Politicians are asked for help all the time

The Advertiser should stop criticizing Sen. Brian Kanno, who recently looked into whether Norwegian Cruise Line exercised proper business practices and due process in its firing of an employee. Because the issue involves the labor practices of a business operating in Hawai'i, I can understand Sen. Kanno's interest in this matter.

I call your attention to the Terri Schiavo case in which legislators in Florida, even those whose committees had nothing to do with health, human services or consumer protection, used the legislative process to pass a bill on behalf of a single individual. May I remind you that the president of the United States, himself, took action, even attempting to usurp the judicial process, on behalf of a single individual.

People ask their elected officials for help all the time. Wouldn't you like to know that there are legislators who would listen and would be willing to help? Why hasn't The Advertiser done more to investigate if the firing of Leon Rouse was proper?

By the way, I always felt that cruise ships should pay hotel taxes.

Doesn't parse well

Every time I hear Gov. Linda Lingle's voice-over talking about the First Five Hawai'i educational program for keiki, it gives me chicken skin. In part, she says, "The chances of them catching up is not very good." Ouch! From my own early educational experiences, I think the governor should have said, "The chances of them catching up are not very good." I wonder where she got her early educational experiences — or at least her grammar lessons.

Teacher's wisdom should be studied

In The Honolulu Advertiser on March 25 was a commentary by Gloria Marie Baraquio, "a 24-year-old noncertified first-year teacher." Here is a sample of her wisdom:

"Are we asking the right questions? Instead of punishing students for poor attendance or participation, why don't we ask why they don't want to come? Must the school day be from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.? Instead of trying to name the learning disability, why not ask what is wrong with our teaching — or with our expectations? Instead of bringing students up to standards, why don't we first determine if the standards are truly necessary for their future? Instead of distinguishing between school and the 'real world,' why don't we make them the same thing?"

Is there anything left to say?

Admittedly, action in response to those questions is difficult and time-consuming. But why are they not being asked by the Legislature, the Board of Education or the superintendent?

If they were, perhaps it might occur to someone that providing parents with authority, resources and accountability would be a "real world" merge.

There can only be one sovereign government

In Haunani Apoliona's recent commentary "Reject the fear of the Akaka bill critics," she seems to think all would be hunky-dory if it is passed. I think she is wrong. I think it would be opening a can of worms.

Apoliona seems to want a sovereign nation, and she quotes Sen. Inouye as saying "the new Native Hawaiian government would be co-equal with other governments, local, state and federal." But you can't have two sovereign nations joined together. The definition of sovereign means to be supreme. Only one can be supreme.

Why can't she be proud and happy to be a citizen of the best kind of government in the world? One in which the government is by the people and for the people, and where the people are legally equal in the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness?

Same old solutions to our traffic mess

Traffic congestion is increasing, but don't buy the panic that the O'ahu Metropolitan Planning Organization and government officials try to sell us to get their traffic boondoggles approved.

Two basic bad assumptions make their commuter nightmare projections self-serving. Remember how O'ahu population growth was going to go through the roof in the late '80s? The reality was that O'ahu's population fell through the '90s.

Their other lazy assumption is that "only baseline fixes to O'ahu's ... roads and buses" will occur between now and 2030. Right! If we leave the same state and county people in charge of transportation, you can bet they won't put in more left-turn arrows, turning lanes and automated signals, tow abandoned vehicles quicker, or ticket more illegal parkers.

The secret to getting central Honolulu traffic moving is to first dedicate our roads to the movement of people, vehicles and bicycles. If you want to park on a roadway when it is allowed, pay a meter or buy a permit. Use the money generated by paid parking to make ongoing improvements to our "transportation baseline" and we won't have to spend billions on flyovers, underwater tunnels, toll freeways or zipper lanes that will only bring more West O'ahu cars into the choked Honolulu core.