Pay better salaries to get needed teachers

In response to assistant schools superintendent Suzanne Mulcahy and her concerns about recruitment (“DOE priority is to hire more special-education teachers,” Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Aug. 13): Pay teachers a salary commensurate with the job they do and you will have no problem recruiting gifted and dedicated teachers.

Continue to pay them salaries that no other highly trained professional would consider and you will always have recruitment problems.

Problem solved.

Robert Cowie
Kailua

Trump and Sowell have much in common

Jim King’s letter (“GOP’s angry birds come home to roost,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 11) states my sentiments precisely regarding Thomas Sowell’s article (“Trump a distraction for GOP and trump card for Clinton,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 8).

Indeed, chickens do come home to roost, both for the GOP and Sowell for his relentless conservative diatribes.

But don’t hold your breath for Sowell to gain a more enlightened world-view. Sowell and Donald Trump are mirror images, reflecting cynicism and bombast, respectively.

Rodney N. Powell
Tantalus

Trump wrong about China’s currency move

Donald Trump’s comments, as reported by Reuters, that China’s currency devaluation will devastate the U.S. and that “China has gotten rich off of us” are faulty.

First, the U.S. used China to make money for U.S. investors by outsourcing manufacturing jobs to China. We are the ones who made China rich.

Second, the devaluation seems arbitrary but inevitable as the yuan is still loosely pegged to the dollar despite the Chinese’s constant criticism of us.

Although the falling yuan may help China’s exports and slow its deflation, it will worsen the current capital outflow back to the United States. Trump revealed that he sold an apartment for $15 million to somebody from China. Doesn’t that say it all?

In simple term, we buy low, sell high and get our money back in the end. How devastating could that be?

Kenneth Lam
Hawaii Kai

Ancient cultures lacked modern conveniences

This letter is in response to Kenneth W. Ordenstein (“Hawaiians have more to offer world than TMT,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Aug. 8).

History and geography have shown that almost all indigenous people have had their territory invaded and overrun by some outside forces, and the invaders often decimated the population and plundered their land. Most cannot deny that to be a fact.

Conversely, however, most others would not deny that along with the degradation and defilement, the invaders also brought with them a new culture, with a better educational system and higher technology for the betterment and benefit of all the people.

Or would Ordenstein prefer to revert some 200 years ago in time to live in the primitive and pristine condition described in his letter, without any of the modern inventions and technology we enjoy today?

Tetsuji Ono
Hilo

Allowing cooled air to escape is big waste

Propping open retail store entry doors, allowing warm moist air in and cool conditioned air out is a colossal waste of energy.

This common practice in Hawaii to lure customers flies in the face of social responsibility and common sense.

If our retailers won’t step up and do the right thing, then the City Council needs to put laws in place banning the wasteful practice.

Bob Ress
Kailua