Letters to the Editor
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PEDESTRIAN SAFETY
COLORADO SIGNS HELP DRIVERS SLOW DOWN
These state law signs in Gunnison County, Colo., help bring awareness and curtail pedestrian accidents.
I must admit, at first I thought it was burdensome to have these in the middle of the streets, but I realized that unconsciously I was driving a lot slower — following the speed limit, and being more aware of pedestrians.
It is the law to yield to pedestrians. I'm more cognizent of slowing down when I see signs posted in crosswalks.
I hope that we can adopt another city's idea of the importance of safety in the crosswalks. Let's help save lives and improve the quality of life by slowing down.
Sonia Ann EslitCrested Butte, Colo.
AGRICULTURE
STATE MUST TRY TO KEEP SUGAR, PINEAPPLE HERE
The announcement regarding cutbacks in their pineapple operations by Maui Land and Pine sounds like the death knell of pineapple grown in Hawai'i.
Sugar cane and pineapple fields are part of the fabric of Hawai'i, and I feel our government should do everything it can to prevent the total demise of these two industries. Hawai'i needs to act now!
Perhaps the state and counties can provide tax concessions — both general excise and real property — to allow sugar cane and pineapple to continue for as long as possible.
The Hawai'i Tourism Authority should also contribute to the effort by providing subsidies from the tourism tax justified by the fact that visitors who come to Hawai'i make sugar cane and pineapple fields part of their visitor experience.
Keeping these two industries in Hawai'i benefits our economy by providing jobs for many.
Let's not allow Hawai'i to lose a significant part of its charm.
Oswald K. StenderKailua
HAWAI'I
ECONOMIC NIGHTMARE HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN
Thanks to Bernice Parsons for describing economic challenges and opportunities that face Hawai'i (Island Voices, July 31). Although news of a deteriorating economy has become commonplace recently, she provides examples of different types of emergent businesses that can pave the way toward a robust economy.
All of the businesses that Ms. Parsons describes have one thing in common. They are high-tech businesses that require workers with high levels of knowledge and skill. As such, Ms. Parsons recognizes that the University of Hawai'i and the public school system are the engines of economic growth.
However, Hawai'i's public schools are among the worst in the nation. What's even worse is that powerful groups with very narrow interests want to maintain the status quo.
Without a highly educated workforce, the continued decline of Hawai'i's economy can be expected. Here are some headlines that can be imagined in the not too distant future:
I wish I could say that I saw these headlines only in a dream, and then I woke up. Unfortunately, the nightmare has only just begun.
John KawamotoHonolulu
RAIL DEBATE
NEW MODES OF TRAFFIC JUST AN ENDLESS CYCLE
Many people say they want the rail system, they need the rail system. But many years ago, there was a trolley system, which eventually was considered not so good.
Forty years ago, there were railroad tracks that came from Wai'anae into Honolulu. They were considered "old fashioned" and unneeded. Interesting that they covered the same area that fixed rail will run on. All you had to do was get passenger cars for the train. Then you would have had fixed rail.
No one seems to realize that for the next 20 years traffic will be even worse than it is now due to construction which, in all likelihood, won't be finished in 20 years.
When construction is finished, they will continue to pay. There will be tickets to pay for, employees, upkeep and replacement of rails and cars and an electric bill.
And, by then, there will be a new transportation system that will be better, etc., so, get rid of the fixed rail and implement the new system as it will be superior and more economical. This is an apparently endless cycle.
A. S. TyauHonolulu
GOVERNOR JUST WANTS PEOPLE TO HAVE A SAY
In response to Dean Sato's July 29 letter ("Why can't Lingle take clear position on rail?"), I'd like to remind him that the governor has been clear and consistent on this issue from the beginning.
Signing the petition is not a policy departure. She has always believed the people should have a say in what their government does. She has also supported transit alternatives for O'ahu, including rail when it was initially proposed.
Now, however, the people are feeling a little left out of the process. They want to have a say in what will be the biggest construction project the city has ever undertaken. The governor agrees with this sentiment. That is why she signed the rail petition.
Lingle does not want to "kill" rail, rather she wants the people to have one final say in the process, yes or no.
The people agree with her, the City Council agrees with her, and I agree with her. It is not ambiguous or misleading to represent the will of the people.
Chris HossellmanHonolulu
HEALTHCARE
STRESS ON EMERGENCY CARE SYSTEM IS GROWING
Mahalo for your article on Aug. 7 regarding the crisis in emergency rooms across the nation.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that visits to emergency rooms from 1996 to 2006 increased 32 percent, while the number of emergency rooms have decreased, a trend that shows no sign of slowing.
The stress on the emergency care system cannot continue without devastating consequences for emergency patients.
Even the very serious patients with heart attacks, stroke and trauma must sometimes wait for care simply because demands on the system are accelerating so fast.
An added problem is that patients who are awaiting admission to the hospital are often in a "holding bed" in the ER, due to inadequate resources and staff in the inpatient units.
As a member of the American College of Emergency Physicians, I see firsthand the suffering and sometimes life-threatening situations that emergency patients endure, and the situation continues to worsen, especially in metropolitan areas.
Healthcare reform must include funding to strengthen our emergency departments, which are the last remaining healthcare safety net in the nation.
Dr. Shay BintliffEmergency physician, Kamuela, Hawai'i
NAVY
USS FLETCHER SERVED NATION WITH DISTINCTION
A recent article, complete with a picture, showed the scuttling and sinking of the USS Fletcher in the deep waters off O'ahu.
I am one of many local men who sailed on her. I served for two years during the Korean War from 1951 to 1953 and was her gunnery officer when the war ended and we were released from active duty.
I must admit that when I was involuntarily recalled to active duty I was not happy to leave my wife and two children when we had two six-month tours of duty in the Korean waters with the Navy carrier task forces.
But we had many exciting days and weeks during those two years, including the test firing of the first hydrogen bomb at Bikini Atoll. There was no question that such a weapon was capable of stopping a war.
During her active duty, the Fletcher served our country with distinction and it is only fitting that the Fletcher class of destroyers perpetuate her name.
Dean E. WittCaptain, U.S. Navy Reserve, retired, Honolulu
