PUBLIC SCHOOLS

STUDENT FAVORS DRUG TESTING FOR TEACHERS

As a student at 'Aiea High School, I believe teachers should be subject to random drug testing.

I feel that it is important to do this because education is crucial to a child's life and teachers are the key to every child's future.

Since education is so important to a child's life, then we can't afford to jeopardize children's future to teachers taking drugs.

I've heard all of the excuses: that random drug testing violates the Constitution and teachers don't deal with life-and-death situations.

What about student's right to a proper education?

Whether teachers realize it or not, they do deal with life-and-death situations, such as during a fire drill. Studies have shown that people high on marijuana can't recall what they have done in the previous five minutes. If people who are high can't remember what happened five minutes ago, how are they going to remember what to do when there is a fire?

If they can't properly follow fire-drill procedures, they won't be able to protect your child's well-being.

If we go through with random drug testing, then we can ensure our children's safety.

TRANSPORTATION

WON'T USE A BIKE UNTIL O'AHU'S ROADS ARE SAFER

I thought a lot about using a bicycle or a moped, but until I see more enforcement of bad drivers, I wouldn't feel safe on the roads.

Everyone has seen these drivers. They run red lights, don't stop when making a turn at intersections, and don't know the rules and laws about driving.

Distracted drivers who use cell phones, text, eat and goof off (acting stupid) are a threat to everyone, motorist and pedestrians alike.

Police need to start enforcing the laws to make the roads safer for bikes, mopeds and especially pedestrians.

And please don't get me started on my opinion about how the courts are enforcing the laws.

CONCON

CANCEL LEGISLATURE, HOLD CONCON INSTEAD

A major objection to holding a Constitutional Convention is that we can't afford it. I offer a simple solution: Cancel this year's legislative session and hold a ConCon instead.

Each year, our Legislature introduces thousands of bills, only a minuscule portion of which even make crossover.

Surely Hawai'i can do without the posturing and self-aggrandizement of a legislative session for one year.

The world and our state have changed greatly since the last ConCon. If a ConCon did nothing but approve term limits for legislators, it would be a success. What ever happened to "we the people?"

PRESIDENTIAL RACE

VOTE — THEN HOLD OFFICIALS ACCOUNTABLE

An honest plea: Please make your choice of president and vice president based on executive experience, career accomplishments in their home states, length of service and contributions in the Senate, and their core values.

Please avoid deciding on popularity, charisma, location of hometown, eloquent speech, gender and the like. These qualities do not show how well they will improve the economy, exit the war, protect innocent life and promote moral, responsible, rights and freedoms.

Discard the notion that John McCain will be just like President Bush, and ask if the candidate will handle each national issue with rational wisdom. Botching the war exit means another Vietnam.

The same can be said with any of these issues. Putting a quarterback in a big game who has excellent speech, hopes, appearance, and promises is very risky if he has brief field experience and little practice.

Either way you vote, hold your representatives (at all levels) accountable for any spending and legislation that contradicts your values.

TRANSIT

RAIL SYSTEM HAS MANY BENEFITS OVER EZWAY

Ann Kobayashi's transit plan to use an elevated three-lane highway is poorly conceived.

While adding three lanes to the highway system may relieve some congestion once opened, it does not fix the primary issue — too many cars.

Her endorsement of Panos Prevedouros' plan of managing traffic by synchronizing traffic lights and controlled access of the elevated highway is a limited solution with short-term benefits.

All this does is delay the inevitable. What happens a few years down the road when the H-1 and the elevated highway are both congested? What is the alternative then?

The rail system immediately reduces the amount of vehicles on the highway and effectively reduces traffic when drivers realize that the rail system would be a viable option when traffic gets worse.

The rail system will also reduce our reliance on oil as the rail system is more efficient and reducing the number of cars on the road saves even more fuel.

Kobayashi's and Prevedouros' narrow vision on our traffic problem does not bode well if they cannot see the big picture should she be elected mayor.

LEEWARD RESIDENTS TIRED OF BEING PAWNS

I am so glad that Neal Lebsack is returning his Ann Kobayashi For Mayor sign (Letters, Oct. 23) because he doesn't like her EzWay transit plan. I've been waiting for weeks for a Kobayashi sign. They are so popular they leave the campaign headquarters as soon as they come in.

