BUDGET WOES

ARTS FOUNDATION CUTS WILL HURT OUR YOUTH

I am protesting the proposed $1.3 million slash to the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts biennium grants programs budget: a disproportionate 14 percent of the $9 million budget cut mandated by the Department of Accounting and General Services.

This shortsighted, draconian measure will further cripple our stagnant economy, undermine the education of Hawai'i's youth and unravel our community's cultural fabric.

Funding the arts yields rich monetary, educational and cultural dividends. Using just $2.2 million of state funds, SFCA grants infused an additional $28.2 million from federal and private sources into Hawai'i's economy.

Neurological research suggests that exposure to the arts spurs cognitive development; Artists in the Schools partnerships and SFCA-supported institutions, like Hawai'i Opera Theatre and Honolulu Theatre for Youth, challenge and actively engage thousands of students each year through integrating arts with core curricula.

Such programs also inspire teachers to create more dynamic, enriched instruction.

Lastly, by eliminating arts education, we erode the future economic base for our cherished cultural institutions. Rather than striking a devastating death blow to Hawai'i's diverse cultural and aesthetic heritage, we must continue investing money in the arts and our children. They are our legacy and greatest hope.

ERIC SHINSEKI

OBAMA HAS NO ANTI-WAR ADVOCATES IN CABINET

With his appointment of Gen. Eric Shinseki as the next secretary of Veterans Affairs, Barack Obama has ensured that his Cabinet will have no anti-war advocate on board.

Gen. Shinseki — like other nominees on Obama's team — did not oppose the Iraq war. In a speech at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa in 2006, Shinseki evaded my question as to whether the U.S. government should be tried for war crimes in Iraq, under the Nuremberg principles established by the U.S. after World War II, by saying that going to war is a political decision and soldiers need not make that call.

But the Nuremberg principles specifically required that soldiers and commanders refuse an illegal war, and they could not evade responsibility by just claiming to be following orders.

Apparently, Shinseki — like his boss Barack — only opposed certain aspects of the Iraq war, but not the imperial mindset that made the illegal aggression inevitable. What is becoming clear — to the dismay of millions of voters who expected the Obama election would end the U.S. debacle in Iraq — is that the rhetorical Obama "change" really means "staying the course" of the U.S. empire.

HAWAIIANS

WRONG TO VILIFY LINGLE OVER CEDED LANDS ISSUE

I believe Gov. Linda Lingle is being very much misunderstood over her stance on ceded lands.

She points out that during the overthrow certain legal requirements were not followed, rendering the state's claims to the land just as foggy as Hawaiian claims. Until that legal tangle can be untangled, neither the state nor Hawaiians can get clear title.

Those are the cold facts, and have nothing to do with her or anybody else's opinion. Her stance in the matter is clearly shown by her statement that in her opinion Hawaiians are morally deserving of the lands.

That is her stance in the matter. It means that if she could do anything about those foggy claims she would push for Hawaiian rights. So why is she being vilified?

RUNNERS

MARATHON VOLUNTEERS EMBODY ALOHA SPIRIT

I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of the Honolulu Marathon volunteers, both the visible and the hidden.

As a first-time runner, the self doubt can be a deal breaker. To have perfect strangers handing you water and ice along with perfectly chosen words of encouragement is a moving experience when you think you can't jog anymore — and there is still eight miles to go!

To all of you: I could not have completed the marathon without all of your selfless efforts. You inspire me to one day do the same for others. My experience of the Honolulu Marathon was that it carries the true energy of the aloha spirit, which is rare these days without the incentive of money.

It reminds me of the old days, and that feels incredible!

OIL

ENERGY PRICE TAX COULD FUND NEW TECHNOLOGY

The U.S. should impose an energy price tax on each barrel of oil consumed in the U.S. and apply it to support new green technologies.

According to the International Energy Agency, we consume 7.7 billion barrels of oil annually. An energy price tax of $50 per barrel would generate $385 billion annually to revolutionize America's energy base and create millions of new jobs — with no added deficits.

The tax would help create a floor price for oil and relieve the cycle of price swings that encourage and then discourage investment in alternative energy. The tax would also move oil closer to its life-cycle cost — reflecting its external impacts on the environment, public health and national security, and the fact that excessive consumption by the current generation imposes higher costs for future generations.

The tax would have few negative impacts on consumers since its application to the current price would still mean sub-$100 per-barrel oil. Even if oil settles at $80, as predicted, the tax would still result in a price below $145 per barrel set in July 2008.

Evidence from the 2008 run-up in oil demonstrates demand decreases only slightly in response to higher prices, because consumers lack reasonably available alternatives.

An energy price tax would yield more efficient and equitable pricing, speed up diffusion of new technologies and deliver real benefits, for a change.