Start investigating all the special funds

There is no budget crisis in the state. There are more than 165 special funds, many of which are flush with cash. The problem is that legislators treat these special funds as pet projects and thus will not consider raiding any of them. These funds need to be investigated and eliminated and/or raided in order to balance the budget.

Steven Sofos
Honolulu

Schools here should push science, math

A number of schools in Hawaii do not have the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum embedded into their systems. This takes away from the students’ chance at a better and clearer future. Take it from me, a high school senior who is unsure of the future I will pursue.

A study showed that about 57 percent of the science and engineering postdoctoral positions in the United States are held by foreign-born scholars. The U.S. is losing its competitive edge. We need to give our kids a fighting chance.

If you believe in this generation as much as I do, we need to take action. We need to have our voices be heard, to encourage our government to move forward with legislation that will change our lives and the lives of the children.

Kathrina Galvez
Honolulu

Freedom comes with responsibilities

It’s good to see our state legislators working on the important task of balancing our budget. They need our support and civil input so the best decisions can be made; that is their responsibility in our excellent representative democracy.

The rest of us, as citizens, also have responsibilities. Each of the freedoms we cherish bring myriad responsibilities. For instance, enjoying the freedom of speech also requires us to speak with respect and kindness rather than with intolerance and hatred. And participating in our free enterprise system requires us to act with honesty and fairness rather than with lying and greed.

These moral principals cannot be legislated or taught. However, it is critical that they be modeled by our politicians, our educators, our religious leaders and our families.

The nature of our freedoms reflects a profound paradox; unrestrained by laws but guided by virtues. Upholding our freedoms and our moral character is a community responsibility.

John Heidel
Kailua

Classrooms need to be more engaging

I cannot express how much I disagree with the two-graduation-tracks proposal. Allowing students to make decisions about their futures at an early age will not improve anything.

A more feasible solution? Make the classroom an engaging, fun place to be and the interest in the course work will follow. I’ve had a few teachers who had a positive impact on me, piquing my interest in subjects that I previously had no interest in. Without the right class setting, a student’s interest is lost and the subject becomes the bane of his or her existence.

In lieu of making requirements easier, expose students to a variety of subjects and let them decide what they want to pursue. Humans are innately curious, and with the right influences their interest can be sparked in almost any subject.

Erin Fukushima
Ewa Beach

Pot dispensaries not working in Colorado

The national controversy about whether marijuana is a drug or medicine is being played out in Senate Bill 1458, which proposes a five-year pilot program to establish a marijuana dispensary based on the Colorado model.

While the bill ensures no prosecution to the licensed marijuana vendor, the operation is in direct conflict with federal law and could be shut down.

Also, there is potential for abuse, given this bill allows for not only Hawaii residents but tourists to use the dispensary.

Colorado law enforcement reports the lack of controls, increased crime and violence and the lowered quality of life in neighborhoods with dispensaries are hardly worth the projected tax revenues.

Most important, this bill sends the wrong message to our youth. It would erode prevention efforts by decreasing perception of harm and increasing access.

Alan Shinn
Coalition for a Drug-Free Hawaii