House speaker seems clueless about ethics
I do not know Les Kondo, but that he has been taken to task for holding legislators to account when they violate the state Ethics Code is beyond the pale (“State ethics chief stands by work,” Star-Advertiser, May 28).
Our legislators do not seem to understand that accepting free tickets or golf outings or gifts from lobbyists is a blatant conflict of interest, or that fundraising at the Legislature is not only inappropriate but a slap in the face to the people who sent them there.
House Speaker Joe Souki, who had the gall to write a letter whining that these once-common practices are prohibited, no doubt didn’t see himself (and the “ethics” process in the House), being skewered by John Oliver on his TV show, which showed Souki questioning whether his being a consultant for a plastics trade association was in any way a conflict of interest during debate about a plastic bag fee.
Of course it was, yet he was absolved by the House, leading Oliver to say that in Hawaii, a conflict of interest must also be not a conflict of interest.
Right out of Alice in Wonderland.
Nancy Davlantes
Kaneohe
HSTA’s old guard trying to hang on
The turmoil churned up by the recent Hawaii State Teachers Association election can be attributed to two things:
>> First, to historically low interest on the part of Hawaii teachers in their union.
>> Second, to a group of concerned and dedicated teachers who in recent years have begun to circumvent perceived inaction on the part of HSTA leadership by promoting dynamic change within the union.
Although a handful of individuals have attempted to defend the questionable decisions of HSTA’s board of directors, they unfortunately have been unable to dispel the suspicions of many teachers that the only “irregularity” of concern to the board was its unwillingness to believe that teachers would vote for candidates who have emerged from this second maverick group.
Anyone even remotely familiar with HSTA politics will smile at Sharon Mahoe’s characterization of the individuals who voted not to accept the election results as acting upon purely benign motivations (“HSTA board deserves praise for ordering new elections,” Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, May 27).
Andy Jones
Language arts teacher, Radford High School
Help seniors avoid being victimized
I am responding to the article on tax thieves, who hacked into the IRS “Get Transcript” system to steal personal information like Social Security numbers of approximately 100,000 filers (“Thieves get personal info on thousands of taxpayers,” Star-Advertiser, May 27).
In January, the Hawaii Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) sent out a “Looking Out For You” bulletin to the kupuna in long-term care and residential communities alerting them to scams just as heinous as Medicare fraud. The warning that tax thieves use devious approaches to steal identities for tax refunds is rampant, causing the IRS to pay fraudulent claims of $5.8 billion in 2013 alone, a figure that escalates annually.
Similarly, Medicare recipients are victimized in schemes by unconscionable thieves making fraudulent claims using their personal information, at an unfathomable cost totaling $70 billion annually.
Help stop these scams by being more vigilant in preventing, detecting and reporting suspected fraud. For tax thefts, contact the IRS at www.irs.gov.
Locally you can help by becoming a Hawaii SMP volunteer.
Mae Fujii
Hawaii Kai
Let’s try to resolve Hawaii culture clash
It appears that in the controversy over Mauna Kea there is a general tendency for money to automatically trump Native Hawaiian religion, and for Western science to automatically trump Native Hawaiian science.
Uncritical acceptance of such postures is problematic. Among many other examples, Jeffrey Sachs, in his book, “The Age of Sustainable Development,” reveals the pathologies of Western economy; Rupert Sheldrake in “The Science Delusion” raises serious questions about what he calls 10 dogmas of Western science; and John Bodley in “Victims of Progress” exposes the immorality of Western colonialism.
Perhaps the controversy over Mauna Kea raises larger questions about the relationship between Western and Native Hawaiian cultures that, if pursued seriously, might lead to change for the better for both. Surely greater information and respect for Native Hawaiian religion, culture and science — the product of some 10 centuries of accumulated experience in these awesome islands — would help.
Leslie E. Sponsel
Hawaii Kai
FROM THE FORUM
Readers of the Star-Advertiser’s online edition can respond to stories posted there. The following are some of those. Instead of names, pseudonyms are generally used online. They have been removed.
“Bill to allow church structure in Newtown advances,” Star-Advertiser, May 25:
>> The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a good neighbor. Its facilities are built within acceptable architectural standards and its grounds are impeccable with regular care. Ingress and egress traffic is minimal during the weekdays, causing no real concerns for this area. No opposition here. It will enhance its presence in the Newtown community.
>> The proposed 70-foot steeple may create an adverse visual impact, given the topographic elevation where the church property is situated. A compromise of 40 to 50 feet might be more
acceptable.
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“Telescope developer warned of potential tripwires in 2007,” Star-Advertiser, May 25:
>> Those protesters should get off my mountain. It is sacred to me.
>> Any other mouflon wanna chime in here?
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“Local participants say the movie ‘Aloha’ deserves its name,” Star-Advertiser, May 26:
>> Now not only the top of a mountain is “sacred” but so is the word “aloha”?
>> I’m waiting for similar outrage and boycotts over Aloha Tower, Aloha Stadium, Aloha Soy Sauce, Aloha Air Cargo, Aloha Trucking, Aloha Radiator, Aloha Waste Disposal, etc.
>> Nobody owns the word aloha or the right to control free expression. The use of this word is not disrespectful to the host culture, not in the least. Activism, protest and the pursuit of justice are wonderful and ambitious goals. The opposition to the use of a single word that is identified with goodness is utter nonsense and should be dismissed without further thought.
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“‘Hackathon’ focuses software savvy on Oahu traffic, parking woes,” Star-Advertiser, May 26:
>> Nice idea, but there are a number of common sense, low-tech remedies already available: (1) Synchronize the traffic lights; (2) Coordinate road construction so as to eliminate multiple land closures on the same stretch of highway; (3) Remove bus stops where space does not permit cars to pass loading/unloading areas.
>> Solutions: TheTrain, TheBus, TheWalk — anything except TheCar. Design vouchers that will give incentive for people not to drive their cars. Such as $25 a month or whatever. Money talks.
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“Plan adds 151 affordable units,” Star-Advertiser, May 27:
>> This fulfills an important need for our kupuna.
>> Why just seniors? Working-class families need help, too.
>> Because many seniors are on a fixed income.
>> These towers need to be bigger, taller and more dense. Flood Chinatown with seniors. They will chase away the homeless, drugs and crime.
>> The city says there aren’t enough rentals, much less affordable rentals. So what does it do? It jacks up the tax on non-owner occupants by 50 percent. It jacks up the water and sewer bills. Then an increase in the GET gets thrown into the equation. These extra costs get passed on to renters, or the properties are sold and taken off the rental market.
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“Mauna Kea ‘protectors’ insist battle isn’t over,” Star-Advertiser, May 27:
>> I wonder if they are now going to stop skiing on top of Mauna Kea.
>> Some people revel in the drama they are creating. They have no endgame, but the sad fact of the matter is that they will lose. They realize it, but won’t accept it. We Hawaiians need more scientists, doctors, engineers and the like. We don’t need people with doctorates in “Hawaiian Studies.”
>> People need to understand and respect their past if they want their culture to survive. There was an active movement to destroy Hawaiian culture in the past. Fortunately it didn’t succeed and it has made a comeback. Now it may be swinging to the other extreme. It should swing back in the next 10 to 20 years.
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“Former councilman fined over gifts,” Star-Advertiser, May 28:
>> Wow, I’m so shocked. Political corruption in Hawaii? No way.
>> I’m looking for big stuff. But only meals and golf are mentioned. What’s going on here? Is this worth the expense of an investigation? Ethics Commission Director Chuck Totto needs to find more on Nestor Garcia, if he expects the public to buy a vote invalidation.
>> How much bigger than $10 billion do you want? The votes gotten by bribery got the disaster known as the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation rolling.
