Here's one way to get
best judges on the bench

The way to keep Gary Rodrigues off the Judicial Selection Commission is to have the election of judges in Hawaii.

Richard Rice
Kailua

Self-interest corrupts
power of union leaders

Regarding your May 14 articles on (1) state Senate President Norman Mizuguchi's appointment of Gary Rodrigues, and (2) the counties of Hawaii, Maui and Kauai contract problems with private businesses:

The root cause of the problems is the control that the union leaders have over the three branches of our state government: (a) the Legislature that makes or revises state laws and sets the budget, (b) the governor's administrators of daily operations of our government and finances, and (c) the appointed judges in our judicial system who interpret laws and who make new court laws.

Unfortunately for the majority of Hawaii's people, for the past 40 years, various union leaders controlled the majority of our legislators' actions as well as the governor's administration. Unions, such as the ILWU, were needed in past years, and their leaders were honorable men who looked after the welfare of their members.

Now, a few of the current union leaders appear to be more self-serving, with a power-hungry attitude. Because of the many laws that now protect the rights of the workers, the pendulum which has swung in the unions' favor over 40 years, should now be moved toward the center.

To improve our economic problems, decrease financial hardship for individuals and businesses and reduce the high number of bankruptcies, the people must exercise their power by voting for legislators and a governor who are not controlled by certain union leaders.

Hawaii needs more independent men and women in government, such as Big Island Mayor Stephen Yamashiro, who are not controlled by the unions. Only then can we reduce the size and cost of government, lower taxes and fees and have economic growth for the good of the majority of Hawaii's people.

Wilbert W.W. Wong

Military makes progress
in fight against harassment

The U.S. Army loses credibility after the sexual harassment case involving Sgt. Maj. Gene McKinney. The military is certainly not above criticism as an institution, but to change one's perspective of the entire Army for the character flaws of a few is an unwarranted rush to judgment.

Credit the secretary of the Army for personally directing investigations into allegations against McKinney and others who have abused their training instructor positions by sexually harassing trainees. Some individuals have already been charged and sentenced, while other investigations are on-going. Maybe action wasn't fast enough to satisfy Tristin Viloria of Waipahu (Letters, March 31), but justice is being served.

Bashing the services that are already struggling mightily to eradicate sexual harassment ignores the substantial progress already made. It's not a perfect world; zero tolerance may not be achieved.

But on balance, I know of no profession where its members are held to higher levels of accountability in discipline, judgment and moral conduct than in the military. The military justice system is very unforgiving of those who prove unworthy of this trust.

James H. Kyle

Lokelani Lindsey should be
a teacher, not a trustee

I was outraged to hear about the Bishop Estate's disregard of the alumni and parents of Kamehameha students. In a cowardly act, the Bishop Estate trustees backed out of a meeting and failed to answer the many important questions being asked by concerned individuals.

How will Hawaiian students of Kamehameha fare in the future? With the Bishop Estate trustees controlling the education that the teachers give their students, Kamehameha will be in chaos. Does trustee Lokelani Lindsey actually believe that she can provide an education greater than the level of education given today by Kamehameha teachers?

Lindsey is undeniably micromanaging the education of hundreds of Hawaiian students. If she is positive that the education that she can provide is far greater than what is being given now, she should resign as a Bishop Estate trustee and become a teacher once again.

As a trustee, it is not her job to control the affairs of the Kamehameha Schools.

Laurie Takase
9th Grade, Mililani School
(Via the Internet)

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