CHARADE

CITY IS RAILROADING US ON MASS TRANSIT

Let me see if I understand this correctly: The members of the City Council approved a virtual no-bid contract for close to $10 million to hire Parsons Brinckerhoff to develop a plan to relieve traffic congestion on this island. Right out of the box, Parsons proposed something called a transit corridor from UH at Kapolei to UH at Manoa, two of the major population centers on this island. What happened to the rest of the island?

Forget about the charade Parsons went through about public input. That is a sham to make people think their opinion means something. The only thing left to be decided is what route a railroad will take.

In the meantime, Mayor Hannemann and others have been running around all over the world looking at trains with the same glee as children hoping to get a train set for Christmas.

Looming on the horizon is a monstrous tax increase approved by the City Council to pay for the mayor's train set. Do you get the feeling you are being railroaded? I do.

BAD CHOICES

THE HOMELESS DON'T DESERVE OUR SYMPATHY

Finally, someone (Lee Cataluna) had enough guts to stand up and tell it straight.

The homeless are homeless for a reason, and it's not the rest of Hawai'i's fault that they have elected to abandon their responsibility to themselves or to the rest of society and do destructive things like ice, crack, alcohol, etc.

It's not our responsibility to carry them around on our backs or to give them the right to take over our parks and beaches. Who are they to even think they have the right to set up a permanent tent city anywhere other than on their own property? How do people who pay no taxes demand anything?

They live off what our more-than-generous system gives them. I have yet to see a starving homeless person. Do they even attempt to find work? Why, when handouts and misplaced sympathy are so much easier a take?

Unfortunately, it's the hard-working middle class that shoulders the burden for this growing segment of the population. It's not enough that we have to make ends meet in one of the highest cost-of-living states in the nation, but it's now our problem, our financial burden to deal with people who have made bad choices again and again to get where they are and now live off of us, too.

There is no amount of media hype that will make my heart bleed for those who have chosen the path down. So, get out of the parks, get off of the beaches and stay off of City Hall's lawn until you pay your taxes and have a right to voice your opinions.

COMMUNITY

PRIORITY MISPLACED ON HOMELESS SITUATION

Two recent items in the news: The Waiakea High girls golf team got its golf clubs stolen, and the city closed Ala Moana Beach Park to the homeless at night.

The community rallied on the first item, and you can now go to any First Hawaiian Bank and donate money to replace the girls' clubs.

The community is silent on the homeless.

Everyone knows you don't leave golf clubs in plain sight in a van because they will be stolen. Yet we bend over backward to replace something probably covered by insurance.

It shows you a little bit about our society, doesn't it?

LINGLE 'DONORS'

GOP IS HYPOCRITICAL ON DEMOCRAT DONATIONS

Republicans are up in arms that the Hawai'i Democratic Party received a $6,000 out-of-state donation in return for giving $5,000 to Rhode Island Democrats. Yet these same Republicans see no problem with Gov. Lingle accepting over $550,000 from Mainland "donors" in just six months last year. What's wrong with this picture?

As an independent-minded voter, I can't defend the Democrats for trying to exploit loopholes. But they admitted what they did was questionable and returned the money. Lingle should do so as well, since her "legal" donations were essentially the same sort of payback arrangement.

In case anyone forgot, Lingle raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Bush-Cheney reelection campaign. Legally, of course. And in return, well-heeled Bush supporters repaid the favor when Lingle held fundraisers in California (raked in nearly $200,000), New York ($80,850), Florida ($52,500) and Pennsylvania ($30,400).

What possible interest could — or should — residents of those states have in Hawai'i politics other than trying to ram the national Republican Party agenda down our throats?

Clearly, we need to reform the way local campaigns are financed or we'll wind up with the same kind of influence-peddling and corruption that currently exists in Washington.

CAP WORKING

ARE GASOLINE DEALERS KEEPING PRICES HIGH?

Since 1999, I have logged every purchase of gasoline. My records show that Hawai'i gasoline prices have steadily increased. I remember the feeling of futility and being upset about the escalating cost, but I accepted it as the cost of living in Hawai'i.

Mahalo to Frank Young, Sen. Ron Menor and others for championing the gas cap. I now know when prices will rise or drop, and I use the projections to plan my gas "shopping" and make wiser use of my car.

During this legislative session, however, I have noticed that some of the gas stations in my neighborhood are not following the dips in wholesale prices, as they had been. I wonder whether the gas dealers are keeping the prices high during this legislative session to make the gas cap look like a failure. If they are, shame on them.

ROOSTER

THE SOUL DIMINISHED

Concerning the letter about the "kidnapped" rooster: Theodore York's letter validates that in some instances what is deemed best for society often diminishes the soul.

OVERTHROW

QUEEN LILI'UOKALANI SHOULD BE ON QUARTER

I applaud Eric Po'ohina for pointing out the obvious (Letters, March 28), that putting Kamehameha I on the "state" quarter would be inappropriate. He is quite right.

Had Kamehameha the Great been alive during the illegal invasion (and subsequent occupation) of the Hawaiian kingdom by the United States of America, I am quite confident that he would have fought to the death to protect his land and his subjects.

If America is looking for an ali'i to put on its currency, I would suggest Queen Lili'uokalani, or more specifically, the eviction of Lili'uokalani from 'Iolani Palace in 1893. A portrait of U.S. Marines removing the lawful ruler of a sovereign nation from her home at bayonet point would help Americans commemorate their long history of conquest.

Moreover, it would also serve to illustrate the three core American values: Might makes right; it's our way or the highway; and, you're either with U.S. or against U.S.

STATE MUST ALSO PROSECUTE KANUPA CAVE GRAVE ROBBERS

Hui Malama I Na Kupuna O Hawai'i Nei apologizes to our lahui that one of the reburials we conducted (Kanupa Cave) was looted. We take responsibility and will strive never to allow this to happen again.

To put this into proper perspective, Hui Malama has conducted over 100 reburials statewide, and this is the first and only time a reburial site has been re-disturbed. We pray it will be the last.

As far as the legal issues surrounding the federal indictments, consider this: In order to commit illegal trafficking of the Kanupa Cave moepu, defendants John Carta and Daniel Taylor allegedly committed the following state law violations: