Governor didn't inflict
department budget cuts

An April 12 letter by Linda Kato needs to be corrected. It wasn't Governor Cayetano who asked department heads to cut their budgets by 8 percent; the co-chairpersons of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means put out the request after the Council on Revenues revised downward its March projections.

State departments were obligated to respond to Sens. Fukunaga and Fernandes Salling. But make no mistake, the senators' request was akin to asking directors which limb to amputate.

Kathleen Racuya-Markrich
Press Secretary
Office of the Governor

UH faculty don't deserve
auditor's rap on knuckles

Having read the "Audit of the University of Hawaii's Management of Faculty Workload," by State Auditor Marion Higa, our response is: The report is superficial and implies erroneously that the faculty are not meeting their professional obligations.

This report exemplifies, however, several fundamental flaws in how the university administration defines faculty workload -- flaws which the UHPA has been pointing out to the administration for the past 15 years.

UH President Mortimer says of the report, "University faculty work hard...Survey data indicates that UH Manoa faculty...work 50-plus hours a week. Valid and reliable data demonstrate that...the amount of time UH faculty spend on teaching fulfills the Board of Regents teaching standards."

Our faculty is committed to excellence and service to the people. It serves no purpose to malign this dedicated team of professionals, who are doing their utmost to help rebuild the state's economy and teach young people the essence of leadership.

Alexander Malahoff
President
UH Professional Assembly

Whole language is not
a great way to teach

In response to Anna Y. Sumida's defense of whole language training (Letters, April 15), I take issue with her contention.

As a military family, we moved from base to base. Our oldest son started kindergarten in the King County, Calif., School System where "phonics" and "isolated drill and skill" were heavily emphasized. He was reading by the end of kindergarten. Today, he reads well above his grade level.

Our second son spent his kindergarten and first-grade years in the Oahu public school system, where the "whole language" routine is in vogue. A year and a half later, he still could not read! He was getting terribly frustrated by that inability, while watching his older brother reading his favorite "Goosebumps" books.

We hired a tutor at $200 a month for him. Two and a half months of phonics, and isolated skill and drills one hour a day, five days a week, did what the school system failed to do for him in one and a half years.

Now his school teacher has noticed a "marked improvement" in his performance. You can preach the "whole language" propaganda all you want, Ms. Sumida. But I have the proof and the empty wallet to show that you are terribly wrong.

Vince Shahayda

Senate no-fault plan
is best for consumer

I do not envy the task of the conference committee to reach a compromise on automobile insurance reform. What is in the best interest of us, the consumers?

Responding to those calling for a return to a pure-tort system, HB 100 eliminates "no fault." But, in order to achieve the cost reductions of 25-35 percent, the House found it necessary to also reduce benefits and shift some health costs to our pre-paid health plans. Hardly a boon to consumers.

The House bill does protect the little guy's right to sue. But suing only pays off if you can prove it was the other guy's fault and he/she has something worth getting.

The Rand Corp. found that Californians with auto accident losses of $100,000 or more receive less than 15 percent of those losses, because many get nothing or almost nothing.

SB 1812 reduces the need to sue. Lawsuits for pain and suffering are allowed only if the victim suffered permanent or serious injury, to be defined by court cases. Suits are controlled by strict limits on what kind of accident injuries may lead to litigation.

While the House worked hard to provide a way to reduce premiums, the Senate bill is more in keeping with the aloha spirit. It offers a faster, fairer and more effective way to handle most automobile accidents.

Duane D. Erway
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

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Same-sex archive

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