Mayor must protect what’s essential

Richard Borreca quotes Peter Kageyama’s definition of love for a city: "When we love something, we cherish it; we protect it; we do extraordinary things for it" ("Wanted: Mayor with vision who’s in love with his city," Star-Advertiser, On Politics, Feb. 16). It’s a poignant definition. My heart aches when I think of the continual political struggles that threaten to forever alter this precious aina, which the great-hearted Hawaiian people have shared with us.

Borreca portrays former Mayor Frank Fasi as a mayor who strove to make Honolulu "lovable" and the exemplar for this year’s mayoral candidates. I beg to differ.

I don’t want a mayor who has visions to make Honolulu "lovable." I want a mayor who will preserve what natural beauty we have left and make our city and county more affordable for average citizens. I want a mayor who is considerate of our tax burden and will undertake major works, not for the sake of economic growth, but because they are essential city services.

Wynnie Hee
Mililani

Bullying bill overly broad, too vague

Thank you for printing Jim Hochberg’s legal analysis of the Safe Schools Act, and providing a forum for both sides of the debate.

Unfortunately it is unhelpful when those who hold opposing views avoid virtually any substantive discussion on the language of the bill, but attempt to win the argument by marginalizing their opponents through ridicule ("Bullying bill isn’t pro-homosexual," Star-Advertiser, Letters, Feb. 21), demands for censorship ("Don’t give forum to anti-gay views," Star-Advertiser, Letters, Feb. 25), or the use of a public relations slogan ("Bullying law meant to promote equality," Star-Advertiser, Letters, Feb. 23).

Everyone supports safe schools, but the language of this bill is vague and overbroad, and can result in censorship and punishment of constitutionally protected speech and behavior.

Further, with pressures on teachers to provide more classroom instruction and improve student scores, and the state’s budget crisis, the state does not have the resources to provide 45 minutes of weekly time on sexuality and health without sacrificing learning in core subject areas. There are existing rules that protect children from bullies.

Sandy Young
Aiea

Civil unions don’t equal marriage

Please, please stop saying that "Hawaii’s Act 1 gives couples in civil unions the same rights as married couples" ("Most civil unions outside traditional faiths," Star-Advertiser, Feb. 25), or at least clarify that civil unions gives the same state rights. Civil unions do not provide more than 1,000 federal rights, including benefits involving inheritance, immigration, tax benefits, social security inheritance, and many more. Also, a civil union may or may not be respected in another state, unlike a civil marriage, which is accepted anywhere in the country.

Civil unions do provide some rights provided by state government, but none provided by the federal government. Only civil marriage equality will provide true equity for all.

Kris DeBode
Honolulu

Catholic groups OK health care options

Alas, another man weighs in on "freedom of religion" in order to limit women’s reproductive health choices ("Contraceptive edict violates Constitution," Star-Advertiser, Letters, Feb. 23). Here are the facts: In requiring free contraceptives in insurance plans, President Barack Obama was following the recommendation of the non-government Institute of Medicine. Churches were exempted from the requirement from the first. A further accommodation has been made to religious hospitals and universities, so that women employed by these institutions will not lose benefits because they do not share their employer’s religious views.

Rather than a "power grab," the policy was already accepted in a majority of states and many Catholic institutions. According to thinkprogress.org, a spokesperson for Marquette University, a Catholic institution, said its policy "recognizes that a significant portion of the university’s employees are non-Catholic and that contraceptives are at times prescribed by physicians for purposes other than birth control … the choice to use a contraceptive is both a medical decision and a matter of conscience."

Sarah White
Makiki

No tax credits for school supplies

A bill allowing teachers, librarians and counselors to claim a tax credit for out-of-pocket expenses is a bad bill with good intentions. Do the educators need to be reimbursed? Absolutely, but the issue here is not whether they need to be reimbursed, but rather the proper way to get it done.

Using legislation to accomplish this not only circumvents proper procurement procedure but also bypasses budget and accountability controls.

The Hawaii State Teachers Association objected to legislation requiring performance-based pay, saying it should be a collective bargaining issue. Funny how they now support using legislation as a means of obtaining something without having to bargain for it.

Orson Moon
Aiea

Public must oppose double-dipping

Regarding Sunday’s front-page special report ("Elected officials’ pensions scrutinized," Star-Advertiser, Feb. 26), and the following day’s article ("Citizens kept in the dark on who gets big pensions," Star-Advertiser, Feb. 27): With the economic hardship felt by most Hawaii taxpayers today, and the tremendous budget cuts to valuable programs that help and benefit Hawaii taxpayers, the double dippers are having a say in their own pension legislation.

As Hawaii taxpayers we should have a say in adopting and consider a ban on double-dipping in the state of Hawaii. Until we as Hawaii taxpayers speak up and ban this double dipping, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

John W. Brown Jr.
Honolulu