PREVENTION PLANNING FAILURES ARE EVIDENT

Based on what I read in your May 29 article, it's obvious that the state is woefully unprepared for a pandemic.

The fact that the state has only 11 people assigned to stopping the spread of the swine flu is evidence that those responsible didn't do the necessary planning. Here you have a situation in which our leaders are supposedly prepared to fight a pandemic, but don't even have sufficient personnel assigned to that task. If the state had been ready to track down and stop the spread of the swine flu when the first few cases had been reported, it would have been very easy.

Shouldn't the state have considered how many people would be required to do the job two or three months ago?

Over the past year, we've seen state leaders such as the governor, the health department director and the state civil defense director spend an enormous amount of time talking about how prepared they are. Now we find out they only have so few people assigned to the most basic tasks that would be required to successfully halt a potential pandemic in its tracks.

Justin Haas | North Kona, Hawai'i

HOMELESS

FEED HUNGRY BY HELPING THEM FISH

Times are tough (as always) for Honolulu's homeless folks. Not all homeless people are druggies or mental cases; many are just down on their luck and can't find work. I'd like to suggest a way to help feed the hungry and homeless.

The city or state government could offer one of the fishing boats that sit idle by Aloha Tower to cover the cost of fuel, ice and insurance (augmented by public or private donations) if the owners would take on a crew of able-bodied homeless people and teach them to fish (trolling, longlining, bottom fishing, lobster and shrimp traps). This experience would help qualify the crew for merchant marine licenses and they, in turn, could teach others.

The catch could be divided between the captain and crew with at least 50 percent of the fish going to the Foodbank, the Institute of Human Services and other such organizations to supplement their meal programs for the needy. This could be an ongoing project where everyone wins. As the proverb goes: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

Rod Martin | Kane'ohe

REEFS

STATE CONTINUES TO IGNORE THE CRISIS

Your recent article on sediment's impact on Hawai'i's reefs merely echoes what resource users have been shouting for decades. Siltation has destroyed much of the healthy coral around the Islands and, along with water pollution, has devastated much of Kane'ohe Bay. The state, however, continues to ignore the situation, choosing to target any blame upon resource users instead.

If the Department of Land and Natural Resources does not act on this crisis and continues to cut funds for successful replenishment projects such as those at Anuenue Fisheries, our marine resources will continue to be imperiled.

Brian Kimata | Honolulu

STATE CUTS

SCHOOLS CAN'T BEAR TO LOSE ANY MORE

As a teacher here in Hawai'i, I found Gov. Lingle's words on Monday a little hard to swallow. I kept asking myself, "How did we get to this point?" and "Is this the only solution that is out there?"

For a month we read stories and letters in the paper about the federal stimulus money that the governor was going to use to shore up the budget.

Now, when we need that money the most to offset spending and layoffs, it seems that Ms. Lingle has still yet to apply for it.

Ms. Lingle cannot take any more money away from my class. Not all of my students have textbooks and I sometimes purchase supplies from that paycheck that she wants to decrease.

Ms. Lingle, if you had any foresight, you would focus on investing in Hawai'i's future with sound decisions instead of contributing to its demise.

Brian Cole | Honolulu