PROJECT FOR CHILDREN

MANY OFFER SUPPORT FOR NEW KUKUI CENTER

We want to share the outpouring of interest and offers of support for the new Kukui Center following Jan. 28 Honolulu Advertiser article on our project to benefit abused and vulnerable children.

Many people stated that following the horrific violence we have experienced as a community against two such innocent victims, they were searching for something to do that could make a difference. We have received generous financial contributions, a gift card for building supplies, donated computer classes, office furniture, clothing and toys.

One of the most unique offers came from Dr. Wilfred Miyasaki, who founded the Smile for Life program; he will provide free teeth whitening in return for a donation to Kids Hurt Too, which helps grieving children who have lost a parent and foster children who have been abused.

It is important to note that while Kukui Children's Foundation is doing all that we can to assist our tenants, they must each raise the necessary funds for their individual improvements.

In addition to Kids Hurt Too, Na Loio, the Learning Disabilities Association of Hawai'i and Family Promise of Hawai'i are all seeking funds to build out their areas. All these organizations deserve and need help to meet their goals.

Thank you for your kokua. We are a caring community.

VACATION RENTALS

CITY SHOULD ENFORCE EXISTING B&B LAWS

Paul Swart (Letters, Jan. 21) would have us believe that people who oppose vacation rentals in residential neighborhoods are denying our military service members the opportunity to enjoy some well-deserved R&R on the beach. Believe me, "Mary" and her fiance should rent a beach cottage on one of the military bases or stay at the Hale Koa to save some money in case they are ever stationed in Hawai'i.

They will need every penny they can find, and still they might not be able to find an affordable rental in neighborhoods like Kailua since most have been turned into vacation rentals, which bring in far more money than long-term rentals.

Property prices and property taxes have escalated dramatically since so many homes have been turned into vacation rentals.

Most owners of these properties aren't in the business just to proved a place for "Mary" and her fiance.

They're in it to make money at the expense of the neighborhood.

All vacation rentals without a non-conforming use certificate should be closed by the city.

They are breaking the law. Instead of changing the law to make them legal, enforce the existing laws.

I bought in a residential neighborhood. That's what I expect to live in — not a semi-resort.

And by the way, I am very "American" and am the proud wife of a military retiree.

REAL ESTATE

DON'T ALLOW FOREIGNERS TO BUY HAWAI'I LAND

How dare the governor use our precious taxes on the preservation of the North Shore.

Everyone who lives in Central and Leeward O'ahu should be outraged. She is using our money to save the North Shore, which is an area that should absorb its share of the population growth.

She should be spending our tax money on the preservation of Central and Leeward O'ahu.

The only way we can stop overdevelopment is by having the courage to stop foreign purchase of land.

The Asian countries are getting filthy rich and they will buy up our state in no time. (Genshiro Kawamoto is only the beginning.)

Many countries, including the Philippines and New Zealand, prevent foreign purchase of land.

The real estate market will take a short-term crash, but the payoff will be invaluable when we realize that our own children will be able to afford their own home in our lovely state.

EXCISE TAX SURCHARGE

N.I. LEGISLATORS SHOULD LEAVE TRANSIT ALONE

Apparently, Neighbor Island legislators Shan Tsutsui, Gary Hooser, J. Kalani English, and Joe Souki are interested in suspending the general excise tax surcharge being collected to help fund Honolulu's transit project.

What business is it of theirs when money is collected from O'ahu businesses and taxpayers and how it is spent?

I noticed no mention was made of the 10 percent "rake-off" from the (transit) surcharge that the state currently drops into the general fund. The surcharge generated $148.5 million last year, so about one quarter of $14.85 million is now likely to be spent on islands other than O'ahu.

If the legislators want to do something useful, they can leave the city's transit schedule alone and eliminate the state's 10 percent cut, making another $300 million or so available to the transit project over the life of the surcharge.

PUBLIC NUISANCE

PANHANDLING ANYWHERE SHOULD BE OUTLAWED

I applaud the City Council for passing the anti-panhandling bill.

My only concern is why aggressive panhandling should be legal under any circumstances. Why can't you outlaw aggressive panhandling, period?

UH

FOCUS SPENDING ON WEST O'AHU CAMPUS

Spending hundreds of millions of dollars on an aging University of Hawai'i campus seems wasteful. We need leaders to start thinking of ways to more efficiently spend our hard-earned tax dollars.

How about taking most of those hundreds of millions being requested to fix up old buildings at Manoa and putting most of it to the new UH-West O'ahu campus? Spend the money on new buildings in a newly expanded campus that could be alongside the new mass-transit route. Imagine a brand-new library, dorms and new research buildings with adequate parking for students and faculty. Maybe there would even be enough room for a new stadium built and paid for with private dollars. This could even reduce traffic to town each day.

Go ahead and spend but a fraction on a few buildings at Manoa, such as the law school and maybe one or two others in a reduced footprint at the current site.

Doesn't this make more sense than putting Band-aids on old buildings and have the same problems reoccur within a few years?

WAC CHAMPIONS

UH SOFTBALL TEAM ALSO LEFT OUT OF PARADE

Kudos to Cassandra S. Harris (Letters, Jan. 21) for pointing out the failure to include the University of Hawai'i sailing team in the Parade of Champions.

Let's add another UH team to the list of omissions — the 2007 UH Wahine softball team. As the Western Athletic Conference regular season champions, Hawai'i battled No. 1-ranked Tennessee in the super regionals after winning the Los Angeles regional with victories over UC-Santa Barbara and No. 12 and host UCLA, as well as a six-inning win over PCSC champions Loyola Marymount.

Congratulations to the 2007 UH Wahine softball team for a great season.

BANNER FOR FOOTBALL SHOULD HANG IN ARENA

I went to the Sugar Bowl and was constantly bombarded with the phrase, "once in a lifetime." While I pray that it wasn't really a one-time thing for the University of Hawai'i, I hope it brings change to a ridiculous rule on campus.

To get to that game, we had to have a Heisman candidate, a band of nationally recognized receivers, the worst schedule in the country, two OT games, last-minute fumble recoveries, last-play interceptions — well, just say that all of the stars in the universe aligned over Manoa for it to happen. A true one-in-a-million shot.

So why can't the football team hang a WAC championship banner in the Stan Sheriff? Every sports publication in the nation wrote about how hard it would be for UH to even get to a BCS game.

Do the right thing and change the rule, then hang a banner for the WAC championship. A big one.

UH

ACADEMIC MISSION HAS BEEN HURTING FOR YEARS

Mari and D.K. Miller's Jan. 9 letter about June Jones abandoning his 'ohana was on the mark, as was Lee Cataluna's column. Making Jones out to be a heroic character and minimizing the role the UH football team members played in their excellent season does a disservice to athletic sports and the concept of teamwork. June Jones certainly made a contribution and helped build a good team, but was it worth nearly $2 million a year as the UH's last offer would have provided? What distorted priorities — to put such money into one sport, into one coach.

Meanwhile, what is happening to the rest of the underfunded UH institution — the academic departments and dilapidated UH instructional buildings?

What's missing in all the media hype and coverage is a mention of the mission of the university. What is university education all about? Is it mainly about college sports featuring a relatively few star athletes, or is it about developing sound minds in sound bodies for all the students?

Intramural sports gets very little support — and the academic mission of the UH has been hurting for years, owing to limited funding.

Since the motto of the university is "Above all nations, humanity," then UH should concentrate on turning out well-rounded students with good values who take classes and seek degrees and then go out and try to make the world better.

Athletics has a role to play, but it does not, in and of itself, a university make.