FOOTBALL

PAYING TO WATCH UH GAMES SLAP IN THE FACE

What a slap in the face to Uneversity of Hawai'i football fans! Another road game on pay-per-view.

I can see the rationale for not televising home games, but this is too much.

It's an insult to every UH fan. After all, who's footing the bill for the athletic department at UH? It's us, the taxpayers.

Yet we can't even watch the team we're paying for. I guess it's OK for the sports bars and the more affluent members of our community. But for the average Joe or Jane, well, who cares about them?

I'd hate to root against this team, but the athletic department is making it hard to root for them.

HOMELESS

MA'ILI DOES NOT WANT TRANSITIONAL PROJECT

Kaulana Park said in a Sept. 17 letter that the community supports the Villages of Ma'ili transitional housing project.

That is not true. I have attended a few of the community meetings, and it is quite the opposite. The majority at these meetings does not want this project in our backyards.

When are the city and state going to stop enabling the homeless? Look at our beach parks. Pilau!

Coral Sands was beautified, for what? To give the beach dwellers tables to sit in the afternoon sun to drink their beer? I see it every day. Able bodies sit and talk story all day, just waiting for the day to pass.

Unfortunately, I think the only way to give the public back our beaches is to put a Monday through Friday ban on camping on the Wai'anae Coast. A total reform is definitely needed.

It's too easy to be "homeless" and still get benefits. Why should people work when they can sit back at the beach and get food stamps, medical, free water and a new home that will be built for them soon?

Unfortunately that is the reality of it. Wake up, you city officials.

HOMELESS SHELTER SHIP AN UNWORKABLE IDEA

Please try to check your facts better and report correct statistics on homelessness on O'ahu. The point-in-time count of unsheltered homeless people is approximately 1,800 on O'ahu from the recent 2007 survey, not 3,800 — which is the total of sheltered and unsheltered.

This constant misreporting works to confuse people trying to understand the scope of the homeless problem and effective and practical solutions — one of which the "homeless ship" is not.

The ship is unfeasible. No insurance carrier would touch the idea — end of story. Facility configuration dictates cost — especially in homeless services — and the ship would require huge annual maintenance and staffing costs. This is not thinking out of the box. This is just not thinking.

The time spent on this idea would be much better spent getting legislation and administrative rules passed that can actually reduce homelessness now, and getting the state to listen to people actually delivering services who can tell you what is needed.

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS

SPYING ON OTHER TEAMS UNETHICAL, DISHONEST

I have been coaching high school football since 1989 and currently coach at 'Aiea High School.

I am writing in regard to the way the NFL handled the spying situation with the Patriots and Bill Belichick. I think the consequence fit the violation.

It's unfortunate that this unfair play and dishonest competition also exists at the high school level.

I have been a victim of other high school football coaches videotaping me, sending my signals for my offense during our football games and I have never gotten a chance to voice my opinion on this matter.

In my opinion, this is unethical and it's cheating.

Why do these coaches feel the need to do such an act? Is it because they want to win at any cost?

If fair play and honest competition is what you preach to your players, then you should do the same.

BUSINESS

FINANCE FACTORS HAS POTENTIAL FOR SUCCESS

In response to your article on Finance Enterprises' shareholder issues (Sept. 9), let me share my perspective as an independent board member and chairman of the audit committee at Finance Factors.

My involvement with Finance Factors began in 2000, when the company was required to include outside directors as part of its organizational restructuring.

Current management has made great improvements over the past 10 years to return the company to profitability, growing reasonably and operating the company in a sound manner, in accordance with FDIC regulations.

Current leadership has done a great job in meeting customer demands with personalized customer service and attractive products, while ensuring the safety of customer deposits.

I hope Finance Enterprises quickly resolves all shareholder issues, so each operating company can continue to grow. With shareholder approval to change the company charter to a state banking charter, Finance Factors has the potential to achieve even more success. To remain competitive and profitable the company must continue to grow and adapt, which will ultimately benefit all shareholders, employees and the community — the intent of our original founders.

WAIKIKI

TIMESHARE BOOTHS ARE SAFETY ISSUE, EYESORE

It has become increasingly difficult for pedestrians to navigate the sidewalks of Waikiki without running into the many timeshare booths.

These timeshare booths not only take away from the ambiance of Waikiki, but, seriously, they are a safety issue.

KAPI'OLANI BLVD.

LEFT TURN TO UNIVERSITY A MORNING NIGHTMARE

Turning left onto University Avenue from Kapi'olani during morning rush hour is a nightmare.

Some days, Kapi'olani east-bound traffic is forced into one lane before the intersection. Other days, it isn't. This means that every day some poor driver (local or tourist) finds himself suddenly in the left-turn-only lane, facing oncoming traffic.

One sign put up with the orange traffic cones states: "No left turn." Then 50 feet later, another sign warns, "Left turn only in this lane." I hope the Department of Transportation will deal with this before we have a serious accident at this intersection.

CIVIL RIGHTS

DEBATE OVER MAKEUP OF PANEL IS BACKWARD

Isn't the debate over Hawai'i Civil Rights Advisory Commission membership backward? To illustrate, here is a question I would administer — in a hospital's nursery — to each member:

As you look at your newest fellow citizens do you:

A) See them sharing a common and glorious future together as equals, or

B) See in their separate pasts a justification for assigning them to separate groups that claim different rights and privileges?

Doesn't anyone remember America's battle to destroy the evil dishonesty of "separate but equal?" Or when its schools still taught what made America different from, and superior to, the "old countries?" Specifically, that America's nationality is defined in terms of common ideals instead of a common bloodline, and that the Creator endowed "sovereignty" in individuals who are ruled only with their shared consent versus by sovereigns.

So instead of debating the membership of people pledged to honor Hawai'i citizens' born-equal rights, shouldn't we debate membership of people who view America as a mosaic that assigns newborn infants to color-coded boxes that keep them segregated from one another literally forever?

RECYCLING

SOME OBSERVATIONS ABOUT NEW TRASH PLAN

Fortunately, I do not live in an area that will experience the new trash collection program. So some of the problems they might not have thought about will get addressed before they stuff it down my throat.

A couple of observations:

There hasn't been any disclosure about what the plans are for the Christmas/New Year's holidays. Pity those who are scheduled for trash pickup on Christmas and New Year's. Those being the traditional holidays for the 'opala guys, those houses won't get a trash collection for three weeks during the most intense trash production time of the year. Maybe if this is published, the bosses will come up with a plan.

The other observation is that even with the twice-a-week pickup, there are still plenty of overflowing trash bins. How can these people make it with half the service?

Yeah, I know, the city will either make a second pickup or will provide a second bin for a fee. Those people will get a sticker to put on their trash bin to signify they have paid the fee. Just exactly how long do you think those marked trash bins will remain in front of the home in which the poor sucker paid the fee? Have you ever heard of midnight requisitioning?

CLUTTER

BUILDING RESTRICTS DELIVERY OF DIRECTORIES

Jenn Debellis' Sept. 15 letter ("Telephone directories cluttering driveways") is right on the mark.

With at least four companies delivering phone books (sometimes three per company) we are being inundated with the publications. Only one of the publishers provides telephone service.

It got so bad in my 400-unit condominium that phone books are no longer allowed to be delivered en masse.

As we suffered through numerous deliveries in recent years, residents wanted to know why we were getting new books when we had received a delivery a few weeks earlier. Seniors had a hard time lifting and carrying the heavy tomes.

The area where books are left for recycling became an eyesore and our employees had to take the books to recycling centers, taking time away from their maintenance duties. Now, any resident who wants a phone book must request a special delivery from that company.

Hopefully that will solve the problem where I live. Except, one company has started mailing the phone books to all residents. Guess we will have to tell the post office to "return to sender."