MONEY BETTER SPENT ON THOSE IN NEED

Which is a better way to honor the memory of Father Damien — spending thousands of dollars on an expensive trip to Europe just to see a ceremony or use that money to help those in need?

Even before the earthquake and tsunami that hit Samoa, there were thousands in need right here in Hawai'i — with thousands more about to need help, especially since Gov. Linda Lingle seems dead set on trying to balance the state's budget on the backs of Hawai'i's state employees.

WWFDD — What would Father Damien do?

MICHAEL GOLOJUCH JR. | Kapolei

WILDLIFE

NATIVE BIRDS ARE IN DECLINE IN KEY AREAS

While debate rages about imported birds harming native Hawaiian birds (Sept. 21), one fact is being lost in the noise: 'Akepa and other native birds are declining severely in the core of their range, whatever the causes may be.

Professor Freed's data on skinny birds with poor survival since 2000 were dismissed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, claiming bird counts show 'akepa thriving. However, the report cited by the Service in fact supports Freed's grim conclusion. Available at www.uhh.hawaii.edu/hcsu/publications.php, it shows 'akepa numbers crashing by 70 percent during 2000-2007 in the middle-elevation zone where Freed and I worked, and where most 'akepa live.

Why the confusion? Native birds did thrive before 2000, with Hakalau Refuge staff and volunteers heroically removing alien animals and planting more than 300,000 koa trees. This work may be for naught if new threats are not controlled.

An ecological meltdown may be under way on the Big Island. Statewide, 10 native birds have disappeared since 1989. Research permits should be restored, and feuds set aside so we can hukilau together, or we slide ever faster towards a Hawai'i without Hawaiian birds.

GUSTAV BODNER | Honolulu

FURLOUGHS

GET OUR KIDS BACK IN THE CLASSROOMS

Like many parents of public school students, I'm dismayed that the HSTA and DOE leadership believe the best solution to balancing the DOE budget was to cut nearly 10 percent of instruction days and to slash teacher salaries. Instead of playing the blame game, let's find solutions to make sure that our children won't fall even further behind in their education.

Some schools have proposed using planning days for classroom instruction. I would like to see all public schools step up and use their planning days for instruction and restore the remaining furlough days with paid holidays. I understand the importance of professional development, but it's about priorities.

Some PTAs have proposed hiring teachers to come in and teach on furlough days. This blurs the line between public and private education and will not be a popular solution. But, as one PTA president said, "We (the parents) want instruction, not child care." I hope the DOE will permit PTAs to hold fundraisers to hire teachers to instruct on furlough days and to set up a scholarship fund for parents who cannot afford to pay.

Finally, our legislators have the power to hold a special session to stop teacher furloughs. What are y'all waiting for? If public education is important, mandate a minimum number of instruction days per year and get our kids back in the classrooms.

SHIYANA THENABADU | Kailua

PHARMACEUTICALS

NOTHING WRONG WITH BUYING GENERICS

As a pharmaceutical industry analyst, I read with interest pharmacist Kevin Glick's defense of proprietary drugs versus generic alternatives ("Reference-based drug plans hide true cost," Oct. 5). He clearly has an axe to grind since his income depends on selling the most expensive drugs available; more cost, more profit.

The Lipitor (atorvastatin) versus simvastatin argument is mostly smoke and mirrors. Millions have made the switch without multiple visits to the doctor and batteries of tests to find if the new drug is working. Most doctors correctly assume that the two drugs are essentially equivalent and let it go at that. If the patient complains of side effects, they'll then investigate.

The open secret of the pharmaceutical industry is that they're in big trouble, because the number of new, innovative drugs they've introduced has fallen dramatically in the past decade and the situation shows no signs of improving anytime soon. The multiple reasons for this are too complex to discuss in this letter, but the result is that the companies and their customers, the pharmacists, are forced to market the heck out of drugs that remain on patent, and therefore most profitable.

I feel their pain, but it's not our responsibility to keep them afloat by buying the most expensive drugs they offer when good substitutes are available. I've made the switch to simvastatin myself without hesitation. Glick's arguments are mostly trivial, specious and self-serving.

KEN RUBENSTEIN, Ph.D. | Hale'iwa

LANIKAI WEDDINGS

COMMERCIALIZATION A REAL, GLARING THREAT

Susan Tongg O'Donnell's letter (Oct. 4) stating her displeasure with the Kailua Neighborhood Board's motion against the issuance of wedding permits on the beach in Lanikai is another glaring example of those in our community who make a living off of the commercialization of our residential neighborhoods.

Be it vacation rentals, which rob local residents of affordable housing, or commercial wedding companies and mobile kayak rental enterprises that block our streets and bike paths/sidewalks with their vehicles making it not just inconvenient for drivers, but dangerous for pedestrians and bicyclists alike, their bottom-line goal is to make money with little regard for residents who are affected by these operations.

It bothers me not to witness a wedding on the beach, but when our residential neighborhoods and beaches without public restrooms and sufficient parking are negatively affected by these commercial operations, it should be our right to say enough is enough.

And by the way, Ms. O'Donnell, I've lived in Kailua for 45 years and can't remember ever seeing a bride in her gown and a groom in his tux shopping at any of our local shops while the limo waits in the parking lot.

RON ROBINSON | Kailua