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Lingle shouldn't have pandered to Marcos

Sister-state and sister state-province agreements such as the one signed by Gov. Linda Lingle and Ferdinand "Bong Bong" Marcos Jr., governor of Ilocos Norte Province in the Philippines, are largely symbolic, but in this case the symbolism is unfortunate and the decision to proceed with the agreement was a mistake.

Marcos is an inescapable reminder of the years of misery his parents inflicted on the Filipino people, years of brutal repression and theft on a scale seldom matched. The fact that he must appear in federal court during his visit to Hawaii with regard to litigation over human rights abuses committed against thousands of Filipinos during the Marcos regime is in itself irrefutable evidence of this grim legacy.

It is a depressing commentary on the state of Filipino politics that the son has been able to pursue a career in elective office despite his parents' disgrace. But Hawaii leaders, in particular the governor, should resist the temptation to pander to Marcos' popularity among local Filipinos of Ilocano origin and shun this symbol of a hateful dictatorship.

All HGEA members are essential

You missed the point in your Feb. 1 editorial when you described Hawaii Government Employees Association members as "nonessential state and county workers," and later stated "mandatory arbitration should be limited to essential workers' contracts.

Ask anyone:

These state and county workers are just a few of HGEA's 42,286 members who are essential for the public's safety and welfare. Binding arbitration keeps them on the job during contract disputes, allowing them to serve and protect Hawaii's people without interruption.

While HGEA members touch our lives in many ways, there is one thing we, the public, should never forget. We count on them every single day.

Union stranglehold caused poor grade

The Associated Press article in the Jan. 31 Star-Bulletin, "Isles earn a C for finances," called attention to serious facts.

The nonpartisan Government Performance Project gave Hawaii's state government a C grade for its fiscal management. In that category, only three states received worse grades than we did, while 41 states received better.

The project's reasons for giving this poor grade are that the state government repeatedly raids the emergency and budget reserve fund, and that it still cannot pay off its debts.

The debts' source can be traced to, in the project's words, "a series of generous agreements with the state's powerful public employee unions" that "has put the budget under chronic stress."

Because most Democrats in the state Legislature have heavy ties to unions, and because the Democrats have a virtual monopoly over the Legislature itself, unions have remained the most powerful lobbying force in the state for decades.

The Democrats consistently vote in favor of more money to the unions at the expense of the state government and the taxpayers who financially support it.

To break the unions' stranglehold on our purse strings, we must end the Democrats' monopoly on political power.

Public financing needed in elections

The more time politicians spend raising campaign funds, the less time they have to do the work on our behalf, for which they were elected. Seems simple, doesn't it?

Many of us feel that the increasing portion of campaign funds coming from special interests further limits our access to lawmakers. Policymakers cannot adequately serve the public while relying so heavily on special interest money. In addition, excessive campaign spending has fueled increasingly negative and misleading political advertising, contributing greatly to the public's dissatisfaction with the political process.

I support a law to establish public financing of elections ("Clean Money, Clean Elections"), such as those that are now so successful in Maine and Arizona. This law will improve the integrity of state government by diminishing the influence of special interest money and encourage the public's participation in the political process. Candidates would voluntarily agree to spending caps and fund-raising limits in exchange for public financing of their campaign.

For the price of a meal, each of us can effect this much-needed change. "Clean Money, Clean Elections" is an idea whose time has come, and the best way to ensure that government serves all the people, not just some of the people.

Bottle law a windfall for recycling firms

The old adage to find out the root of legislation in politics is to "follow the money." That money trail is pretty short when it comes to why the Legislature has forced a non-workable bottle bill on its citizens.

Before the bottle law, recyclers were making their profit by buying aluminum cans brought to their centers by people wanting to make a little money. When the price of aluminum dropped to 25 cents a pound several years ago the number of cans coming in also dropped. So what to do?

Convince the Legislature to pass a bill that coerces the average person to recycle, then not only pay the recyclers a penny a container but also give them the aluminum that they used to have to pay for.

Deputy Health Director Larry Lau says recyclers will be paid by the state $13 million to collect the same items they used to pay people to bring in. Since the recyclers now get their aluminum for free, how much more are they making selling the aluminum? Another $20 million or more.

It doesn't take a bloodhound to follow this trail of money. The only loser is the consumer.

Democrats didn't play fair; why should GOP?

My colleague, House Democratic Leader Marcus Oshiro, has attacked as shibai Governor Lingle's method for replacing Democrat Rep. Sol Kaho'ohalahala, who has resigned. ("Another View," Jan. 27).

Oshiro says the governor "concocted" a multi-step panel process "touted" as bipartisan, and calls her panels "bogus."

I'm surprised. The governor's careful effort to incorporate leading Democrats into her selection process is 180 degrees from the Democrats' highly political way of filling vacated Republican seats.

