As a 62-year Hawaii resident, I find it difficult to watch as yet another of our Island icons appears on the verge of being taken over by mainland raiders who peddle the same soft-soap as they’ve done over and over, with the approval of the locals, who seem particularly good at locking the barn door after the horse is stolen.

Their M.O. hasn’t changed a bit. They come in, promise the moon, strip a land-rich, cash-poor company of its assets, grab their millions and scoot back to their hidey-holes, letting someone else pick up what pieces are left.

In the case of NextEra and Hawaiian Electric Co., it can’t be anyone else but the good ol’ state of Hawaii and the ratepayers.

HECO has some prime real estate, not the least of which is the Ala Moana generating facility, which HECO already has stated is to be decommissioned.

Why is no one asking the hard questions and demanding some meaningful answers about Hawaiian Electric’s real estate holdings?

Jud Banks
Kailua

Temple treasures lie in jewels of Heaven

The temple bell at Papaaloa Hongwanji was recently stolen. This even happened at Myohoji in Nuuanu many years ago.

But a temple is not about bells, drums or whistles — it is about the seven jewels of Heaven: humility, peace, gratitude, compassion, cleanliness, joy and serenity. And people are all welcome to take away any and all of these treasures from the temples at any time, day or night. Amen.

Milton H. Tashima
Downtown Honolulu

Wife should pay homeless man’s bills

A reader says shame on us: no sheets at the Institute for Human Services shelter for the man flown to Hawaii by his estranged wife ("Where was aloha for homeless man?" Star-Advertiser, Letters, Oct. 27).

Why is her problem now our problem? The state needs to bill her for his 911 calls, hospital stay and other expenses the residents of Hawaii are incurring because she chose to send him here. We have become a dumping ground for people with no ambition who want to live off the system, enjoying the aloha spirit and beautiful weather without working.

Recent stories on the homeless were meant to personalize their plight, perhaps even stir up some sympathy. Instead we taxpayers are angry. No tears for the local couple suing the state while choosing to raise their young daughter on the streets "so they can save money," or the father raising his three daughters on the street. Dads, have some pride and get a job.

Lane Woodall
Hawaii Kai

Take a stand against rail monstrosity

Susan Lai Young has it exactly right when she says that there’s no leadership, no accountability and likely no end to the madness that surrounds rail ("Massive spending on rail transit harms honest taxpayers," Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Oct. 29).

The only reasonable course that might keep us out of bankruptcy is to end the rail line at Middle Street. Sensible people need to stand up and demand that the city take this course of action before Honolulu is destroyed by a monster we can’t afford to feed.

Mollie Foti
Kailua

BOE shouldn’t doubt quality of teachers

This year, teachers have endured 90-plus-degree classrooms and colleagues succumbing to heat exhaustion and impossible learning conditions — only to have our Board of Education offer no help.

Now, in the face of 98 percent positive returns under the BOE-authorized Educator Effectiveness System, the BOE doubts the "rigor" of the evaluation process, suggesting the results raise "serious questions about the effectiveness of those teachers," and suspects "false returns" ("Almost all schoolteachers again receive high marks, leading some officials to question the evaluations," Star-Advertiser, Oct. 26).

The EES has been a difficult task performed honestly and with sincere determination by the vast majority of teachers, as we take pride in not only doing right by our students, but by the taxpayer as well.

The BOE’s skepticism is like a student studying hard for a test; succeeding, and upon delivering the good news to Mom and Dad, being told, "That test must have been too easy!"

On a positive note, thanks to Deputy Superintendent Stephen Schatz for acknowledging and supporting teachers’ efforts.

Katherine Nakamura
Manoa

Head coaches need broad qualifications

Norm Chow’s hiring and Greg McMackin’s release exemplify a tendency and vulnerability of our island culture. I questioned McMackin’s termination because although he had a mediocre fourth season in which the team finished a little under .500, he had a career winning record at the University of Hawaii.

The favoring of "local" persons is natural in an insular, isolated society. I accept that a local athlete may be recruited over a non-local for a UH team, though the local may not be quite as proficient as the non-local. Such choices, which occur not only in Hawaii but also throughout the mainland, are not significantly harmful to a team since one player does not usually impact a whole team’s performance.

A head coach, however, decisively impacts the entirety of a team’s performance. From a coach selection process, the candidate chosen should be the one with objectively the best collection of bona-fide occupational qualifications. Prior to UH, Chow never headed a football program.

Dane Lee
Makiki