Keep mainland money out of North Shore
Protecting communities along the North Shore from the dangerous effects of large-scale development should be a priority with our politicians. Hawaii is being bought up by foreign and mainland investors at an alarming rate. It is bad enough having to deal with all the illegal B&Bs and vacation rentals, much less a monster development like Oaktree wants to promote.
People who call Hawaii home really do not know many of their neighbors any more because of the vacation rental issue. Turtle Bay cannot keep its rooms filled now; what makes them think they will fill 3,500 more rooms?
Ann Drechsler
Haleiwa
Too many Hawaiians face homelessness
I am a native Hawaiian who received a full scholarship to play football at the University of Wisconsin. It is difficult for me to concentrate, knowing that my family is going to be evicted from our home in Kona. My mother is recovering from a slipped disc and has been denied disability. My aunty passed last year and my family is taking care of her kids as well as my uncle, who has a heart pacer and is unable to work. My grandmother, from all of this stress, had a heart attack and had to be medivaced to Honolulu.
My parents are on their way to be a part of the growing native Hawaiian problem of homelessness in Hawaii. Currently my father is the only source of income for my family. How many more Hawaiian families have to be on the beach before this becomes a featured news topic? My family is a great example of this rising homeless problem for Hawaiians in Hawaii and all I ask is that you listen to their story.
James Kamoku
Madison, Wis.
All parents could learn from Rosemond
Kudos to Carol and Sen. Mike Gabbard for bringing well-known family psychologist John Rosemond to Hawaii this past November.
My husband and I have two young boys, ages 4 and 7. For a long time, we've struggled with their misbehavior and how to best discipline them. After attending Rosemond's seminar in Kapolei, I bought three of his books and a DVD. Both my husband and I have spent a lot of time with this invaluable educational material.
Rosemond's simple, no-nonsense way of parenting has helped us immensely with our keiki and strengthened my marriage at the same time. I'd recommend Rosemond's writings to any and all parents and am hopeful that the Gabbards can lure this very wise man back to Oahu in the near future.
Sarah Acosta
Kailua
If football is vital, create a pro team
The community response to this football season has been remarkable, and support for greater spending on the athletic department to keep their coach was tremendous. However, I wonder if any of the fans have considered that far more is necessary for a university than a successful athletic department.
If such ardor is unavailable for the rest of the university, perhaps the state government should consider investing in a professional football team instead. One could be operated for much less than it costs the state to fund the University of Hawaii-Manoa, and the sale of campus real estate would cover the costs of purchasing a professional team. Public support would be greater, and there would be much less opportunity for bureaucratic waste.
The continuing disdain that the university administration and the state government have shown toward maintaining their flagship campus is disheartening. The culture of neglect is insidious and shows no signs of improvement. If the only thing that excites state citizens enough to care about university management is the bread and circus of collegiate sports, then the future of the school is only bleaker.
James Crippen
Moiliili
Agencies should have seen it coming
I became physically and spiritually ill upon reading the story of baby Cyrus. I pray for his immediate spiritual embrace and ascension into heaven on angels' wings.
My spiritually ill feelings have intensified as I now read how the Hawaii legal system, the lawyers, Child Protective Services and all the other agencies conducting damage control and covering their okoles as accountability checks and balances are coming due.
Shame on all of the guilty parties who knew the proper steps to take, yet they chose the worst -- that being, "paralysis by analysis." Surely all of the warning bells, whistles, sirens and explosions were going off on this one!
I don't unjustly judge these agencies, and I take into careful consideration their caseloads, their seemingly insurmountable bureaucratic hurdles, and even the required time for the paperwork that has to be generated, evaluated and acted upon. But come on, this one was right in your face! This is not the one that should have slipped through the cracks.
The mother duped them by showing how a "functional addict" can appear to be responsible by giving excuses, ending with promises of doing the right thing the next time. Their actions or inaction will not go unaccounted for. They all must and will answer for and pay for their evil deeds, their negligence and their incompetence.
Efrem Williams
Honolulu and Mosul, North Iraq