Forget about the trip

Hey, leave the governor alone about going to Israel. She's doing the same as governors before her. She is Jewish, therefore it's natural that she would go to Israel just like the last governor went to the Philippines. Does it benefit Hawai'i? Don't be silly, of course not; it's a perk, so get over it.

Volunteer tutors are needed, appreciated

I have had the rewarding experience of being a volunteer tutor of English in a local middle school since January, working with students who are recent immigrants from Asia and the Pacific Islands.

I would like to encourage other adults who have some time (it can be as little as two hours a week) to volunteer. Some will feel that they "don't know how to teach." However, being a volunteer tutor does not require formal training as a teacher; it is one-to-one coaching in basic skills, extremely important to a young person who is not only struggling to learn English, but is trying to figure out how to learn in a new and different school setting. (For some children from the Pacific Islands, this kind of tutoring may be similar to the way they are taught in their home cultures.)

The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (phone 536-6543) can get you started. (You don't have to be a senior or retired.) They will orient you, give you some basic training, find an assignment for you and support you with occasional workshops.

The school year is about to end at many local schools, but now is a good time to think about what you could contribute in the fall. Help for these students is greatly needed and appreciated. Maybe Hawai'i's schools need to be restructured, but being a volunteer in the schools is a way to help that will have an immediate effect.

'Troy' is a commentary on the world of today

At a showing of "Troy" the other night, some of the young people didn't seem to understand the movie. As the movie ended, they broke out in laughter. I had spent much of the movie crying on my husband's shoulder at the horror of battle and because I know that our troops are in harm's way not that far from where Troy might have been if Homer's novel "The Iliad" really did happen.

The thought that I came away with was, we haven't learned much over the centuries. One of the warriors tells Achilles (Brad Pitt), "Old men talk of war and young men die in war." What a commentary on today's world!

Democrats are taxing citizens way too much

Just exactly what do the Democrats expect from the citizens of Hawai'i? Haven't we been taxed out of our underwear? Did you know that one can take a weekend in Las Vegas for less than a weekend on Maui, for example, including air fare?

When will our Democrats begin to know that retired local residents on fixed incomes cannot afford to vacation in Hawai'i, our own home?

Non-kanaka maoli ancestors included

I have worked with Isaac Harp and others now for several years to restore Hawaiian government to the Hawaiian Islands. Mr. Ken Conklin, after pointing out technical inaccuracies in Isaac's April 29 letter that did not diminish its substance, concludes that "Today's sovereignty activists try to deny that non-natives were full members of the kingdom, just as today's Akaka bill excludes us who have no native ancestry" (Letters, May 24).

Isaac has long held that it is the subjects of the Kingdom of Hawai'i, both kanaka maoli and non-kanaka maoli, who have been wronged by the overthrow of the kingdom. Because of this, Isaac promotes the rights of the descendants of nationals of the Kingdom of Hawai'i to independent government regardless of race or ancestry.

The sovereignty activists Mr. Conklin refers to who support exclusion by reason of blood or ancestry restrictions are those who are following the model proposed by Conklin's own government in the Akaka bill. Isaac does not support the Akaka bill and does not support the exclusion of anyone descended from Hawaiian nationals at the time of the overthrow by reason of ancestry or race.

Conklin's own words: "Some of the independence activists deserve some moral credit for their principled stand in favor of independence." Isaac is one of these people. Informed independence advocates know that it is far better for a Hawaiian national government supported by international venues to establish policies and make laws protecting the value of kanaka maoli ancestry and culture. This, rather than laws made by a foreign government that have proved disastrous for others who have gone the federal recognition route.

Some cars aren't made for full performance

I've been reading the recent letters on engine performance and gas mileage versus octane ratings with much interest. There is one more aspect affecting gas mileage and engine performance that I have not seen mentioned, namely that some car makes manufactured in cold countries are not designed to provide full-rated performance in hot climates, like in the tropics where we are.

