West side needs patrolling police

As recently reported, a routine traffic stop by Honolulu police officers on the West side resulted in an arrest for a stolen mo-ped.

Although not of major significance, it is reassuring to those of us who spend considerable time driving Farrington Highway. Daily we observe speeders, drivers who refuse to signal and many who fail to obey even the most rudimentary rules of the road.

We see vehicles with smashed windshields, safety stickers missing or expired, obviously unsafe tires and more. There is a steady flow of off-road bikes being driven on the highway, cutting across the highway, doing wheelies and cutting through and across beachside areas where children walk and play.

Please keep up or, better yet, increase routine patrols on the West side. We need more attention on weekends and holidays, not just the occasional weekday speed checks. We need the same steady, no-nonsense treatment received by other areas of Oahu. In truth, we need even more.

Education system conceals waste

Reducing school days is a painless choice since the Department of Education/Board of Education are making our children and teachers sacrificial lambs.

Stop leading the public astray (in this budget crisis) by having it believe that is the only place in the system that cuts can be made.

Over the years, the Legislature has continually increased DOE funding till today it gobbles up 23 percent of the annual state budget — $2.4 billion! Each student is allotted as much as could be spent sending them to one of the prestigious private schools, but there is nothing to show for it. Maryland is judged our nation's best school system. DOE leadership should just peek over Maryland's shoulders and copy what it does to get results.

But let's look closely at what truly excellent leadership does: University of Hawaii President David McClain told his Board of Regents that he would reduce administrative salaries. Admirable. Good leadership, management, and modeling starts at the top.

DOE, get a grip. Scrutinize administrative wastes and inefficiencies — your staff in the trenches know where they are. Show a shred of leadership — ask!

Waianae dumping must be stopped

Endangering the environment for native species found in Maili Stream — what's next? We the kanaka maoli of Waianae feel someone needs to be responsible for their actions.

Our streams in Waianae aren't a dumping ground. They belong to our Hawaiian ancestors. So, please stop placing opala and start being more malama.

I love my aina in Waianae.

Electing a Democrat will bleed state dry

If the state of Hawaii elects a Democrat as the next governor, it'll be good news for public employees and bad news for taxpayers in this state. The two prominent Democrats mentioned are U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie and Mayor Mufi Hannemann.

The two-term Hannemann has shown no mercy to the taxpayers in constantly raising fees just about every year to balance the city budget. During this economic crisis, with the exception of the police and fire departments, he refuses to go the furlough route and to cut further spending to balance the budget. With this year's fee increases, including my property tax and the ever-increasing sewage fee, he has gone to our pocketbook once again to solve the city's budget shortfall. After paying all those fee increases, it seems I'm the one taking the furlough on what's left of my fixed retirement monthly annuity.

As for Abercrombie: When announcing his candidacy for governor, he did say he “;is a carbon copy of President Barack Obama.”; Since the state can't print U.S. dollars like Washington, Abercrombie will raise taxes and spend, spend, spend like our president.

Abercrombie is also a supporter of the controversial HB 444 civil unions bill that seeks to legitimatize same-sex marriage in Hawaii; over 70 percent voted to ban same-sex marriage in 1998. The Democrat-controlled Legislature attempted to negate that ban but failed.

Lingle fails as leader and should resign

I believe that Gov. Linda Lingle must resign. In reading the various forums on your Web site, it seems to me that she has done something that is unforgivable: She has turned the people of Hawaii against each other. People in Hawaii have assumed an attitude of us versus them, that what happens to us should happen to them. She has made forums that were previously used for open discussion into forums of personal attacks. Personal attacks should not be the language of discussion or disagreements. It should be the job of the governor to unite the people of Hawaii.

There is a lot of misinformation now and it seems that the governor is not willing to clarify any of it.

But lastly, to demand cuts in the education budget or to suggest using that money to balance the budget and then finding out that she has only applied for the funds now to me is inexcusable. We need a leader who unites us against the problems of society, not one content with divisiveness.