BETTER SCHEDULES

USE TRANSIT MILLIONS TO IMPROVE BUS SYSTEM

Instead of spending billions of dollars on this mass transit, what if city officials spent millions and just improved our present bus system? I mean, like having buses that run every five minutes during the peak hours and maybe even limiting the right lanes for buses only during that time and eliminate the zipper lane.

What is the fare going to be for mass transit, and during the building of this transit system, how are they going to cope with the traffic? They're talking at least three to five years.

If they plan to charge about $5 one way, people will not ride and they will take their own cars, thereby having a transit system that's not working.

Also, what's it going to cost to maintain this system? Did anybody make a survey to see at what fare people are willing to pay to ride this? Think about it.

NO TO 'UNIFORM'

CORE CURRICULUM: MEDIOCRITY IN SCHOOLS

With all the recent rhetoric about a core curriculum for Hawai'i's public schools, we would do well to remember how well a one-size-fits-all mentality has served our schools in the past. We have look-alike buildings, teaching and schools that are almost universally denounced as bad.

Why, then, would we be content with one-size-fits-all mediocrity in curriculum?

We know that "uniform" usually means the lowest common denominator, the minimum. But the minimum is not enough. We would not accept uniform houses (we call those housing projects). We would not accept uniform food (we call those rations). And we should not accept uniform education.

We all appreciate the business community offering to help our school system with its real expertise. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have air-conditioned and visually striking school campuses as lovely and comfortable as a new mall?

Why, it's cheaper to push for core curriculum in the guise of educational reform than it is to support teachers in being good educators. Prepackaged curriculum demeans teachers and pigeonholes children.

Hawai'i's teachers have the intelligence and ability to provide meaningful learning experiences. But curriculum must meet the needs of each community of children — not fast-food uniformity as education.

BAN NEEDED

BACK OF PICKUP TRUCKS NO PLACE FOR RIDERS

During the 2004 legislative session, two teenagers were killed in traffic accidents after riding in the back of pickup trucks. Monday's tragic accident on Kunia Road, which took the lives of four women, once again highlights the danger of riding in the back of pickup trucks.

I have introduced legislation that would ban riding in the back of pickup trucks. Unfortunately, the Legislature has yet to pass any bills that address this dangerous situation.

With this recent accident, I hope next year the Legislature, in all its wisdom, will consider banning passengers from riding in the back of pickup trucks.

SEN. MENOR

FLAWED LOGIC PROPS UP GAS CAP MODIFICATIONS

What a joke to watch Sen. Menor continue to defend his gas cap modifications in the Senate/House meetings.

His original logic behind the gas cap was that local refiners should be charging local stations the theoretical alternative cost to import gasoline. Let's leave aside the insanity of government price controls for a moment. And leave aside that no other state thinks this makes sense. But if that is his logic, the cost of shipping gas to Hawai'i is surely a part of the cost of importing it.

But Sen. Menor proposes, among other things, to remove the cost of shipping from the existing gas cap formula. Why not remove the cost of exploration, the cost of drilling, the cost of production, the cost of delivery to stations, the cost of operating the stations and eliminating profit, if any, and then our gas prices will be the lowest in the nation.

But wait a minute, there's a flaw in this logic. But Sen. Menor doesn't get it. Why not end the gas cap silliness and maybe we will lose our place as the highest priced gas in the nation.

The horse is dead. Stop beating it.

HORRIBLE RECORD

CHINESE LEADER IS UNDESERVING OF 'FACE'

Regarding The Advertiser editorial that "the task ahead for the U.S. government is to repair the damage done as firmly and swiftly as possible" because Chinese President Hu Jintao "lost face" during his visit to the U.S.: The Advertiser is conveniently forgetting the many reasons Hu is undeserving of "face" in the first place.

Only an apologist communist rag masquerading as a mainstream newspaper would care about the leader of a country whose government has a horrible human rights record, held our brave servicemen and women prisoner after forcing their plane down, and which is more inclined to eliminate the freedom enjoyed by the people of Taiwan and Hong Kong while depriving its own citizens of their natural rights.

Rather than caring about Hu's "face," your paper should peek behind the Iron Curtain of China and tell the truth about what goes on there.

MESSAGE MISSED

DON'T RECYCLE REVIEW OF KOKUA FESTIVAL

I am writing with much concern over Chad Pata's April 23 article "Festival a blast despite gaffes, rain." Is it possible that I am one of the unfortunate "dualistic concertgoers in hemp clothing with recycling tattoos" who is confused about the theme and goal of the Kokua Festival?

I feel that most, if not all, of the people who attended the festival felt that this concert was the highlight of the year. His "editorial" lacked any depth on the positive displays of environmental education and the financially viable businesses that are lessening environmental impacts while reducing, reusing and recycling (to quote the headlining act).

