TRAFFIC

TOLL-ROAD CONCEPT GOOD FOR TAXPAYERS

Letters to the editor have included tales attempting to convince readers that we need to kill HB 70, the toll-road bill.

We are in a transportation crisis, and all options should be made available by the Legislature for the governor to act on it.

Simply put, the bill permits the governor to pursue the construction of new roads financed and constructed with private funds, roads that the state cannot afford to build on its own.

We are lane deficient, ranking even with Puerto Rico when it comes to number of persons per highway miles. We are a rich nation; we can do better than this.

Under the toll-road concept, only the person using the road pays. Nothing could be better for the taxpayer.

In other words, what would you pay to take a two-hour daily commute and be able to turn it into 15 minutes? That's congestion insurance. Got any?

STATE OF CITY

MAYOR NEEDS TO BE HELD MORE ACCOUNTABLE

Mayor Mufi Hannemann's State of the City speech prompts me to ask, what is the mayor's state of mind?

First, his administration dumps more than 48 million gallons of raw sewage into the Ala Wai Canal, and the mayor claims he had no other choice. Yet in his State of the City speech, he stated he will have to increase sewer fees to prevent this from happening again.

The mayor also states that he has "cautioned repeatedly that trash collection comes at a price." I recall that one vendor offered to operate the curbside recycling program at no cost and pay the city a fee. If memory serves me, when campaigning he told us that he would have a curbside recycling program up and running using the green bins.

Then we hit a snag that was blamed on union issues. But Mayor Hannemann said he would work it out and we would soon see the long-awaited curbside recycling program. It never happened. What we did see was that those same union issues didn't get in the way of picking up green waste that was placed in the blue bins and hauled to the Hawaiian Earth Products facility. Was it possible that the union didn't like green?

There were times I felt the best waffle in town could be had at the Original House of Pancakes, but it appears that no better waffle can be found than what is being cooked and served up at the Honolulu Hale.

It is time we hold this mayor accountable and send him a message that we will not tolerate this type of management.

HOMELESS

MOBILE HOMES COULD EASE HOUSING CRISIS

As the Advertiser pointed out on Feb. 25, the homeless situation is rapidly passing from crisis to tragedy.

Given the severity of the situation, I cannot understand why an obvious (if perhaps temporary) solution is never mentioned: mobile homes.

They're definitely not wonderful for long-term residences, but far superior to living in tents or in a car. Mobile homes have running water, toilets, cooking facilities, and protection from the weather.

FEMA has thousands of mobile homes sitting empty after the New Orleans hurricane crisis. They could be acquired cheaply, (if not for free), stacked on container ships, and ready for occupancy in months, not years.

The state has thousands of acres of land at Barbers Point and elsewhere, and the Hawaiian Homes Commission has thousands of acres more.

Mobile homes seem to be accepted in many, if not most, states. So why are they kapu here in Hawai'i? Do we think that we are such a superior community that our civic pride prevents us from "stooping" to a level that works elsewhere ?

BIOFUEL

HECO REFINERY PLAN HAS NEGATIVE IMPACTS

Regarding the response from HECO/BlueEarth Biofuels to Bill Kamanu's letter of concern about its proposed 40 to 120 million gallons per year biodiesel refinery: Maybe the title should have read "Biofuels here won't harm environment here."

There have been countless articles — from the Wall Street Journal to the Asia Times — written about the devastating effects of the importation of large quantities of palm oil. Some of these articles indicate that Europe, which was producing biodiesel almost a decade before it became experimental in the U.S., is now backing away from palm oil feedstocks because of deforestation and the actual increase in carbon-based global warming.

If HECO is truly interested in making a positive impact, it would not have been difficult for it to find the information: Environmental organizations such as Friends of the Earth are helping to expose these atrocities.

HECO's plan will increase global warming until all 120 million gallons of biodiesel are produced from oil crops grown in Hawai'i, something that is impossible to achieve. Thus, Hawai'i will still be hostage to unstable, potentially hostile nations which control palm oil, like anti-U.S. Malaysia and Indonesia, both large Muslim countries.

HECO's mad rush to secure approvals and public support for such a negative-impact project indicates it is unaware of the issues and may be using unknowledgeable industry experts, if, in fact, it is even consulting experts.

HEALTHCARE

MAHALO FOR WORK OF HAWAI'I SOCIAL WORKERS

March is Social Work Month. It provides an opportunity for professional social workers to highlight the essential role they play in alleviating some of America's most difficult problems. Through education, training and commitment, social workers provide assistance in many different areas, including aging, mental health, child welfare, end of life, adolescent health, cancer, HIV/AIDS and family violence.

This year's Social Work Month theme — Hope and Health: Help Starts Here — focuses on social work's contribution to healthcare.

A major contribution by social work in Hawai'i is the founding of Hawaii Medical Service Association.

It began in 1934 at the Territorial Conference of Social Work. Margaret Mary Louise Catton, the firstwoman born in Hawai'i to graduate as a professional social worker from the New York School of Social Work, introduced the concept of adequate and affordable healthcare.

Social workers continue to provide healthcare services in hospitals, community mental health centers and other social agencies.

So, to all professional social workers, mahalo for who you are and all that you do.

GAME BREEDERS

Should group handle rooster complaints?

A game bird by definition is any bird that is hunted for sport. Given that definition, how can the City Council justify the contract that totals $40,500 to the Hawaii Game Breeders Association to respond to rooster complaints?

The only sport that I am aware of that involves roosters is cockfighting. Something pilau.

PRICEY DELICACY

FOIE GRAS CRUEL; BAN IT FROM OUR DINNER TABLES

Many people have probably heard of foie gras, the pricey, French dish that's the enlarged liver of a duck.

But many people don't realize that to make this cruel delicacy, ducks and geese have a thick metal pipe rammed down their throats and are force-fed corn mush. This process happens about three times a day for many months. Many of these ducks' organs rupture, and many of them die from their diseased livers.

California, and the city of Chicago, recently banned this dish, joining a number of countries, such as Israel and Germany, which have done so.

It's appalling that we put these animals through immense suffering just to satisfy our taste buds.

Foie gras belongs in a horror novel, not on our plates.