David McClain should be given a chance

I must argue with the opinion expressed by John Wendell in his Aug. 26 letter in which he calls for an immediate search to replace Dr. David McClain as president of the University of Hawai'i.

Mr. Wendell's comment that the next president must have "extensive high-level administrative experience with a university system of comparable size and complexity to UH" ignores the fact that what actually is sought is competence. Experience is only a distorted reflection of past competence. Obviously, Dr. Dobelle can now also claim to have such competence based on experience; however, few would argue for his renewed service at UH.

We have a problem here in Hawai'i in assuming that those from elsewhere are better, even though business owners know that roughly one-third of their Mainland hires fail in local assignments for which, on paper, they looked uniquely qualified.

Common sense tells us that "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" and that "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Moreover, in this particular incidence where there has been a good deal of questionable press about UH, a search committee might be faced with a sub-optimal pool of applicants.

We need to give Dr. McClain a chance to show his talents to the members of the UH family and to the Hawai'i public. For John Wendell to paint him as a "schmoozer" is totally absurd. Dr. McClain has made an extraordinary attempt to build support and raise contributions in the community through participation in local events as a professional representative of UH interested in getting community input. If this is schmoozing, then it should be made a job requirement.

Hawai'i privileged to have Dave Shoji

As a longtime Rainbow Wahine volleyball fan, I offer my congratulations to the University of Hawai'i for reaching a contract agreement with head coach Dave Shoji. He's one of the top coaches in the country, in any sport, and his contract terms are a bargain for the taxpayers.

During his three decades with UH, Dave has brought tremendous excitement to the women's volleyball program, filling the Stan Sheriff Center with devoted fans who have watched our teams win numerous national titles and WAC championships.

But beyond the competitive accomplishments, and far more important in my opinion, coach Shoji consistently produces remarkable student-athletes who bring great pride to our state for their scholastic abilities and outstanding character.

UH is privileged to have a coach of Dave Shoji's caliber — and I can't wait for the next season to start.

Reasons abound for ignoring statehood

Wayne and Arlene Conte, in their Aug. 26 letter, showed disappointment in The Advertiser's failure to report historical events pertaining to Statehood Day. Please let me accommodate them.

It all began when a bunch of American-born businessmen plotted the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in pursuit of greater profits. Breaking treaties in existence between two nations, armed U.S. sailors landed on Hawaiian soil to assist. President Grover Cleveland himself stated that he was "ashamed of the whole affair."

Hawai'i was never annexed by a treaty as required, but by a joint resolution of Congress, which had no legal authority in a foreign land. Then came the vote for statehood. The plebiscite ballot only had the choice between statehood and remaining a territory. No option for independence appeared on the ballot, as was required under the U.N. Charter.

Think about how thousands of Native Hawaiians felt as their flag was lowered and replaced by the American flag, only to serve as a constant reminder of the events that caused the demise of a once-peaceful nation. Then think about your question. Is Hawai'i proud of its U.S. statehood? Only those with no conscience would say yes.

Better pay would help ease teacher shortage

I'd like to respond to the Aug. 26 article "Hawai'i schools short 357 teachers." My husband and I are two newly hired Hawai'i teachers, and we'd like to suggest another possible rationale for the lack of qualified Hawai'i teachers.

My husband is a 30-year veteran of the classroom with a great deal of experience and talent. I spent the first half of my teaching career in the classroom and am now a national educational consultant. We came to Hawai'i not to get rich, but to live the island life with people we respect and children we are passionate to teach.

Unfortunately, the Department of Education hired us at a first-year teacher's salary despite our excellent recommendations and qualifications.

The DOE needs to focus some of its recruitment efforts on experienced teachers who are older and intend to become permanent residents of the state. Hawai'i's high cost of living is prohibitive to new teachers, who, oftentimes, end up going back to the Mainland after only one teaching year. Higher salaries for more experienced teachers would help Hawai'i's shortage in the long term.

Consumers' choice should get the blame

In your Monday editorial concerning global warming, you state in part, "Bush and Congress share the blame for cars that have the worst fuel efficiency in 20 years ... "

Let's face the facts:

• Each buyer of an automobile has a choice between purchasing a large, heavy, low-mileage, V-8 engine vehicle, or instead, a smaller, economical, high-mileage car. The ultimate responsibility lies entirely with the buyer, no one else.

Automobile manufacturers respond to the public's desires: If we stopped purchasing SUVs, the industry would immediately quit building them.

• According to DMV records, most of the cars on the road today were purchased prior to President Bush taking office. The single worst mileage vehicle, the Hummer, was brought onto the public highways during the Clinton era.

• Republicans fight for less government regulation, not more.

Gridlock on O'ahu can never be fixed

In Wednesday's editorial " ... while big issues are all but ignored," the editors present the contradictory opinion that not being enthusiastic about BRT is "good" and traffic is bad. But the real damage is in the attitude that some alternatives are needed "urgently" and "not in a matter of decades."

Over a decade ago, we passed up federal money for rail. Are we happy with the "urgent" fixes that took place then? The pro-auto folks convinced us that rail was a bad idea, and now we complain of gridlock. Ha!

The truth about gridlock on O'ahu is that it can never be fixed. The only fix is to provide people with commuting alternatives. Dedicated transitways provide people with commuting options. It's a quality-of-life issue.

This newspaper is partially to blame for the fact that we have no commuting alternatives. You, the people of Hawai'i, have been misled by the voices of a few, and those few can be thanked for convincing you to put yourselves last.