Let's pass a law to prevent these things from happening. Let's step up the efforts of the child protection services. Let's train teachers to look for signs of abuse. Blah blah blah.

Perhaps what we really need are parents with a little common sense. Perhaps we need parents who truly care about their own children. Perhaps we need adults to have children, not children to have children. Perhaps we need ... real parents, not grandparents or foster parents or day care.

Perhaps ... I'm dreaming.

Don't mischaracterize compassionate agency

I am writing about the June 20 article "Top tax debtors owe $1.17M," which indicates Pacific Gateway Center (PGC), a nonprofit, is one of the entities owing property taxes. PGC is dedicated to helping low-income residents by creating employment, moving people off welfare, aiding business startups and developing and implementing programs to help acculturate immigrants.

I wanted to speak on its behalf to dispel any perception that it is trying to do something illegal. Throughout the property's acquisition/ownership process, its position has always been to operate the property as a nonprofit kitchen incubator. The goal is to help struggling startup businesses by offering business-planning assistance, low-cost micro-loans and office/kitchen infrastructure. Hopefully, once these businesses are able to venture on their own, they will create jobs, state tax revenues and a positive economic/social multiplier effect in our community.

PGC's Kapalama offices are austere, but the good that they do is positively disproportionate to their low budget. During visits to their offices, I often hear them bustling to find temporary shelters for refugees and domestic abuse victims in life-threatening situations, assisting immigrants and low-income residents in societal assimilation, job training/placement. I pray for the community's understanding to hopefully avoid an incorrect characterization of this fine agency.

Politics played role in network hookup

Thank you to Sean Hao and The Honolulu Advertiser for the excellent investigative reporting on Al Hee's Sandwich Isles Communications Inc., which has installed the country's most expensive rural telecommunications network, exceeding the closest competitor by approximately $13,100 per line.

This would be outrageous if it were strictly business, but let's be honest, this is politics.

In 1994, when Hee's company was approved for the nonbid contract to provide exclusive service to Hawaiian Home Lands, his brother, Clayton Hee, was chairman of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs; the Hawaiian Homes Commission chairwoman was Hoaliku Drake, mother of former Bishop Estate trustee Henry Peters, who, as a friend of Clayton Hee's, had hired Clayton to be "cultural affairs researcher" for the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, a subsidiary of Bishop Estate/ Kamehameha Schools; former democratic state Sen. Mike Crozier, friend of Al and Clayton Hee, "fairly" evaluated and recommended Al Hee's noncompetitive proposal to Hawaiian Home Lands.

If Hawaiian Home Lands had been given the option of Sandwich Isles Communications' proposal of $13,642 per line or Hughes Network Systems' Directway offering installation and equipment for $599 per line and $60 per month service plan, surely they would have selected Hughes and spent the extra $13,100 on 18 years' worth of free monthly service to the Hawaiian community.

This is poor business and rotten politics.

We need leaders, not politicians, deciding

What is the difference between a leader and a politician?

A leader is one with foresight to plan, analyze and decide that we desperately need to have the most efficient rail system for all O'ahu residents.

A politician is one who is shortsighted and myopic in thinking to say that he will vote to not increase taxes to solve our congestion, which will only get worse with a projected 200,000 more residents in the 'Ewa/Central area alone in 20 years.

We all remember what happened the last time taxes were not increased for 15 years of maintenance of our sewers by the previous administration. Please don't have history repeat itself!

Allowing advertising in our schools terrible

As the mother of two public-school children and as chairwoman of our school-community council, I am appalled at the suggestion of allowing advertising in our schools.

While there has been much talk of "appropriate messages," an appropriate message delivered by Pepsi, to use an example, would reinforce the already overwhelming bombardment of messages that junk food is OK and even required if one is to be a member of today's society. This is not the mission of the public schools.

Part of the mission is to educate future community members to be healthy, civic-minded citizens. Advertising messages effectively sublimate that message delivered by our educators.

Do not think that a small ad will have little to no effect on our keiki, their health and their education. The corporate sponsors don't think so, otherwise they wouldn't buy ad space.

Locals know what a hassle trip to bay is

Local residents stay away from Hanauma Bay for good reason: They cannot get in.

I twice drove to Hanauma Bay on a recent Wednesday only to find the "parking lot full" sign. A rude guard greeted us when we tried to ask a question on when would be a better time to return. We turned around at the first available place, drove past the entrance and saw eight cars go inside the park, seconds after we had been denied entrance. Auwe!

The only answer given at the moment is to come early. How early, and what is one supposed to do if it is full? Drive around?

Golf courses take tee times; drivers wanting road tests are allowed reservations; perhaps it is time to consider allowing local residents to make reservations to enter Hanauma Bay because the current situation is unacceptable.

Seat-belt crackdown diverted resources

Exactly how surprised are we with Transportation Director Rod Haraga's statement, "With the number of seat-belt tickets issued going down each year, hopefully drivers are getting the safety message" ("More people Click It, fewer get Ticket in 2005 campaign," June 18)?

With all the publicity and hoopla about the latest round of "Click or Ticket It" enforcement, why are we not surprised that the number of tickets issued was down? After all, Hawai'i drivers have already been recognized nationwide as being the best in complying with federal and state regulations on this issue.

The real question is, does the cost in catching the few non-compliers justify the overhead cost of having several officers assigned to this task when the real traffic issue here in Hawai'i is speeding? So rather than deal with this major issue, our HPD is content with spending resources in those areas in which we're already doing well. Hello!