State has no money to be buying Lanai

For those folks asking why the state of Hawaii wasn’t in the bidding for the sale of Lanai, I would ask them:

If the state can barely afford to keep our crumbling schools operating and can’t afford to bus our children to those schools, how do you expect state government to come up with $675 million for real estate speculation?

Robert Dusendschon
Aiea

DOE should rule on allegations quicker

Why does it take six months and counting for the state Department of Education to determine if the August Ahrens Elementary School principal is guilty of the allegations brought against her?

If the DOE procedures are so convoluted that the processbecomes interminable, then those procedures should be simplified.

If the collective bargaining contract is so complex that itis open to more than one interpretation in this matter,then that contract should be destroyed.

The delay in thismatter is not fair to the principal, whose reputation hangs in the balance, nor is it fair to the taxpayers, whose money is paying for her lengthy vacation.

Laurence Goldstein
Pearl City

‘No budget, no pay’ is excellent idea

As a 22-year-old student, I found a recent article discussing the lack of youth involvement in isle politics particularly interesting.

We tend to attribute low youth involvement in politics to Hawaii’s increasingly elderly population, but there are other reasons, too.

The state of our government now makes it discouraging to be involved. Congress can’t even pass a budget, let alone get along.

I recently heard about an organization on "The Colbert Report" called No Labels and its "No Budget, No Pay" bill. The bill basically says that if Congress doesn’t do its main job of passing our nation’s budget on time, then its members won’t get paid on time either.

I know that if I just sat around and argued with my co-workers, I would be fired.

I really like the idea of holding our government accountable. I think this is a fantastic bill that needs to be passed and I urge my fellow Hawaii citizens, young and old, to contact our senators and representatives and tell them to support the "No Budget, No Pay" bill.

Megan Strembitsky
Kihei, Maui

More seniors on bus helps reduce traffic

Seniors shouldn’t have to pay to ride the bus.

They’ve paid their dues over the years and most are on a fixed income and can’t even afford medications. On top of that, we can get moreseniors who shouldn’t be driving off the road.

The city administration and the managers of TheBus, who all get paid real well, don’t seem to want TheBus to work.

We need more buses and more routes in peak hours. The bus will still be around with or without the rail. Manage it properly.

Lloyd Faulkner
Kailua

I got the ‘H-1, H-2, H-3 Freeway Blues’

I live in town in Honolulu, and I just landed a job in Ewa Beach.

My new co-workers also drive to Ewa Beach in the morning, one from Hawaii Kai, one from Kailua.

My house is being painted. The painter lives in Ewa Beach; his coworkers live in Mililani. Every morning they drive into Honolulu. Sunrise finds us all in our high-speed cars in the low-speed lanes. It’s the "H-1, H-2, H-3 Freeway Blues."Lucky we live in the age of the automobile and the freeway. Or is it a curse?

Jerry Prentiss
Makiki

Reward politicians for doing right thing

Have you seen the new TV show "Dogs in the City?"

Well, I learned something by watching it: Rather than yell at our little dog to stop what we don’t want him to do, we can train him to do what we want him to do. Training is positive, rewarding good behavior with praise and turkey treats or small chunks of cheese. This sounds very sensible, better than shaking or throwing a can full of stones at your barking dog.

Our political leaders should try this approach. Rather than criticizing or throwing stones at each other, they could agree on the desired results and work together to get there.

James R. Arcate
Manoa

Let farmers market in Haleiwa resume

The governor says that the Haleiwa Farmers Market has been operating in an area where vending is prohibited under state law.

Even if there is a law, when the state allowed the open market to operate for three years, didn’t it administratively set the law aside? If so, it should administratively set the law aside for another three years.

I always thought government was supposed to help, not hinder. Is the Hawaii state government really just anti-business?

Dennis Kohara
Honolulu

Physical therapy is valuable benefit

I am a doctor of physical therapy, working in Waipahu. I heard about the article concerning HMSA QUEST and the limitation of physical therapy benefit for those with QUEST.

Currently I am seeing a QUEST patient who is receptive and sincerely wants to get better. His type of person will not get better without physical therapy to modify the mechanics of daily activities, postures and alignment.

On the other hand, most others with this type of insurance do not care. That type of patient drains the system, wastes money and should be screened out. The operative term is screened out.

Putting a blanket exclusion on therapy for all QUEST patients is not the answer.

Daniel C. Kamimura
Waikele