The Honolulu Advertiser from Honolulu, Hawaii • 5

i DITORIALS Saturday, May 24, 1 997 Tourism Week in a time of change You may have missed it, but this past week has been Tourism Week in Hawaii. The idea was to highlight the importance of tourism to the Island economy and to demonstrate how this $12 billion industry affects virtually every one of us in this Island state. A tabloid publication sponsored by the Industry appeared in the daily papers earlier this week. It told the story of tourism in Hawaii, profiled the Island-born-and-raised folks who are industry leaders, outlined exciting prospects such as the new Convention Center and spotlighted potential problems. I One particular problem was cited by state I Business Director Seiji Naya: new competition.

Mr i -l. A 4j i A telling signal on how that fight might be waged was contained in a comment in the tourism tabloid by Murray Towill, president of the Hawaii Hotel Association. "The hotel industry today is fairly close to maturity in terms of its physical growth," Towill said. "The focus for the future is to make it better and more profitable," In other words, our new strategy must be to improve, rather than expand. That means upgrading the quality of our physical plant and deepening the intensity of a visitor's experience here.

It means more respectful 1 attention to the culture and traditions that make Hawaii different from other sun-and-surf destinations. It means careful stewardship of the natural -environment that gives Hawaii so much of its allure. It even means fair prices and physical safety for travelers who could take their bulging wallets anywhere in the world. Hawaii has long talked about the idea of increasing the quality, rather than simply the quantity, of tourism in the Islands. It's time to make that a reality.

ue 111 uiutii uiuic neite 4 wr mi iiicunei. luudjr mail i xu, io or zu years ago. i nere was a ume wnen Hawaii virtually sold itself. The demand for a yacation in Hawaii outstripped the supply of hotel rooms and facilities. That led to a constant expansion of tourism's infrastructure more hotels, golf courses, restaurants and attractions.

1 No more. There is a world of options now available to the traveler. Hawaii must fight for Jts share. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR COMMENTARY I Men getting a taste of what it's like to have to be wary Now Massachusetts women have another grudge to hold against the Kennedys: Mom has to drive the baby sitters home. In case you haven't been following the Latest Adventures of the Kennedy Clan, let me fill you in.

You remember the Founding Philanderer, Joe? Remember the Brothers whose reputation with women ran the gamut from Judith Exner to Marilyn Monroe? The Cousins have turned up enough black sheep how come the ewes are immune? to make people wonder whether their problems with women are coded in their DNA. We will pass over William Kennedy Smith, acquitted but not forgiven of the Palm Beach This time it's Joe II and Michael. Joe Kennedy the congressman and would-be governor is not in political trouble for breaking his vows, but for trying to expunge excuse me, annul his first marriage. His first wife's book against annulment had some unhappy little tidbits about how Joe the tried to browbeat and then deny her. This might have faded except for the story that came right on its heels: the Tale of Brother Michael and the family baby sitter.

It appears that Michael, the family campaign manager, had a five-year involvement with the daughter of friends that began when she was 14 years old. Call it statutory rape or an "affair," but it ended Michael's marriage to the daughter of Frank Gifford, whose own marriage, by the way well, enough of that The Michael and Joe stories have little in common except clan, politics and a growing alded "recant" in the Army sex scandal was when a few jnili-tary women held a news cpn-ference to say they were urged but refused to cry rape. For years, we've tried to teach daughters to go through the world neither naive nor cynical, neither numbingly dumb nor terminally suspicious. If women can negotiate this terrain and most do so can men. I suppose there's bound to be some gender unease every time a creep pops into the headlines.

In a way, the reports are progress. The problem is the reaction or the overreaction. Today there's an urge to send men and women back to their own corners. In the Army there's a call to resegregate the sexes. In schools, there are ond thoughts about "male role models" in the classroom.

In transporting the sitter, it's girls only. One of the great pluses of the generation of change has been friendship. The camaraderie of dorm mates and co-workers, the loosening of roles, has helped us to see each other through some prism other than sex. Michael Kennedys notwithstanding, familiar coexistence is what builds and rebuilds trust. As for the designated driver? First of all, may I suggest that we open up the baby sitter club to include more boys.

Second of all, nice guys share the wheel. Maybe the sitter has been reading the newspaper, maybe it's midnight and raining, but this is dad's chance for a teeny-weeny political act. Grab the keys and, urn, go be a credit to your sex. Ellen Goodman is a Boston-based writer on modern social issues. Ellen Goodman sense, especially among the state's women, that we've had quite enough of these boys.

But back to the car keys. So far the most widespread fallout of the so-called Baby Sitter Affair has been a nervousness on the part of perfectly respectable men. With lechery all across the media, they don't even want to get in the car with the sitter. Assorted fathers in my sample have concluded (1) that every 15-year-old regards him as a potential sexual predator or (2) that if his hand lingers too long while passing out the money, he'll be accused of making a pass. I don't mind men getting a little nervous.

It kind of balances things out. But there is an edginess, bordering on paranoia, that is going around these days. And not just around the Kennedy Clan. In the wake of sexual harassment scandals in the Army, male officers now say they can't be alone in a room with a female soldier. After any schoolteacher is found guilty of sexual assault, other teachers decide they can't even touch, let alone hug, a student.

When there is a report of campus date rape, some undergraduate is sure to say that you can't even kiss a girl these days. And in business, some men think you can't be a mentor without being regarded as a molester. To all of this, may I say: Snap Out Of It. This is as exaggerated as the number of missing children on milk cartons. How many false accusations are there in this world? Let's remember that the most her enues actually was "overly optimistic" as I described in a previous letter in The Advertiser.

