Letters to the Editor
Kamehameha Schools educates all races
Regarding Myron Berney's July 27 letter regarding the Kamehameha Schools: He should know that all races are represented on the campus. Children of Hawaiian ancestry may be given a preference, but all races are present.
Ryan Tin Loy
Handicap parking abuse letter was erroneous
While the Aug. 3 letter from Tom Aki reflects my concerns about the abuse of handicap parking stalls, it appears he has some erroneous perceptions of handicapped persons.
I am disabled (I prefer disabled to handicapped). I was issued a handicap placard after certification by my physician that my arthritis prevents me from walking very far without severe pain. I do not appear to be disabled and have many times had to walk too far when handicapped stalls were occupied by cars without placards.
The biggest offenders are pick-up trucks parked by very young people. These and other nonplacard offenders are the ones who need to be cited and fined.
Most disabled persons are not confined to wheelchairs, and I am thankful that I am still able to walk short distances. There are also many disabled persons who do not have visible signs of their difficulties.
I would hope that Aki would be able to accept the premise that anyone with an authorized placard is entitled to use the handicap stalls and that he join with me in efforts to discourage those offenders who clearly have no concern for disabled persons when they illegally park without a placard.
June E. Grantham
Put yourself in shoes of handicapped drivers
Regarding Tom Aki's Aug. 3 letter: I fully agree with his concerns of handicap parking abuse. More often than usual, I see these abuses daily at Salt Lake Costco, Chinatown municipal parking lots, Redhill Kaiser Permanente, among many others.
We all grow old sooner or later and start slowing down, but it's not such a handicap as when we're crippled by a disease or injury and need an appliance (wheelchair, crutches or a cane) to get around. In later years, we take a little longer to get somewhere with some minor inconvenience of time, but always manage to reach our destination.
Some people would try to take advantage of the system. Why don't we take this another step further past these individuals to the physicians who medically verified these patients as truly handicapped? City officials don't have the jurisdiction to determine which handicaps are valid but just issue whatever is presented to them. With the growing amount of passes issued, seems we now need more handicap stalls.
However, I view this whole handicap situation with the feeling that I'm so fortunate to have good legs to carry me from the farthest end of any parking lot to whatever establishment. If your legs were immobilized for one day, you would appreciate what I'm saying.
And Mr. Aki, I think your last paragraph hit the bull right between the eyes. What happened to the aloha?
William Fong
Here's the solution to teacher dispute
I've got it, Governor. I know how you can live up to your obligation and not have to renege on your televised acceptance of the teachers contract.
You should be getting the state's portion of my federal tax rebate by next April. I'm not sure how much that will amount to — I'm just an English teacher with a graduate degree from UH — but it will probably be enough.
I'm sure you can figure it out. You're good with numbers.
Gary Larsen
Perhaps judge should settle teacher dispute
Let me see if I understand this: The state through its chief negotiator signed the contract ending the teachers' strike, but now says it didn't read it carefully and wants out. It says the HSTA is really the bad guy because it knew the DOE only offered one year and the HSTA wrote the contract deliberately misstating the "real" agreement. But the state missed it.
My bet would be that if the tables were turned and the HSTA had not read the final contract close enough and then claimed the DOE had slipped in a "ringer," the governor would be demanding that the teachers follow the agreement and bite the bullet. Maybe we should bring in a mediator?
Instead, maybe the HSTA needs to hire the Teamsters or the ILWU to teach it how to handle a management that reneges. The HSTA never did figure out how to shut down the system, adversely affect the money-holders or real powerbrokers, or how to protect themselves with a strike fund, despite having had 17 years to do so.
Now when they "win" through a signed agreement, should they give that back to Ben to negotiate or mediate again because his man, Davis Yogi, can't read? Why should we care what the governor thinks? Who runs education, the Board of Education or the governor? (Oops, silly question, sorry.) But will the Legislature fund what was signed or not? I thought it already had. So the governor won't do what the parties agreed to and what the Legislature funded?
Maybe we need a judge to sort the contract out.
Elbridge W. Smith
Kailua
Get money up front
Warning to the artist who will be commissioned to paint Gov. Cayetano's official portrait: He may decide not to pay you for your work despite an earlier agreement. Any questions? Ask a teacher.
Michael Green
Kahului
Parents can't afford another teacher strike
All this bickering between the state and HSTA has got to stop. It is getting ridiculous and frustrating not knowing whether my son will be getting his education this coming school year.
The teachers aren't the only ones who cannot afford another strike. I am a single parent who cannot afford another month of childcare should the teachers decide to strike again. I urge both the state and the teachers to think of the children who need their education, and all the parents, especially single parents, who can't afford the extra childcare. Some parents do not have the luxury, like others, of having other relatives caring for their children in such an instance.
