The old Termite Palace was packed even when we knew our chances of winning were slim.

Bring back our lost tradition, and Aloha Stadium will be packed.

ST. FRANCIS PURCHASE

30 PERCENT OF BUYING GROUP ARE FILIPINOS

An article on Sept 22 ("St. Francis purchased for $68 million") was slightly off the mark when it said there were "more than 100 Filipino-American physicians" in the buying group involved in the sale of the two St. Francis hospitals to the Hawaii Medical Center.

Only 30 percent of the 130 physicians are Filipinos, slightly more than the Island demographics. However, it is this group that started this initiative to save St. Francis and kept the fires burning. We must give them that.

LAB CLEANUP

MILILANI GROUP ACTIVE IN DRUG LEGISLATION

I'm pleased to see that the state Health Department has released interim rules that will establish standards for Hawai'i for the cleanup and decontamination of illegal methamphetamine labs, as required by HB 2039 CD1, signed into law as Act 170. I introduced HB 2039 during the 2006 legislative session in response to a concern from a Mililani resident who, upon learning that the tenants in his rental property had been manufacturing drugs, was faced with a Department of Health requirement to decontaminate the property before it could be cleared for occupancy. At the time, there were no guidelines to clarify what was required to complete the decontamination process.

The bill became a part of a package of bills supported for introduction by the Mililani Town Anti-Drug Committee (Mililani Drug Free). The organization has been active in supporting anti-drug legislation and sponsoring community activities to bring awareness to the problem.

DRIVER ID

LICENSING DIVISION SHOULD USE PASSPORTS

I read with interest your article "New Driver ID to Cost Millions" (Sept. 22)) on the future costs of verifying birth certificates to get a driver's license or state ID card.

For many applicants, the required proof would already be satisfied if the Honolulu Motor Vehicle and Licensing Division would accept passports in lieu of birth certificates. One cannot get a passport without a birth certificate and unlike a birth certificate, a passport is the preferable means of identification because it has a recent photo of the applicant.

Several years ago, I tried to get the licensing division to change its regulations and accept a passport issued by the federal government. Even my state legislator talked to them, but we were firmly rebuffed. My passport, which was accepted as proof of identification everywhere in the world, was not acceptable to them.

Hawai'i's government bureaucracy is so entrenched in the past that it cannot move forward into the future. It needs to be receptive to new ideas and shed its provincial mindset. If it had changed its regulations a long time ago and accepted passports in lieu of birth certificates, the federal government would have done all of the necessary background checks for the state.

PRICES

BRING BACK THE GAS CAP TO HELP DRIVING PUBLIC

Having moved to Florida six months ago, I enjoy lower prices for gasoline. Recently, the prices in my neighborhood dipped to $2.45, $2.56, and $2.72!

There used to be a gas cap in Hawai'i, which I think helped control prices.

I know that due to Hawai'i's unique location, prices will not be the same as on the Mainland, but the cap will allow changes in gas prices in Hawai'i to correlate to those on the Mainland.

My advice to politicians, especially Gov. Linda Lingle, is to think of why you ran for office — to help the community. Bring back the gas cap.

RECYCLING

HAWAI'I KAI CENTER NEEDS ATTITUDE FIX

I encountered the same problem as A. Ling (Letter, Sept 28) at the Hawai'i Kai recycling center.

I brought in 300 clean cans and bottles on Sept. 26. I had the option of counting or weighing. I preferred counting, but the counter was so surly and rude that I opted to weigh. I received $12.25 instead of my expected $15.00.

It's bad enough to lose money on your refund, but to have to endure that kind of attitude from the counter was too much.

You want to have a bad day? Just go to the Hawai'i Kai recycling center.

PAGE ONE STORY

COMPARING PRICES WITH GAS CAP A DISSERVICE

In more than 55 years in the gasoline business, it has never ceased to amaze me how so many people (including this newspaper) who know so little about the gasoline industry can opine on how the industry should be run (and regulated).

This newspaper, with its Page One article about high gas prices and possible restoration of the cap, has taken a snapshot in time and sensationalized the issue of Hawai'i prices being higher than the old cap. And I thought only politicians grandstand to the public.

First, it is inappropriate to cherry pick a period in time (the last couple weeks) and then state something must be wrong with the oil industry. While this newspaper mentions that recently gas prices were above the old gas cap, The Advertiser fails to indicate that the actual gas price average was below the old gas cap number for five straight weeks starting on July 17.

In addition, the cap now has little relevance as a baseline as there are significant upward cost adjustments that would have been made to the cap for ethanol blending and infrastructure if the cap had not been suspended.

Second, price controls like the gas cap don't work. The cap caused uncertainty and large swings in pricing, and, according to the Public Utilities Commission, caused consumers to pay more at the pump than if there had been no cap. More importantly, the cap is an artificial formula created by a group of legislators.

The media does a disservice to the public by sensationalizing that gas prices are above a flawed and artificial formula. It sets false expectations, which could lead to unintended consequences.

When the gas cap was in effect, Tesoro's chief executive stated that the Tesoro refinery shipped gasoline out of state because the gas cap was having a negative effect on its profitability. For those of us who were around in the 1970s, the one thing worse than paying for expensive gasoline is not having any gasoline to purchase.