UH wasting money while students suffer

I am a full-time undergraduate student at the University of Hawaii-Manoa and I pay more than $4,000 in tuition and fees.

Most people know by now that $200,000 for a Stevie Wonder concert magically disappeared earlier this year and UH is spending another $200,000 on hiring the guy who was in charge at the time.

There’s also massive amounts of construction going on around campus that is undoubtedly costly, not to mention disruptive to learning. The sound of machinery and alarms going off, forcing building evacuations, is not what I paid $4,000 for.

But the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back came as I reached for the lock on a bathroom stall. In its place was a chopstick fastened to the door with a plastic zip tie. The toilet paper rolls were also held in place with chopsticks. Chopsticks!

We can’t say we know where our money is going, but we definitely know where it’s not going.

Kimberly Sato
Salt Lake

Bus rate for seniors is exceptionally low

After reading the article on TheBus’ proposed freebies, I am proud that our seniors want to and are willing to pay their fair share. While it would be wonderful to have such a generous perk available to seniors, the reality of our economy dictates otherwise.

We can all work together to keep costs in line while still providing service to seniors. The current rate of $30 is exceptionally low. I think our leaders should consider a slight increase.

The only way to move forward is by working together, not continuing to provide entitlements to all when the city is not in a position to do so.

Grisel Saez
Lower Manoa

When heat was on, Romney blew it

Mitt Romney’s response to the attacks in Libya and Cairo show a lack of judgment and character that raises serious questions about his fitness to lead.

Romney’s claim that President Barack Obama "sympathized" with the attackers and "apologized" for American values is false and outrageous. Even Republicans were shocked by Romney’s response, admitting it wasn’t "presidential."

When faced with a national emergency, Romney rushed to judgment, acted rashly and put politics ahead of national interest.

Alex Oshiro
Ala Moana

New lighting on H-2 being left on too long

Now that the H-2 freeway lights are back on after a three-year hiatus due to copper thieves, the lights are on 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The lighting starts at the H-2 merge and continues to Wahiawa, an 8-mile stretch. There are approximately 464 light poles in that 8-mile stretch and the lighting is typical 1 kW high pressure sodium bulbs. My calculations show that more than $1,600 a day is being wasted to keep the lights burning during the daytime.

Recently I called the state Department of Transportation and spoke with the project engineer for the H-2 lighting project. He told me a contractor was testing the lights and needed them on continuously. The project engineer said he doesn’t have that authority to tell the contractor to turn off the lights during non-test periods, such as the weekends.

Testing is planned to continue for several more weeks. Shame on our state government for wasteful spending of our taxpayer money.

Art Kluvo
Waipahu

Not everyone thinks windmills are ugly

Several months ago I drove from the Wahiawa area out to Laie early in the morning. As I rounded the bend after passing Malaekahana, I saw the tops of several huge, graceful, slow-moving windmills occupying a lush green valley. It immediately brought to mind the lumbering dinosaurs in Jurassic Park.

The sense of awe at their size and grace, and knowing it is bringing us forward to a more sustainable way of life energetically, made them a sight of beauty to my eyes.

Please don’t make an ugly story out of something so beautiful.

Mary Livingston
Waianae

Paid canvassers show weakness of cause

When I drive past candidates on the road, the first thing I notice is whether they are surrounded by friends and family or by union members. Or are they paid sign wavers?

It is easy to tell. The paid ones do not look like friends of the candidate. There is no camaraderie or excitement. If the candidate is out there with paid sign wavers, the candidate does not warrant my vote, for the candidate is one who cannot even rally those close to him.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser has reported that I Mua Rail will be paying canvassers $400 a week to hand out brochures supporting the rail. It is interesting to note that only those monetarily benefiting from the rail support it — bank officers, engineers, lawyers and now door-to-door canvassers. They are all being paid. What does this say about rail?

Lois Lee
Kaneohe

FROM THE FORUM

"Tariffs erase firm’s savings on solar panels,"Star-Advertiser, Sept. 10:

» Everybody complains when manufacturing goes overseas, so when the government actually does something to protect American manufacturers, you then complain about this. Make up your mind.

» China has the ability to sell its products at far lower prices due to miniscule wages and government-controlled business. The U.S. companies should not have to compete on an uneven playing field.

» Great defense. Care to try farm subsidies now?

» The issue here is not about manufacturing overseas. The issue is about a retroactive tariff. Can you imagine how you would feel if you bought a Toyota and six months later the government told you that you owed them $10,000 because of a tariff? And, regarding the tariff, where does that money go?

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"Translations bring to light true voices of patients,"Star-Advertiser, Sept. 10:

» Like all other revelations due to journalistic and scholarly research, the Hawaiian versions are finally being told. What a novelty — Hawaiian history told by Hawaiians.

» Thank you for this excellent article. I now realize my perspective about Kalaupapa and its patients has been very one-sided. To have lost one’s dignity through poor treatment by your fellow man is one thing; to have lost it through limited historical accounts is another. It denies them of a dignified legacy. Now I begin to see them in a whole new light. Imagine the courage and stamina it took to have a grave disease that no one knew much about, then getting ripped from your family and sent to a place that was so remote and having no idea what the future would hold.

» All we gain from reading this is that one person asked for newspapers. Where are their words? Let us draw our own conclusions, and spare us the prattlings of someone (researcher and author Anwei Skinsnes Law) who knew what she wanted to find before she began her work.

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"DOE audit finds procurement flaws,"Star-Advertiser, Sept. 11:

» I read with interest the statement, "penalize schools or offices that fail to follow procurement rules." Sure, penalize the schools, which means the students, for these incidents. Nothing in the article addresses the individuals who violated the policy. Reimbursement and jail time would send a strong message. What are the principals doing while these incidents are taking place? Heck, it’s only taxpayer money, right?

» Seems like every day there is another report on state Department of Education’s willful failures. From mismanagement with the school buses to procurement flaws, the incompetence at DOE knows no limits. All this proves it has adequate funding — perhaps too much.

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"95-year-old can leave Queen’s pending court ruling," Star-Advertiser, Sept. 11:

» Karen Okada’s sister-in-law, Ruth Koga, said, "It’s what we wanted." What about what Okada wanted in her advanced health care directive? This should be a no-brainer for the judge, and it shouldn’t take until October for his decision. She had a legally prepared and executed advance health care directive, stating her wishes. It’s a shame this kupuna has to suffer for the wishes of her family.

» This is a sensitive and personal situation that many families face. I would not criticize anyone for their decision but instead offer or wish for a speedy, compassionate outcome for all involved. I wish everyone else would do the same.

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"2 small businesses in Aiea claim city is bullying them on rail,"Star-Advertiser, Sept. 13:

» Shame on the city administration that would use such lowdown business tactics to displace businesses that have been there striving to make ends meet.

» This is why the city started in the middle of mongoose and rat country. Rats and mongoose cannot speak out but business and home owners can. We will hear more of this type of conflict as the city progresses into more urban areas.

» Why the big rush to start building the Pearl City station when the entire rail project has been delayed at least seven months because of the recent Supreme Court ruling stopping further construction? In fact, the entire project may be dead in a few months if Ben Cayetano wins the mayoral election in November, and/or the plaintiffs (i.e., Ben Cayetano, Cliff Slater, etc.) win their pending federal lawsuit.

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"Chinese will be major players in isle tourism, Shark predicts,"Star-Advertiser, Sept. 13:

» China is what Japan was in the 1980s and 1990s. Look for gambling to come here as Chinese will demand it.

» Golf courses are huge polluters of the aina. They may be good for the economy but bad for the aina.

» The way our economy is headed, we all better learn to speak Mandarin.