The $60 million shortfall predicted is about 1 percent of the $6 billion annual state income. However, I figure the difference between the previously expected 1.2 percent increase and a 1 percent drop in income is 2.2 percent. Thus, I expect this year's shortfall to be closer to $130 million based on these new figures, It seems that economists continue to avoid accurately counting the impact of institutionalized hypocrisy that befouls our aloha spirit. Unfortunately, we are becoming an increasingly class-biased society that heaps money upon the insiders at the top while slashing benefits for our poorest people. For example, many legislators love to gamble with the stock market and fly to Las Vegas, but they deny the right to play cards for any amount of money here.

Leaders promote the sale of alcohol, tobacco and many dangerous prescription drugs and then demand all property and prison time for those who choose to grow a less harmful alternative. My question is, why did our wealthiest citizens deserve a 2 percentage point cut from their upper-income tax bracket (from 10 percent to 8 percent) by the Legislature last year when funds are needed to restore dental care and the Quest program, for job training and child-care services, and to pre-, vent the upcoming cuts to the disabled? Wally Bachman ADULT EDUCATION Graduation was uplifting, hopeful I recently attended the adult ed graduation ceremony. A young friend got her GED. The ceremony was so uplifting, so hopeful not Just for them but for Hawaii, The Department of Education was in attendance and very supportive, as was the Board of Education, Sen. Rod Tarn and others.

I've attended various high school and UH graduations, but this one beats them all. The graduates bounced, strutted and floated across the stage. They were in their teens to 70s, mostly female, all ethnic backgrounds, and the audience went wild for each and every one of them! There were even two who were honored who had died between earning their GED and the ceremony. The main speaker was Jim EUGENE BARRETT Killer should never jiave Dcen set iree In 1959 Iwas a young man learning my trade as a deputy prosecutor, I was the prosecutor presented the state's case jagainst Eugene Barrett, whom you described as a "three-time That was a long time $go 1959 but I remember the facts clearly. I could never forget that case because Barrett, after his girlfriend told him she wanted to end their relationship, armed himself with a gun, caught a bus at Keeaumoku and King streets, rode it to Palama i where his first victim lived got off, walked to her apart- ment building, walked up several flights of stairs, entered her -apartment, walked through her living room right in front of of her children, who were watching TV entered her bedroom where she was to her youngest child in a Jf rib, drew out his weapon and shot her.

There was no question but Barrett intended to kill his SJHctinv He could have changed mini at any time. Every th bus made a stop he 'Jould have gotten off, disarmed Himself, gone home. He didn't. 2T33e carried out his plan to the vv; I don't remember the exact Sentence Barrett received in Sthat first case. It's not that important.

What followed is important. He was set free paroled and he killed again." Jt wasn't a girlfriend; it was his ife. She, like the first woman, Wanted to end her relationship ltoith Barrett; she paid for it her life. Those killings are bad 'enough, but what is really bad a(? -1 1i i ii i i aiiui-iuiig is uidi me jjcu uie 'authorities set him free, Twice! My good friend Judge Huddy, who handled the in mis uiira case the Kastner case said to "You must be removed "from society. You should have 'been removed a long time ago." IIe was.

Eugene Barrett was convicted of murder in 1959 and Sagain in 1972; and he was re-amoved from society both times. '-But then somebody let him out. Let me tell you: If "Roxanne" Kastner were my daughter, I'd jjsue the state of Hawaii some-- thing awful. FredTitcomb ECONOMY Revenue shortfall will be even higher Your May 21 article shortfall may widen" reveals that the Council on Rev Leahey. He said the most posi tive, challenging, congratulato.

ry messages I've ever heard. It was beautiful. Ruth Saldino PRIVATIZATION Lingle may he leader we need The privatization issue de fines for me whether a politl cian is serious about cutting the cost of government or not. For instance, most econo mists tell us it is the size of the state's payroll that is a major contributing cause for Hawaii's high taxes, which have earned Hawaii the reputation of a "tax hell. Gov.

Ben Cayetano has been criticized for not even know ing how many state employees actually receive paychecks from the state. Privatization has been touted as a "solution" to reducing this excessive tax burden. It is to be expected that the gov ernment union will be against privatization, as it will reduce the size of the state payroll. What is unexpected is that the head of this government union not only speaks for the union members but apparently he also speaks for the governor. This happened when the Kauai County manager said it will take six months to get a state permit for Kauai County to run a landfill.

The head of the union said that it's not a problem as Cayetano "is committed to an expedited process (and) expects that a permit could be issued in 30 to 60 days." It is apparent that the government union leader believes he speaks for Cayetano, but he surely does not speak for me. Even though Mayor Linda Lingle represents Maui County, and I live and work on Oahu, she supports privatization and on this issue she speaks for me. In fact, I believe that on this issue, Lingle speaks for most of Hawaii's overtaxed citizens. Hawaii needs a leader in the governor's office who is concerned about Hawaii's future and the taxpayers' ability to pay, especially during these hard times. Lingle may be that person.

Bob Hampton Honolulu Democrat PHONE B00XS Get a reality check Your editorial staff has fallen into the typical over-40 denial: "My eyes are just fine; the damn print is too small!" Jim Poole Policy on letters The Advertiser welcomes letters in good taste on any topic. AU letters must be signed with the writer's correct signature and include address and telephone number for our verification. Letters are limited to one per writer per month. Letters should be on a single subject and no longer than 200 words. Letters of any length may be trimmed.

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The Honolulu Advertiser Established July 2, 1856 Thurston Twigg-Smith, Chairman Larry Fuller, President Publisher Jim Gatti, Editor Jerry Burris, Editorial Page Editor George Chaplin, Editor at Large Editorial Board: Larry Fuller, Jim Gatti, Jerry Burris, J. Smith, Anne Harpham, David Polhemus, Dick Adair, Kay Lynch, John Strobel Published by Gannett Pacific Corporation Stuart T.K Ho, Chairman.