Letters to the editor - Letters

Stuart: I'm suprised you can think, teach, and type knowing our soldiers are stranded in Afghanistan while Obama, "dithers". But, as the true patriot you're know for, you "outted" Ms. Mossman. Way to go!

Wow! Robert Conlan's take on blaming the Governor is so off base and withour reason it hurts the brain.

Teacher Karolyn Mossman's October 29th Island Commentary entitled, "Teachers can't carry budget burden alone" included a closing statement of "Find the money to put teachers back in the classroom."

Why don't teachers merely elect one of their own to represent them at the negotiation table as a voluntary delegate in lieu of condoning a slew of union personnel that have no role in the classroom and get paid four-times a teacher's salary?

If all public unions had voluntary negotiators elected by their members to make the deals, the savings to the taxpayer would be in the millions per year. I have yet to hear one teacher or Democrat exclaim that is a rock to look under. This makes Ms. Mossman's plea and any other legislator that is humming the same tune- we taxpayers should pay more to condone such waste - the main feature for 2010's elections.

Thereby, if the call for a special session is for voters to empty their pockets for teachers, it would be advantageous for these very teachers to demand a thorough examination of union leaders' pay schemes. Teachers need to step up in this crisis too and make a determination if they should continue to coddle such exhorbatant pay for a union heierarchy and come to grips if their profession of teaching children really warrants a union boss system that could be replaced with teachers already on the scene.

I am confident the teachers elected as volunteer negotiators by their peers could accomplish the same ends sought by their paid union boss counterparts. These volunteers would be competent enough to have the student, teacher, faculty and support staff's interests be preserved and goals attained in all negotiations. Imagine that, a teacher at the table representing the educational foundation of our youth as opposed to hired guns that never have to wallow in our shared pain.

Robert Conlan, you can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all the time. You loose this one big-time. Every six-pack Joe with a 3rd grade education sees through this mess as teachers being greedy as hell- getting an average salary of $52k per year to work 190 days- report to work 190 days out of the year! Teachers pay here ranks 18th highest in the nation...greedy teachers ratified this, greedy teachers got caught this time and many of us lost our respect for them...shame on the teachers for hiding behind their union thugs to do their ugly shameful bidding using the kids as pawns!! If Reagan were here, he would say get back to work or you are fired!!!

The H

The Honolulu symphony is nothing but a big waste of money, it serves no purpose to our money problems, get rid of them.

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Apparently some letter writers don't read the blogs.
The legislature is as much at fault as the Governor for our current situation, if not more so. The legislature had the opportunity to address this mess last session through several pending bills that they chose to put on the back burner so they could recess for the summer.
If they had put forth the extra effort and time then, we wouldn't be experiencing as much problems now.
The Governor has an extremely tough job. She has access to finite resources as she cannot increase taxes to make up any shortfall, only the legislature can do that. So, she is left with mandatory programs that have to be complied with, mandatory bills (utilities, security) that have to be paid. What is left is what she actually has any control over. So, she made some tough choices that are uncomfortable to some people. Perhaps she should have funded education fully and shut down all other aspects of government?
The DOE is probably the largest government agency. Should it be the only government agency that receives funding or should it feel cuts also so as to allow other government services to continue also?
Tough choices and hard answers. At least she made a choice and is enacting it instead of sitting around and dithering, wishing someone else could wave their wands and fix the problems.

Eh Conlan ! Take off your Commie glasses and Seek Psychiatric Help ASAP ;)

The blame is entirely with the Selfish Greedy Union Thugs and the Dumb Legislature.

In response to: "Thus it is my strong belief that we need to do something now. I would bet there is some stimulus money out there that would help repair these facilities and roads.

The permitting process for these projects should also be streamlined so the work can start faster. These improvements should not cause any environmental damage, unlike building a new road or a school."

Streamlining like the Superferry? Are you kidding, after an exhausing, expensive, and time consuming environmental review, we'd then need to get permission from the mainland environmental groups, and from one of the Hawaiian Nations, and the rest of the NIMBYs. Dream on...

Clean up the waste in ADMINISTRATION!!!!.There are lot s of DO NOTHING jobs there.How about some Layoffs there?????

Ref Kalamity Flats' comment. Our legislature has, will and always shy away from the "tough calls." It's not surprising that the politicans always speak about the importance of educating our youth and yet fail so miserably in doing something about it. Take for instance the 2006-2007 legislative session. EDUCATION IS MOST IMPORTANT! Then why during that session were only 2 bills were introduced relating to education, yet 11 bills were introduced pertaining to "enhanced 911 calling?" That's right legislators, stay away from the hard decisions.

President Obama is right in taking the time necessary to be sure that he doesn't make any dumb mistakes like his predecessor when it comes to the Bush War in Iraq and Afghanistan. He needs to set policy first and not blindly follow the suggestions of the warmongers, rednecks, generals and others who are more concerned with keeping the war going and nation building than in what is best for the USA. No matter how loudly the rightwing radicals on Fox and CNN scream, President Obama is right in getting all the facts first. Remember how Bush reacted to every media poll and how his decisions led to the deaths of thousands of our own soldiers and tens of thousands of innocent men, women and children in a country that posed no threat to the USA? We don't need that again.

LOL !:)

Traditional marriage now 31-0
Voters in Maine have rejected an effort by lawmakers there to impose homosexual "marriage" in that state. Same-sex marriage has now lost in every single state -- 31 in all -- in which it has been put to a popular vote.

Ban on topless breast cancer survivor's photos is protested.
As a long term breast cancer survivor, I am writing to express my disappointment at ING Direct Cafe in Waikiki for banning artist Rita Coury's photo display of breast cancer survivors. These survivors photographed were brave enough to expose their raw emotions and physical aftermath of their cancer to help educate and inform. Why wasn't ING Direct brave enough to display them? I urge ING to rethink and reconsider your position on this matter.