DEMOCRATS

NOT SURPRISING CAUCUS WASN'T WELL ORGANIZED

It's no wonder the state of Hawai'i is in such a state of chaos. Highest housing cost, highest taxed, highest gas cost, highest food cost, worst roads and public schools.

Just look at the Democratic Party, which can't even get its caucus organized correctly.

So how can we expect the last 50 years they've been in power in the state to be right? Maybe it's time to vote for someone else other than a Democrat.

TRASH

WHY NO RECYCLING FOR FLUORESCENT BULBS?

I would like to commend the Legislature for trying to pass legislation to better our environment.

However, I'm noticing a lot of inconsistencies.

Currently, there is legislation to ban Styrofoam containers with the intention of minimizing the amount of non-biodegradable waste in our landfill. But on that same note, to the best of my knowledge, the state has no fluorescent-bulb recycling program.

Given that fluorescent bulbs contain mercury, although in small amounts, this would seem to pose more of a hazard than Styrofoam containers. The EPA classifies fluorescent bulbs as universal waste and therefore it is "safe" to dispose of in your trash.

However, California, Minnesota, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin have classified waste containing mercury as hazardous waste that must be recycled or disposed of properly. I wonder if our Legislature can't see the forest for the trees.

TRAFFIC

DRIVERS MUST EASE UP; ROAD RAGE NEVER PAYS

Erin Goodin's letter (Feb. 12) regarding the road rage she experienced is a fine example of how common sense and aloha have declined in Hawai'i over the years. However, I would like to share an experience that I witnessed with all potential road ragers.

I was in traffic in Wichita Falls, Texas, and was driving behind a man who was cut off by another vehicle, almost causing an accident. The man who was just cut off honked his horn and the driver of the offending vehicle came to a dead stop in traffic, got out of his car and pulled the man out of the vehicle in front of me and started to beat him up in broad daylight.

My friends and I got out of our car to intervene, but as we approached the two men, the beaten man's wife got out of the car, pulled out a pistol and shot the assailant at close range, killing the man on the second shot.

Regardless of how bad a driver may be, it would be wiser for both parties to either forgive and forget or to call the police. Road rage never pays.

TRANSIT

SYSTEM WILL END MANY COMMUTING HASSLES

I often scratch my head in bewilderment when I read letters by proponents of HOT lanes, toll roads or adding more buses to our already-crowded streets.

Here's a scenario these proponents never thought of:

Let's flash forward to 2012. The rail transit system is up and running. Traffic increases by 10 percent to 20 percent. As a proponent, you are against riding rail transit. As you sit in traffic on Nimitz Highway heading home to 'Ewa Beach, traffic comes to a dead stop. There are a series of multi-car accidents and a hostage situation in Nanakuli, and a crane being transported has hit a freeway overpass. As you sit and stew in traffic, a rail transit train passes you every 10 minutes.

You decide to give rail transit a try. On the way into work, you read a paper or your favorite book, do some work on your laptop or listen to some tunes. The commute takes only 30 minutes. You arrive at work with no stress from driving in traffic. On the way home, you can take a little nap and have leftover energy. You have more time for your family and yourself. There's less wear and tear on your automobile. You save on gas. Then you think, "Why was I against rail transit?" Duh!

I lived in Japan for four months. Believe me, rail transit with a series of bus lines running near the stations is the way to go.

ELEVATED SYSTEM MAY HURT ISLE TOURISM

A friend from Hong Kong visited me last week. She took the bus to my office and remarked that she now believes what her friends were saying about bus service in Honolulu — that buses smell of smoke and many of the passengers are poorly dressed.

I told her that the city was going to have a rail system soon. She asked whether it was underground like in Hong Kong. I told her that it would be elevated. She was taken aback by my statement and said that it would ruin Honolulu and Waikiki.

Being in the tourist business, I am concerned with her statement. We will already be losing millions of tourist dollars because of the NCL cruise ships leaving. Airline fuel costs have negatively affected tourists from Asia. Would the elevated rail actually ruin the visitor experience? Would the rail be a blight on the scenic beauty of Honolulu and Waikiki, and, more importantly, would tourists stop coming?

I think we need to look closely at what the city is planning for our future: A higher cost of living thanks to the GET, higher property taxes to support the higher maintenance due to expansion of the bus to the rail system, and less revenue because tourist numbers will be down.

