HPD

5 NEW POSITIONS WILL IMPROVE RECRUITING

In Peter Boylan's article of March 24, he mentions that the Honolulu Police Department requested 226 new officer positions, of which five were given in their fiscal year 2009 budget request.

While factually correct, this statement requires some context. HPD currently has 76 vacant officer positions and lapsed a total of $6.4 million in its FY 2007 budget, coming mostly from salary money.

We recognize the high standards that HPD places on its recruiting process and Mayor Mufi Hannemann continues to support HPD in its efforts to place the public's trust in only those who pass the highest level of scrutiny.

Because of this screening process, HPD often is unable to fill positions as quickly as it would like. We maintain a careful balance between the city's commitment to public safety and the need to exercise sound fiscal judgment. The situation would be different if we were turning away qualified applicants for our current vacancies, but unfortunately, we are not.

We believe that HPD will be adequately funded and staffed in FY 2009 and that the five positions that were recommended will improve their recruiting effort. This is a perfect example of Mayor Hannemann's commitment to public safety and to fiscal accountability.

STREET LIGHTS

IDEAS OFFERED TO HELP THWART COPPER THIEVES

I keep reading and watching news stories about the copper wiring being stolen from Hawai'i highways and that the Department of Transportation will not replace them until a solution is found.

I have a couple ideas. The first is a quick fix. Why not just weld the openings to the access boxes? It would make it very difficult for thieves to get through a weld. If they tried, they would have to use a welder to get it open. This would be very costly to them and clearly visible at night.

The other solution is more long term. Why not use solar- and wind-powered lights with a battery pack all mounted in the light housing? This would make each light self-powered, they would work during power outages and there would be no need for wiring at ground level. The sheer height of the lights themselves would make access to thieves very difficult.

ALOHA AIRLINES

SILVER LINING IN FUTURE FOR ALOHA EMPLOYEES

I am so saddened by what has happened to Aloha Airlines because I personally know people who worked at Aloha.

But I am very impressed with the staff's camaraderie and the true class they exhibited in their interviews.

What I was most impressed by is that each and every one of them felt sad for leaving their Aloha family, and you do not find that at many companies in Hawai'i.

I wish each and every former employee the best of luck in their future endeavors because there is a silver lining coming your way.

STATE LIBRARY

POSTCARD NOTIFICATION COSTLY, UNNECESSARY

As an avid state library user, I access and request materials through their Web site on a daily basis.

However, when my request is available for pickup, I don't need them to send me a postcard notification through the mail because I can easily access this information on the Web site.

A woman working on the phone renewal line said these postcards are automatically generated and cannot be canceled.

It is such a huge waste of paper. I hope that the Web site can be programmed so that users may designate how they would like to receive notifications.

E-mailing is much more cost-effective than sending out so many postcards to those of us who don't need them.

HOUSING DEVELOPMENT

HAWAI'I NEEDS TO KEEP MORE LAND IN AG USE

Regarding the so-called "planned" new community of up to 11,750 new homes on prime agricultural land ("Ho'opili input welcome," March 31), this is about as shortsighted as we on this island can possibly get.

Isn't anybody else concerned about the fact that the loss of so much agricultural land (1,555 acres) further increases our dependence on the importation of our food? Doesn't anybody else remember back during World War II when our shipping was interrupted and we had victory gardens in our back yards? With our present population density and the high percentage of people living in condos and townhouses, this would be a challenge, to say the least. We are vulnerable to disruptions to our food supply happening again and we will be totally helpless.

With the skyrocketing increases in the price of gas, increasing built-in transportation costs, and the increasing cost of food itself, we must recognize the need to start growing more food to feed ourselves.

Just because there is "under-utilized" farm land available, as stated in the article, doesn't mean that we can blithely keep developing our prime farm lands. We should be expanding our agricultural base to include growing more fruits and vegetables and supporting lifelines like Aloun Farms.

Our efforts as a community should go to not only keeping those 1,555 acres growing our food but to also start using that "under-utilized" farm land as well. It's not a matter of either-or: We need both.

And we need to recognize the major contributions made by produce farmers to our very survival.

LABOR UNIONS

GOVERNOR SHOULD VETO 'FREE CHOICE' MEASURE

In case you missed it, Dave Shapiro hit the nail on the head in his "Volcanic Ash" blog on March 28.

In response to the Legislature's passage of the Employee Free Choice Act (HB 2974 HD2) Shapiro wrote: "Democrats in the Legislature are sponsoring a bill to make it easy for labor unions to organize workers without holding elections. Looks like a trial balloon to see if lawmakers can get away with seating themselves without the formality of voting."

Shapiro is right. We're a democratic nation. Why would we pass a bill that takes away a worker's right to vote on whether or not they want a union? This bill is dubbed the "free choice" act, yet it represents the antithesis of choice. The governor should veto this bill.

ASIA

WORLD IS NOW SEEING OTHER FACE OF CHINA

As the Summer Olympics draws nearer, we are seeing the other face of the Chinese regime — the one-party dictatorship and the oppression of ethnic people, religious organizations, human rights activists, Internet dissidents, labor union organizers, etc.

In its rigid response to events in Tibet and refusal to negotiate with the Dalai Lama (one of the world's great spiritual and religious teachers), the Chinese government has shown again a totalitarian regime's fear of lessening or sharing any of its power, even when reasonable requests are made. The Dalai Lama has never called for Tibetan independence. He wishes only to negotiate with China for the greatest autonomy for Tibet. Tibet would remain a region of China.

CHINA'S WRATH

TAIWAN'S ELECTION SHOWS ITS DEMOCRACY

Regarding Richard Halloran's March 30 column, "Taiwan may soon face China's wrath:"

Taiwan's peaceful presidential election and the overwhelming victory of opposition candidate Ma Ying-jeou demonstrate the island's full-fledged democracy.

The significant event pales in comparison to China's current embattled state over the clampdown on Tibetan protests, which cast a shadow on the Beijing Olympics.

As the Chinese proverb goes, "One can conquer a country on horseback, but one cannot rule a country on horseback."

It is time for Chinese leaders to learn the wisdom from their ancestors and stop the myth of relying on hard power to deal with other countries as well as their own domestic affairs.

Stability and peace can be guaranteed only when it is based on bedrock universal values — democracy and respect for human rights.