HSTA leaves behind new teachers

The Hawaii State Teachers Association, for some weird reason, negotiated new language in its contract that left new teachers behind, to start at $28,076.

The former contract had a new Class II teacher starting at $35,486. The new starting teachers' salary now exists following an agreement signed Oct. 4 between the state and the HSTA.

Members of the HSTA had their leaders negotiate and sign an agreement reducing the compensation for new teachers by $7,410 with a stroke of the pen.

Why this change of direction? Just eight days after signing the new agreement, HSTA leaders announced on Oct. 12 that they will work to get starting teachers $45,000 a year. The gap between $28,076 and $45,000 as starting salaries is as wide as Kauai's Waimea Canyon.

Today, the HSTA is spinning like a top. It says it did not negotiate a new salary schedule. Yet court documents declared by Jonathan A. Swanson, a deputy attorney general for the state of Hawaii, include an agreement signed Oct. 4 between the state, Board of Education and the HSTA.

For the record, the new agreement says that "Teacher Class II (formerly referred to in prior salary schedules as Class I instructors) shall hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution recognized by the Department of Education." This becomes the description of a starting teacher.

Teachers have been zinged again by their own organization.

Forcing religious rites reveals weakness

Some people advocate government sponsorship of religious activities, such as prayer in public school. But doesn't this betray a lack of confidence in their religion's ability to persuade people on its own, without government support?

Bush adviser cleverly manipulated voters

Karl Rove and cohorts are great magicians as they deftly shifted focus from the Bush administration's liabilities. They also convinced many Americans that "lying" is an acceptable moral value.

Stonebraker waged courteous campaign

We would like to send a big thank you to state Rep. Bud Stonebraker for waging a clean campaign. We also appreciate his courtesy in taking down his signs the day after the election.

Cheney really knows how to ruin a party

Halloween is a night that Wave Waikiki spends a lot of money and time in producing an outrageous party. We hired artists who spend more than three weeks producing decorations. We also spent thousand of dollars to advertise the party.

Unfortunately, Wave Waikiki was kept from a successful night by Vice President Cheney's rally held on Halloween night at the Hawaii Convention Center. The security was from 8 p.m. until the wee hours of the following morning. No one was allowed to drive or even walk around the corridor that was put up around the Convention Center, which included our end of Kalakaua Avenue.

This rally not only hurt our business, but also the Hard Rock Cafe's, Rockza's and the Blue Tropix', as well as other businesses in Waikiki. All because of inaccurate polls that said President Bush and John Kerry were tied for the Hawaii vote.

So much for the idea that the Republican Party is business friendly.

Working the polls has great rewards

On Election Day, working at a precinct in Kailua, I experienced the greatest feeling of the aloha spirit since moving to Kailua from the mainland in 1972. At the ballot issuing station each voter gave me a smile, thank you, mahalo and/or a look in the eye that said it all and more.

"Lucky we live Hawaii" will now mean more to me every day of my life and I will be available to work at every future election. Try it, you'll like it!