Push for quality education, too

While I admire the persistence of the parents who sat in at the governor's office, I wonder why they are not as inspired to work for quality education rather than just quantity of school days.

I resent, and many others likely do, too, being asked to burn through the entire $92 million in the hurricane fund. That is a cost of about $45 dollars from every man, woman and child in the state to pay for ending current furlough days.

What will we get in return for this? More ineffective Department of Education baby-sitting. Sorry, parents, but I think we are all better off if the kids go to their local library on furlough days.

HB 444 deserves a recorded vote

When the Legislature performed a voice vote to table the vote on House Bill 444, authorizing same-sex civil unions, it showed that that those representatives cared more about their jobs than what was right. More and more people, both straight and gay, are outraged that our elected officials did this, and I question their honesty in carrying out all of their responsibilities.

We are calling for our representatives to be honest and not hide behind the voice vote they chose. Bring HB 444 back for a vote and do the vote correctly to show you have the courage to stand by your opinion whether you are for or against the bill. HB 444 is good for everyone and should be passed. It does not take away anyone's rights—in fact, it extends rights to the gay community. HB 444 should not be a religious issue as there is nothing in the bill that requires a given religious sect to perform civil union ceremonies.

Kailua road puts everyone at risk

Well, unfortunately, it finally happened. After years of watching speeders race up and down Wanaao Road in Kailua, someone has died in an accident. Was it predictable? Yes. Was it preventable? Yes.

Astonishingly, this was one of three serious accidents in the last few weeks in the same exact location in the middle of this long, straight road—and the fourth since the road was recently repaved. Each time, speeding was a factor.

It has been disheartening for me and my neighbors over the past years to see both old and young people being lifted into ambulances, some suffering permanent injuries, and now a fatality. Why does this continue to happen, and who is to blame?

It is not the neighbors who have worked for more than five years to get the city to install speed-abatement measures on this road.

It is not the Kailua Neighborhood Board, which has strongly urged the city to do something.

It is not even the speeding drivers themselves, who become victims of a street system that encourages speeding on residential streets that can accommodate 60 mph speeds.

The neighbors worked hard with former Mayor Jeremy Harris, who had a speed-abatement project designed and the construction funds appropriated, but Mayor Mufi Hannemann canceled the project. Tragically, there are simple and inexpensive solutions available for the problem; if only we had some elected officials with the interest and fortitude to do the right thing.

Rod Tam violated the public's trust

Our household agrees with Tuli Tafai of Ewa Beach regarding Rod Tam. His letter (”;Rod Tam fair game as office seeker,”; Star-Bulletin, April 6) expressed our thoughts on this person. Only one of his peers called for his resignation. Shame on the City Council and especially Rod Tam for betraying the public in this matter.

With trust, this group is elected to run the affairs of the city of Honolulu—and this is what we get?