LINGLE PLAN

INITIATIVES PACKAGE WILL KEEP YOUTH HERE

Our keiki should not have to leave their island home to find decent-paying jobs. We have an opportunity now, with the governor's initiatives, to improve our children's education opportunities here in Hawai'i.

Gov. Linda Lingle has proposed many smart changes that would help every one of us improve our quality of life.

The future of Hawai'i depends on our ability to shift from a land-based market to a global information and technology economy.

But Democrats have decided to ignore this critical moment in Hawai'i's history. They pride themselves on helping the average working person, like you and me, but continue to overtax us and keep the status quo.

We need to find a way to convince the Legislature to work with Gov. Lingle and pass her initiatives package.

Let's do it now for our keiki, before we lose more talented minds to the Mainland, and continue to see more homeless families on the beach.

PRESIDENCY

IS THERE GENDER BIAS IN SUCCESSION SUGGESTION?

Regarding Norman Ornstein's March 6 column ("A better option on presidential succession"):

I have followed politics my entire life. I have been involved in campaigns, I have voted in every election and I argued the merits and faults of the 1968 elections as a 10-year-old with adults (and won). Civics was my favorite subject.

But never in all these years of closely following all things political have I even heard mention of changing the line of succession.

The column was a suspicious, if not downright obvious, attempt to change the line of succession to the presidency only because a female is only two heartbeats away from the top job. A female is the only variable in my lifetime. Why else would it be a subject now?

TROOP SURGE

STRATEGIC WITHDRAWAL IS BEST OPTION FOR IRAQ

I can understand Adm. William J. Fallon's intent in asking for patience in Iraq. But with Gen. David Petraeus saying the troop surge has only a 1-in-4 chance of succeeding, how does "having patience" serve any good?

I think our brave troops would be better served by a coherent Plan B at least, and best of all by a long-needed strategic withdrawal.

PEDESTRIANS

LAWS MUST BE TOUGHER TO PROTECT AND PUNISH

With the increase of pedestrian deaths and numerous comments on how to make it safer, there are a few things that haven't been mentioned.

First, have you noticed the number of bus stops near intersections?

It seems odd that the city would consider that to be a wonderful place to stop a busload of riders and cause traffic to backup behind the buses, which obstruct pedestrians' view of oncoming vehicles.

Why aren't the stops just after stoplights or somewhere closer to the center of blocks? Anything to help a pedestrian react to oncoming traffic would greatly help.

Secondly, is there a reason we need a "Right Turn on Red After Stop" sign? Since the majority of us never do, eliminating this action could reduce the potential for accidents.

Our laws need to be re-evaluated and toughened. As people's driving and walking habits change, so should our laws to protect and punish.

TEACHER WORKDAY

REPORT AND HEADLINE BOTH WERE LUDICROUS

You had a Page One story on March 1 that public school teachers spend an average of more than 15 hours at work.

I do not know what is more disturbing, the ineptness of the study or the headline, which implied validity.

Just do the math: 15 hours can be represented by a start time of 6 a.m. and a stop time of 10 p.m. It is ludicrous to believe this is the norm.

On top of that, the word "average" was used in the article.

Does that mean that certain teachers worked around the clock to make up for the slackers who worked an eight-hour day?

Come on.

BIOFUEL

MAUI PALM OIL PROJECT UNSUSTAINABLE, INFLATED

Landis Maez of BlueEarth and Mike May of HECO (Letters, Feb. 26) are right about one thing: Palm oil has an increasingly destructive impact on rainforests and creatures living in them.

Then why are we importing 120,000,000 gallons of palm oil to produce biodiesel? Act 95, SLH 2004, established the Renewable Portfolio Standard, in which 10 percent of HECO's electricity sales will come from renewable energy and/or biofuels by 2010; 15 percent by 2015 and 20 percent in 2020.

Doing the right thing in the right way would then mean to produce the right amount. Ten percent of 72 million gallons, used by HECO in 2005, is only 7.2 million gallons of biodiesel needed in 2010 and 10.8 million gallons by 2015. Then why is 12 times that really needed?

