Graduated licensing won't stop racing

A bill aimed at stopping late-night racing on our streets and highways will create hardships for responsible young drivers and their families while doing nothing to solve the racing problem. House Bill 150, House Draft 2, provides for a provisional license that requires a parent or guardian to accompany a 16-year-old driving between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. or who carries more than one unrelated passenger, under the age of 18, at any time. Seventeen-year-olds will be allowed to get an unrestricted license as long as they have held a provisional license for six months and satisfied all other requirements of the law.

How will this stop street racing? Most of the racing incidents involve drivers 18 and older. HB 150 doesn't address that. Why can't our legislators do something constructive, such as providing more drivers' education classes in our public schools, rather than trying to punish all young drivers for the misdeeds of a few? That would be like locking up all elected officials every time one of them commits a crime, which, we all know, happens quite frequently. Parents and students should contact their legislators and stop this misguided legislation from becoming law.

Act 51 will require much more money

I was surprised to read that state budget director Georgina Kawamura believes that Act 51, the Reinventing Education Act of 2004, contains no funding requirement (Star-Bulletin, March 3). It's all the more surprising considering Kawamura was at a Board of Education meeting a few months ago justifying why the Lingle administration had not released $4.3 million of the $11.4 million in appropriations that were in the act.

I would urge administration officials to read the act to refresh their memories. It included dollars for critical areas such as reducing class size in grades K-2, ensuring every school has a parent coordinator, funding an incentive program for nationally board-certified teachers, faculty positions at the University of Hawaii's College of Education, and training dollars for principals and school community councils.

Furthermore, the act clearly will require more dollars as we move to demand more accountability while giving more autonomy, flexibility and authority to each school. For example, it is critical that principals become year-round employees rather than on the current 10-month contract. This isn't a raise for principals, but it is an acknowledgement that for principals to provide the leadership we are asking, they need to be on the job year round.

I realize that by vetoing Act 51, the Lingle administration was not in support of these efforts. However, it is now the law, and we should all work together in a cooperative, bipartisan fashion to ensure that the goal of improved student achievement has the best chance of success.

Military was too easy on sub commander

It was difficult to read the story of former Navy commander Scott Waddle and his efforts to get on with his life ("Sub tragedy turns lesson in healing for skipper," Star-Bulletin, March 15). Waddle, in a militarily determined "accident," was allowed to retire with full benefits and without the slightest penalty for killing nine innocents. Is this the way that the U.S. military determines justice, or, more appropriately, rewards incompetence? God help our current soldiers if that's so. Military commanders, thusly gifted, may "accidentally" tilt the scale in the enemy's favor. (If my current count is correct, of the more than 1,500 military deaths in Iraq, 368 were caused by "accidents" -- friendly fire, etc.).

Wouldn't it be better to write about how the victims' families were getting on rather than some coddled commander? How about a story on how the military will prevent that "accident" from happening again? What did the military do for the families of the nine victims?

Former commander full of compassion

Your interview with former Navy commander Scott Waddle about the Ehime Maru tragedy four years ago was one beautiful piece of journalism. I was profoundly impressed by the depth of the former commander's compassion over this tragedy. I believe God in his infinite wisdom could not have chosen a better person to endure such a tragedy and whose lifelong testimonials in turn are profoundly touching the lives of others who have also experienced life's tragedies.

Small biz needs break on unemployment fund

All Hawaii businesses, big or small, have to pay into the state Unemployment Insurance Fund. The premium for this insurance is based on wages and is capped on those employees who earn more than $35,000 per year.

This is a great benefit for large companies with many employees paid more than $35,000 per year. However, to benefit small business where most employees are paid under $35,000 per year, the cap needs to be lowered. The governor has it right. She proposes to lower the cap to $7,000 in employee pay per year. This savings in overhead costs would really be a solid benefit to Hawaii's small business community.

And why not? The current unemployment insurance fund has a huge cushion of more than $400 million sitting in it, way more than it needs.

The bills are in the hands of legislators now. I just hope they see this need to support the growth of small business in Hawaii in the same way our governor does.

Drilling in refuge would be short-sighted

I am deeply troubled that the U.S. Senate included the Arctic drilling amendment in the budget for Fiscal Year 2006. It was a sneaky, backdoor maneuver that will open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling. This cynical ploy eliminated any chance of a fair and open debate on this important conservation issue.

Drilling in the Arctic refuge is not the answer to our country's dependence on foreign oil. Increasing our energy efficiency and developing alternative technologies will make us less dependent on foreign oil, while protecting our environment and improving our national security. Keep in mind that there is only a six-month supply of oil in the refuge, and it would not be available for another 10 years. And oil from the refuge would never provide more than 2 percent of America's yearly demand for oil!

The Arctic refuge is America's last great wilderness, and it should be saved for future generations, not squandered for short-term gains. Some places in America are just too special to drill, and the Arctic wildlife refuge is one of them.

Teachers have plenty of reasons to flee isles

More than 30 percent of new teachers leave the profession after their first year. After five years, 50 percent have left. For mainland recruits, 55 percent leave after two years and 65 percent after three years. Older, experienced teachers are retiring and many are retiring early. Why are they leaving?

The Legislature wants to make the school year and school day even longer. More teachers will leave, class size will increase, discipline get worse and even more teachers will quit.

Now you tell me, why is there a shortage of qualified teachers here?