BUREAUCRACY KEPT, KIDS SHORTCHANGED

The 17 furlough days are an indictment of the state education establishment in Hawaii. Did anyone notice that 13,000 of the 22,000 employees of the DOE are teachers? And not all of those do direct instruction of children. They just belong to Unit 5 of HSTA.

Many of those 13,000 are the principals' lackeys doing the shuffling of paper as required by NCLB. Some maintain computers, others are curriculum coordinators. If required to work directly with children in the classroom many would seek other employment. Curriculum coordinators have been funded for the last 15 years with no appreciable results.

Lt. Gov. Aiona is right — there is waste in the bureaucracy. The DOE protects its turf, the union does nothing because they are part of Unit 5. Nothing changes except the children get shortchanged.

If 17 furlough days do not matter, then what does that say about the other days the children are in the classroom? It just reinforces mediocrity.

And we haven't even talked about the 9,000 other employees, who are doing what?

So the money is there. Just not the will.

dolores duchene-kim | Ewa Beach

RAIL TRANSIT

HOLD PUBLIC HEARING ON ALTERNATE SYSTEMS

The last paragraph in your rail editorial (Oct. 30) really summed up where we are today on the rail project. Over the last few weeks serious problems have arisen and "sensible solutions" must be found. What could be more "letting politics get in the way" than one councilman coached by the mayor holding the key vote on approving the most expensive construction project in the history of our island?

The "sensible solution" that you call for should be to hold a public hearing that revisits the alternate systems that were not sufficiently considered in the DEIS. Until that process has been completed we will not know which project will be "the best it can be."

geoffrey paterson, aia emeritus | Kailua

FOX NEWS

5 BASIC QUESTIONS FOR OBAMA SUPPORTERS

Ask someone who is supportive of President Obama's administration and believes that Fox News commentators are fear mongers, out to tear down and destroy our constitutional freedom and love for the good old USA, five questions.

1). Who is Anita Dunn? And whom does she turn to for philosophical political advice?

2). Who is the president's "chief of staff?"

3). Who is Van Jones, and what was his self-proclaimed political agenda?

4). Does President Obama's distribution of wealth agenda inspire us to do our individual best?

5). Who really uncovered the illegal motives of ACORN?

These are five basic questions that anyone who would re-elect President Obama should be able to answer right off the top of the head. These are question that anyone who watches or listens to Glenn Beck or Bill O'Reilly knows. Does the Fox News viewer know more about our president's agenda than the Democrats? Fox News is not a fear monger. Fox News asks questions and uncovers the truth with facts and comparisons. If you don't know this then you have never listened or watched Fox News, you have only been told.

steven norstrom | Honolulu

COACH MCMACKIN

THOSE IN CHARGE OF CONTRACT RESPONSIBLE

Perhaps we are stuck with a losing head coach making over $1 million a year who we can't fire. Surely, we can fire (or furlough) those who gave such a binding lucrative contract to him.

On another note, $1 million could pay for 20 $50,000 jobs per year.

Robert fairchild | Mililani

AFGHANISTAN

FIGHTING 'SMARTER', BRING TROOPS HOME

If our main focus in Afghanistan is to prevent terrorists from building training facilities to launch other terrorist attacks on us, why can't we prevent this from happening by fighting a smarter war? Here are some suggestions to fighting a "smarter war."

• Combat terrorist buildup with the advanced technology we have with spy planes, satellites, night seeking devices, etc.

• Put any government on warning that any perceived threat to our national security will be dealt with as much technological warfare at our disposal — drones, precision bombing, etc.

• Allow covert warfare (guerrilla warfare) in places like Afghanistan with all the special forces of each service to operate in locating and eliminating terrorist bases.

With some of these suggestions there would be no reason for troop buildups and we could easily bring the rest of the troops home without feeling we are doing nothing about the terrorist threats.As things are right now we are the enemy to the common people in Afghanistan and are seen as intruders in their country.

The fact is that the Afghanistan people have been fighting each other or outside threats for generations and we are naive if we think we can change that kind of behavior in a matter of a few years. We are wasting men and resources in a country that does not want us there and where we don't belong.

ronald lau | Haiku, Maui