If you don't like Ann's plan, which does a complete transit project for less than half of what Mayor Mufi Hannemann does with his steel-on-steel plan, you must also be in favor of the 40 percent increase in property taxes that will be required in perpetuity to operate and maintain the expensive trains and tracks.

As someone who has lived in 'Ewa Beach for more than 30 years and gets stuck in heavy traffic every workday on Fort Weaver Road, I know that rail will do nothing for me particularly when the closest station will be 3.7 miles away in Kapolei.

The Leeward Coast residents are tired of being used as pawns in what is really a jobs project and not a traffic relief project. Thanks for the sign, Neal.

TO CONTINUE ON TRAIN PATH IS IRRESPONSIBLE

I find the "we'll have to start all over" excuse to reject Ann Kobayahi's EzWay plan incredibly amusing.

Here we have a well-researched plan from Panos Prevedouros that serves more people, reduces more congestion, costs less, and is markedly greener than Mufi Hannemann's train plan.

We haven't broken ground yet on rail, nor have we received one red cent in FTA funding, nor have we completed an EIS yet. So other than the non-stop government propaganda and Alternatives Analysis, we're practically at the beginning stage of the process anyway.

Better to take a few steps back and come out with a superior solution than to irresponsibly continue on a train path that everyone knows will cost too much and do too little.

CONCON

REFORM SCHOOL SYSTEM TO GET BETTER RESULTS

Our schools have become a processing plant without quality controls. They function like an oil refinery. They take a resource (students) and process them to create a product (productive, caring citizens).

Ever had any bad gas in your car? The car sputters and misfires when trying to use it.

This is much the case with Hawai'i public schools and their end products. It is a huge Goliath that merely processes students through itself without regard for the end results.

Variations in budget force them to care for the processing plant first without regard for the students. In order to protect their own jobs huge systems are built up to insulate HGEA and HSTA from having to take the brunt of these variances on themselves. Variations are applied to the student where it does not undermine the system.

A smaller, less central Department of Education is the answer. Legislators are biased toward unions and therefore unable to implement a decentralized system.

The only way is to break up the Board of Education into smaller and more manageable elements through a Constitutional Convention.

PETS

DOGS NEED ATTENTION AND SOCIALIZATION

Thank you, Kristy Monroe, for your letter (Oct. 11) in defense of the noble pit bull.

In the case of Michael Vick's abused dogs, I believe all 12 dogs were rehabilitated and were adopted by families, some with children.

All dogs need to be exercised and mentally challenged and socialized everyday, if not twice a day. Walking the dog is necessary, but taking them to an off-leash park to run free is another level of pleasure for them.

Dogs are social animals, and need exposure with their own kind. Understanding our dogs needs will foster mental health and physical well being. This can help avoid aggressive behavior and the tragic loss of a child.

The Ala Wai K-9 Playground Association will build an off-leash dog park at the Ala Wai Community Park in partnership with the Department of Parks and Recreation.

Our mission is to encourage other communities to build dog parks in their neighborhood park. Assist a group to work with the DPR and their Neighborhood Board.

Our 3rd annual fundraiser will be Oct. 29 at the Willows Restaurant. Please come and help support this important community project.

PIT BULLS: NOT JUST ANOTHER DOG BREED

In regard to Kristy Monroe's letter (Oct. 11), "Don't blame breed for a senseless tragedy." I could not disagree with her more about pit bulls.

Pit bulls are dangerous and vicious dogs. Those characteristics are in their blood. Let us not forget one of the reasons the pit bull is bred; they are used as fight dogs. The fury that runs through their veins isn't only derived from being abused.

One of my close friends owned a pit bull and the environment for the dog was perfectly fine. One day the dog "snapped" and mauled one of her other dogs. The pit bull had no real motive to injure the dog; pit bulls are just a heinous breed.

In the Clifton Report on dog attacks, 23 dog species had attacked a person or another animal.

The astonishing fact about this study was that the pit bull breed and another breed were accountable for more than half of the attacks.

A pit bull is like a lion, and we can't raise a lion to be loving and caring.

We need to wake up and realize that pit bulls are capable of murder, and that will always be the case.