If the situation is not settled soon, the HSTA and the teachers will lose support from parents like me who are getting tired of hearing about this whole contract negotiation issue. There has obviously been some miscommunication somewhere along the way to start all this bickering again. Do us all a favor and settle now.
S. Omine
Students must believe that they can succeed
Students in public schools do have a fair shot at success — it's just not a sure shot.
For students who are willing to work to learn, achieve and succeed, opportunities abound. Private schools may attract some of the "cream," but the well is much deeper in public schools.
The biggest hindrance on the public schools is the notion that they're not good enough. Thus, students don't even try because, why bother?
The first step we need to take as a state in improving public education is to believe our students can achieve, expect the most out of our students and support them when they ask for help. As soon as we believe our students can achieve, they will.
Yoon Jee Kimph
Roosevelt High School, 2001
Visitors should also conserve our water
Recently, I've come across a couple of letters to the editor with suggestions on how residents can contribute to water conservation during these very hot and humid summer months. I felt all of the suggestions were precise and warranted.
However, the residents of O'ahu should not be the only ones to wisely use our ever-depleting water supply.
We see an abundant amount of visitors coming here for a nice relaxing vacation, all the while using our water reserves with no cares nor worries about the possibility of a water shortage. And why should they? They may come from a city where water flows like Niagara Falls so their usage of our water supply will be treated as such.
Think back to when you last went on a vacation. As you were brushing your teeth or taking a shower, did you think about conserving the water that was running? Or did you feel that since you were no longer at home, that water wasn't an issue, but hurrying to get ready in order to make the early morning admission to the theme park was?
In any case, we have to understand that there are other ways that our water supply could be conserved. Sure, the locals play a bigger part of this equation as we are the ones who will suffer should we have to resort to drastic measures in order to ration our water supply.
But we also should be aware that the locals aren't the only ones who are to be held accountable for the use or waste of the water. There are others too. Can you say "golf courses"?
Michael Sasano
West O'ahu
Airport priority puts shops before people
Regarding airport renovations: It's about time.
I worked at the airport for six months and believe the airport can use a major facelift. But look what is getting done first. Not what is most important to the people, but more shops.
That is a typical solution to problems in Hawai'i. Let's see where we can make the money first and put the real work off till the end.
Luke Sharee
Voters put Democrats in power
We read with great interest the July 27 op-ed piece by 17-year old Punalu'u resident Kevin Grigsby, who asserts that the "Democrat grip on the state must end."
We applaud this young man's interest in government and public service. Political involvement among the younger generations has been mediocre at best and abysmal at worst. Even if we disagree with the author's position on the Democratic Party, we certainly respect his participation in this discussion.
However, there are several points Grigsby makes that we take exception to:
• Grigsby states that "Hawai'i's political system is completely controlled by Democrats." The last time we checked, the people of Hawai'i decided who was and was not elected to represent them. The people rule in this state, not the political parties. It is unfortunate that Republicans continuously insist that the people of Hawai'i are incapable of choosing good leaders if they vote for Democrats.
• While the Republican Party is more than eager to forget about its abominable past, there are too many people in Hawai'i who can never forget. It is easy to write off history, especially when our generation did not have to face the racial discrimination and stereotypes that the Republican Party unleashed on those who were not fortunate enough to be in the ruling elite. History is a teacher of lessons that we must never disregard.
• Grigsby laments that "corruption, inefficiency and bickering plague Hawai'i's political system." Unfortunately, democracy (like any other system of government) is sometime imperfect. A democracy is composed of human beings, and we haven't found one yet who was not imperfect at some point in his or her life. Does that excuse the actions of a few corrupt politicians? Absolutely not. But it does help to explain that these "plagues" facing Hawai'i's political system are not limited to just Democrats.
What Grigsby no doubt feels, as do countless other younger people in Hawai'i, is that Hawai'i can be a better place. In that area, he is absolutely right.
But how do we make Hawai'i a better place? Is it simply by electing Republicans to office? We submit to you that it is not. We make Hawai'i better by being good citizens, by being informed, and by participating in our government — exactly as Grigsby has done.
We believe the Democratic Party of Hawai'i recognizes that. Its efforts to include younger people in the party's activities speak to its understanding that Hawai'i can be a better place to live. You need only look to the young elected Democrats who helped lead the fight in the state Legislature for progressive reform as proof.
Most importantly, though, the Democratic Party is showing the next generation of leaders that Hawai'i is worth fighting for.
John White
President, Young Democrats of Hawai'i