In two different, well-known European car makes with high-powered engines that I drove for a short time some years back, their engine management systems would start retarding the ignition timing when temperatures exceed only 77 degrees (25 degrees Celsius). This was necessary on those engines in order to prevent engine-damaging detonation (knocking or pinging) that would otherwise take place. By the time temperatures approach 90, the timing has been retarded so far that a great deal of power and acceleration are lost, as well as having worsened gas mileage.

On one of those makes, even the cooling system was inadequate, and the engine would overheat when driving in stop-and-go traffic on a hot day with the air-conditioning on. You would need to drive with a very light foot, making very little use of the car's high potential, to not experience much of this degradation in performance and perhaps not to be aware of it.

However, if you drive the car demanding higher performance, there will be a great deal of difference between that obtained on hot days and during nighttime driving.

Driving slower saves money in many ways

As the statistics of traffic accidents and fatalities pile up in our Islands, there is another reason for drivers to slow down: If they do, they save money by buying less gas. Gas mileage improves at lower speeds.

If drivers drive at the prescribed speed limits on most roads, they'll save money in other ways, too. Many traffic stoplights are timed to the road speed limit. By driving the speed limit, they'll be apt to hit more green lights, while speeding drivers will race ahead only to wind up waiting at the red light.

Constant jackrabbit stopping and starting can mean more wear and tear on the vehicle, resulting in potentially higher repair bills and a shorter car life. And, of course, avoiding speeding tickets is a good way to save money — that is, if our Honolulu police enforce the speed laws.

Where is all that tax money going to?

Your May 24 lead editorial stated clearly the importance of combining state and county tax burdens to legitimately compare Hawai'i to other states. The Associated Press article you published ("Hawai'i tax bill is nation's highest," May 21) cites the U.S. Census Bureau data that place Hawai'i as the top state in per capita tax collections. Combined with local taxes, Hawai'i has ranked in the top four of all states in tax collections for many years. Worse, Hawai'i's government spending has exceeded those collections for the last 12 years.

Two significant questions are provoked by this data: First, why has our government complained for the last 12 years that it is short of money when it collects exceptionally large amounts? Second, where does all that money go?

Hawai'i ranks at or near the bottom of states in many categories of service delivery. Hawai'i's Legislature has never implemented the constitutional mandate to regularly provide comprehensive management and performance audits of all state government. As such, no one can claim that the state gets much value for the large sums it spends. Additionally, the waste in government cannot be corrected until it is identified.

Democratic legislators have left us short of funds and services in spite of very high tax collections.

Lingle did well on trip to Israel

I recently had the honor and pleasure of escorting Gov. Linda Lingle on her trip to Israel. I was surprised at your critique of her trip and disappointed at the extent to which you have misrepresented an excellent stateswoman.

Hawai'i residents, and Americans at large, should be proud of the way in which Gov. Lingle represented them. In her meetings with the prime minister, foreign minister, president and members of parliament, the governor asked poignant and insightful questions aimed at better understanding central issues in the Middle East, without taking a specific stand on controversial issues. To broaden this understanding, she met with Jews, Muslims and Christians, Arabs and minority leaders, and she made it a point to meet with politicians on the left and right sides of the aisle.

Despite it being a tense time in Israel and in the Middle East in general, the fact that the governor traveled to the region is not unique. She joins a long list of American congressmen, governors, mayors and other elected officials who visit Israel regularly. Like many of these other visits, Gov. Lingle's trip laid the groundwork to improve the life of her constituents. While in Israel, she signed a significant agreement for cooperation on agriculture, and members of her Cabinet had substantive meetings with their counterparts.

It is true that Israel and Hawai'i are literally across the world from each other, but our global economy makes us virtual neighbors. Israeli companies are involved in multimillion-dollar projects in Hawai'i, and Gov. Lingle's meeting with representatives of these corporations and other professional leaders helped to advance the business relationships that make both of our economies strong.

While there may be disagreement on the methods Israel uses to combat a four-year onslaught of brutal terrorism, I hope that there is nothing problematic about expressing support for the only democracy and best ally of America in the region. Gov. Lingle did what every responsible elected leader at her level should do: She learned the issues firsthand instead of counting on false generalizations and distorted information, she advanced the interests of her people, and she represented her country with honor.

The governor came at exactly the right time, in exactly right way, and should be commended.