WHO WILL PAY WHEN THE SYSTEM FAILS?

The headline in The Honolulu Advertiser on Feb. 10 blares: "Transit system likely won't improve traffic."

The public should be horrified. Reporter Sean Hao points out that "Mass-transit ridership is expected to account for 7.4 percent of all trips in 2030, according to the city."

But mass-transit ridership (all trips) is about 6.6 percent right now, according to the city's Alternatives Analysis.

The city is going to spend $6 billion to $12 billion to get the above result in 2030?

Just to add insult to injury, Councilman Nestor Garcia is quoted as follows, "I don't ever want to get into that scenario (where) people look back to this time and say, 'Why didn't you do something? You knew this was going to happen. You should have done something.' "

May we assume he cares not at all that the next generation, looking at a failed system that endlessly sucks their money out of their pockets for no result whatsoever, might cry "damn those 2008 leaders, make them pay?"

Now, that is a great idea. Personal responsibility and accountability. For example, if it fails, take their pensions. How can we achieve that? That's the question we ponder on a daily basis. Please advise if you have any ideas.

NEW LUGGAGE POLICY

BASE AIRLINE FARES ON PASSENGERS' WEIGHT

United Airlines' new luggage policy sets a $25 charge for a second checked bag.

As a concerned world traveler, I called UAL's customer service and was told the new policy is designed to reduce weight on flights, thus reducing fuel usage.

The American Medical Association has standard height and weight guidelines, and I suggested that a more effective plan would be to charge passengers who are overweight a certain amount more per overweight pound and underweight passengers a certain amount less per underweight pound.

This would allow the continued two- bag check-in and provide a real service to the millions of travelers, such as mothers with infants and the disabled, who need to check more than one bag.

There was a moment of silence, and to make a long story short I canceled both of my UAL Visa cards.

SAFETY

MORE HAND RAILS ARE NEEDED AT STADIUM

As a University of Hawai'i football season ticket fan and senior citizen, I have attended many games at Aloha Stadium in the past 25-plus years. Our group sits in the south end zone (blue) section.

I have observed an accident waiting to happen and that needs to be addressed quickly. Often, fans have difficulty walking up and down the stairs and stumble. So far, no one has fallen. It's especially risky for older fans.

The solution is to install hand rails. Presently, there are hand rails in the yellow (upper) section.

Since the state has disclosed plans to repair the stadium, may I suggest this work be included to ensure the safety and health of the public.

EXECUTIVE ORDER 9066

INTERNMENT SEEN AS NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE

The story of internment is heart-rending, but we should not lose sight of the temper of the times. Detention of American citizens of foreign ancestry was not confined to the Japanese, although they were the largest group affected.

Internment was seen as a national security issue, not a punitive or racist plot. Fearing espionage and sabotage, the government incarcerated other Americans, particularly those from Axis-power enemies Italy and Germany. Our family friend, a respected Honolulu physician from Germany, a naturalized citizen long-married to an American woman, spent years in prison on Sand Island, as did many others.

Personal security issues, particularly on the West Coast, were cited as additional justification for Executive Order 9066 in February 1942, following a series of racist attacks on Japanese businesses and property in the months immediately following Pearl Harbor.

Rights are often trampled in the emotional reaction to a disastrous attack, as we have seen in the aftermath of 9/11. Now we are stuck with the TSA and Department of Homeland Security.

WATERBOARDING

WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES CAN JUSTIFY TORTURE?

Thank you for the Feb. 9 editorial, "Waterboarding: It's torture and it's illegal."

I ask my fellow Americans: Can you stand by while one prisoner is having a cloth placed over his face and water poured over it? Can you stand by and hear the prisoner screaming and struggling to be free — crying for mercy? Can you hear his cries — even of innocence? Should the prisoner confess to anything, would you believe him?

Can you stand by while our White House says that the widely condemned interrogation technique known as waterboarding is legal and that President Bush could authorize the CIA to resume using the simulated drowning method under extraordinary circumstances?

What "extraordinary circumstances" can ever justify torturing another human being? Or are they not considered human beings?

We express horror over the Bataan Death March, the Holocaust, the mentally impaired used as human timebombs in Iraq — where is the horror for those undergoing waterboarding by order of our president?