UH fiasco reveals derelict lawmakers

Assuring the quality of our university has always been a serious responsibility of our state Legislature. Now that some members are finally visiting the campus to see what the school has been talking about for years and what anybody who has been near the campus can visually attest to, will they understand that they have been derelict in fulfilling a major duty of their office? Will our legislators understand that not only does the university need serious repairs, but they do, as well? Perhaps replacement rather than repair.

Miscalculations over the Superferry, continuing mediocrity in our educational system, complacency about the Bishop Estate fiasco, infrastructure deterioration at the University of Hawaii and so much more -- all make up the recent legacy of our Legislature. My simple request is that these "leaders" and "servants" of the people show some integrity and resign if this is the best they can do. Hawaii deserves much better.

Questions about UH money need answers

Recent reports of shoddy maintenance at the University of Hawaii are absolutely outrageous! The poor facilities for football are only a part of the larger picture: a university gone bad with shoddy maintenance.

Obviously some money is needed. But before the Legislature throws huge mounds of money at the university, some questions should be asked. We need to know what money has gone to the university and where the money went. How much money has the Legislature allocated per pupil, and how does that compare to other universities? Have the maintenance staff done a good job (considering funds available), or have they not done as much as they should have?

And, while we are at it, the Board of Regents needs to ask what the chancellor and president of the university have done about the situation. Did they jump up and down and scream about the situation, or did they passively let this horrible situation continue? Did they get action from the maintenance staff? Do we, perhaps, need a new administration at the university?

Let us act, but let us get the facts before we act. The students at the university are the ones who are poorly served. They are preparing for their futures, and we should not let them down.

Planning should begin for new ferry terminals

How can we, with the permission of the Legislature, best live with two Superferries in operation next year?

a) Let the state Department of Transportation agree to plan, build, operate and maintain an appropriate ferry terminal in the counties of Maui, Kauai and Hawaii. The existing Honolulu ferry terminal was built originally by the DOT at a cost, as I recall, of $10 million.

b) Let the Hawaii Superferry agree to provide, operate and maintain two high-capacity fast ferries, with related services to the public, using the state-built terminals.

This agreement will parallel the current airport/airline agreement, under which the DOT is responsible for the airports and the airlines are responsible for the aircraft and related public services.

Planning of the ferry terminals by the DOT, in collaboration with the counties, should start in this calendar year.

Some areas seem to get better treatment

I read Joseph Lee's letter to the editor Friday with some amusement. In it he thanked Mayor Mufi Hannemann and the city workers for fixing potholes on 21st Avenue, the university area and Ala Wai Boulevard. Fortunately for Mr. Lee, these areas are east of Kalihi and south of Kahaluu. Is it just my perception, or does his neighborhood, which is of a demographic that tends to be more affluent, receive preferential treatment when it comes to things like road repairs?

Our priorities need full re-examination

The people of Hawaii are incurring one of the highest costs of living in comparison to the other 49 states. Some economists have stated that our country is now in a recession, while others say that we will be in a recession in the third quarter. Our purchasing power is declining as shown by the decline of the U.S. dollar, now worth 55 cents to the euro.

Now is the time for our state and county government leaders to re-evaluate their priorities, current and future needs and cost of services needed, not wants or desires of the majority of our society. One action to take might be to re-evaluate the current services provided by the University of Hawaii. They could create a committee to determine to close all sports activities and the law school (too many attorneys for the size of our population of 1.3 million). Money saved can be transferred to the needs of their library department, Colleges of Arts and Sciences, agriculture, business, medical and the state Department of Education.

Are voters prepared to decide nation's fate?

This is the year when we make that momentous decision of who our next president will be. He must face our No. 1 problem of Iraq and decide whether we remain there or start planning for a phased or complete withdrawal. Our men and women in the armed forces, our economy, our domestic policies are all linked to what he decides.

So, all eligible voters should storm the poll stations or vote absentee in the November election when we decide who it will be. Will all of you participate?

Reviving draft will spread sacrifice evenly

Being at war in Iraq and Afghanistan our defense posture is in jeopardy. We are deploying our combat troops in a wide stretch of territory and thinly cover areas of high interest. It is heartbreaking to deploy members of our military forces three to five times in Iraq or Afghanistan. Can each of us imagine military families whose dad, mom, husband or wife who depart into harm's way every other year? It is a traumatic experience to those who sacrifice their existence in defense of our nation while most of us enjoy stability and prosperity.

Let us revive the draft and have each able-bodied young American serve and contribute to the defense of our nation. Two years of service and then standby reserve status is a must for every young American.

And I respectfully request that our congressional delegates introduce a bill to revive the draft in Washington. It is morally just, fair and correct. This proposed bill must be on the front burner ahead of anything else except the security of America.