Realize what matters, respect pedestrians

I love cars and I love to drive, sometimes fast. But I love people more. And I ask myself, what's really important? I've lived on Kalihi Street for about a year, and I wonder every day how pedestrians manage to not get killed by the many speeding cars on our street.

Upper Kalihi Street is like a Third World country when it comes to street safety. Like other neighborhoods on O'ahu, it is densely populated. Cars are parked right next to the street, on both sides. There are no sidewalks but plenty of potholes where people have to walk, which is usually right in the road. And by people, I mean a lot of very senior citizens, disabled people, parents with tiny babies, teenagers, small children, not to mention the young and middle-aged adults, all having to walk up and down the street, going to and from the bus stops, dodging speeding cars and humongous trucks.

It's mind-boggling. Do drivers really have to routinely go 50 mph or more in this 25-mph zone? Do gigantic trucks really need to haul through our residential neighborhood on our narrow road at almost double the speed limit?

What's wrong with us? Aren't drivers at least a little bit concerned about killing a child, an auntie, a mom or a grandpa, or has our love for cars and speed and our frantic lifestyle blinded us from the things in life that really do matter to us most, the people in our lives?

Perhaps everyone could take a pay cut

I am tired of hearing the complaints of substitute teachers about their pay and agreements. There are two obvious and simple answers to the dilemma.

First, they might all consider quitting and let the janitors and security guards fill in for the regular teachers.

Second, if the members of the DOE and the HSTA teachers all agreed to take a pay cut and give up their medical insurance, vacations, sick days, right to strike, retirement and other benefits, the subs would not have a leg to stand on with their complaints about how poorly and unfairly they are treated.

Through controversy, pain, pope stood firm

The pope made himself many critics, of course, with his unflinching stand on abortion and other controversial issues. But the one thing he was was a man who lived by unswerving principle and was steady as a rock. His personality reminds us of "He is Peter, and upon this rock, he had built a strong church."

Many who are old and sick derive from the pope much inspiration. He outlasted physical limitations and controversies and completed his apostolate and his mission as he saw it. When people lose hope and despair and find no purpose in life, they only have to look to him, who gave his daily example of physical courage and fortitude.

The pope suffered an attempted assassination, and yet was unflinching in his advocacy for peace, forgiveness and reconciliation.

Once in a while, God sends us individuals who, by their mere presence, serve as reminders of the nobility, the compassion, the selflessness and the grandeur of humanity.

Such a man was His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, who was truly a man for all of the human race.

Social Security crunch will come in 12 years

Patrick Stanley's March 31 letter on Social Security misstates the facts. The trust fund Stanley asserts will be gone in 2041 simply doesn't exist. No lockbox. The federal government spent the money on other programs. The real crunch comes much sooner, in 2017, just 12 years from now.

In 2017, money paid to Social Security recipients will for the first time exceed the Social Security payments wage earners make. In 2017, to pay beneficiaries, the government will have to (1) go into more debt, (2) cut existing programs or (3) raise taxes.

Stanley should tell us which of those three choices he wants, or he should credit Bush for highlighting a problem we must address right now.

Legislators chickened out at a crucial time

The Hawai'i Legislature gutted House Bill 109, which would have clarified what is appropriate use of agriculture land.

Instead, legislators are going to do more studies and report back to the Legislature in two years on appropriate action to rectify this. From my view, the legislators stuck their heads in the sand.

We have a real problem here, with possible litigation arising from the Hokuli'a mess potentially costing millions of dollars to all taxpayers in Hawai'i. The legislators should have banned all future non-agriculture subdivisions on agriculture-zoned land and exempted all current nonconforming ag subdivisions.

Board of Water Supply is indeed trying to save water

I was pleased to read the April 7 letter "Water board should follow its own advice" as its author was clearly passionate about the importance of water conservation. We agree that everyone, especially government, can and should do more to conserve our precious water supply.

However, we would like to correct some misconceptions in the letter. The Board of Water Supply is not responsible for irrigating parks, median strips and other public landscaped areas. That's the duty of various departments of state and city government. We are committed to ensuring all water users, especially large water users like government, are educated about the importance of conserving water. We work with them on a regular basis to address concerns ranging from broken sprinkler heads to watering on rainy days.

The board recently financed and completed a major water fixture retrofit of more than 140 city facilities that will save thousands of gallons of water daily. We are also working with the state and city on other water-saving projects, including one that will determine park irrigation needs according to weather data.

The letter writer suggests that the Board of Water Supply stop educating citizens about the importance of water conservation until government "itself becomes serious about saving water." We unfortunately cannot do this as we have a responsibility, as stewards of our water resource, to ensure that future generations have access to the same clean and dependable water we enjoy today.

Water is not a commodity; it is essential to life. We cannot achieve sustainability of this finite resource alone; we need the help of all water users. So we hope everyone will join with us to achieve our mission, to ensure "Water for Life — Ka Wai Ola" ... for today and tomorrow.