Letters to the Editor
Some students should blame only themselves
Many articles and studies have shown that some Hawai'i students are ill-prepared for college work when they graduate from high school. College professors and instructors feel that some freshmen are not up to standards in doing college-level reading, writing and math.
Of all the possible reasons for this problem, I feel that lack of student motivation is the No. 1 factor. Many students do not put in the required amount of time needed to study.
For example, a three-credit course requires six hours of weekly study. Students are either too busy with extracurricular activities, working or engaging in unproductive socializing.
Students also do not seek help when it is needed. Rather than using their resources and asking their teachers for help, they just brush it off until it becomes a crisis. By that time it is too late, and the student has fallen well behind.
When students do not meet standards, it is easy for them to blame the school system, the teachers, lack of funding or poor learning environments.
Eugene I. Toyama
Student, Leeward Community College
Long-term-care bill needs some answers
I heard a report that the governor cannot support the long-term-care insurance bill being considered this year because there will be no immediate benefit for the money that is taken out of our pay. My concern for this program is twofold:
- Will some office be accounting for the amount contributed over the years by current and future taxpayers so the state will know whom to return the money to, or will it go into the general fund and be at the mercy of the governor and the Legislature? Will it balance future budgets?
- Even if the program becomes a reality and goes on for years, what happens to the individuals who leave Hawai'i and resettle on the Mainland or elsewhere? Will this program be transferable to cover them in the future for a period of time equal to the amount of coverage they selected and paid for while they lived in Hawai'i and contributed? If not, will they be refunded their contribution?
Michael Tanigawa
'Ewa Beach
'Hidden epidemic' a sad commentary
Thank you for the excellent investigative reporting in your Feb. 16 article "Abuse of elderly called state's 'hidden epidemic.' " It was a challenging and detailed look at a terrible problem. It is a sad commentary on our society, but a needed education on the shameful suffering of those we give lip service to honoring.
I cared for my mother in her own home with the skilled help of paraprofessional aides and healthcare professionals until her death at the age of 95. It was hard duty at times, but a labor of love and respect.
I am deeply relieved I never had to place her in a care home, especially a residential home-care business, which is not subject to unannounced inspections or has any meaningful standards or qualifications for the staff.
If these same proprietors were running a catering business or child-care business in their homes, they would be subject to such conditions. Should we be less vigilant for our frail elderly?
Keep up the good reporting; it is a credit to the journalism profession.
Vincent P. Mainelli
Depression is a small factor in choosing death
I am a graduate student at the University of Hawai'i and a licensed medical professional. Venny Villapando's Feb. 14 letter, "Physician-assisted suicide is inhumane," is perplexing, as studies have shown that depression has repeatedly been one of the least important factors in the decision to choose a hastened death.
For example, a comprehensive study published in the Aug. 22 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine reported that of the 21 categories included in the study, depression was ranked 19th.
An earlier study, also reported in the Journal, notes that while physicians reported that 20 percent of patients who requested a prescription for a lethal dose of medication might have been depressed, none received a prescription.
What is so inhumane about ending the suffering of a person who has exhausted all other options? If a physician's duty is to relieve suffering, and if this is only possible through hastening death, isn't that more compassionate?
Why shouldn't a terminally ill and competent patient be the one who decides how he wishes to end his life?
P. Switzer
Kailua
High school soccer assault serious matter
Regarding the Feb. 14 sports article "Four O'ahu teams in soccer semifinals": I am appalled by the physical action of a high school soccer player against a game official.
When the boy's soccer game officially ended in the game between Pearl City and Baldwin, an official was shoved to the ground, and as a result, Baldwin school officials decided to forfeit their next game in the state championship.
Officials working the game in no way should be subjected to this kind of abuse by players at any level. Baldwin school officials should levy some sanction on the player involved and apologize to the official.
An incident of this nature is very serious. Is there a standard protocol at the high school level with respect to discipline in athletics?
Bryan Yoshimoto
Where's justification for quarantine law?
In spite of overwhelming scientific facts and an unprecedented show of public support, the Department of Agriculture, chaired by Sandra Kunimoto, together with the state veterinarian, Dr. James Foppoli, assembled an unconvincing set of half-truths to prevent the quarantine law from being abolished.
Rather, they proposed another money-gouging scheme where for five days and 500-odd dollars and a myriad of paperwork, we can allow pets to enter Hawai'i after we open the floor for more (waste of taxpayer time and money) hearings. How many more hearings does Ms. Kunimoto need? Perhaps a course in veterinary health might be apropos.