To produce 120 million gallons of palm oil biodiesel, BlueEarth would need more than 160,000 acres of oil palms, planted on prime Maui lands for at least 10 years, before anyone can harvest such amounts. And for other oil crops, more than 350,000 acres are needed.

This project is totally unsustainable, excessively inflated and leaves Hawai'i dependent upon another foreign source of liquid fuels.

ROAD USAGE

MORE TRAFFIC LANES NEEDED, LESS PARKING

Years ago when Frank Fasi was mayor of Honolulu, he stated that it was not the function of the City and County of Honolulu to provide parking spaces on public streets. In other words, vehicle usage took priority over parking spaces on public streets.

We have lost this priority in recent years and traffic lanes have been removed, such as the mauka lane of Ala Wai Boulevard.

A few years ago, I asked the Department of Transportation to consider adding afternoon towaway hours for the parking spaces on Beretania Street in the Mo'ili'ili area.

Many motorists have been stuck there in afternoon rush-hour traffic because parking is still permitted in one lane.

My request was studied and denied. I thought the need was obvious. It's time for the city to reconsider road usage as a priority over parking because of the increase in traffic.

HELPING OTHERS

RED CROSS HAS CRITICAL ROLE IN OUR COMMUNITY

March is National Red Cross Month — a time to think about the critical role the Red Cross plays in our community.

The Red Cross responds to disasters in Hawai'i every two to three days, including house fires and other emergencies.

When the Kaloko Dam burst on Kaua'i last March, Red Cross volunteers provided crisis counseling, supported emergency workers and conducted damage assessments.

Forty days of heavy rain affected more than 300 homes on O'ahu alone. We opened nine shelters for more than 100 people, provided financial assistance to 111 families, and distributed food, water and cleanup kits to weary victims struggling to clean up. When the earthquake struck Hawai'i in October, Red Cross assessed more than 10,000 homes, served 622 meals, provided crisis counseling to 126 people and helped 108 families with their immediate emergency needs

Every year, we also teach 36,000 people how to save lives through first aid, CPR, aquatics, babysitting, nurse aid training, and pet first aid, and provide emergency communication between deployed Hawai'i soldiers and their families.

The Red Cross is not a government agency, and relies on the generosity and aloha spirit of Hawai'i's people to deliver critical services to local communities. Mahalo for your support!

LEGISLATURE

CIVIL UNION BILL AFFRONT TO MAJORITY OF VOTERS

Karl Buermeyer (Letters, March 6) thinks it acceptable to disregard and overrule the constitutional vote of the majority of the voters of Hawai'i in 1998. Our government is founded on majority rule.

Sixty-eight percent of the voters of this state who participated in the 1998 election decided this issue already.

Hawai'i has already approved reciprocal benefits for same-sex couples. It is clear that the goal is not more rights, but to put civil unions on the same setting as traditional marriage. Let me say this as simply as I can: Civil unions equal marriage.

Just because three other state legislatures were unable to distinguish that difference does not mean Hawai'i should follow suit.

The fact that the state Legislature devoted at least five hours to it is an affront to those 68 percent who expect and deserve their decision to be enforced.

If you want a government where the electorate has its decisions reversed on a whim and the minority rules, then I suggest the U.S. is not for you.

Our representatives need to be dealing with more pressing issues, such as the increasing number of homelessness, pedestrian safety, affordable housing, combating drug use and alleviating the gridlock on our roads.

SOME CLERGY SUPPORT CIVIL UNION MEASURE

While I fully support Karl Buermeyer's letter on civil union (March 6), I would like to respond to one of his statements.

I have served as a pastor in the United Methodist denomination for 26 years, almost nine of those years in Hawai'i. Most of the clergy I know, including myself, support full rights for persons in committed unions.

Several clergy gave written or oral testimony in support of the civil union bill.

Often our voices do not seem to be heard, but they will not be silenced.