Posted on: Friday, October 25, 2002
Letters to the Editor
Air Force telescope will be owned by UH
Your Oct. 9 article on "UH to plan asteroid scope" nicely described our efforts here at the University of Hawai'i's Institute for Astronomy (IfA) to develop this important new facility. However, the headline on page B6, "Telescope: Air Force to operate instrument," is somewhat misleading.
The Air Force has funded the design of the instrument, and, we are hoping, will fund the construction of the facility. Once built, however, the instrument will be owned by the University of Hawai'i, and astronomers here at the IfA will have responsibility for the operation of the facility.
While the telescope will have a defense role, it will be a global one: detecting and tracking the potentially dangerous asteroids that threaten the whole planet.
In addition to asteroid detection, the data generated from the project will be used to tackle a whole range of fundamental scientific problems ranging from the solar system to the properties of the universe on the largest scales.
The processed data will be made freely available over the Internet to researchers and the public throughout the world. As such, the project represents a fantastic opportunity for education, both for the state and the broader global community.
Rolf-Peter Kudritzki
News generated, so where was coverage?
What does it take to make news in this town?
Last Saturday morning, more than 800 people representing 25 Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Unitarian and Buddhist religious communities, and just about every ethnic community as well, jammed the First Methodist Church. This faith-based community organizing project represents more the 40,000 people on this island. It is the only fully interfaith, multiethnic organization of its kind.
Any time you can get that diverse a representation from the community going in one direction, it would be news. Nope.
The group gathered to celebrate some of it victories over the past year and to elicit support for its projects from candidates for governor and City Council.
Linda Lingle was there and signed on, though this could hardly be construed as her usual constituency. Mazie Hirono was not there, though invited well in advance. A handful of City Council candidates were there, and all but one signed on. At least one news story there, unless it was the wrong candidates who appeared.
The youth contingent reported on one-on-one conversations with each other and friends at schools across the city. Among the concerns they found was paperless, filthy and dangerous bathrooms in the public schools. Like a dead canary in a coal mine, a sign of the depth of the malaise in our schools. News? Nope.
The name of the organization is Faith Action for Community Equity (FACE). It seeks to hold government accountable for doing what it's supposed to do. And we all know that government accountability in this state isn't news. It's an oxymoron. Apparently too is "newspaper."
Rev. Mike Young
Hawai'i's electoral power coming to fore
When was the last time a U.S. president or former U.S. president visited Hawai'i to campaign?
In the past, neither Republicans nor Democrats visited the Islands for one very simple reason: Hawai'i was Democratic. The Republican Party did not believe it could sway the vote for the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives or electoral votes. Nor did the two votes count much in the past. The Democrats were sound in the knowledge that the votes were theirs.
With the last presidential election being so close and the present races being so close, the parties are beginning to see the window of opportunity opening. The Democrats are finally fearing a change and are sending a token speaker (former President Bill Clinton) to try to sway the vote. I believe the voters should not be swayed by a guest speaker, but rather bring up important issues to the candidates, explaining how important the voters' votes really are.
In time, Congress, the presidency and the nation will listen to the heart of Hawai'i.
William A. Matthews
Absentee ballots have a major flaw
I recently received my absentee voting packet from the City Clerk's Office. I was surprised and concerned that I was instructed to sign my name on the backside of the return envelope. My legal signature would appear next to my preprinted name and address on the back of this envelope for all to see. There is a warning on the envelope that if no signature appears, a vote will not be counted. In this day and age of identity theft, I can't believe that people are mailing back their ballots. (FYI, you can drop them off at the City Clerk's Office.) L. Motokawa
Lingle represents integrity, honesty
Anyone listening to Linda Lingle's talk, 10 feet away, can sense that she has integrity and is honest, optimistic, caring and unprejudiced, as evidenced in her presentation.
She presents facts, order and direction. You'll discover that this woman actually believes in what she says. I can now see why Maui loved her so very much when she was mayor a few years earlier.
I asked her, "Is it your intention to raise Hawai'i's economy?" She replied, "Yes." "In today's failing national economy?" I asked. "When we (Hawai'i) get to clean house (government), we'll attract outsiders (businesses). I don't worry about matters out there. Can't be controlled. It's to deal with our problems first. I propose to do this," she replied.
Someone else asked, "Will your Cabinet include Democrats?" "I look for people with integrity and work performance. This is me. I'm not into party affiliation," she answered. I find she's not a politician but a stateswoman. (Her booklet, "A New Beginning," should be read by all for details).
Hawai'i, I'm convinced she won't disappoint us. This is Linda. Please join me in electing Linda Lingle as our next governor of Hawai'i.
Mikio Izuka
Mink stands as a hero to millions of women
I am a big fan and season ticket holder of UH Wahine volleyball. I am also a long-time admirer of Rep. Patsy Mink.
When I am at the games, I think of all the young women who participate in this sport. And I remember those outstanding women athletes who brought recognition to the team and Hawai'i, in particular Robin Ah Mow and Heather Bowen, who made the Olympics team, and Tita Ahuna and Deidre Collins, now volleyball coaches at HPU and UNLV respectively. This was possible because Mrs. Mink gave them the opportunity to shine through her avid support of Title IX.
