TRANSIT

LIGHT RAIL WILL NOT FIX POOR HIGHWAY DESIGN

The mayor's so-called "Transit Solution" is embodied in his remark "We must act now to address O'ahu's traffic woes and light rail represents our best chance to make a positive difference."

It is absurd for the mayor to equate light rail with alleviation of traffic woes. Light rail will not cure the defective design of the highway system going to and from Honolulu. Even though light rail has high capacity in moving people, it will not reduce traffic density.

Mayor Hannemann needs to apply common fiscal sense if he really wants to alleviate traffic to and from Honolulu. All that he needs to do is drive from Kapolei to Honolulu on a weekday when there's light traffic on H-1 or on a Monday when there's heavy traffic on H-1.

The mayor will see that even with a high density of vehicles, traffic moves at 60 miles per hour at H-1 until the vehicles reach the vicinity after the airport. That's when traffic flow slows down. That's because vehicles from Moanalua and H-1 converge into Lunalilo. That junction of the Moanalua and H-1 is the reason for the slowing of traffic even on a weekday.

Around 4 p.m. on a weekday, Mayor Hannemann will see for himself that vehicles on Lunalilo start to slow at the junction where Lunalilo separates into one going to 'Aiea and another merging with H-1. But vehicles going to 'Aiea move at a much faster pace than vehicles going at a crawl toward H-1 and H-2.

Light rail for Honolulu is ugly and absurd.

MAYOR, CITY WORKERS SHOULD RIDE THEBUS

In response to Mayor Hannemann's Sunday commentary. I have a simple request. If you support a transit system that will cost billions of dollars, shouldn't you be riding TheBus today and everyday to promote support of public transportation and set the example as a "leader" should?

The mayor's one-day bus ride last year was ridiculous. All city workers — elected, appointed and hired bureaucrats — should set an example by giving up their taxpayer-paid parking subsidy and catching TheBus everyday.

If the mayor does not promote that initiative then it proves that TheRail is being built for the "other guy" to ride and as such, no one will ride DaRail.

EDUCATION

HSTA CONTRACT IN WAY OF FIXING SCHOOL SYSTEM

Your editorial "Hawai'i Public Schools Can Be Competitive" reflects a standard teachers union response on public education policy: Public schools are only marginally worse than private schools. So, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." And whatever the fix might be — the "V" word, vouchers, shall be excluded from our lexicon altogether.

Both the editorial and the study authors ignore the proverbial elephant in the room. Public schools cost on average twice per pupil compared with private schools. The biggest obstacle to quality education in Hawai'i remains the collective bargaining agreement— a calcified gargantuan millstone hanging from the necks of parents, teachers and students in Hawai'i. The agreement has hundreds of pages of work rules designed to thwart any change in education policy.

We are forever bound in Hawai'i to be trapped by the failed and enormously expensive school system benefiting only HSTA. No amount of tinkering on the margins will create competitive public schools.

EDUCATION

CONGRESS HAS UNDERCUT NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND

Staunch supporters of No Child Left Behind love to bat around the word "accountability" — holding schools and teachers accountable. But they never want to hold lawmakers, or themselves, accountable for making the law effective. Ruben Navarette's July 24 column on the subject is a good example.

Schools are expected to meet the strict standards of the law but not given the tools and resources to do so. The law is underfunded by about $40 billion. And cuts pending in Congress would reduce spending on the law by another $500 million. It's not fair to ask educators to do more and more with fewer and fewer resources.

And if schools fail to meet the unfair one-size-fits-all standards of the law? The law cuts funds for classroom instruction as punishment. That's setting up schools for failure.

Anyone who tries to reform the flawed legislation is labeled by supporters like Navarette as "self-serving." It's not self-serving to ask for the basic tools and resources to get the job done, that's looking out for the best interest of students. And that's why there is a growing chorus of voices calling for reform.

