There is good at Kamehameha

With all the negative press about Kamehameha Schools, I felt compelled to stand up and say something.

My son is a junior boarding student at Kapalama. While Kamehameha Schools certainly isn't a perfect school, it does get a whole lot of things right. Kamehameha Schools has opened the door of opportunity for native Hawaiians from all walks of life and is perpetuating Hawaiian culture with a sense of authenticity to an otherwise commercialized culture.

With a student body of 3,300, it is nothing short of a challenging task. I have always been impressed by how capable and qualified the faculty and staff are. It's not surprising that there will be incidents from time to time. I hate to sit back and see a few isolated incidents tarnish the reputation of an otherwise outstanding institution.

By all measures Kamehameha Schools has provided students with an excellent education. Its efforts extend beyond the boundaries of its main campuses as it helps fund charter schools statewide and has many programs operating in public schools. With all of the challenges that our state's education system faces, we are fortunate to have Kamehameha Schools as part of our community.

Rail would bring much-needed jobs

I live on the windward side, and I'm one of the thousands of construction workers who would benefit from building rail. Because construction is slow, I was without work for many months. When I was unemployed, I cut back and couldn't spend money at the restaurants and stores I usually do, and they lose business when people like me don't have work.

I'm looking forward to years of employment once rail is under way. Besides helping to reduce traffic, rail benefits the economy and our construction industry.

Oahu can supply its own energy

The New York Times' energy article (”;Hawaii is taking national lead in trying to go 'green',”; Star-Bulletin, Sept. 16) stated that Honolulu uses most of the energy in the state, while most renewable energy resources are located on other islands 100-150 miles away.

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is funded by members who represent more than 90 percent of the electricity generated and delivered in the U.S. A landmark EPRI study in 2004 found that Oahu can supply all of its energy needs without the assistance of other islands.

This local sustainability approach is not popular among those advocating for a multibillion-dollar ratepayer-financed electric spine unifying island grids.

Bad policy at root of criticism, not racism

It is too convenient for Mark Yasuhara and those who think like him to play the race card for our sitting president (”;Columnist right to blame racism,”; Star-Bulletin, Letters, Sept. 17).

The accusations of racism against President Barack Obama simply because of the protests being leveled against him are ludicrous. Obama won 70 percent of the electorate, a landslide by modern standards. However, 50 percent of Americans are against national health care reform. Does that mean that 20 percent of the electorate who voted for him are now racist?

Not quite. It is simply a backlash against bad policy and the American people not wanting the federal government to intrude upon their lives any more than is needed. And, what is being proposed is not needed.

There were mountains of protests against our last president for various reasons to include one celebrity saying he was “;unelectable”; and “;not my president.”; With the recent events surrounding ACORN and knowing how involved it was in voter registration, should I even speculate that the 70 percent winning margin was the result of voter fraud? What else can explain the large public backlash and dwindling popularity numbers of Obama?