Teen mom’s story was inspiring

Thank you for sharing Ariel Bunao’s inspiring story of how, with the help of scholarships through the Wai’ale’ale Project, she overcame the challenges of being a teen mom and is now going to college ("Program helps teen mother earn degree," Star-Advertiser, Nov. 8).

It is truly remarkable what people can achieve when given the opportunity to fulfill their potential.

The University of Hawaii Foundation wants to thank Jim Lally, the visionary donor who has been so instrumental in the success of the Wai’ale’ale Project.

Private support coupled with the commitment from UH administrators, staff members and community volunteers give people access to a bright future they never considered possible.

This is an outstanding example of the impact we can make when we collaborate and leverage public funds with private support.

Donna Vuchinich
President, University of Hawaii Foundation

Teen parents are poor role models

I believe that the Star-Advertiser is once again doing a disservice to its readers by not presenting a contrary opinion to such an important subject ("Program helps teen mother earn degree," Star-Advertiser, Nov. 8).

Is it just because I am from a different era that I see a complete lack of responsibility on the part of both the teenage mother and the father?

I believe that these teens are wrong by 1) having the child in the first place, 2) not getting married, and 3) lacking the financial support by the father.

I think it was wrong that whole situation was glorified in the article, and nowhere did it present a suitable role model. It appears that the taxpayer once again ends up as the babysitter for the parents and the baby — until they all grow up.

Ted Green
Kaaawa

Kudos to Makana for singing truth

Thank you, Makana.

Kudos to a gentle person who had the courage to grace an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation dinner, not with what the delegates wouldn’t be disquieted to hear, or just ignore as quaint Hawaiian slack-key music, but with a message on behalf of our brethren who are struggling to stay afloat in these perilous times.

Instead of thinking first of your career, you sang your heart, and the hearts of so many who are daily cheated out of the dream of a decent life.

It’s probably too much to think that many of APEC’s secrets will be flushed out here for the rest of us to see. But you’ve blown a strong wind through their closed doors, showing that Hawaii isn’t, as so many think, just a bland and bucolic paradise.

In demonstrating our less-well-known honesty and strength, you’ve done us proud.

Don Hallock
St. Louis Heights

GMO lobbyists are in control

When Barack Obama was campaigning to be president, he promised to have all genetically modified organism (GMO) foods labeled. Yet, when he became president, he appointed Tom Vilsack, a staunch GMO supporter, to the position of head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

He also appointed Mike Taylor, a former Monsanto attorney, as senior adviser to the Food and Drug Administration.

Couple that with the fact that many of our Hawaii politicians are "genetically modified" as well — from Gov. Neil Abercrombie and state Agriculture Department Director Russell Kokubun down, having accepted campaign contributions from Monsanto — and it’s no wonder that our GMO labeling bills are killed in committee.

Does anyone other than me remember when we elected politicians to represent the people rather than the corporations?

Hesh Goldstein
Aina Haina