CARE OF THIS STATE, COUNTRY FIRST
There's been some discussion recently as to whether or not the Akaka bill should go up for a vote, or, as The Honolulu Advertiser said in its editorial (Jan. 16), whether Native Hawaiians should be given "a pathway for establishing Hawai'i's indigenous people as a political entity, enabling their reconstitution as a 'state within a state' government."
Before we even begin to address the Hawaiian issue, my question is this: if we can't even get the economy of the United States of America, arguably the most powerful nation on earth, to work properly, let alone make the economy of Hawai'i a thriving, sustainable place where houses are affordable, energy is cheap and jobs are plentiful, why on earth would we even begin to think that a "state within a state" could have success in this time of decline?
We are literally witnessing America's most challenging moment in our 21st century. My advice to the state and federal government is this: How about proving to us that you can effectively run the United States of America and the state of Hawai'i first before you try to run the destiny and future of Native Hawaiians?
Daniel de Gracia IIWaipahu
BUDGET SHORTFALLS
LEADERS SEEM TO HAVE FORGOTTEN HOUSEHOLDS
There has been considerable rhetoric from the city and state governments about how much financial trouble they are in from reduced revenues. Both the governor and the mayor are proposing ways to increase "revenues and fees" by raiding special funds and making property taxes revenue neutral to meet their projected budget shortfalls.
What hasn't been mentioned by any of our "leaders" is the household budgets of citizens and citizens' costs of living. Taxpayers now have the highest taxes at all levels in the history of the state and city. The GET was raised 12 percent, property taxes were raised through higher appraisals, commercial property taxes were raised resulting in higher costs for retail goods, vehicle weight fees are double from just two years ago, sewer fees have tripled and will go higher.
HECO has the highest kilowatt-hour electricity costs in the nation, Matson has increased its fees, which increases costs for all goods coming into Hawai'i.
And all we hear from the city and state is what a hardship they have balancing their budgets, even after the state had a $700 million surplus just in 2007 and the city had its highest revenues in history. They should try to balance my household budget after all their increases, and since I don't work for the city or state, I don't have an 8 percent salary increase over the past two years. As Pogo said, "we have met the enemy and it is us."
Pam Smith'Ewa Beach
HOME PRICES
DON'T SCARE READERS; ASK LOCAL ECONOMISTS
I find the headline to the story "31% home price slide forecast" (Jan. 19) irresponsible. Are you trying to scare your readers? Are you rooting for a steeper decline in the economy?
Hawai'i's real estate market does not behave like the Mainland. When times get tough here, people take homes off the market. Sales levels drop but prices do not drop like they do on the Mainland.
You do not say what Moody's track record has been in forecasting the Hawai'i market before. I will bet it is not very good. I would put my faith in local economists who actually know our market.
Bob ClarkeHonolulu
