By Susan Kinsler

It's about time that we publicly recognize the entities that discriminate against, are rude to, lie to and cheat small businesses - especially when they wouldn't be in existence if it weren't for us. We make them happen. Let's acknowledge the organizations who take the biting the hand that feeds them syndrome to an ultimate high. Let's have a small business Hall of Shame Award. With so many nominees to choose from we'll vote for the number one culprit and present them with a plaque at our annual conference. How 'bout it Board?

This month I nominate The GTE Hawaiian Tel "Everything Pages." They're so poor..."HOW POOR ARE THEY?"......they can't afford their own stationery. We all know that our bill for directory advertising is included in our phone bill. What you may not be aware of is that you can ask that they be separated. Then you'll get a bill looking identical to your phone bill only at the top where your phone number is printed will be a DA (directory advertising) number instead. This DA bill is printed on the same stationery as your regular phone bill. In the yellow margin, running down the left side, are the phone numbers to call for assistance and/or questions about the bill. If you call with a question on the DA bill you'll be received by some very rude people claiming no knowledge of any DA bill. They will not give you the number you're supposed to call - you must look that up yourself. Then why is GTE printing wrong phone numbers on their DA bills? They, along with the PUC will tell you it's too expensive to print them on different stationery. Maybe we should throw a benefit for them....The truth is - save yourself some time and aggravation - it's an exercise in futility speaking with them anyway. Surprise! Surprise! They don't care about Small Business. They don't have to. Where else you gonna go?

Talk about callous disregard for the time of the small business owner, check out the printed copy in that yellow margin. Under "Helpful numbers" To order additional equipment it states, "see the 'Where To Reach GTE' pages of your directory." Some "helpful number." How many of you would survive if you gave your customers a time consuming homework assignment each time they wanted to purchase more?

Wouldn't it be great if we could purchase our GTE Directory Advertising from different companies? We purchase our airline tickets from agents of our own choosing and yet we end up on the same plane. We purchase concert tickets from different sources and yet we end up at the same concert. Why can't we deal with an advertising sales company of our own choice and still end up in the same directory? Why are we held hostage by this one single entity? We obviously need them and they obviously know it.

The GTE Hawaiian Tel "Everything Pages" can (and does) charge any amount they wish, use any tactic they deem necessary to get your signature on their contracts and if you don't like being lied to and held up - so what?

WARNING: Don't be in such a hurry to decide to believe your GTE directory sales reps - no matter how cute and sweet and innocent they seem to be.

Read the small print on the front and back of the contract.

Did somebody mention PRIVATIZATION?

If you have a GTE Directory Story or if you've had the experience of speaking with Carol Blocker (the head honcho in HI) I'd love to hear about it as I'll do follow ups. I've written about commercial Realtors, Bank of America and the Department of Taxation - all of whom would definitely be candidates for the Hall of Shame. If you wish to make a nomination or two or twenty to the Hall of Shame - please call or fax me at 943-8086 (my home # if they don't disconnect it - by mistake of course).

Editor's Note: Ms. Kinsler is the former owner of Aloha Indoor Tanning, a small business forced out of business by Hawaii's high taxes and monopolistic business practices.

NO SECRET TO SOLVING HAWAII'S ECONOMIC PROBLEMS

By Fred Hemmings, Sports Enterprises

Stanley Hong of the Chamber of Commerce, and The Honolulu Advertiser, are wrong regarding the business environment. I wish I could be a little more subtle, but after a generation of failed economic policy the charade must stop. Hawaii deserves a free market economy that rewards work, productivity and yes, honest profit. Blaming business for the failed policies and programs of the Democrat political machine is sad.

Remember the Small Business conference before the last session which produced 20 priority pro business legislative bills? They worked hard lobbying at the legislature and every one of their initiatives was shot down. Lets have the truth. What Hong and the Advertiser have failed to report is that the business environment in Hawaii is purgatory - no, it is hell because of the failures of liberal Democrats at the helm of State. This includes Ben Cayetano who has been in office for twenty years and has sustained the status quo. Current alleged Cayetano budget cuts are a facade; the biennium budget went UP 11%. The interloper in the economy that has discouraged business and driven up consumer prices is BIG GOVERNMENT. Remember, according to the Tax Foundation of Hawaii, the average Hawaii wage earner pays out 42% of earned income in taxes and fees to the Federal, State and county governments. This last session proved that the people of Hawaii will not get honest reform at the legislature until they vote for change at the polls. The irony is that business is hurting but the alleged beneficiary of Democrat policies, the working men and women of Hawaii, are the ultimate victims.