In 1987, then-Gov. John Waihee appointed Republican Rep. Donna Ikeda to replace Republican Sen. Buddy Soares. Then he picked nominal Republican Pat Ribellia to fill Ikeda's seat. No panel. No consultation. Just two of Waihee's favorite Republicans into jobs they owed to Waihee.

Not surprisingly, by the next election both Ikeda and Ribellia were running as Democrats, not as Republicans. And Democrats picked up both seats.

With this history, how dare Oshiro criticize Lingle's bipartisan panels.

State, city must account for assistance funds

While Human Services Director Lillian Koller is right that anti-drug media campaigns have been effective in reducing adolescent substance use, raiding Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds to use on the anti-drug campaign is a bit questionable given the original purpose for the funds ("Anti-poverty money used to buy ads," Star-Bulletin, Jan. 18).

The allocation of surplus TANF dollars needs far more scrutiny by news organizations since state and city governmental agencies lack transparency in funding decisions.

One sector that could more appropriately take advantage of these surplus funds is the homeless sector. To date, homeless service providers have seen only a small portion of this TANF money ($500,000 allocated November). Considering the significant needs for homeless and at-risk TANF-eligible families, one would think homeless providers would be a higher priority.

If Gov. Linda Lingle is serious about ending chronic homelessness, then I trust more TANF funds will soon directed for homeless and homeless prevention services for Hawaii's families.

Other states, such as New Jersey and Minnesota, are using significant portions of TANF dollars (up to $50 million per year) for emergency homeless assistance, including rental assistance and supportive services to prevent or eliminate family homelessness.

I believe Hawaii will continue to get $25 million to $50 million in "surplus" funds each year. A better plan for this money needs to developed and shared with the pubic.

I am pleased that an audit will be performed on this money. A complete accounting of why more than $100 million in TANF dollars was kept hidden for many years, and how current decisions on allocation of these funds are being made is overdue.

Continued monitoring of this annual surplus is necessary to insure these funds are not raided for inappropriate uses.

Pearl visitor center is welcome addition

The Jan. 30 story about the recently opened Pearl Harbor Visitor Center highlighted negative comments from various individuals. The visitor center is an excellent and much-needed addition to the facilities for visitors to the World War II museums. As with any new business, it wouldn't exist if there wasn't a demand for it.

I was there for an hour this week and talked with many of the tourists who were having a refreshing drink and getting out of the rain by relaxing at a nice table in the tent that houses the center. To a person they all praised the effort and said they looked forward to hearing about what new displays and exhibits of World War II memorabilia would be added in future weeks. They all said the center is a positive addition. One valuable service the center offers is secure lockers to check backpacks and bulky purses that are not allowed on the battleship USS Missouri or the shuttle bus to it, which departs from next door to the center.

The tent facility is temporary. The plan calls for a waterfront restaurant, a promenade of military exhibits and various booths and displays, all done in circa-1942 decor. They are also planning an exhibit promoting the Hawaii Army Museum at Fort DeRussy, an excellent visitor attraction in Waikiki that is currently under promoted. I believe the finished product will be as much a memorial as a business, with emphasis on preserving the memory of those men and women who served at Pearl Harbor or on Navy ships during World War II.

Teachers deserve support from DOE

I read with great interest Susan Essoyan's article on the problem of teacher recruitment and retention in Hawaii's public schools ("Teacher retention figures plummet," Jan. 22). It does seem logical that difficulty in recruiting is largely due to low salaries and, therefore, efforts should be made to improve teacher salaries in order to enjoy greater success in recruiting new teachers to teach in our schools.

However, teacher retention is a problem not as strongly related to salaries as recruitment is. Many teachers who decide to leave teaching after a few years resign because they are not happy with the conditions of their employment. Among these reasons are a heavy workload, pupil apathy toward learning.

However, a major reason teachers give for resigning is lack of support from the school administration and especially from the principal. While raising teacher salaries involves getting the support of elected officials and is usually difficult, addressing the complaints of teachers about the lack of support from administration seems to be something that the Department of Education can address internally without involving outside officials.

The department might improve the morale among teachers and increase retention if teachers were given the opportunity to express their frustrations and if it took steps, whenever possible, to correct the situation.

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[ BRAINSTORM! ] Seeking state symbols Hawaii has a state bird, a state fish and a state flower. What other symbols should the Aloha State have? For example, should we have a state insect? If so, what should it be? Or how about a state bento? Come up with your own categories and share them with Star-Bulletin readers. E-mail your ideas and solutions -- please include your name and address -- by Wednesday, Feb. 16 to: brainstorm@starbulletin.com Or fax to: Brainstorm! c/o Nancy Christenson 529-4750 Or mail them to: Brainstorm! c/o Nancy Christenson Star-Bulletin 500 Ala Moana 7 Waterfront Plaza Suite 210 Honolulu, Hawaii 96813