Letters to the Editor

Editorial message doesn’t make sense

I am concerned at the insensitivity of certain of your editorials about the Ehime Maru, especially when the message is that " ... we must not forget that it is the mission of the Greeneville and the rest of the Pacific Fleet to keep the sea secure for vessels such as the Ehime Maru" (Feb. 13).

It just doesn't make sense. Who is that unnamed editor trying to convince? The Japanese victims? Their families? The tragedy is the antithesis of the message.

Johnas Carroll

Deepest sympathy to families involved

Please give my deepest sympathy to the families of the Japanese students.

We should not pass judgment until the full investigation is completed. We should not assume anything until the officials have conducted a full investigation.

Also give my deepest sympathy to the families of those killed in the Army helicopter collision. I am saying extra prayers for strength for the officials and family members.

Kathleen Smith

Live-fire training threatens Hawaiians

Your Feb. 9 editorial "Makua a small step in the right direction" is a lot of big words, and that’s all.

Makua live-fire training is a direct threat to the Hawaiians and the community at large. The Army is daring anyone to do anything about it. It’s a pathetic show of strength against unarmed people, and Uncle Dan, our king and oppressor, is all for it.

These things have a way of resolving themselves.

Merrie C. Ball
Hale‘iwa

Textbooks, computers still require teachers

President Bush, in his recent weekly radio address to the nation, explained his rationale for supporting a pay raise for the military: New weapons and technologies are important, but they are only as effective as the people who use them.

I hope Gov. Cayetano will use the same logic in realizing that textbooks and computers are important, but they are only as effective as the teachers who use them. The state must provide substantial pay raises in order to recruit and retain qualified and dedicated teachers.

Betsy Bremer

UH professors have more than full plate

The governor maintains that professors at Manoa need to teach more, like community college faculty. But those hardworking teachers are not required to do research (teaching loads also vary with rank and administrative duties).

Besides teaching, faculty at research institutions are required to dedicate themselves to research and scholarship.

Examine our workload to decide if we deserve a contract. What do we do besides teaching, advising hundreds of students, helping students write papers and dissertations, and supporting community events?

Professors must enhance the reputation of UH through national and international exposure and, when possible, bring funding to Hawai‘i. So we present scholarly papers at local, national and international conferences. Publishing our research is most important for earning promotions. Thus, we dedicate hundreds of hours to our research, and in some fields we must pay to have our articles published.

We constantly compete for funds, grants and scholarships that contribute to UH’s reputation and our economy. We combine our teaching and research interests to enhance teaching, improve service to students and increase collaboration here, on the Mainland and abroad.

Professional service enhances UH’s national and international reputation, and generates community, education and business partnerships. We chair or serve on numerous committees locally and nationally (e.g., curriculum, accreditation, scholarly organizations).

Should we work harder for below-average benefits and no cost-of-living increases? After 10 years of full-time employment, I will be vested in the retirement system and may have to choose to double my pay elsewhere, forcing me to abandon the wonderful students of Hawai‘i.

Paul Michael Chandler

Public schools must be put on the front burner

It has come to my attention that Pearl Harbor and San Diego were the finalists to homeport a large aircraft carrier. San Diego won because there was concern about the Hawai‘i public school system. We lost out on adding some 6,000-plus sailors and their families to our economy.

I was also informed that at least one high-tech company decided not to locate in the Mililani Tech Park for the same reason; families were concerned about the public school system here.

How are we going to attract high-tech organizations if we cannot guarantee that the children will be afforded a good education, if we cannot show that we can provide a talented and educated local pool to draw employees from?

Well, we can start by improving the teacher situation with fair salaries and improving the plant properties of the various schools. Both are victims of neglect over the years. Further neglect will only cause the price to rise next year or the year after.

I would hope the governor would recognize the problem and the legislators would truly put education on the front burner, even if other programs have to suffer somewhat for a few years.

B.G. Judson
Kapolei

Ask Mainlanders about the effects of gambling

The full-page ad by the Coalition for Economic Diversity (who could be against that?) claims, "It doesn’t happen in other states," referring to undesirable side-effects of gambling. Oh, really?

Ask people from other states who knew what it was like before and after gambling in their states and see what they say. Everyone I have talked to who has experienced the negative effects of gambling encourages me to continue to oppose even one seemingly small casino in Hawai‘i.

Bruce A. Fink

Public TV mission must be paramount

I read with interest the article about Hawai‘i Public Television’s new president and CEO, Mike McCartney. It appears he will be a committed and energetic force in leading the new foundation.

