OFFER ENRICHED LIVES OF FARRINGTON TEENS

A Farrington High School colleague alerted me to the fact that a local art gallery was discarding a quantity of framing material and suggested I make contact. As a longtime technology educator, I have always viewed such overtures with cautious optimism. Often the offer is made with qualifications or does not, in any way, add value to my program.
I was pleased to meet the gallery director of the Buntin Gallery on Beretania Street last week. The showroom is filled with an eclectic collection of museum-quality artifacts, sculptures, prints, and paintings from around the world. Any excess framing material from this remarkable gallery was sure to have a positive impact on my construction program. I was led to the framing workshop and shown thousands of feet of the highest-quality material. I arranged for a pickup truck and returned with two students to collect our treasure.
Having returned to Hawai'i less than three years ago, I found myself at somewhat of a disadvantage. I was starting all over again without the benefit of a lifelong network of friends and professional contacts. I have happily learned that in the land of aloha, new friends like Aisha Buntin are willing and pleased to extend themselves to help me enrich the lives of my Farrington High School students. Mahalo.

Bob Miller | HCC Construction Academy instructor, Farrington High School

BAD DRIVING

LEFT-LANE DAWDLING JUST TIP OF ICEBERG

If I believed that the drivers who insist on driving slower in the left (passing) lane, obstructing the natural flow of traffic and raising the blood pressure of the drivers behind them were the same people who cared enough to read The Advertiser's letters section, I would have gone into further detail.

Paul E. Staples | Kailua

ENERGY COSTS

PREDICTABLE INCREASE COULD AID GREEN TECH

When gas was more than $4 per gallon, Americans stopped buying monster SUVs and trucks all by themselves, started demanding fuel-efficient hybrids, and actually drove less, significantly reducing our consumption of fossil fuels. It was possibly the single greenest event in decades.

Increasing energy costs are painful, but they also create business opportunities for companies and entrepreneurs developing green technology. If energy prices rose predictably, it would be easier both for consumers to budget for it and for investors to know that investing in "green tech" will likely pay off.

I propose creating a new crude oil barrel tax with the intent of slowly and predictably increasing the price per barrel here in the U.S., which would slowly wean us from our addiction to foreign oil while encouraging investment in new, greener technologies. Detroit would start making fuel-efficient vehicles because consumers would demand it. Flexing the size of the tax to stabilize the price of oil would remove some of the volatility, making the increases easier to budget for as well as enticing investors to fund R&D for alternative energy technologies.

Such a "green" energy tax would, of course, generate some much-needed income while reducing our carbon footprint. It could also serve to replace the CAFE standard imposed upon U.S. automakers because increasing fuel costs are clearly more effective in getting Americans into more fuel-efficient vehicles.

Jay Nishimura | 'Ewa Beach

GAIL YOSHIDA

MAHALO TO ALL WHO HELPED IN SEARCH

The family of Gail Yoshida, the missing Pearl City woman, thank the Police Department, Fire Department, Sheriff Division, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Public Safety, search and rescue teams, volunteer canine units, Hawaii Trail Club, Pearl City High School, e-mail network and the many families, relatives, friends and even strangers who came out to help in the search for Gail.

We also appreciate the television stations, newspapers and other media, who kindly publicized our plea to help find Gail. We were overwhelmed by how the community came together to help us search relentlessly, endlessly and tirelessly for Gail. From the bottom of our hearts, we deeply thank all of you very much!

Sharon Tamaru | Sister of Gail Yoshida

'EWA, WAI'ANAE

RESOLUTION CORRECTS PLANNING OVERSIGHT

The Hawai'i House of Representatives this past legislative session unanimously passed HR 263, a resolution to improve and enhance the planning practices that oversee new development projects slated for the 'Ewa and Wai'anae region.

For decades, planners have permitted residential growth to swell on the Leeward Coast without the proper requisites in place that ensure our carrying capacity on existing roads can handle that growth. It's old news that government has failed to keep pace with development.

Currently, the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization that determines what roads get funded when does not interject its data for deliberations before the state's Land Use Commission as well as with the City and County of Honolulu's Department of Planning and Permitting when examining what agricultural lands are to be transformed into residential, commercial, recreational and industrial uses per the 'Ewa Development Plan and the Wai'anae Sustainable Communities Plan. This resolution corrects that oversight.

The 'Ewa Development Plan and the Wai'anae Sustainable Communities Plan are documents meant for the public to review and comment on to ensure the carrying capacity on our roads can handle the residential growth being approved of by Honolulu's City Council.

Tom Berg | 'Ewa Neighborhood Board legislative committee chair, legislative aide to Rep. Kymberly Pine