Steel wheels might not be the best choice

In response to "Transit panel chooses steel wheel technology for mass transit" (Star-Bulletin, Feb. 22): Make sure transit panel members stop at our steel Aloha Stadium before they head back to the mainland to really get a sense of what happens with steel here in our islands.

It's only logical to drug test students, too

A 15-year-old boy was just arrested for threats against his teacher, who took away his packet of marijuana, according to police (Star-Bulletin, Feb. 10). So with this reasoning of "for the safety of the children" advocates, it seems we should require all parents of school children to drug test their children first (at their expense) and show a certificate of that testing before they are admitted to school from the age of 12 and every year after that. This, so our schools would be free of drugs and violence.

And if the child tests positive, their parents will need to be tested too (at their expense, of course). Then both child and parent can go for treatment and not be let back to school until treatment is complete.

For those who say "for the safety of the children" and "if you have nothing to hide," this is a no-brainer, especially for those who want teachers drug tested.

Philanthropist helped theater community

I was saddened to hear of the death of Nancy Bannick. Anyone who has listened to Hawaii Public Radio has heard the name, but I don't think people realize what a treasure Hawaii has just lost.

Nancy was a philanthropic dynamo. She was a firm believer in the arts and supported them wholeheartedly. Not only was she a driving force behind Hawaii Public Radio, she was also very active with the Honolulu Symphony and the chamber music programs on Oahu. This is only the tip of the iceberg to her generosity. This five-foot-tall woman had a giant heart. A couple of years ago when she was honored by the Philanthropic Society, she was so humbled by the number of people who had come to pay tribute to her. I was glad to be one of those people.

Kilauea Drama & Entertainment Network (KDEN) would not exist without Bannick. We were looking for help getting our first production, "Man of La Mancha," up and running. Nancy generously gave us half of the money we needed to get started. In subsequent years she continued to donate to our little nonprofit theater company. She always apologized that she couldn't give more to us, but her moral support was ever present. She will be missed by all of us.

To those of us who knew Nancy Bannick, there will be a huge presence absent. I only hope we can continue to honor her in the future. This summer's production of "HMS Pinafore" will be dedicated to her memory.

Thank you Nancy!

Being 'cool' has nothing to do with it

If the majority of the Hawaii Democratic electorate rationalize their reasons for voting for Barack Obama as Alice Talbott does, it is frightening (Letters, Feb. 19). She declares it would be "cool" to have a native son as president, but do you know where he stands on the issues? How is he going to deal with foreign policy and the economy? What are his views on abortion, gay rights and the separation of church and state?

Worse yet, Talbott questions Sen. Daniel Inouye's nonsupport of Obama by insinuating that our congressional delegation should throw its support behind Obama solely on the basis of his being a Punahou graduate! I would expect such immature reasoning from a high school student, but certainly not from a Hawaii state government employee. Please try and be a better educated and informed voter.

State should take care of senior citizens

I wish to address the sorry plight of the situation confronting the senior citizens of Hawaii. I would like the Legislature to prioritize legislation to provide more care homes to the needy.

My very close friend who lost his wife a few years ago suddenly had a stroke approximately six months ago. He went through rehab and got well enough to be sent to a nursing home, but none was available. I really don't know the financial status of my friend; however, I know that if he returned home, he would need someone to look after him. He has daughters but they have their families to look after and have jobs to support their family.

Why can't the state provide adequate facilities to care for these senior citizens who provided so much to the state when they were active? Senior citizens provide more than 50 percent of the charitable donations and provide many volunteer services. Let's not forget them!