Letters to the Editor

We should focus on sound school reform

I felt compelled to respond to "Education reform misguided" by Joseph Gedan, Jan. 23. It is my hope that all who discuss our public school plight will read and reread this commentary, which hammers the nail on the real issues right on target.

Gedan cites three factors that are the primary determinants of educational achievement: the extent to which the student's parents value education, the effectiveness of teachers and adequate financial resources.

These factors must be addressed by discussion facilitators and policy-makers regarding public-school reform and increasing student achievement.

I agree with Gedan and also wonder how a costly change to local school boards would fairly progress on these issues.

From my vantage point as a parent of public-education graduates, volunteer in statewide science events and retired private-school educator, I am hopeful that our community will be an informed citizenry that supports the present governance as Pat Hamamoto leads us into sound reform.

There are other ways to improve education

We may not do everything right in our educational system, but until now, we have never divided our children and our schools in a way that instills a "yours vs. mine" mentality.

Can't we think of a better way of helping our students to achieve than pitting community against community? What if instead of replicating the number of school boards, we focus on replicating in every school the facilities of the Kapolei schools, or the school size of Nu'uanu Elementary, or the class sizes of our K-2 classes?

Let's stay away from the "division" multiple school boards will cause.

Chinatown struggling over lack of parking

Being a merchant in Chinatown, I have been witness to the deplorable lack of parking spaces and structures. Many businesses here in the downtown area have fallen due to tough economic times, but having few parking areas certainly contributed to their demise.

People who once bought their vegetables, frequented restaurants for lunch, did their banking at any of the numerous financial institutions, etc., now choose to go elsewhere because of the difficulty in finding a place to park.

Which brings me to the current problem: Maunakea Street is the target of yet another period of disruption, as the sidewalks will be "redone" and every parking space from Hotel to King will be blocked off for the next month or so. We hope.

All merchants received this notice less than a week before the sides of streets were coned, and every single space used for parking and deliveries is now gone. On any given day, finding a parking space on Maunakea Street is an ordeal, and the lack of street parking will drive more people away at an alarming rate — and, I fear, more businesses as well.

Conflict is obvious in election by OHA

Anne Keala Kelly's Jan. 18 commentary on OHA and sovereignty was well-written and clearly stated the situation that Native Hawaiians face.

OHA is an agency of the state. For OHA to organize an election involving Native Hawaiians and sovereignty would be similar to asking Wal-Mart, with its history of employing illegal aliens, to write legislation regulating immigration. It simply won't work. The conflict is obvious.

Offer incentives to keep police officers

Police work is such an important job. Officers fight crime — pure and simple.

In order to protect our society, they often have to work with the most evil, desperate and deranged minds. This is no easy job. It often takes a heavy toll on one's personal life. Small wonder there's a shortage of people willing to become a recruit. More so, many trained and experienced officers transfer to Mainland positions for higher pay, less on-the-job stress and a higher living standard for their families.

The solution is to offer incentives to attract and keep quality people. Let's show our appreciation of police officers. How about free gas for cops? Why not? With only 2,000 officers and a statewide population of 1 million, the more the police drive (on and off duty), the safer it is for us all.

Although compensation of government workers is always a hot issue, there are many on the police force living paycheck-to-paycheck.

We need campaign finance reform now

The 2004 legislative session opened recently with the usual rhetoric in both chambers about solving Hawai'i's problems du jour. Little was heard, however, about one of our most pressing problems, the need for campaign finance reform.

Every year, millions of dollars are poured into the campaign coffers of our legislators by corporations and well-funded political action committees, and when "big money" mixes with the business of lawmaking, who can ever really be sure whether votes are cast in the public interest or as a quid pro quo. The sad truth is that when big money talks, public interest walks.

The problem isn't new. At the birth of our country, Thomas Jefferson decried corruption in Congress, and a newspaper article in 1895 quoted a member of the House of Representatives as saying, "There are two things important in politics: money and ... I can't remember the other one."

But change is in the air. In recent years, six of our sister states have enacted effective laws for "clean money" reform, and here in Hawai'i, the movement is alive and well. Attempts to get a bill through the Legislature so far, however, have met with repeated bushwhacking by a few self-serving politicians. Last year, for example, a reform bill passed easily through the House only to be single-handedly quashed in the Senate by a powerful committee grandee. In previous sessions, party bosses have blocked reform measures even before they could be introduced on the floor.

Most Americans agree that an important cornerstone of our greatness is our free enterprise system. But in the marketplace of that system, one thing should never be up for bid: our legislators' votes.

Now is the time for campaign finance reform. This year, let's get it done.