FIX AT THE EXPENSE OF EDUCATION INCREDIBLE

It is incomprehensible that Gov. Lingle's administration plans to fix the budget at the expense of Hawai'i's future, the education of its children. How shortsighted are they to play an accounting shell game of taking away education monies to create a need that they hope the federal department of education will fill.

The federal stimulus monies provide the state with the golden opportunity to apply for new money that can fill the already existing, unmet needs in our schools. Does anyone doubt that those unmet needs already exist? Every time a parent of a public school child asks me to buy for the school or school group's fundraiser (and I do), I wonder why the government is not providing the necessary education funding for things that seem as basic as an art or music program.

Gov. Lingle, please work to advance our schools. Taking a step backward with the hope of marching in place leaves all of Hawai'i's children behind.

ECONOMY

SHUTTING DOWN FERRY, BILLING NAVY ABSURD

Headlines recently have decried the lack of tax revenue, and the rising unemployment rate in this state. So the ferry gets forced out of business, and as a result, tax revenues for the state stop coming in at a time when needed most, 350 people, more or less, will be out of jobs, businesses that depend on the ferry are out of luck.

More lost revenue for the state. Why not just fine them for operating without the EIS and let them continue operating? To my knowledge, the ferry has never had a fuel spill, a bilge leak, run aground or hit a whale.

One can imagine the media outcry if any of that would have happened! What real negative impact has the ferry had on the environment? Let them operate and pay taxes, employ people. There has to be an alternative to going out of business.

To bill the U.S. Navy for running one of their ships aground and dinging a reef is ridiculous. The U.S. taxpayer is being billed. What real damage was done to the reef, and how does one price it? Think of all the overtime the U.S. taxpayer is paying for as it is, to have the ship repaired here in Hawai'i. The U.S. Navy is here to protect us and we are billing our protectors?

To shut the ferry down and bill the U.S. Navy are clearly two examples of the absurd. Who is on the bridge on the Ship of State?

CIVIL UNIONS

A SAD, SAD DAY FOR THE PEOPLE, EQUALITY

Let me get this straight: The civil unions bill did not make it to the Senate floor because some senators valued their collegial relationships above equality for all of Hawai'i's citizens.

What a sad, sad day for the people.

AIG BONUSES

BURRIS IS OFF BASE ON TAX PLAN FOR EXECS

I couldn't disagree more with Jerry Burris ("Tax plan targeting AIG execs is off base," March 25) about the AIG bonuses.

Bonuses should never be given in a company that is not making a profit. I've heard a lot of excuses, but all are totally untrue: (1) This will prevent the company from attracting the best people for the job. (2) The executives deserve it because they made certain goals. (3) There aren't that many people that can do the job.

1. Obviously they are not the best people for the job or the company would not be losing money.

2. The executives made what goals? To bankrupt the company?

3. Really? How many people can't run a company so badly that it goes bankrupt?

As for Mr. Burris' argument that it's unconstitutional, I disagree. If the government says they want to tax it and it passes then they just amended the law. As for his argument "if we retaliate by taxing its executives at excessive rates, what comes next?" and comparing AIG executives to overpaid actors and sports stars, both are ridiculous. Actors and sports stars do not continue to make money if they do a bad job like these executives.

As for what comes next? Hopefully a saner way of giving bonuses, that's what!

This is not a terrible precedent like Mr. Burris claims. He couldn't be more wrong. It's about time someone stopped these executives who run companies into the ground from collecting bonuses greater then their employees make in their lifetime.

AKAKA BILL

'PROTECTIONS' DON'T MAKE IT ACCEPTABLE

The Akaka bill never authorized gambling. But everyone knew tribes can get casinos; so Akaka decided to soothe worries by inserting protections against gambling.

In previous years the Civil Rights Commission, Department of Justice, and House Judiciary Committee were worried about more important "normal" consequences of tribal recognition including: takeovers of government and private lands; jurisdiction over criminal and civil law for both members and nonmembers; zoning; taxation; labor rights; need for time limit for final settlement of historical grievances; etc.

The original Akaka bill never mentioned those things, and neither does the latest version. But experts warned about terrible consequences, forcing Akaka to put protections into the bill. All protections have now been stripped out because Akaka hopes a sympathetic president and larger Democrat congressional majority will help enact this dangerous bill without those protections. Apparently Gov. Lingle's only worry is gambling. So Akaka restores the gambling protection to distract us from the more dangerous issues. Shibai!

In any case the basic concept of racial separatism in the Akaka bill is so unconstitutional and morally repugnant that no amount of "protections" on various topics can make it acceptable.

PIERRE OMIDYAR

VEGAS' NO. 2 WATER USER 'SUSTAINABLE'?

The article on Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay, was very interesting.

Too bad it ran on the same day that the Las Vegas Review-Journal ran an article about the largest residential water users in Las Vegas. According to the article, Mr. Omidyar is the second- largest user of water in Las Vegas. He used 13.8 million gallons of water in 2008, at a home that he hasn't lived in since he, and his family, moved to Hawai'i in 2006. He used 5 million gallons more than any other home in Henderson, Nev.

He can talk the talk about "sustainability," but can he walk the walk? From his No. 2 position in water use in Las Vegas, it doesn't appear that he can. He should send someone to Las Vegas and turn off the tap.