Not only did Pata completely overlook the people volunteering their time, he missed the most important part of the show — the outstanding music of Island-born Jack Johnson and guest appearance by Bob Marley's son, Damien Marley. It is rare to have a kama'aina rise to the top of the music industry, especially since he is devoted to supporting such noble causes like protecting our 'aina.

If these outstanding circumstances are not enough to impress Mr. Pata, I would suggest he go to a 50 Cent concert. Maybe then he will appreciate the growth of the Kokua Foundation and this outstanding role model to our youth.

LEGISLATURE MUST APPROVE TAX-RELIEF MEASURE NOW

The Legislature now has less than a week to pass meaningful tax relief for the vast majority of taxpayers.

One proposal is to cut taxes by expanding the tax brackets. This tax cut would help 80 percent (roughly 472,000) of all Hawai'i tax filers.

Another proposal is to increase the standard deduction. This would help the lowest-end taxpayers and a substantial portion of middle-income taxpayers. In fact, increasing the standard deduction to 75 percent of the federal level would benefit 64 percent (roughly 375,000) of all Hawai'i tax filers. Gov. Lingle has proposed this initiative for four years. With the state surplus, now is the time to pass this important piece of legislation. It has been supported by the Tax Review Commission and is long overdue.

A third proposal is to create a Hawai'i earned income tax credit. The EITC purpose is certainly noble in that it attempts to primarily help the low-income working taxpayers with children. It benefits, however, only a narrow slice of Hawai'i's population, roughly 12 percent (72,000) of all Hawai'i tax filers.

For example, the EITC fails to provide any tax cut to the elderly living on retirement and investment income, the handicapped or unemployed without earned income, or a married couple with more than $13,750 of earned income and no children they can claim. The EITC also fails to help a married couple with over $37,263 of income, no matter how many children they have (a couple each making $10 per hour earns about $40,000 per year).

The administration has recommended two final tax-relief proposals. One provides a one-time $150-per-person refund. Another creates a $100-per-person refund for the taxes paid on food, medical services and nonprescription drugs. It is unconscionable to tax our residents for food and medicine.

With a $600 million surplus and tax revenues growing in the double digits, we respectfully urge the Legislature to return at least $120 million in tax relief to the struggling families of Hawai'i. This is the right thing to do at the right time. Please contact your legislator today and make your voices heard.

GOOD FOR ECONOMY

FILM INDUSTRY LEGISLATION CRITICAL

As the major proponent of Senate Bill 2570, the Hawaii Film and Entertainment Board has these comments regarding Sean Hao's report Sunday on incentives for the film industry.

The local film industry has spent years informing and educating our decision-makers and leaders about the complex business of film, its benefits to us as a state, and what is needed to take it to the next level. It is with this deep understanding that government officials are basing their decision to support the measure this session.

As Hawai'i taxpayers, HFEB members strongly support SB2570 because we believe the bill is sound, fiscally responsible legislation. It pays only on actual dollars spent, limits the amount production can receive, eliminates double-dipping, and will likely save the state an estimated $5 million annually through a more cost-effective incentive while providing the necessary tools to aggressively compete globally, and through this, ultimately grow our local film industry as other culturally rich regions have done.

SB2570 would allow Hawai'i to shift its incentive focus and the majority of production claiming credits to a national standard based on business certainty that has proven to be wildly successful at generating new productions in the region. It would also be about 50 percent more cost-effective for us as taxpayers.

This bill is based on a formula that balances how much the state is paying out versus how much it is collecting. On-location filming and the support businesses it generates are aggressively pursued globally because of the significant economic development it encourages.

For Hawai'i, it is even more attractive given the dynamic synergy it brings to tourism and the opportunity to develop an environmentally friendly type of manufacturing.

Film production is a labor-intensive industry that values natural beauty and utilizes existing visitor industry infrastructure — in other words, it is a perfect fit for Hawai'i as we diversify and expand our economy.

The industry creates meaningful, skilled, high-paying jobs.

Just as a steady flow of visitors is necessary for our tourist industry to thrive, a steady flow of production is needed for film industry to develop. The passage of this bill would keep workers and local businesses that provide services, equipment and facilities to the industry continually working.

A large part of our industry has been in the business for 20 to 30 years. This breadth and depth of knowledge is what we are trying to harness to take our industry from a cyclical one to a more constant one that allows our local filmmakers to thrive.

A critical mass of production is needed to make it cost-effective for private industry to invest in developing Hawai'i's film infrastructure.

We were starting to achieve critical mass in 2004, but the incentives we had to offer proved to be inappropriate for many, too difficult to access for most and rife with business uncertainty.

There was steady growth in our local industry until the late 1990s, when dramatic shifts in the business took place. As business people and economic development specialists, we know that we must review, analyze and change as trends in the industry fluctuate or we will go the way of the Wang computer. SB2570 addresses these macro film industry trends and allows Hawai'i to make the necessary course corrections to keep us moving toward our goals.