Man-made structures make our beaches sick
Kailua Beach is eroding!
They are putting another groin on Waikiki Beach!
Don't they get it yet? It is only human intervention that has disrupted Mother Nature's natural flow that was created over eons!
I was born in Waikiki in 1942. Waikiki Beach was many times wider than it is today.
When we moved to Kailua in 1954, you could walk from Lanikai Point to the most western part of Lanikai on a white sand beach.
Hulihee Palace in Kona once fronted a white sand beach. Again, human intervention came along and a road was built along this shoreline. Auwe! What happened to the beach?
Human intervention has destroyed many beaches in Hawaii, beaches that were sandy and pristine for centuries. It is too bad that the powers that be did not listen to kupuna who suggested that if they did what they were planning, it would destroy the surrounding beaches.
Solution? Simple! Go back to 1945 and look at aerial photographs of our shorelines. Next, take out everything that was added since then. Presto, our beaches would return!
Al Gonzales
Kailua
Palin's family problems are fair territory
Regarding the letter
"Not-so-astonishing liberal behavior" published Sept. 8:
I just had to write a response to Mary Lapastora's rhetoric ("It's hard to believe liberal left-wing Obama supporters are getting excited over ... Sarah Palin's daughter being pregnant.")
It's not just "liberal left wingers" who note the irony of this situation; and the glaring double-standards within. It's an obvious target, considering that Palin opposes sex education and advocates teaching abstinence.
Hmm, didn't work so well, did it? Her daughter unfortunately demonstrated the failure of that vision. Kids should know the facts of life and how to protect themselves. Abstinence is great, but things happen.
Hey, my sympathies go out for the girl. But what astonishes me is that outspoken conservatives like Bill O'Reilly howl, "How daaaaaaare you?" But if it concerns a famous pop star's little sister, they "tsk-tsk" and judge her parents.
Oh, the hypocrisy.
As for Lapastora accusing Democrats of "worshipping" Bill Clinton specifically for committing adultery, um, yeah, right. Name some of them.
And if you're going to respond, try using some facts and logic. I read your words, but you said a whole lot of nothing.
Lahela Hekekia
Honolulu
Obama probably didn't even want to join up
So now Barack Obama tells us he contemplated joining the military after graduating from Punahou. Sure, he was torn between attending Harvard or going airborne. I suggest he registered with Selective Service because it is required if you apply for college financial aid. Also, you have to be registered if you want a federal job.
Bernard Keane
Honolulu
We need a mayor who will stick around
After watching Tuesday night's broadcast of "Honolulu Mayor: The Debate" live from the Hawaii Theater and hearing Mayor Mufi Hannemann confirm his future political career plans, which he said might mean a change of office as soon as two years away, I decided at that moment not to vote for him. I, we, the people of Oahu need a full-time mayor tending to our critical needs and around long enough to be held accountable. In other words, do we need a part-time mayor? No! Can we afford a part-time mayor? No! Can we sustain a part-time mayor? No!
Thank you, Ann Kobayashi and Panos Prevedouros, for applying for the full-time job (it is four years, not two) to be our next mayor.
Sara Lesmez
Mililani
Kobayashi hurt image with 11th-hour filing
At the mayor's debate Tuesday we got a glimpse into Ann Kobayashi's version of transparency in her administration should she be elected mayor.
What shocked me most is when she told us that when she made her last-minute decision to run for mayor, she only called five people. Not a press conference so everyone in her district would know about her decision and there would be time for people to ponder the possibility of running for her office. You know, like the time she had to make her decision.
Never did I think that if you wanted to run for her office, Kobayashi needed to have your home phone number. Especially since Kobayashi had done a good job representing her district, as shown by the fact that she was running unopposed. In my eyes, all of her good work was thrown out when she tried to name her successor with those five phone calls.
Kobayashi's last-minute stunt is just one of the many reasons people become disillusioned with those who run for public office.
Michael Golojuch Jr.
Kapolei
Read your electric bill, if you dare
I recently took the time to really read my electric bill. From September last year to August this year my bill has climbed more than 68 percent. In September 2007, I was paying $2.73 per kilowatt hour and in August 2008 I paid $3.99 kwh. Wouldn't it wonderful if all of us could get a pay raise of 68 percent a year? Is the Public Utilities Commission really regulating this monopoly? Something feels really fishy to me. Between July and August this year my rate went up $.23 cents per kwh; that's almost 9.5 percent just in one month. Is the fox in the hen house?
Robert M. Lloyd
Ewa Beach
Not all polling sites have paper ballots
All polling places are not created equal. On Sept. 9, I went to one of the promoted walk-in voting sites, Campus Center at the University of Hawaii. As I good citizen I was eager to cast my ballot. Imagine my shock when I saw the posted notice: "No Paper Ballots. Electronic Voting Only."
I, like many others, do not trust electronic voting. I believe the only way to be guaranteed my vote will count is to use a paper ballot. I left, dismayed. Several hours later I made my way to Honolulu Hale, where I cast a paper ballot. How many others showing up for walk-in voting will be dismayed by not being able to use a paper ballot and will not vote, therefore becoming disenfranchised? I was told at Honolulu Hale that several of the walk-in locations are electronic only. Voter beware!
Lynne Matusow
Honolulu
Facts don't lie - we're failing our children
The only way to combat our Department of Education's daily drive for mediocrity is to hold it accountable for its actions or lack thereof.
According to the College Board's 2008 SAT State Profile Report for Hawaii, a total of 8,195 students took the SAT this year. Of them, 4,963 were from Hawaii's public school system. The mean scores for these students were 456 in Critical Reading, 473 in Mathematics and 441 in Writing. The public school national average, however, places the scores at 497, 510 and 488, respectively.
The best way to secure a bright future for our youth and our state is to ensure they are receiving a sound education. These numbers tell us we are failing our children.
Kristi Malia Temple
Pahoa, Hawaii