Are they kidding?

My wife is a recently retired elementary school teacher who spent 30 years teaching in our schools.

She loved her job. She never needed a pay raise to “assist in recruiting and retaining high quality individuals.” (“Pay raises sought for DOE execs,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 14).

She did it for the love of the kids, as all really good teachers do.

If the executives at the state Department of Education need additional compensation to be retained, then perhaps their focus is in the wrong place. These same executives have made it harder and harder to focus on educating our children. It has become all about process, and not about character-building and education.

As a community, we should demand more. We should get rid of these executive positions and repurpose the monies to the actual classroom teachers. They are the ones who deserve the respect and pay that goes with respect.

Mark Murakami

Kaimuki

Precinct workers need more love

I was a precinct chairperson for District 24, Precinct 03 during the primary election.

Local media reported that 35 percent of registered voters participated.

Some chose other methods to vote, but the low turnout at the polls worked out well for the state Office of Elections. My precinct was staffed at less than 50 percent of its full complement. Had we had a robust turnout of voters, there would have been a lot of angst to go around. But that is par for the course nowadays.

Meanwhile, less than 10 percent of the voters expressed their gratitude tothe community members who decided to work at my precinct. Imagine what would happen if those workers, who get a very small stipend, decided not to participate during the next election. Who will step up? The meager pay is not the sole reason they work. What would the voters do?

The gauntlet is dropped.

Chris M. Sablan

Makiki

Jordan’s loss was a surprise

Experienced incumbent state Rep. Jo Jordan (House District 44) was ousted by 22-year-old neighborhood board member Cedric A. Gates in the primary election.

I was surprised by the results, and thought Jordan was a household name, like state Sen. Maile Shimabukuro and Colleen Hanabusa, with a long history in office.

Jordan’s strength is in finance, which brings more to the table than lip service. This campaign was about grassroots and not campaign funds. Voter turnout on the Waianae Coast was under 5,400.

After the November election, it will be up to Shimabukuro to “shadow” the newcomers — Gates or Marc K. Pa‘aluhi (House District 44) and possibly Stacelynn K. M. Eli (House District 43) — but not incumbent state Rep. Andria Tupola (District 43), who spearheaded the Farrington Highway contra-flow lanes and the mural on Nanakuli Super Market.

Johnnie-Mae L. Perry

Waianae

Babies don’t need vetting

Michael Bornemann wrote in regard to the evacuation of Vietnam refugee babies in 1975, “Don’t expect such feel-good stories in the future if Donald Trump is elected” (“Would Trump block refugee babies?”, Star-Advertiser, Letters, Aug. 16).

Guess what? Baby refugees traveling alone do not have to be vetted because they would not have a history of terrorism, politics, training and criminal behavior.

By “enhanced vetting” of adult refugees, we would not have stories about Islamic terrorist attacks that occurred in San Bernardino, Orlando, Boston, Fort Hood and European cities where hundreds of innocent people were killed or wounded.

Whoever is elected should be required by law to perform “enhanced vetting” of all adult refugees. Continuation of the current executive policy would be extremely negligent, irresponsible and unpatriotic.

Russel Noguchi

Pearl City

Victims need better treatment

Earlier this month, Circuit Court Judge Rom Trader issued a sharp rebuke to prosecutors over their handling of a case (“Gambling case against 3 men is dismissed,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 10).

I am pleased that the charges against the defendants were dismissed, but I am deeply concerned that victims and families of violent crimes are not afforded the same rights as defendants.

Victims and their families have been subjugated by findings of misconduct, laxity and bad faith by prosecutors. Is this a pattern of negligence, or worse?

This year, a vigorous attempt to pass a constitutional amendment to secure equal rights for victims failed in the Legislature. Victims have no constitutional rights protecting them from negligence by the very people paid to protect them.

Luckily the defendants in the above case had the right to hire their own attorneys.

Victims have no rights.

Nonohe Botelho

Kaneohe

Rail needs to go the full distance

Mavis Ruest was correct that there are many activities downtown and at Ala Moana (“Downtown will attract rail riders,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 10).

Right now most buses from the Leeward area go straight to Ala Moana and do not stop at Middle Street, where people need to wait and transfer to get to downtown. I doubt riders will catch the rail to Middle Street and transfer to either downtown and/or Ala Moana. I won’t. I will drive if I need to go to Ala Moana.

Rosita R. Sipirok-Siregar

Makakilo

Rail not needed for stated aims

Why do we need to go to Ala Moana and the University of Hawaii at Manoa?

Are local people going shopping at the high-end stores there, or do most of them go to Walmart, Target and Ross in their own neighborhoods?

Build up more of the UH-West Oahu campus and put more of the professors and classes out there. It would be cheaper and faster than trying to build the rail to Manoa. Send shuttle buses downtown for office workers and to Waikiki for hotel workers.

Ernie K. Itoga

Waialae Iki

VA must do more to stop suicides

I am a female Army veteran who grew up in Kalihi.

I have experienced firsthand the agonizing pain of losing a female friend, another veteran, to suicide. Not only is suicide a loss for the service member, it is a loss for her family, friends and community.

Almost 80 percent of female veterans are more likely to die by suicide than their civilian counterparts, making them 12 times more likely to commit suicide; 30 veterans per 100,000 in the population commit suicide each day.

The Female Veteran Suicide Prevention Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama on June 30.

The government’s responsibility is to help lower the suicide rates of our female veterans by providing the necessary treatment of mental health care and suicide prevention that is most effective for these women.

People need to hold the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs accountable.

Jean Brunson

San Diego, Calif.