Cut hours, don't close 5 libraries

I read with dismay that five libraries might be closed. A member of the Friends of the Library informed me that the final decision on these closures is yours to make, Gov. Lingle. Please let me suggest that you reduce business hours for 10 libraries by 50 percent instead.

Citizens could easily adjust to reduced hours, but a total closure would be devastating to many, particularly the elderly and handicapped who make visits to their libraries a regular part of their lives.

Moreover, many schoolchildren supplement their school work with books from the public library.

Please keep our libraries open.

Scrimping won't fix isle schools

Unless the Board of Education structurally overhauls the way educational services are delivered or the Hawaii economy stages an incredible comeback, the budgetary problems will persist longer than most think. Our young people deserve a bit more than the board's simple solution of one-off, quick fixes like closing of libraries, scrimping on school supplies, raiding the hurricane fund or raising the general excise tax.

Reduce costs during recession

Our legislators and elected officials believe the answer to budget deficits is to continue increasing fees and taxes, receiving large wage increases or keeping the status quo, then robbing Peter to pay Paul (the hurricane relief fund for example).

This happens while “;we the people”; are either out of work, had our benefits, wages or work hours reduced to offset labor costs vs. reduced revenue accordingly while keeping heads above water in the midst of a downward spiraling economy. “;We the people”; do not work for the government; otherwise it imitates a form of communism.

Play out this great recession by cost reductions, until stabilization returns. If it is less costly to retire people then do so. If it is less costly to employ non-union workers with skills then do so. Use short- and long-term options.

Animal cruelty deserves penalty

As someone who deals with dozens of cruelty-to-animals cases every week, I commend Circuit Judge Randal Lee for taking seriously the case in which two Moanalua Golf Club workers reportedly admitted to butchering a dog (”;Penalty for killing dog includes jail time,”; Star-Bulletin, July 15).

Treating these cases with the seriousness they deserve doesn't only protect animals — it makes the entire community safer. Animal abusers are cowards and bullies who take their issues out on “;easy victims”; — often including their fellow humans. The FBI has found that a history of cruelty to animals regularly appears in its records of serial rapists and murderers.

As Dr. Albert Schweitzer said, “;Anyone who has accustomed himself to regard the life of any living creature as worthless is in danger of arriving also at the idea of worthless human lives.”; Protecting animals protects us all. To learn more about the link between cruelty to animals and cruelty to humans, visit http://www.helpinganimals. com.