Letters to the Editor
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RAIL
CONSTRUCTION WILL BE TOUGH FOR THOSE IN AREA
I really got a kick out of Mayor Mufi Hannemann's response to the question of how he would handle the poor victims of land condemnation if his transit plan prevails.
He said he would sit them down and talk with them. Sounds real pono and upfront of him, doesn't it? Hannemann failed to mention that notification letters won't disclose affected properties, that they won't be mailed until October (after the primary election) and that the city had yet to decide whether property owners even had the right to appeal condemnation, as noted in the Advertiser's Aug. 29, article, "Landowners in rail's way notified."
Talk to anyone who has lost customers or lost their business and livelihood as a result of city road construction with endless delays, miserable traffic congestion, blocked parking lots, walkways and doorways, and you'll get a more accurate picture of how open and sympathetic our mayor is when it comes to dealing with property owners.
The Kaimuki revitalization project lasted only several months, while rail construction is conservatively estimated at 10 years.
One has only to ask the Wai'alae business owners what they went through during revitalization construction to get an accurate picture of what it will be like for those unfortunate residences and businesses in rail's path.
Remember also that sizeable chunks of property will be needed for the rail stations alone.
Are you listening, Dillingham property owners?
Cinde FisherHonolulu
EARNING POWER
DATA REINFORCE PLIGHT OF NATIVE HAWAIIANS
I applaud Jamie Story and The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for continuing the dialogue on the status of Native Hawaiians (Letters, Sept. 4). Her letter asserts that "Native Hawaiians have the same poverty rate as their non-native peer groups" on the basis of a study funded by her organization.
Unfortunately for The Grassroot Institute, the data in the study prove the opposite conclusion. The study uses cross-tabulated data to examine the weighted-average, mean earnings of full-time, year-round workers. The findings:
Because these figures only include full-time, year-round workers, we cannot whimsically ignore them as an artifact of demographic differences. The study was not subject to peer review and the details of the statistical process were not disclosed, making it difficult to verify the information presented.
Nonetheless, the study's own data undermine its conclusion and reinforce the plight of Native Hawaiians in our community.
Nolan KidoManoa
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
WHY NO OUTCRY OVER POOR SAT SCORES?
It's been more than two weeks since we saw the College Board report on Hawai'i SAT scores for the past five years.
And, strangely, there's been no outcry. Are we numbed to the idea that Hawai'i public schools' SAT scores always hover 20 or 30 points below the national average? Did we all overlook the real tragedy in that report — the comparison not between Hawai'i public school scores and the national averages, but between our public school SAT scores and our independent school scores.
Hawai'i spends approximately $14,000 per year per public school student. That is just slightly below the annual tuition for some of Honolulu's best private schools.
Yet independent schools outperform our public schools on SAT tests by almost 80 to 100 points. Do we taxpayers really think we're getting our money's worth out of our current public education system?
Might there be an argument here in favor of an education system with local control and responsibility?
Might parents of public school students find a better education choice for their kids with a $14,000 voucher?
Shouldn't we taxpayers all be asking what's wrong here? At the top of our lungs?
Robert KesslerWaikiki
SAT SCORES SHOW WE ARE FAILING OUR CHILDREN
The only way to truly combat our Department of Education's daily drive for mediocrity is to hold them accountable for their actions or lack thereof.
According to the College Board's 2008 SAT State Profile Report for Hawai'i, a total of 8,195 students took the SAT this year; 4,963 were from Hawai'i's public school system.
According to the report, the mean scores for these students were 456 in critical reading, 473 in mathematics and 441 in writing. The public school national average is 497, 510 and 488 respectively.
This is cause for worry. The best way to secure a bright future for our youth and our state is to ensure students are receiving a sound education. These numbers tell us we are failing our children.
Kristi Malia TemplePahoa, Hawai'i
ELECTION 2008
PALIN REACTION SHOWS OUR DOUBLE STANDARD
The vice presidential candidate is a cause for concern. Kids, family, spouse, big government job. It's hard enough juggling a family and career. Now possibly the office of VP? A heartbeat away from the presidency? How in the world will Joe Biden handle all of that?
Gotcha! You thought I was talking about Sarah Palin. Admit it.
Why is it that those questions of balancing life and work are asked of Palin (and women in general) and it has not once come up for Biden, Barack Obama or John McCain?
Ah, the double standard of American culture.
Advertiser columnist Treena Shapiro says Palin presents a "conundrum." Why her and not the others? Shouldn't you apply the same standard to all candidates?
Michael ShishidoHonolulu
STATE SUBSIDIES
AID USED WISELY CAN IMPROVE HEALTHCARE
In response to Dr. Joseph Zobian's Aug. 29 letter, I disagree that the state's subsidization of our hospitals is a waste of money.
Without financial assistance, many struggling hospitals may be faced with having to discontinue services, leaving our communities in a far worse state.
When it comes to financial aid, I believe our focus must be on the opportunity it creates for positive change in healthcare reform if we can only be thoughtful with our plan.
If hospital organizations and government can team with local and national hospital associations and public advocacy groups to channel those funds toward a global improvement of those areas of infrastructure that need it the most versus applying funds to solve isolated problems in the system, I believe we would see tremendous changes in everyday healthcare practices that would benefit patients on a real level.
And after all, is not the ultimate goal of healthcare reform to improve the quality of care for each individual? Surely, money can't solve everything; but being proactive and smart with the resources made available to us is key.
Sharleen AlejandroKailua
