Government employees
should agree to pay cuts

To save the fast-failing economy of Hawaii, cut temporarily the pay of state and city employees, active and retired, by 5 percent for the next fiscal year, starting July 1. We are beyond the point of expecting a change in the economic health of Hawaii by relatively painless measures.

When I was promoted from ensign to lieutenant (jg), all federal employees were given a hefty pay cut. I could not afford the additional half gold stripe that had been earned. The pay cut turned the federal economy around.

All unions and the general public are together in the same economic ship. I urge each union leader to release his members to side with the general public on the temporary pay cut. No union can be exempt.

Your future and the future of Hawaii are at stake.

E. Alvey Wright

'Chasing Amy' is neither
a romance nor a comedy

Local reviews of "Chasing Amy" have us confused. A romantic comedy, it isn't; it should be categorized as a romantic tragedy.

The language and situations throughout the movie are deplorable, with only negative social value. Descriptions of lesbian affairs or simultaneous multiple sex partners does not classify this movie as "Best Love Story" of the year.

The film's advertisements mislead the public. "Chasing Amy" is definitely for adults (NC-17) and is not a comedy!

Tom and Val Broussard
Mililani
(Via the Internet)

Upbringing, not ethnicity,
leads to raising criminals

I would like to respond to James McKeague's grossly insensitive remarks (Letters, June 28) that, in his mind, 70-80 percent of criminals have surnames with connections to the Iberian peninsula and that there must be "something wrong with the upbringing of the children from there."

Anyone who has been to Portugal or Spain would realize that these peoples come from predominantly agricultural societies where hard work and perseverance are necessities of life. They are moreover staunchly Catholic and raise their children with the Christian virtues uppermost in mind.

Such racist remarks by McKeague show the workings of a small mind. The potential in any family for the lack of teaching their children to respect other people's rights can happen anywhere, regardless of race or color.

A good or bad upbringing depends primarily (although not only) on two people, Mother and Father. It is definitely not because of "race."

Alika Neves

Tune into WebTV
to see the future of television

I read Richard Borreca's June 11 article on children and the Internet and would like to suggest a possible solution: WebTV.

SinceI bought a WebTV unit I've visited sites about the Smithsonian, the Hubble Telescope, dinosaurs, volcanoes, the Ocean Planet exhibit at the Bishop Museum, a tour of mars, the Library of Congress, the Virtually Hawaii website and many others.

The cost of the unit (with a wireless remote keyboard) was under $350, making it possible to buy four to eight units compared to the price of one PC. The unit uses a TV as a monitor, something most schools have several of.

WebTV can't capture video, but the unit has expansion ports and probably will have that capability in the future.

At a time when taxes are high and spending cuts force bare-bones budgets, WebTV could help us provide the quality education our children deserve in a very cost-effective manner.

Tim Burris
(Via the Internet)

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Same-sex archive

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