The most important date on the calendar for environmentalism is not April 22, Earth Day; it is the first Tuesday of November each election year.
On Nov. 6, 2018, cast your vote for leaders who believe every day is Earth Day. Beach cleanups are great, but don’t forget to vote!
Michael Richards
Kaneohe
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Shame on us for death of Hilo girl
Shame on us!
When I read about Shaelynne, a 9-year-old who was starved to death, I was so saddened. She apparently had been in and out of foster care, but always returned to family, which is usually the goal. But if families really cannot care for a child, there should be no shame in saying so and allowing someone else to provide care. It would certainly be better than letting a child starve to death. And there is shame in our state for not providing adequate funds for the social service agencies tasked to monitor and work with families that are having difficulty.
Liz Nelson
Kaneohe
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Homeschooling not to blame for death
I was shocked by the article about the tragic abuse and death of a young Hilo girl (“Shaelynn,” Star-Advertiser, April 15). No child should ever suffer like that. Worse yet, the article seemed to excuse government failures and did a grave disservice to Hawaii’s children.
The article’s narrative was that homeschooling played some role in the tragedy. It focused on the fact that shortly before the little girl’s death, the parents had removed her from a public school to be homeschooled. From this, the article inferred that home- schooling suddenly prevented Child Welfare Services (CWS) from monitoring the child’s welfare. Nothing could be further from the truth.
CWS simply failed to do its job.
CWS had already removed this child from her parents’ custody four times. CWS already knew of the dangers the child faced but returned her to the parents anyway.
With this history, CWS should have either already initiated permanent removal of custody or actively and directly monitored the child’s welfare at her home. CWS did not need and should not rely on Department of Education teachers to do its job of monitoring.
Rebecca Mench
Kailua
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Take licenses from violating builders
In addition to seeking a way to order demolition of structures built without building permits or in violation of a stop-work order, either the city or state should move to strip violating builders of their licenses.
If Benny Lee of Brilliant Construction Co. had faced that potential penalty, he would not have gone ahead with the illegal structure on Date Street (“Bill would let city force demolition,” Star-Advertiser, April 20).
Bob Jones
Diamond Head
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Too-high wages hurt family businesses
A letter to the editor (“Minimum wage too low to get housing,” Star-Advertiser, April 19), laments that without a $22.91 minimum wage, a person would be unable to procure low-income housing here.
When did it become generally accepted that an entry-level job must pay enough to be able to qualify for establishing a household? When did people lose sight of the “bell curve” that applies to all of life? If a burger flipper or grocery bagger is making $20 an hour, then mechanics, medical technicians and office managers will rightfully demand $50 an hour or more. People with degrees and skills would be well into six figures. And pretty soon that affordable housing unit would require a wage of $45 an hour.
What would happen to small, family-owned businesses? They would disappear. Is economic cause and effect now a lost concept?
Jim Wolery
Kaneohe
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Raising wage would hurt local economy
Would raising the minimum wage benefit the minimum wage earners?
If the minimum wage was increased drastically to $20 per hour, wouldn’t the people who make $25 or more need a proportional increase?
Employees often pay attention to how much they make compared to their co-workers. If the lowest-paid employees suddenly receive a significant pay hike, workers higher up the pay scale could become disgruntled.
Raising the minimum wage affects a lot more than wage earners. Local businesses would have to pass this cost on to the consumer, resulting in a cost of living increase. Even if the minimum wage was $20, it wouldn’t be enough due to the cost of living that would shadow it.
Living in Hawaii is like driving a luxury car; not everyone can afford it. Minimum wage should be an incentive to do better or move to another state where it would be more affordable.
Burt Nagamine
Waipahu
