WAIPAHU HIGH

MANY KIDS FUNDRAISE RIGHT WAY, WORK HARD

In response to the July 30 letter on fundraising: Mr. Frank Sanpei refers to institutions asking for public support as begging. This is not right.

Immediately after Sept. 11, 2001, Tampa firefighters in their off time manned the streets with boots. This was not begging, it was the least they could do to help. And the community filled those boots.

Recently, two young men from the Waipahu High School football program respectfully came to my garage door and sold me a discount card sponsored by Hawai'i local businesses, and they were a model of respect and professional approach. These boys are not begging. I've already benefited from the discount on the card.

If you cannot support the community or if you choose not to, do not expect anything back from the community. The government cannot take care of everything. We must show our support for our children, future generations, just as our parents and grandparents worked so hard for our futures. Waipahu High School has done a magnificent job of telling these boys how to behave and how to raise funds.

Robert Fernandez | Wahiawa

MORE TAXES

MANY QUESTIONS LEFT IN RUSH FOR RAIL FUNDS

It seems to me that the rush to pass the rail transit bill was that we had to meet a deadline to secure federal funds to help with the construction. Congressman Abercrombie put the pressure on the Legislature; it in turn pressured Gov. Lingle; and as a result, we will be doled out plenty of pork to help construct it.

But hey, wait a minute, what about the after-construction costs that will be required for subsidizing fares and maintaining the track, rolling stock, stations, etc.? These ongoing costs — and they will be substantial — will have to come out of the taxpayer pocket, won't they?

Oh, but the continuing transit tax will take care of such costs, won't it? Who knows? In our eagerness to feed at the pork-barrel trough, we didn't take time to prepare a construction plan, a budget of ongoing costs and a ridership projection or allow the public a say in the project.

Well, I guess if the transit tax won't cover the ongoing costs, the answer will lie in the Legislature's usual practice: raise more taxes to cover the deficit. And it will!

Is this the way to run a railroad? I think not.

Stan Morketter | Makiki

FISHING

MARINE PROTECTED AREAS ARE PLENTIFUL

A recent editorial in your newspaper called for support for more marine protected areas. Why? In Hawai'i, shoreline access is heavily restricted by tall cliffs, high surf, military bases, airports, state harbors, private beaches and beachfront properties and already closed or restricted areas such as Hanauma Bay, Diamond Head-Waikiki fisheries management area and Lapakahi State Park, to name just a few.

All of these areas limit or completely prohibit access to shoreline fishermen. And yet some of our elected officials, backed by special-interest environmental groups with deep pockets, are pushing for more closed areas to fishing? They are trying to do this by imposing more marine protected areas on the shoreline users of Hawai'i.

Has any thought been given to the lack of enforcement as the reason there is a perceived decline in fish populations? Why did the Department of Land and Natural Resources recently decline $1 million in additional funding for the state Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement? Why is Hawai'i the only state without mandatory fishing licenses? Why is there limited or no response at all when individuals call the DLNR to report illegal activity?

The answer is obvious: Enforcement is not a priority as a fisheries management tool. Perhaps because the DLNR doesn't want to spend efforts on management at all? After all, it would be a lot easier and less of a workload for it to shut down areas to fishing completely and turn all of our shoreline areas into Hanauma Bay.

And to say our state leaders and DLNR support shoreline fishing? That is the biggest fishing tale I've heard in a long time.

NEIL KANEMOTO | HONOLULU AND HONOKA'A

KAMEHAMEHA

EDUCATION HELPS TO LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD

As a youth growing up in Waipahu, I was extremely moved by a book titled "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West." This extraordinary book changed the way Americans thought about the original inhabitants of our country. Since that day, I have had a greater appreciation of the struggles and obstacles faced by indigenous people.

Much of the success I have achieved in my life came to me through education. In this manner, I can empathize with the belief of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop and her husband, Charles Reed Bishop, in helping to better the Hawaiian people as a whole through educational opportunities provided at the Kamehameha Schools. Statewide, there are everyday people, as well as legislators, council members, mayors, doctors, lawyers and judges, who have benefited from an education they've received at Kamehameha.

As a whole, Hawaiian people suffer the highest rates of impoverishment, illiteracy and incarceration. We may not be able to cure all of the societal ills that the Hawaiian people have experienced, but we can even the playing field by continuing to support these educational opportunities founded by the Bishops.

NESTOR R. GARCIA | HONOLULU CITY COUNCIL MEMBER

ALOHA STADIUM

IRRESPONSIBLE PEOPLE WILL DRINK ANYWAY

Let's see if I've got this right. There is a move afoot to prohibit alcohol sales and consumption at Aloha Stadium during University of Hawai'i football games. Apparently, alcohol, not irresponsible individuals, is causing a lot of problems at the stadium.

It is common knowledge that drug use in our state correctional facilities is rampant. If the state can't stop drug use in a highly controlled environment like a prison, how in the world does it think it will be able to stop alcohol consumption at the stadium?