DEVELOPMENT

NORTH SHORE DECISION MUST BE REEVALUATED

Turtle Bay's recent settlement with Local 5 is great.

However, it should not be taken as a sign that the North Shore community is giving in. The bottom line is that we do not have the infrastructure to support an additional 3,500 hotel/condo units on the North Shore. Perhaps it's time to admit that our elected officials made a bad decision 20 years ago.

The city should listen to the calls of the governor, Republican and Democratic parties, North Shore, Ko'olauloa, and Kahalu'u Neighborhood Boards, as well as the community associations of Mokule'ia, Sunset Beach and Waikiki to reevaluate the proposed development and outdated studies.

ELECTION 2006

AKAKA IS IN SYNC WITH HAWAI'I'S MAINSTREAM

Leave it to Dave Shapiro to give us something to chew on. While I found his take on the primary election contest between incumbent U.S. Sen. Dan Akaka and Congressman Ed Case interesting, I think the column missed the fundamental point in this race.

This is a choice about who best represents the ideology of Hawai'i's people. It is a choice that has gravity far beyond catch phrases like transition and new generation. And for the record, it isn't even really a race between old and new. Ed Case has been in elected office for 20 years.

Senator Akaka, with his early opposition to the initial invasion of Iraq, his vote against Bush tax cuts for the super wealthy, his advocacy of increased funding for education and healthcare, his stand on behalf of increased consumer protections and his support of increasing the minimum wage, has clearly and consistently voted based on principle.

His opponent has taken contrary positions on all of these issues and voters are left to choose between two different candidates and philosophies.

Shapiro implies Sen. Akaka is out of touch and his worldview out of sync with Hawai'i, but on these issues and more, Akaka is in sync with Hawai'i's mainstream.

He also seems to suggest that there's something not quite right with Sen. Akaka mounting a vigorous bid for re-election. Has our political landscape shifted so much that leaders like Sen. Akaka should just step aside when challenged? Should he simply give up the commitment to public service that's been the hallmark of his professional life? I hope not.

GLOBAL WARMING

SCIENTIFIC BIAS SHOWING IN RECENT COMMENTARY

If you'd like clear evidence of scientific bias about the "global warming" theory, look no further than Peter Doran's July 28 commentary in the Advertiser. This climate scientist who has been studying Antarctica wrote: "Our study did find that 58 percent of Antarctica cooled from 1966 to 2000." Then he wrote, "The disappointing thing is that we are even debating the direction of climate change on this globally important continent. I would like to remove my name from the list of scientists who dispute global warming."

So, his own facts show that most of Antarctica is getting colder, and yet he is perturbed that any scientist might have the gall to suggest that Antarctica might not support the "global warming" theory?

So much for open scientific debate and reevaluating theories when (inconvenient) facts arise.

NORTH SHORE

THIEVES PUT A DAMPER ON WARM ISLAND TRIP

My family left O'ahu Saturday evening after a wonderful week of sun, fun and warm island memories.

About six hours before our plane departed, we drove to the North Shore for a look at the legendary waves. While visiting 'Ehukai Beach Park and looking at the Pipeline, our locked van was robbed. All of us were no more than 40 feet away, and it all happened in 48 seconds. While the robbery was a serious monetary loss, two things brought us all to tears — a week's worth of photographic memories on a 1 gigabyte digital memory card and the loss of an inexpensive gold necklace with a round Chinese pendant bearing the symbol for longevity. The necklace belonged to my 16-year-old niece, who inherited it from her mother who died in May.

We would gladly pay a reward for the return of the necklace. We lost four backpacks and two handbags filled with identification, travel documents, Hawaiian memories and treasures of little interest to even the lowest of thieves.

We fear the bags were thrown by the wayside between Sunset Beach and Hale'iwa and our treasures may be gone forever. We pray that the wonderful people of North Shore will contact the District 2 police if they discover discarded backpacks, purses or beach bags.