HALE'IWA ELEMENTARYSHOULD BE KEPT OPEN

Wonderful! No more furloughs and never mind the blame, there is enough shame for all of us to share. The lesson learned — budgets should be balanced by sacrifices of adults, not by robbing our kids of their education.

But now there is a new proposal by the DOE to save money by jeopardizing the welfare of our keiki. The idea is to close the 100-year-old Hale'iwa Elementary School by shifting kids around, including sending all sixth-graders to the Waialua High School campus.

This will be force 11-year-olds to deal with 18-year-olds, in situations they are not prepared for. Who among us would want our child subjected to this type of accelerated education?

Sounds like a new form of child abuse, not unlike the furloughs.

MORE VANDALISM

SCHOOL, PLAYGROUND IN KAILUA HIT AGAIN

On May 22, 'Aikahi Elementary School and playground were, yet again, the target of disgusting behavior and vandalism.

Property from the school was stolen from behind locked gates, thrown around the park area along with beer bottles, and parts of the 'Aikahi Park playground were vandalized.

The 'Aikahi Park playground is a legacy in Windward O'ahu, where the community has come together continually for almost 15 years to build and maintain the playground for the children of our community.

Volunteers have dedicated countless hours; community foundations have donated thousands of dollars; and several major businesses have donated money and in-kind donations to build this place for our community.

It is the responsibility of our community to protect this playground. I implore families throughout Kailua to ask the members of your family where they were on the night of May 22. Talk about respect and community pride.

Finally, if you have any information about who may have done this, please contact the police department.

DEVELOPMENT

KOA RIDGE: IT'S JUST LEGALIZED VANDALISM

Vandals cut down most of Mililani farm's papaya trees. Auwē.

But keep in mind that's exactly what the Koa Ridge developers want to do — only on a much larger scale.

You could call that legalized vandalism, if you wish.

PHONE BOOKS

PUBLISHER TO FIXBIG ISLAND ERRORS

Regarding the May 28 letter, I'd like to apologize for any inconvenience caused by the printing errors in the Hawaiian Telcom Big Island directory. Although the directories bear our company name, this business was sold in 2007; the directories are published by The Berry Co.

The Berry Co. has accepted responsibility for the errors and is working quickly to address them with a corrected online version and a printed supplement that can be mailed upon request.

We know that our customers rely on these directories, which is why we want to ensure they have timely access to updated information, and we appreciate The Berry Co.'s efforts to support this.

Hawaiian Telcom has proudly served the Islands for more than 125 years and our employees work hard every day to earn our customers' trust. We appreciate their trust and faith in us as we continue our commitment to serve the people and businesses of Hawai'i.

POLITICS

MAYOR HAS PROVEN HE IS A TRUE LEADER

Mayor Mufi Hannemann's announcement that he will run for governor is a welcome one. He has proven himself to be a tested and true leader.

When he ran for mayor, Hannemann promised to revitalize Honolulu and repair the city's dilapidated infrastructure. He has returned city parks to the people and made maintenance of public facilities a priority.

He has focused on rebuilding sewers, bringing the number of sewage spills to an all-time low, and brought the number of repaved roads and repaired potholes to an all-time high.

As the driving force behind the Hawaii Council of Mayors, Mayor Hannemann has proven that he can bring people together for the common good. His executive experience and track record of accomplishments speak volumes about what an outstanding governor he will be.

WINNERS AGAIN

KUDOS TO 'IOLANI ECONOMICS STUDENTS

'Iolani economic students hana hou'd one more time, bringing home the gold in the National Economics Competition.

For the fourth time in six years, 'Iolani won the top prize. The school won out over more than 1,200 teams from across the country, with the finals held May 24 in New York.

It is obvious to this local boy that 'Iolani students get the brains, and that their coach, Dick Rankin, can push them to the top. Besides being a great economics professor, Rankin is an excellent athlete and fisherman. Hawai'i is blessed to have these brilliant students and this talented coach.

QUIET, PLEASE!

NOISE IS ISLANDWIDE, NOT JUST IN KAILUA

I agree wholeheartedly with the person who longs for a quieter Kailua.

But the noise is everywhere. Along with the absurdly loud motorcycles, there is the vastly irritating drone of the "fast and furious" wannabes.

Then there are the pickups with their added-on exhausts with the drivers gunning their engines and making like stock car racers. But these trucks are all automatics, so these idiots don't even shift the gears.

By the way, whatever happened to loud muffler/exhaust laws?

GREAT CEREMONY

KALāHEO GRADUATION A GREAT PRODUCTION

My daughter participated in Kalāheo High School's graduation ceremony recently, and it was wonderful. I commend the faculty and staff for a very creative, enjoyable and obviously student-driven production.

The senior class adviser, Mrs. Koopman, did an excellent job in guiding the class speakers, leaders and all of the graduates in a commencement they will all surely remember.

Mahalo to Kalāheo High School for your efforts in a fabulous commencement and congratulations to the class of 2010.

HB 444

ONE BIG DIFFERENCEBETWEEN TWO IDEAS

Here is a simple but practical question that Gov. Linda Lingle could ask herself as she decides if civil unions are different from marriage: How many married couples in Hawai'i would be willing to trade their married status for civil union status?

An answer of "none" or "very few" would indicate that most Hawai'i citizens recognize that there are real differences between the two.