If indeed this were a health rather than a monetary issue and the main participants actually understood anything of the former, I can't fathom what the five-day stay refers to. Do you? Does Gov. Lingle? Does any vet?
As to the cost, pray tell why I couldn't actually place my pet at the Hilton for five days in air-conditioned isolated comfort rather than the Halawa cauldron? Would that be a middle-of-the-road approach as long as the state could still get some royalties from this scheme? Can someone explain to me clearly why a five-day stay is needed?
What happened to Gov. Lingle's support during her campaign days for an end to quarantine? Is this a show of the openness and accountability she expects in state government?
Even the United Kingdom has abandoned this archaic measure in favor of a "pet health passport," yet we see Hawai'i still clinging to this deplorable law in the hopes of keeping a $4 million-plus cash flow per year.
I respectfully ask Gov. Lingle, in view of her platform of "accountability," to come forth and lend her support as she clearly stated prior to the election and put a final stop to this cruel and costly law.
Greg Grajew
'Aiea
Heads must roll over Midway Island oil spill
The news of the worst fuel spill in a decade in the history of the Hawaiian archipelago occurring on Midway Island comes as no surprise. The incompetence required to miss a leak of this magnitude for a week boggles the mind.
The Fish and Game management must take responsibility for this fiasco. There should be an investigation by a non-governmental board to determine who is to blame and whether person or persons should be fired and charged with any appropriate crimes.
This is an outrage that Fish and Game will try to blame on others, but it should not be let off the hook.
C.R. Wilson
Former harbormaster, Midway Island
Duct tape, plastic sheeting ridiculous
I am incensed to hear that Americans are now spending their hard-earned money buying plastic sheeting and duct tape to protect themselves against chemical warfare. How can the federal government disseminate such irresponsible information?
I am in favor of being prepared for an emergency situation with a supply of food, water and medicines. But to tell people they will be safe by sealing their homes in plastic is ludicrous.
I am a baby boomer who remembers duck-and-cover drills during the Cold War and pictures of napalm dropped on Vietnam. We studied the horrors of the nuclear bombs of World War II in school. I am a U.S. Army veteran and learned the value of a properly functioning protective mask. We were well-instructed on nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, but there was no mention of plastic sheets and duct tape.
As for myself, I'll keep my emergency supplies ready and follow the instructions of a drill sergeant: If you see a mushroom cloud, fall in a ditch, pull your poncho over your head and kiss your butt goodbye.
April Smith
Mililani
U.S. should continue to work with the U.N.
The League of Women Voters of Hawai'i urges President Bush to continue working with the U.N. to resolve the situation with Iraq.
International cooperation is an essential element in guarding against terrorism and protecting all nations from attack, particularly those that may involve nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.
Working with the United Nations provides the United States with many foreign and domestic policy advantages:
- It ensures a full and exhaustive debate of a range of alternative policies and actions.
- It builds unity of purpose by clearly defining the objectives to be fulfilled.
- It assures the world that the United States is not acting solely for its own benefit while reassuring the American people that the United States is not acting alone.
- It provides the legitimacy of international law.
- It increases the chances of long-term success through international peacekeeping and nation-building efforts.
For these reasons, the United Nations should be an important component of U.S. foreign policy. We should work actively and constructively within the U.N. system, exercising diplomatic leadership in advance of decision-making. Resolution of past crises has shown the effectiveness of multilateral action in dealing with international problems.
Maile Bay
President, League of Women Voters of Hawai'i
Pearl Johnson
President, League of Women Voters of Honolulu
We should be guarding our own borders
President Bush says we have homeland security. Our troops are being sent to guard foreign borders, while our borders are wide open. He has sent seven Coast Guard ships to the Persian Gulf to protect foreign ports.
Bush is protecting Washington, D.C., and New York City, but the rest of our country is open to attack. This reminds me of the city governments and the Feds declaring certain areas Weed & Seed zones, but it only moves the drug dealers into other neighborhoods. Is Bush telling the terrorists "don't hit N.Y.C. and Washington, D.C., again but find another target in another state"?
There were six Arabs caught recently in Mexico trying to get into the U.S. If six get caught, then 600 get through. I'm basing this on the number of illegal Mexicans who cross our border every day. Bush and his cronies have everything backward. The majority want troops on our own borders.
Ronald L. Edmiston
Community board spewed liberal bias
It was disappointing and disturbing to read in the Feb. 16 Focus section that all 12 of your "diverse members of the community editorial board" do not have one conservative bone in their body or any concept of the reason for disarmament of Iraq by force.
This is just another example of liberal bias in the media that your liberal newspaper continues to perpetrate on the citizens of Hawai'i.
Bruce Wong