I nevertheless have concerns about the future of public broadcasting in Hawai‘i. It seems the content of PBS programming over the years has been increasingly entertainment-oriented, as well as geared toward the business community and potential donors. What about the disenfranchised?

It is my understanding that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, formed in the late 1960s, was an answer to both public and private needs to fill a void of public debate and discussion. The major networks did not want to continue mandatory "public service announcements" while losing valuable advertising revenues.

Also, with the civil rights movement well under way, public broadcasting allowed voices unheard in the for-profit sector to finally have a say unfettered by the concerns of advertisers. It seems both television and radio have strayed, with a few notable exceptions such as "Frontline" and "P.O.V.," from this fundamental mission of Public Television: to provide stimulating and educational programming for everyone and to allow all voices within a community to be heard.

It is my hope that McCartney will remember the mission of public television and recognize that running a public television station is not like politics. It is not his job to be liked and popular; rather, it is his job to promote an agenda of inclusiveness and diversity in programming for all of Hawai‘i's citizens.

J. Scott Janusch

Give benefit of doubt to Rene Mansho

In the past week, you have had two front-page articles and a political cartoon concerning Councilwoman Rene Mansho. Seems to me you are giving too much press to someone who "may" have misspent $30,000 over a 10-year period.

I am not in the councilwoman’s district, although what I’ve seen her do seems to benefit all the districts on O‘ahu. I've seen her at almost every charitable event for any good cause, and I have seen her in action greeting the ships that visit our Islands.

You also mentioned that she acts like a Hawai‘i cheerleader, greeting everyone with "aloha" and beaming her bright smile at everyone she meets. And this is a bad thing because ... ?

About the only time I see the other Council members, including mine, is about two weeks before election — when they're standing in the street waving posters in my face.

I don't know what the investigators will find (although Mansho has already said she would make good on anything she unknowingly did wrong), but I'd really like to see your paper give her a fair chance and wait until the results are in.

In the meantime, we need a lot more cheerleaders like her.

John M. Kavanagh

Don’t give pedestrians false sense of security

Once again, our well-meaning politicians are trying to protect us in their shortsighted efforts. It is well-intentioned to give pedestrians the right-of-way in traffic situations, but be warned that you cannot legislate the laws of physics.

One law of physics states that mass times velocity equals inertia, and that translates simply that you cannot stop instantly when some fool steps out in front of a moving vehicle.

Giving pedestrians the right to step out in front of moving vehicles will give them a false sense of security and may lead to more deaths on the roads.

Nash Kobayashi
Hilo

Do something about Mililani schools

Thank you for reporting on an issue that has been plaguing Mililani for some time: "Mililani schools maxed out" (Feb. 11).

After more than five years of fighting multitrack at our high school and then, three years ago, finding out that our Central District superintendent turned down 20 acres of land so that a $40 million multitracked middle school could be built, people are finally noticing that, gee, maybe overdevelopment in Mililani is causing a problem.

The Department of Education is planning a new $20 million multitrack elementary school for Mililani Mauka, one that is far too small, even with multitracking, for current development. Three portables are drawn into the plans.

Our 2 1/2-year-old Middle School is maxed out, and eight portables — $1 million worth — will be crammed onto the too-small site. No other middle school or high school will be built in Mililani, even though 3,500 Mauka homes plus Koa Ridge are scheduled to be developed.

The DOE's complicity in requiring less land, with negative consequence to our children and families, seems to be because, as our district deputy superintendent put it, "The developer has to make a profit." In 1995, the Board of Education rubber-stamped a multitrack policy, clueless that this gave the green light for deals involving an exchange of money instead of required land under DOE specs and usurped land-use agreements set by the Land Use Commission and the city.

Residents of Mililani, Kapolei, Makakilo and other areas to be multitracked or have boundaries redrawn need to review zoning agreements at the Land Use Commission to understand conditions, including adequate school facilities, that must be met before the developer is allowed to obtain zoning approvals and building permits. Supposedly, impact fees for schools are collected at the rate of $1,000 per unit. Where does this money go?

Further complicating Central District's lack of infrastructure is Mayor Harris’ new "Central Oahu Sustainable Communities Plan," which allows for 25,000 more homes to be built without adequate provisions for schools, roads or water. Not only our property values, but our quality of life, is at stake.

Everyone must stop what they are doing, call their state and city representatives, and just say "no." Whether it be through participation at neighborhood forums, interventions against further developments, injunctions against building permits or class-action lawsuits, the citizens of Central District need to act immediately.

Laura Brown
Mililani

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