Kudos to Sen. Kim for the UH hearings

How can one call the recent Special Committee for Accountability hearings chaired by state Sen. Donna Mercado Kim "unproductive"?

Yet that’s how former University of Hawaii Regent Ted Hong characterized them ("Revamp role of UH regents but stay true to university’s mission," Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Oct. 8).

Hong’s blissful trip down memory lane recalled fond memories of his professors as well as his many accomplishments and those of his family members. However, his memories are not reflective of today’s reality, which includes excessively higher student tuition rates, underpaid professors and a lack of accountability and transparency on the part of UH administrators.

It appears Hong’s willingness to remain loyal to a system that is obviously broken has blinded his ability to see the truth.Mahalo to Sen. Kim and the members of her committee for doing what the UH Board ofRegents failed to do.

Margaret Peary
Mililani

Scandal perpetrator still going unnamed

I read with great interest your article on the state Senate Special Committee on Accountability’s hearing regarding the Stevie Wonder debacle ("Greenwood points to political pressure," Star-Advertiser, Sept. 25).

Six hours of conflicting testimony and declarations of innocence from highly priced officials led to one conclusion: No one will point a finger at who is responsible for the $200,000 mistake. Incredible!

Gordon Wolfe
Waikiki

Make politicians pass test to keep job

Clint Eastwood said we’ve become enamored of politicians. We’re the employer and politicians are the employees. We hire them, and we pay their salary. They merit no special treatment other than what they’ve put in place for themselves. We let them believe we should be serving them. Is there any other endeavor that has an employer- employee relationship like this?

We need to hold them accountable. I’d be thrilled to see them have to meet a posted standard of performance in order to run for re-election. I have to meet a posted standard in my job. Why not them?

Dennis Baxter
Halawa Heights

Office of Elections errors inexcusable

The error made by the state Office of Elections in placing the presidential candidates’ name in the wrong order on the ballot cannot blithely be cast aside with the comment, "That’s not the order it should be in," as quoted in the paper by anelections spokesman ("Hawaii election glitches include duplicate ballots," Star-Advertiser, Oct. 18).

To apologize and say it’s too late because "the ballots have been printed" does not excuse or appease. Research has shown that the order of names placed on the ballot for presidentcan make a significant difference — the higher the name on the ballot, the more votes. Thus, by notusing the required alphabetically listedballot and instead incorrectly using the same one used in the primary,President Barack Obama is at a disadvantage,withother candidates incorrectly listed before his.

Bumbling errors are inexcusableand unforgivable — especially when they are made in electing the president of the United States. Perhaps the Office of Elections needs an overhaul.

Barbara Anderson
Kailua

Lingle supporters are obstructionist

I agree with Pradeepta Chowdhury’s letter, but not in its entirety ("Lingle not being portrayed correctly," Star-Advertiser, Letters, Sept. 20).

Yes, we should have a balance of power in the U.S. Congress. Currently, the Democrats have a slight majority in the Senate, whereas the House majority is overwhelmingly Republican. In the past, this was no reason for the Congress to be dysfunctional.

Today, many Republicans have pledged to promote the agendas of the tea party and that of Grover Norquist, founder of Americans for Tax Reform. Neither agenda promotes the interests of the American people or the country. In fact, their agendas are to obstruct and diminish the effectiveness of the Obama administration, thus making President Barack Obama a one-term president.

Linda Lingle is already endorsed by these very same members of Congress. I doubt that she can work independently of her party and collaboratively work across the aisle.

John Oshiro
Hilo

Lingle will work to benefit Hawaii

I’ve been known to say that the only time I’d ever vote Republican is when Abe Lincoln is cloned and brought back from the dead. I was wrong.

U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono will receive the majority of her votes from Democrats based largely on her endorsement by U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye as well as the issue of maintaining Democratic power in the U.S. Senate. Certainly not by way of her record, knowledge or debating skills.

I am a moderate Democrat who, like others, will be casting my vote for Linda Lingle. Her long and productive record speaks for itself, not to mention her calm, cool-headed demeanor and obvious pride in our islands.

My hope is that she and Inouye will work together for the benefit of Hawaii, thereby setting a much-needed example of true bipartisanship.

Teresa Webber
Kaneohe

Drivers make riding bus a real pleasure

Our bus service is the best on this planet. Thank you, Mayor Fasi! It’s a pleasure to ride the bus. All the drivers are helpful, knowledgeable, courteous and have a good sense of humor. They all deserve recognition for doing their job well.

Mike Pcola
Moanalua