Sure, Leeward Habitat for Humanity could use a single home-run $6-million hitter, but it also needs hundreds of $1,000 hits and thousands of $10, $50 and $100 hits as well.

Grassroots financing from anyone with the heart to really do something about helping out our neighbors is also a miracle.

COPPER THEFTS

ALUMINUM A BETTER CONDUCTOR BY WEIGHT

Thank you for your editorial (April 2) on the DOT proposal to utilize aluminum wire to replace the stolen copper conductors in their highway street light circuits.

Aluminum is a better conductor than copper on a weight basis, however; because aluminum is much lighter in weight than copper, aluminum wires are larger in diameter.

When replacing stolen copper wire with aluminum, to fit the aluminum cable into the existing underground conduit, it may be necessary to utilize slightly lower wattage lamps in the street light fixtures.

Hawaiian Electric converted to aluminum conductors years ago. All new street light systems should be designed for use with larger diameter aluminum cables because aluminum is too cheap to steal.

ALOHA AIRLINES

ALOHA'S EMPLOYEES EMBODIED TEAM SPIRIT

I read with interest Tiffany Sentani's April 8 letter regarding her experiences with Aloha Airlines.

Now, as my career of more than 30 years with Aloha has come to a close, I can reflect on all that we were to our many loyal friends and customers.

Many did not know that Aloha's Ala Moana ticket office was the last city ticket office to remain open.

We were that oasis in town where you could walk up and talk to a reservations agent and, yes, we would take care of all of your travel needs. We knew most everyone on a first-name basis (a rarity today) and made sure all was right.

You walked away knowing that you had one less thing to worry about and we were only happy to provide that customer service.

At Aloha, we always practiced and embodied team spirit, which made our little airline great.

For all of you out there who flew Aloha, "the people's airline," I think we were all of that, and much more — and, yes, Tiffany, we were only happy to bring you and your family home.

EX-EMPLOYEE THANKS CUSTOMERS, 'OHANA

As a former Aloha Airlines employee I would like to thank all the passengers — frequent fliers and visitors alike — and my friends and family at Aloha.

I was proud to be at work every day with such loyal customers and dedicated employees.

You have all taught me many lessons and made me a better person after so many years.

My only regret is not saying goodbye to each one of you.

I look forward to running into you on the street. Mahalo for being my 'ohana. I wish you all well and good luck to us in our future endeavors. With fondness and much Aloha.

SAFETY

SCHOOL BUSES SHOULD HAVE SAFETY HARNESSES

Are our kids traveling in safety on school buses? That's the question that was raised again when a bus carrying the Kahuku High School girl's water polo team flipped over and sent 27 people to the hospital.

Luckily, nobody was severely hurt this time. But a lot of folks are asking where were the safety harnesses? The sad fact is that they are not required on school buses. School officials around the country have relied on a 40-year-old UCLA study that says students are safe with seat belts because they are "compartmentalized" in their seats in the event of a crash.

Any expert — or anybody with common sense — can tell you how ridiculous that notion is.

Our kids deserve the same level of safety when they are traveling under state care as the rest of us, and our lawmakers need to step up and address this urgent safety issue.

The Kahuku crash could have been a lot worse. Maybe we can learn something from it.

HPD MUST CRACK DOWN ON RED-LIGHT RUNNING

I see drivers blatantly run red lights in Honolulu constantly. With so many vehicle and pedestrian accidents in this city, we need to address this huge problem.

I prefer walking to driving whenever possible, but disregard for the safety of other drivers and pedestrians alarms me.

While I have never seen any of the frequent red-light runners pulled over by HPD, I was stopped for a three-week out-of-date safety inspection on a three-year-old car. I agree that safety checks are important and take responsibility for my violation, but running red lights is a much more serious and imminent risk to public safety.

HPD needs to re-evaluate the relative danger of these two offenses and prioritize enforcement of the more gravely dangerous issue of running red lights rather than picking low-hanging fruit.

For everyone's safety, particularly pedestrians, drivers must stop at lights when they turn yellow no matter how rushed they are. It's better to be late than to have someone's death on our conscience because we were in a hurry.

For the sake of everyone's safety, please drive with kokua and stop at all yellow and red lights.

RAIL

STEEL ON STEEL MAKES BETTER FISCAL SENSE

Drive the morning rush from Kapolei or the afternoon to Kapolei and you'll understand the need for rail.

Elevated rail provides safety and efficiency while having a minimal impact at ground level. Noise levels will be lower than that of a bus system and regenerative braking would further reduce noise in the stations while abating the net energy used.

Modern steel rail applications require much lower track maintenance per mile than some road systems and even OR&L rail stock is resisting the ravages of weather and time quite well.

Maglev would require energy to lift as well as propel its train. Both maglev and monorail require complex switching mechanisms making both track and yard operation more expensive.

Steel wheels on steel rail make long-term fiscal sense as competitive suppliers, at home and abroad, can supply us with better component pricing and subsequent lower operating costs.

UNIONS

ELIMINATING SECRET BALLOT DOESN'T HELP WORKERS

There is an ill-conceived notion that House Bill 2974, or the "Free Choice Act" is designed to aid workers who want to join unions, but are being pressured not to by their employers.

The opposite is the case.

This bill eliminates the existing process whereby each worker has an opportunity to cast a secret ballot in favor of or against a union.

The unions say the election process is broken. The truth is union membership is declining and the unions want to change the rules to benefit themselves. They're not winning at the polls so their response is to eliminate the election. So much for democracy!

The governor should veto HB 2974.

RURAL DOCTORS

ACT 277 FUNDING HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED

The March 30 editorial, "Expanding the reach of healthcare slow going," recognizes the importance of developing incentives to attract and retain physicians in underserved areas of the state.

The most enduring solution, however, may be to "grow our own" physicians. This is exactly what the Legislature endorsed last session and was passed into law July 2007 as Act 277.

This act, to create a statewide rural family medicine training network, recognizes that primary healthcare access is the foundation of an efficient healthcare system.

A robust primary healthcare system may be one of most important factors in recruiting and retaining specialists in Hawai'i. Imagine our own bright young people, trained to provide healthcare in rural areas where they are likely to remain and practice. While programs are currently being developed on the Big Island and Kaua'i, to date the funding attached to Act 277 has not been released.

This is a missed opportunity for the people in rural and underserved areas of Hawai'i who need a personal physician.

WORKING LONGER

MANY HAVE TO TOIL AT LONG, DIFFICULT JOBS

This is in response to the commentary article from Andrew L. Yarrow, "Working longer will alleviate national debt."

If I had a job like Mr. Yarrow, I would work till I'm 90.

How can he assume that we are all going to live such long wonderful lives and would want to work till we die? So many of us have to work long, hard jobs to make a living and contribute to society. What about our police and firefighters? Most construction workers are worn out by their late 40s and have to work in a lesser capacity.

Do you really know how worn out our bodies are from the physical demands that we've put on them over 20 to 30 years?

I've had more than 50 stitches to my knees and a pinched nerve in my shoulder that will never go away.

I would trade my hammer in for your pen and your pay any time, buddy!

How can we alleviate national debt by working longer? I guess our healthcare system would benefit.