The solutions to Hawaii's economic problems are not a secret. Republicans have been introducing bills for honest change for years. Democrats put on a charade every session and nothing of substance happens. In fact things get worse. Remember the TORT reform in 1986 designed to make Waihee look good? I voted no because it was shibai...and it still is. I also was joined by other Republicans in voting NO against the Waihee/Cayetano wasteful budgets that squandered the surplus and created an economic wasteland. Republicans led the charge for the $125 tax credit in 1987.

Here are solutions to Hawaii's economic problems.

* SPENDING AND TAX CUTS

Dramatically reduce spending by government so that taxes can be reduced significantly. Make paychecks bigger by cutting taxes. Reward workers and business by reducing income taxes and indexing tax brackets. Eliminate the tax on groceries and medical care. Incidentally Reagan and Kennedy tax cuts resulted in more revenue collected by government.

* COUNTY HOME RULE

Eliminate the State Land Use Commission, Board of Water Supply, Office of State Planning and other state agencies that overlap into the affairs better handled by the counties. Stream line permitting process for all business.

* PRIVATIZATION

Get the State government out of business that could be done better and more efficiently by the private sector. This would cut the budget, provide the public with choice and lower prices for consumers. The State often mandates its own monopolies. For instance, the State hospitals are protected from competition by an agency called SHPDA. The State hospitals could be run by Queens, Kapiolani, Kuakini or some other private enterprise. If the Advertiser wants to validate Democrat shibai check out the hospital legislation passed this last session. The list of businesses that could be done better and more cost effectively by the private sector is rich with opportunity.

* INSURANCE REFORM

Democrats think the present system is good because they mistakenly believe it redistributes wealth from big insurance companies to poor victims. Follow the money. Special interests have taken over the American insurance industry through politics. The system actually redistributes money from all consumers to the greedy few feeding at the trough of the failed system. This includes certain lawyers. Common sense reforms have been introduced every session by Republicans only to be ignored by Democrats. Workers Comp under the Democrats is a license to steal. Modify the Presumption clause to give business a level playing field, investigate and prosecute fraud. Recover funds.

My comments are extremely political because the problems we face in Hawaii can be traced to the ingrained policies of the ruling Democrat dynasty. Too late to blame the Big Five and rich haoles.

Through honest reform we can create a fertile environment for business and the economy will develop itself. It is called free enterprise.

RICH BASHING AND BLAMING

By Li Zhao, Schoolland International

I was stunned when I heard Rep. Neil Abercrombie's speech at the Hawaii Democratic Party Convention. He was accusing the Aston Hotel owners of taking food away from the poor and cutting their wages. It sounded so familiar and so "foreign" at the same time.

I lived in Communist China for 26 years. Ever since I can remember, I heard government officials say, with great passion, that the reason we are poor was because the rich took food away from us and cut our wages. Therefore, all the poor workers had to join unions, kick out the government officials who represented the rich, and get the poor and union representatives in power. That was what the Great Cultural Revolution was all about. What happened to the country and the people? The whole world has seen the result.

In the 1980's that kind of Communist talk disappeared from China. The leading thought has changed to "It's a glory to be rich." Because the people finally came to understand that only when individuals become rich (or become not poor) the nation could then be great and strong.

Since then I haven't heard any of that "rich bashing and blaming" talk - until today. When I heard Rep. Abercrombie's speech-the language, the passion, the tone - the content shocked me so much that I thought I was back in China in 1969. I couldn't believe that I was in the United States of America, the envy of the world, the most democratic and free country, where people are free to be all they can be.

Does Rep. Abercrombie represent the American people and the government? If so, what was the purpose for thousands of Americans dying in the Korean and Vietnam Wars -æto kill Communism or to bring it home?