Some state workers can't afford a pay cut
I find the possibility of an across-the-board pay cut for all state employees disgusting and very troubling. I work 50-60 hours a week as an elementary school teacher. I am a single parent of two children who receives no child support and am struggling to make ends meet on my less than $35,000 salary. The 10 percent pay cut they are suggesting would be devastating to my survival in Hawaii.Here's a thought. If I was making $85,000-plus a year like Budget Director Earl Anzai, maybe a cut wouldn't be so painful. After a 10 percent pay cut, he would still be making about $47,000 more than I would. This issue is all a matter of financial perspective.
Cheryl Nelson
Lahaina, Maui
(Via the Internet)
City reorganization plan is too complicated to work
I am a city employee (non-union by choice). Under the current system, I have four bosses between me and the mayor - a supervisor, a branch chief, a division chief, the director and finally the mayor.I reviewed an organizational chart showing how my department will be affected by the mayor's recommendations. Under the new proposal, I will now have seven bosses - a supervisor, a branch chief, a division chief, a pseudo-director, a deputy director, a director and a chief administration officer. And then finally the mayor.
Excuse me please, but this is not downsizing or streamlining of government. Adding three additional layers of bureaucrats isn't going to allow my department to do its job more efficiently or effectively. One does not add this much overhead without incurring significant operating costs.
Although some aspects of the mayor's plan may work, it is far too comprehensive to implement in six months or even two years without causing utter chaos and disruption of current services.
My department in particular has more critical things to work on, such as making sure all aspects of the city's computer systems are year 2000 compliant. The proposed changes caused by restructuring and our current limited resources and manpower will seriously jeopardize our ability to meet our internal deadlines and workload.
Debbie Stelmach
Kailua
(Via the Internet)
Cayetano's political moxie knows no bounds
So now we know what Ben meant when he said he wanted to be Mr. Education. Hawaii's teachers, who already have to wait three extra months to receive their entire year's pay, were initially asked to accept a second pay lag. Translation: Wait even longer to get the pay you earned several months ago. Now, the plot thickens. Perhaps on top of staggering the pay twice, we will CUT it.Is there any alternative to Mr. Education? Well, no, not if Ben can help it. Now that he has his $2 million-plus in the bank and the certainty of additional funding from the ever-faithful unions, Ben wants to cut off his opponent's money supply.
He smiles into the television cameras, telling us how very "fair" this is. In case you never quite understood the meaning of shibai, this is it.
Robert Engle
Kalihi
Where is the fairness in Dems' campaign reform?
Regarding the "Stop Linda Lingle" bill, I would like to see Governor Cayetano make the bill retroactive to when he took office and then sign it.If the GOP cannot raise as much money as it can, then he shouldn't have been able to raise any either.
Jay Telles
(Via the Internet)
Class size really does make difference in schools
Imagine a future where Hawaii public schools have been converted into prisons or cheap hotels: Public schools are no longer needed for educating students, because the families that can afford it send their kids to private schools or just move out of the state.The students who remain in the public schools sit with one teacher - and 40-plus other classmates in classrooms designed to hold 25 kids.
This is because, a few years earlier, state legislators had chosen this path for Hawaii. In their "wisdom," they decided that class size had no relevance to student learning.
They decided that the state should use its limited revenue to build prisons and advertise tourism. They rationalized that the prisons and tourism would create the quality jobs so desperately needed at the time.
After all, what difference do a few more students in a classroom matter?
I hope this is not the future that our elected officials choose. It is not the one I would choose.
Scot M. Drown
Program imparts values through one's own peers
I'm aware that the Peer Education program may be cut, and it concerns me. We teach young people to be aware of and to stay away from drugs, sex and violence. We do presentations and interpersonal communication about problems.Since many students picked this class for next year's elective, the Peer Education program should go on. Legislators should vote yes on HB 3164.
Tony Wong
Peer Educator
Ilima Intermediate School
Ewa Beach
Don't turn away visitors by making trip more costly
Your hotel occupancy rate is down yet your Legislature is thinking of hiking the hotel room tax. What's wrong with this picture? If demand for your product is decreasing, is this the time to raise prices?My family has visited your beautiful islands six times in the last nine years, with an average stay of two weeks per visit. Your Legislature should be seeking ways to encourage visitors like us, instead of discouraging us by making a visit more expensive.
Andrew Spisak
Springfield, Va.
(Via the Internet)
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