Cayetano replies on hiring rule
Amber Alert would save Hawaii children
We are all terribly saddened by the tragedy of young Kahealani Indreginal. Other recent child abductions and kidnappings have kept our nation riveted, angry, scared -- and wondering just what we have to do to keep our children safe.As we learned in California recently, we can do something. When two teenagers were rescued from their abductor, California's Amber Alert plan was credited with saving their lives.
After alerts were broadcast throughout the region, several drivers called police when they spotted the kidnapper's vehicle. Thanks to these tips, authorities stopped the kidnapper just minutes before he was about to disappear into the desert with the girls. Police shot and killed the suspect, who was wanted on another rape charge, and both teens were reunited with their families.
Amber Alert works by using Emergency Alert System broadcasts to radio and TV stations to get victim, suspect and vehicle information directly into the hands of the public almost immediately. Amber Alert plans are credited with helping safely recover 19 children so far across the country.
I'm asking Governor Lingle to implement Amber Alert immediately, before the next child goes missing.
Richard Brennan
Kahului, Maui
Modern cruise ships just too darn clean
Having spent close to 35 years on all shapes and sizes of cruise ships as a cook or chef since 1964, I do not recall any major outbreaks of food-borne illness, or anything remotely related to the so-called "Norwalk Virus" that has occurred on numerous ships in various locations on the planet.Although standard procedures of cleanliness were adhered to, there was no comparison to the "hospital operating room" style of today. Hair nets, rubber gloves, masks and constant washing of all fruits, salads and vegetables to kill pesticides and other supposed growths, let alone knives, hands, boards, beaches, rocks and refrigerators -- even on-board sanitation inspectors. It's as though we've become far too clean, and people have lost their natural defenses. Sanitized fruit salad, delicious.
Otherwise, I'm somewhat puzzled that nobody has suggested that we consult Osama bin Laden.
John L. Werrill
Give the caregivers what they deserve
Nurses are not receiving what they want. Whether it's a better sick leave policy, safe staffing levels or whatever, it hasn't happened.This strike is a hassle because some patients were transferred to other hospitals. This is an inconvenience for those patients' families, and it might even put more stress on the patients.
The public supports the nurses wholeheartedly. The nurses are seen as caregivers. Rather than inflicting pain (like a doctor does), a nurse is there to comfort a patient during his stay at the hospital.
I'm for the nurses. Seeing them out there, picketing for what they want, what they're not receiving; I hope that they get all that they want. They deserve it. Go nurses!
Jared Champaco
Moanalua High School, Age 16
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Your Dec. 16 editorial regarding Governor Lingle rescinding my executive order that gave exempt state employees the same opportunity to compete for state job openings as civil servants revealed an incredible ignorance of the facts. Hiring change for state
workers was warranted
>> Neither my former cabinet members nor the employees who worked for me in the Office of Governor are eligible to compete with civil servants for those jobs. Neither are employees from the lieutenant governor's office, Department of Education and the University of Hawaii. Why? Because they are prohibited from doing so by law.Many exempt employee jobs were created by laws passed by the Legislature, usually in conjunction with a new or expanded program. Out of the approximately 3,000 employees for the Felix program, for example, nearly 400 will be exempt.>> The overwhelming number of exempt employees are not "political appointees." There are nearly 2,000 exempt employees in state government. These employees are exempt because they do not fit in any of the existing civil service categories. About 1,000 of them are represented by unions.
Why do legislators pass laws that require the use of exempt rather than regular civil service employees? One reason is because they know how cumbersome the civil service system has become and many have seen their programs suffer because of the inherent delays and inefficiencies in the system.
Before 2000, there were no standards set for the hiring of exempt employees. I changed that by approving a law in 2000 that subjected exempt employees to the same kind of standards as civil servants.
Having raised exempt employees, some who have worked for the state for more than 10 years, to the same level as civil servants it seemed only fair to allow exempt employees to compete with them for internal job openings in the state government. The key word here is "compete." Not "appoint," but "compete."
The purposes of my executive order were to make the system more efficient by giving the hiring authority a larger pool of applicants (exempt and civil servants) from which to choose and to be fair to exempt employees who now must meet civil service standards, by giving them an equal opportunity to compete.
I offered to explain my reasons for issuing the order to Governor Lingle, but she declined. Instead, she opted to maintain the status quo rather than change.
Ben Cayetano
Former Hawaii governor
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