Improving university takes more than hope

After reading University of Hawaii President Evan Dobelle's article, "Embracing hope" (Insight, Star-Bulletin, July 13), I had a flashback to more than 35 years ago. Upon completing my operations orders brief to my squad of Rangers, I ended by saying, "I hope you guys understand the plan and can execute."

During the critique of my order, my Ranger adviser pointed out the error of my ways by saying, "Son, hope is not a method! Hope is what you do when all else fails. You either have a plan that all of your subordinates understand, embrace and will execute to the death, or you don't."

His words have stayed with me all these years. They made sense then, and they make sense now. When charged with the strategic or tactical planning and execution of any organizational plan, if you are relying on hope, you probably have a problem.

While Dobelle's charge of inspiring hope sounds good, how real is it in execution? Bottomline -- is it being understood, embraced and executed, or will Dobelle leave UH in the next few years with a legacy of having embraced hope but with having nothing to show for it?

Tom Swindell
Kailua

Quick fixes for state and city budgets

Where can the state get $20 million for education ("Public schools cuts may hit $20 million," Star-Bulletin, July 11)? Take it out of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau fund. It gets too much money anyhow and doesn't spend it wisely ("State audit blasts HVCB," Star-Bulletin, June 26).

The tourists will come back when the economy gets better, and in the meantime our kids will get proper education.

As for the city, if it gets rid of Brunch on the Beach parties and multimillion-dollar Vision Teams, it wouldn't have to close satellite city halls and reduce bus service.

Anneliese Chun
Kailua

HVCB couldn't turn down the governor

When a sitting governor -- the CEO of our state -- makes a request, it's difficult for a person to reject it, especially if the governor is publicly berating that person for how he operates an agency.

As Hawaii Visitors and Convention Center chief Tony Vericella states, when Governor Lingle's office asked HVCB to pay for a television station to beam positive images of the governor back home to Hawaii, he did not feel he could say no to the governor.

Clearly, the responsibility for the abuse of taxpayer money in paying for a news crew to go to Japan rests solely with the governor. With re-election the administration's prime objective, it has added thousands of dollars to public relations while slashing programs for education and the impoverished. This is just one more example.

Jackie Kido
Former spokeswoman for Governor Cayetano

Souki said it plainly; Dems belong to labor

It looks like the "old boys" can still get it done. In discussing how he helped put the votes together to override the governor's veto of the binding arbitration bill, former House Speaker Joe Souki said legislators did it "for the good of the Democratic Party and for the good of labor" (Star-Bulletin, July 10).

This superbly exemplifies what has been the top priority of the majority party for as long as I can remember. Notably absent from this very short list of those who will benefit are the rest of the citizens of Hawaii, who will suffer the financial consequences of this override.

In discussing their override of the veto of Senate Bill 317 (funding for a Korean War veteran commemoration) in their op-ed piece on the same day, Senate President Robert Bunda and House Speaker Calvin Say downplayed the importance of "fiscal expedience." Apparently fiscal expedience should only be important to wage earners, not legislators. It is this continuing legacy of political pandering and fiscal irresponsibility that has put our state in the disastrous financial straits we find ourselves in today.

Doug Thomas
Mililani

Restoring arbitration will cost Democrats

I was dismayed to read that my party (Democrat) overrode the governor's veto of mandatory arbitration. The governor's veto was the responsible thing to do; the Legislature's override was irresponsible. If we had budget problems before, now they will be nightmares.

Russell Okata, executive director of the Hawaii Government Employees Association, wrote long letters to both major newspapers with veiled threats of a strike if he didn't get his way. The Star-Bulletin's editorial July 13 confirms that Okata wields too much power with our elected lawmakers. I guess he wants to replace the former United Public Workers' leader, Gary Rodrigues, as an unelected lawmaker.

Since arbitrators consider raising of taxes an acceptable way to fund pay increases, we will undoubtedly be confronted with this scenario in the near future. The legislative leaders want this increase in any event. Now they can have their increase, blame the HGEA and the arbitrators, and force the governor to renege on her campaign promise of not raising taxes.

I don't want to see my party lose seats in the Legislature, but I believe there will be a public backlash in response to their actions. Hopefully, the people who represent me will be victims of that backlash.

Bill Nelson
Haleiwa

Motives for joining parade were suspect

The gay community is well known for using confrontational tactics. I recall everything from splattering government officials with blood to invading St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York during Mass.

The only conceivable reason for the gay group to march in the essentially Christian "Family Day" parade was to turn it into the ugly confrontation of the sort described above.

Since the "Gay Pride" parade was, is and will remain free to precede unimpeded on the same route, the rationale behind the suit by the ACLU was, is and will be moot.

Greg Sheindlin

Bible spells out what's 'normal and natural'

The Star-Bulletin's July 12 "Keeping Faith" section shows a picture of Michael Golojuch Jr. holding up a sign that says "Homosexuality is normal and natural" during his protest against excluding homosexuals from the Family Day parade, organized by the city and the Christian Coalition.

On the contrary, God calls homosexuality "NOT normal and natural" in chapter one of Romans. Jesus Christ gave a warning of the sin of homosexuality in the book of Matthew.

Contrary to what others say, homosexuality is a chosen lifestyle. God created a male and a female, but not homosexual. He cannot contradict his holy word.

Melvin Partido
Pearl City