Thank you, Patsy Mink. You stand as a hero to millions of women athletes nationwide.
Jeanette Matsumoto
Philippine president doesn't deserve flak
Regarding your Oct. 20 article "Philippines president to make stop in Hawai'i": It is frustrating to read a news article filled with irresponsible comments.
Belinda Aquino, director of the Center for Philippine Studies at UH-Manoa, in commenting on the "security crisis that flared on Friday with the al-Qaida-linked bombing in Quezon City," said in context that whether or not President Arroyo will make this trip, she will get flak.
I am not defending Arroyo, and I am as critical as Aquino in terms of the political situation in the Philippines, but let me state that when the terrorists hit the U.S. on 9/11, Arroyo was one of the first world leaders who condemned the attacks and supported the U.S. in its war against terrorism. She is also one of the few leaders to indicate opposition to Saddam Hussein of Iraq.
Not only does Arroyo have the credentials, she also has the guts and is willing to take risks for her people. Whether or not she gets flak on this trip, she really does not care because she knows that she can handle the situation. She also knows that she has the majority support of her people. I think Aquino has underestimated the intelligence of this president.
Your writer also misspelled the name of one of the greatest and world-famous Philippine presidents, Diosdado Macapagal (not Diosdedo), as if to add salt to the wound.
Ted Calvero
Parents pay tuition and state taxes, too
With the debate over Constitutional Amendment Question No. 2, I have to finally speak my mind. I'm tired of being persecuted for being the product of Punahou School and for sending my sons to Hawai'i Preparatory Academy.
If you had the opportunity to send your children to private school, I guarantee at least 99 percent of you would jump at the chance.
My husband and I pay a generous chunk of taxes to the state of Hawai'i, and if the public school administration cannot make its budget balance, don't blame us.
No one ever points out that the parents who pay for private schooling for their children are also paying taxes that fund the public schools. We help pay for public schools and pay private school tuitions, and as a reward our children cannot use public state-run facilities for their school field trips.
If Hawai'i has the chance to improve all of its private schools at no cost to the taxpayers or loss to the public schools, why not? Please vote "yes" on Constitutional Amendment Question No. 2.
Linda Jane Kelley
Sacred Falls, Ha'iku Stairs should be closed
On the Sacred Falls issue: My support goes to Debbie Nichols (Letters, Oct. 19). Sacred Falls Park should stay closed. Due to the outcome of the Sacred Falls ruling, the Ha'iku Stairs should definitely be closed. Numerous concerns about accidents and loss of life, search-and-rescue costs, visitors passing through residential communities, theft, parking, etc., are only the beginning of a "life, personal property and cost liability" for all of us. L. Masuda
Real facts about public education
Cliff Slater's Oct. 14 Second Opinion column, "Facts about our education?" was fundamentally inaccurate in his depiction of the "facts." Unfortunately, his errors are shared by a substantial number of people.
Slater states we have a per-pupil expenditure of $6,694 that is average among states, and further, the average according to the state auditor is actually $6,998. This is because some per-pupil expenditures are included in other departments.
These additional expenditures are expenditures directed toward Felix compliance and not toward nonspecial-education students. Thus Mr. Slater consistently ends up comparing apples with oranges.
In 2001, the Department of Health spent $162.3 million and the Department of Education spent $201.1 million on special-needs children. These children numbered 20,100 in 2001. This works out to a per-pupil expenditure of approximately $18,080 per pupil. These numbers can be compared with per-pupil operating expenditures of $4,138 per nonspecial-education child.
A truthful statement would be that our per-pupil expenditure on special education is well above average and our per-pupil expenditure on nonspecial-education students is well below average.
Slater disputes the statistic that 65 percent of all DOE personnel are teachers, well above the national average. This statistic also indicates Hawai'i has much lower administrative costs than most states. Slater disputes this by saying that class sizes are no smaller than they were 30 years ago when we had 3,500 fewer teachers.
These teachers are indeed teachers, and almost all of the increase in total numbers of teachers hired in the past decade have been special-education teachers.
Slater also contends that state accounting is a mess. Again, simply not true. Nor does the state auditor contend the DOE budget is a mess. In the report cited by Slater, the auditor states that the DOE is in compliance with accepted standards but its record-keeping could be improved by using a specific computer package.
Slater's confusion appears to come from his own inability to read the relevant documents. All of the data cited above can be found on the Web, most of it in the Department of Budget and Finance.
What is compelling if one looks at the actual statistics is that our system of public education could be improved dramatically by well-thought-out increases in expenditures going to nonspecial-ed students. Especially expenditures that did indeed reduce class size.
Lawrence W. Boyd, Ph.D.
Director, Institute of Astronomy, University of Hawai'i at Manoa
Minister, First Unitarian Church; A member of FACE
Wahiawa
Mililani
Waipahu
Holualoa, Kona, Hawai'i
University of Hawai'i Center for Labor Education and Research
