BISHOP ESTATE

KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOLS CARRYING OUT MISSION

I take umbrage with Mary Wallace's assertion that Kamehameha Schools has cheated many Hawaiian children out of a solid education. I see Ms. Wallace lives in Kailua. She should venture out to the more impoverished areas of the island such as Waimanalo and Wai'anae where Kamehameha funds a lot of educational programs for the public.

Kamehameha continues to provide educational opportunities for all Hawaiian children should their parents take advantage of them. Consider the following: free pre-school across the state (my brother was a privileged recipient of this), summer school at the Kapalama campus, KEEP and many more summer programs as well as year-round programs.

The schools continue to be the sole beneficiary of the estate, and as such, the trustees are right in being prudent with the investments and endowment of the estate to ensure the resources for future generations.

Ms. Wallace should take the time to educate herself about the endowment instead of making such egregious statements. A simple Google search can provide a wealth of knowledge.

I mua Kamehameha!

GAS PRICES

Who's really behind the so-called gouging?

Mike Rethman stated in a letter to the editor on May 23 that the price of the crude oil needed to produce gasoline is within pennies per barrel of what it was six months ago. According to Albert Chee from Chevron Hawai'i: "The benchmark crudes for the Pacific Rim have actually increased on the order of 25 to 30 percent since January."

I'd like Mr. Rethman to tell us specifically whom he thinks we are being gouged by?

SO YOU THINK YOU GUYS HAVE IT REALLY BAD?

It is heart-wrenching to hear of the terrible suffering of the owners of SUVs and other gas guzzlers in the United States as prices rocket to over $3 a gallon.

In England, where gasoline only costs $9 for a slightly larger (Imperial) gallon and where motorists are charged $10 for entering London and are soon to face similar charges for using roads in many major cities such as Manchester prior to a nationwide rollout of road pricing and where, literally, thousands of speed cameras have caught millions of motorists straying more than 10 percent over posted limits at any time of the day or night at $120 a go, we can only look at you with envy.

In fact, because of the special relationship between England and the U.S., I was hoping that your readers might send me a "gasoline parcel." I have enough food, and would be willing to pay $4 a gallon should any arrive.

Please do not tell my government that you are supporting me as I would be charged additional taxes.

BLAME GAME

LEGISLATORS MORE TO BLAME THAN GOVERNOR

Rep. Kirk Caldwell accuses the governor and Linda Smith of "Monday morning quarterbacking" and failing to plan. Did he really miss the 214 bills the governor introduced this session? Maybe he was busy working on the eight bills that made up the House majority's bill package.

Maybe he missed the budget requests she had presented to his Legislature. You know, the ones where she planned for two years and the Legislature only funded one — like public housing elevator repairs? I saw that Ken Harding didn't miss that one.

He must have missed the comprehensive plans she had on education, housing, STEM, tax relief, and the economy. Oh wait, that's right, they made chop suey out of those plans, he didn't miss it.

Talk about hypocrisy. How do you plan when resources are held hostage by Democrats interested in petty politics? How do you plan when Cabinet-level leaders are tortured under the now ridiculous circus called advise and consent, effectively discouraging other qualified candidates from being interested in public service at such a high level?

And my favorite, how do you plan when the Legislature handcuffs, restricts, or removes your appointing authority, rule-making authority, management authority, and even veto power through various laws? In spite of the antics of the Legislature, I think the governor plans pretty well.

Everyone gets it this year. Everyone knows what a mess legislators created. Instead of trying to blame the governor, take responsibility for the sake of the voters you represent and own up to it. Lick your wounds and do a better job.

Sign waving is going to really be fun next year.

GREAT SERVICE

KAILUA POLICE PULL THROUGH FOR TOURISTS

I recently returned to California from a vacation on O'ahu with my husband and 8-year-old son. On May 18 we had spent the day snorkeling at Lanikai Beach in Kailua. We left all three of our expensive rented snorkel sets along with some other items on the side of the road as we loaded our car, not noticing until we arrived back at our hotel in Waikiki. We started the drive back immediately, hoping for the best, and along the way I called the Kailua police department and they graciously sent someone out to the location, and found everything for us.

What wonderful service! Thank you so very much for all your kindness and help to some forgetful tourists!

ELEVATORS

A DOSE OF REAL LIFE WILL DO LAWMAKERS GOOD

What an editorial regarding broken elevators, you really got to the point.

Yeah, let the elected ones at the Capitol take the stairs until the elevators at the public housing get fixed. Give them a taste of what life is really like in the real world.