Film office has advanced isles

In just five years, to the eyes of the film and TV industry, Hawaii has enjoyed a total makeover. The series “;Lost”; has proved that Oahu alone could serve as a location resembling almost any place in the world. For- merly, film and TV projects came here mostly for jungle, beaches and ocean. On “;Lost,”; Oahu has passed for Australia, France, England, Iraq, rural Africa and more.

Further, we've developed a collection of highly skilled technicians in the areas of scenic construction, special effects, location scouting, camera operation, etc. For example, one of our young men has risen from production assistant to fully qualified cameraman—elsewhere, that can take 20 years. We're no longer a cinematic backwater with a limited repertoire of “;looks”; and talents.

Many of these achievements, and the economic benefits the state has derived, are due directly to the hard work of the state film office. And we're considering closing down that agency!

Producers won't come here if there is no one knowledgeable to help them with arrangements. Must we really return to being filmically “;lost”;?

Don Hallock
Honolulu

Cuts at Deaf Services Section are a tragedy

I'm writing about our concerns regarding funding cuts that will adversely affect the Deaf Services Section (DSS) of the Department of Human Services.

Six positions - 662/3 percent - will be eliminated, leaving us with a young deaf counselor with 11/2 years of experience still attending the University of Hawaii for her master's degree, a counselor's assistant and a secretary.

The supervisor's position was eliminated, though she provides direct services to 174 clients while the counselor has 70 clients. Furthermore the supervisor, who understands the deaf and deaf culture, has decades of experience working with the deaf, is a mentor to the young deaf counselor. No way will the counselor be able to service 244 clients alone.

We are concerned that consolidating the DSS with a hearing section where the staff are inadequately trained will adversely affect services. Moreover we're concerned that without our own section supervisor, the DSS will be eliminated with more cuts coming. We'll be back prior to the 1990s when too many deaf without adequate training or education ended up eating off the government trough on welfare or SSI because no one would hire them. Despite what's happening, no one can adequately explain how the department will service 244 clients——- and that's a tragedy.

Art Frank
Chairman, Deaf Hard of Hearing Advisory Board (DHHAB)

Fire directors, not staff, to balance the budget

How much do the directors of the various state departments contribute to the productivity of their departments? I'll bet they are only figureheads and intermediaries between the senior personnel and the governor. These people are paid many times more than the senior civil service employee. Fire the directors and use the money to help balance the budget. Don't hurt the workers who make the department productive.

It didn't work for the car builders to fire production workers to keep all of the various vice presidents to save money. In the end there was nobody to build cars to sell.

Arnold T. Abe
Kaneohe

Critic of Obama's talk to students ill-informed

One of our local citizens rails about President Barack Obama's speech to our children (”;Obama speech is indoctrination,”; Star-Bulletin, Letters, Sept. 7). Not having heard or read his speech, it's called indoctrination. How can anyone write with such disdain and be so ill-informed?

This person is pulling their children from school so they do not have to listen to our president exhort them to greatness, and further states the children will be homeschooled on the Bill of Rights, Constitution and Declaration of Independence on that day. That should be interesting, given the circumstances.

Robert Lloyd
Ewa Beach