The prohibition will only stop the responsible adults from drinking at the stadium; the irresponsible ones will continue to find a way do it one way or another. Alcohol prohibition will be yet another attack on the personal freedoms of law-abiding citizens and have absolutely no effect on the irresponsible few.

Anthony Paresa | Hawai'i Kai

KAMEHAMEHA

ADMISSIONS POLICY WAS ALREADY BROKEN

As a Hawaiian myself, I have to question the admissions policy of the Kamehameha Schools. Is this a school strictly for students with Hawaiian blood, or make-believe Hawaiians who have the bucks to attend?

With all the controversy surrounding the trustees' approach to the admissions policy, it is all finally catching up. The system is broken and it is a disparagement to Princess Pauahi Bishop's ideas and purpose for Kamehameha Schools.

So, I say "Auwe" to the Hawaiians for allowing such treatment to have gone on for years; and now they want to fight the court's decision.

Matt Martin | Pahrump, Nev.; formerly of Hawai'i

BOTTLENECKS

ONE TRAFFIC SOLUTION: BUILD H-1 EXTENSION

After reading many of the suggestions for the solution to our traffic problems, I finally thought I would give one of my own: Build an extension on the H-1 that begins at the Kaonohi Street overpass and goes straight over Red Hill to the Moanalua Freeway.

It seems ridiculous to me that the small two-lane off-ramp that separates from the H-1 and viaduct only rejoins the Moanalua to cause a bottleneck there.

In addition, those who choose to stay on the H-1 have to deal with another bottleneck where the viaduct joins H-1.

An extension would ease congestion at both areas and even allow those who work in the Dillingham area easier access to their locations.

Don Zambrano | Kahalu'u

KAMEHAMEHA GRADUATES HAVE EDUCATION, AMBITIONS

After reading the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals' opinion, it seems to me that the meaning of the Kamehameha Schools' legacy is being set aside. Princess Bernice understood the importance of education for the future of Hawai'i and made provision in her will to be certain Native Hawaiians would receive the best education she could provide.

Just as the Hawai'i state motto reminds us that "The Life of the Land Is Perpetuated in Righteousness," so too should we remember that the "life of the land" is held in the hands of those who carry on the traditions of the past. So much has been taken from her people, who have been the recipients of blatant capitalism at its worst.

Hawaiian children, when given the opportunity to attend the Kamehameha Schools, further their education by attending college at an astounding rate: 100 percent, according to the school's Web site. Learning at the school includes academics and sports, but also includes grounding in their own heritage. They are children of mixed lineage, having in common the thread of Hawaiian ancestry. In this one place they come together with an equal opportunity to learn. They are fortunate that they are able to attend such a school.

Hawai'i is fortunate, also, because these few children graduate with knowledge that is powerful and have ambitions they can meet. Their goals do not stop at the ceiling placed on too many Hawaiian young people whose education has prepared them to find jobs with low expectation and insufficient salaries for living well in their own land.

If non-Hawaiian children are admitted to the Kamehameha Schools, they will benefit greatly from the curriculum offered there. It is my hope that the enforced change in policy will result in children not of Hawaiian descent understanding the beauty of Hawaiian traditions, beliefs and practices. They will also benefit from the aloha spirit, which allows anyone wishing to do so to be made welcome.

Patricia A. Self | Deatsville, Ala.

HAWAI'I'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS MUST KEEP HIGH STANDARDS

It's the same story that has been, unfortunately, repeated again and again. Test scores were disappointing for the fourth consecutive year — ever since the Hawai'i Statewide Assessment test was initiated in the public schools (Advertiser, Aug. 5). Subsequently, educational leaders tried to appease the public. They pointed to some aspects of the test scores that were not as bad as others. They made excuses. They pledged to try harder.

But they stopped short of taking responsibility for the low scores.

This year there is a slightly different twist to the story. Some members of the Board of Education want the test standards to be lowered. The BOE, to its credit, initially set the standards at a high level, with the expectation that those standards would ultimately be met. The BOE members who now want the standards to be lowered appear to be frustrated at not being able to move the public school system forward as quickly as they thought they could.

Their frustration is understandable, but their solution does nothing to advance public education.

The purpose of setting standards is to measure the quality of education that students receive. If students meet high standards, that would mean that quality is high. The lowering of standards would have the effect of more students reaching the reduced standards, but it would do nothing to change the quality of education that is actually being delivered.

Consider what would happen if lower standards were applied to some of our favorite stories. After trying to fit the glass slipper lost by Cinderella on the feet of only a few ladies, the handsome prince would have had a larger slipper made. The Little Engine That Could would have been satisfied in pulling the load of toys only partway up the mountain. And Maui would have been satisfied in pulling the Islands of Hawai'i only partway up from the bottom of the sea.

Lowering test standards would mean giving up on the pursuit of excellence in public education and being satisfied with mediocrity. For this reason, high standards need to be maintained. New strategies need to be developed in order to improve the quality of education so that the high standards can be met.

That is the only way that the story of education in Hawai'i has a chance of having a happy ending.

John Kawamoto | Kaimuki