LEGISLATURE

GOVERNOR SHOULD CUT THE POLITICS AND STEP UP

Recently, the governor's senior policy adviser, Linda Smith, wrote a commentary that I cannot let go un-countered.

She says the Legislature should have spent millions of more tax dollars and provided greater tax relief. When the governor entered office, she railed against state spending and fiscal irresponsibility. This is hypocrisy.

Ms. Smith calls for more from the Legislature in the area of agricultural land reform. This is a critical area. It crosses the responsibility of at least four different state departments, and it raises very complex issues. Pulling together a comprehensive plan among those departments is the governor's responsibility. It begs for real planning by the administration, not Monday-morning quarterbacking.

Rather than blame the Legislature for the governor's own planning inadequacies, please do something to address these concerns. They are real and need to be addressed immediately, on an ongoing basis, by the state's top executive — the governor.

Ms. Smith asks for the Legislature to "improve the management of state" agencies, yet she decries work done by the Senate to ensure the best management capabilities at the top of state government through the process of advice and consent.

On a more personal level, after listening to the governor's inaugural address in which she asked that the Legislature work with her, I heeded her call and scheduled an appointment with Ms. Smith to talk about the governor's package for the upcoming legislative session. I shared with her and with the director of budget and finance what I thought the House's focus would be, with the desire for more collaboration. She, in turn, explained that the governor had not yet formulated a package, that the push had been on the governor's reelection and her inauguration. The request to work together proved hollow.

There is a growing pattern in all this. Gov. Lingle is increasingly opting for a style of politics where she takes a minimum of risks, makes few comprehensive proposals and then blames everyone else for the lack of progress.

Let's see some real planning, not more weathervane politics.

DRUG TESTING

FOCUS ON IMPROVING SCHOOLS, NOT LEGAL FIGHT

Regarding the continued whining by numerous public school teachers regarding drug testing, and its supposed violation of their constitutional rights, the Supreme Court has ruled that such testing is legal.

Millions of federal government, state and commercial enterprise employees throughout the United States are subject to testing, and it's no big deal. Now the teachers union is talking about bringing a lawsuit to stop the testing, money which could be much better spent on teachers' benefits. I only wish that those who are so adamantly opposed to drug testing would devote a similar effort to bring our public schools up to No Child Left Behind standards, and maybe the Hawai'i public school system wouldn't be in the shape it's in now.

ELDERLY DRIVERS

OTHER MOTORISTS MUST YIELD TO ELDERLY DRIVERS

I found Mary Vorsino's article, "Aging drivers present dilemma" very interesting. I wonder how many of the problems of aging drivers is their fault or the fault of the other drivers who perceive them as a problem. When my grandpa was 89, his doctor said to him, "Buck, I don't think you should be driving that car anymore." So grandpa went out and bought a brand new car. He drove it for another five years before he finally decided there were too many crazies out there. He never had an accident.

Maybe if we watch out for our kupuna when they are driving, instead of getting impatient with their careful driving, we'll have safer roads.

DALAI LAMA

BUDDHIST INSTITUTIONS GIVEN RELIGIOUS STATUS

Caroline Viola of Kailua and others, have written that Buddhism does not worship a deity so it is not, by definition, a religion.

Perhaps they will agree now that all Buddhist institutions including temples and schools shall renounce their tax exempt status afforded to religious institutions.

I guess all statuary of Buddha and elaborate temples filled with prayer rituals are just theatrical productions.

If Buddhism is not a religion then the pope is just a poor dresser .

All attempts to portray Buddhism as something other than organized religion is a smokescreen for the proselytizing to unsuspecting youth.

However noble, Dalai Lama is a religious leader of a particular Buddhist sect. Busing school children to be proselytized under false premises is inappropriate and, frankly, wrong.

TRUSTEE PAY

PRICEY PAYMENTS SIMPLY NOT JUSTIFIED

Is it just me or does anyone else think that the trustees that oversee Kamehameha Schools are overpaid? A million-bucks-plus a year? To do what?

Henry Peters said that it's justified because it's performance based. Really? Like how? There are doctors who save lives that don't get paid anything near that. He complains that he had no medical insurance. Bummer; what a hardship, huh? I know people who work their buns off being self-employed and have no medical, dental or 401K making $35,000 to $40,000 a year or less, with kids and paying all their taxes.

How in the world is that kind of compensation justified when the trustees history is as spotty as it is? Remember Trustee Lindsey? Or the others? Now Peters is trying to defend his deferred income because he's got no medical or retirement. And he says he'll be in a lower tax bracket so he can keep more of this money. Somehow I don't think he'll get too much sympathy from the average taxpayer.

To me, if the trust had that kind of money for expenses, it should be spent on the students or their facilities. In other words, the school must be in totally pristine condition and the students not wanting for anything before the trustees can justify their income. I just hope that they are not getting wealthy at the expense of the school, the students or the original intent of the will.

DISPELLING A RUMOR

NO FORCED RETIREMENT FOR GEN. ERIC SHINSEKI

One bit of misinformation that is frequently regurgitated over the Iraq debate is that former U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki was forced to retire because his recommendation for a larger American invasion force differed from the Bush administration's view of using a smaller force.

Gen. Shinseki was recently a guest speaker at the Haverford School here in Haverford, Pa. In his comments, he dispelled that rumor. The origin of that rumor is said to have come from Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry during a 2004 debate. In response to a question, Kerry asserts the Administration retired Shinseki, but in fact, the general retired as he was scheduled when his four-year term (June 1999 to June 2003) as Army chief officially ended.

It would be wonderful if the news media would help to not perpetuate misinformation.