Sex offender list is a public service

As a concerned citizen, I have been among the 100,000 to 130,000 a month who have visited the Hawaii Sex Offender Registry on-line.

The sheer numbers alone are enough proof that the registry provides a necessary service to school administrators, day-care centers, athletic organizations, health care agencies, human resource departments, etc., in order to prevent future crimes against our keiki.

The photos of individuals between ages 40-60 are a reflection of how offenders get away for many years before finally being brought to justice — due to the victims either going unnoticed or being afraid to notify authorities, as in the cases of Jerry Sandusky and Cecilio Rodriguez, both in their 60s before being brought to trial. Such criminals had victimized the public throughout their adult lives before being caught.

Let them face "ostracization" by the public as a natural consequence for their crimes. It’s nothing compared to the lifetime of trauma/post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by their victims.

Scott Sato
Kakaako

Teachers are part of Race to Top, too

Two years ago, the Hawaii Department of Education was awarded a $75 million grant by the federal government. The grant came via President Barack Obama’s Race To The Top initiative, which raises expectations for teachers and students.

The year Hawaii was given $75 million to improve the quality of education, its educators were working on an expiring contract. The "agreement" teachers now honor pays them less and provides them with less planning time than their previous contract.

Race to the Top, however, requires teachers to plan more. They have to capture and analyze more student data than two years ago. They have to learn a new and more demanding curriculum, and devise effective strategies to teach this new curriculum. And they will be held more accountable for student performance than ever before.

I think that teachers should wear this statement to communicate all of the above: "The state of Hawaii got $75 million, and all I got was this lousy T-shirt."

Eric Lammerman
Kailua-Kona

Rental car facilities at airport need a lift

As a locally raised guy, I had never rented a car at Honolulu Airport. Recently on a trip home, I got to do it.

Compared to Texas’ Austin or Houston rental car facilities, Honolulu’s rental car area is Third World.

Finding your way from the baggage claim is easy, if you know where to go. However, arriving late in the evening, all rental counters in baggage claim were unstaffed, with limited directions to the outside rental counters in the parking area. For the non-English speaking foreign tourist we befriended, he never would have gotten there.

The rental car and return areas are poorly lit, with cracked asphalt and poor markings.

I’ve often read about the governor and the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau espousing the world-class nature of Hawaii as a tourist destination. How about building a central building for rental car companies to do business with general airport shuttles, like many of the world-class destination cities on the mainland?

John Nielsen
Austin, Texas

Marion Higa was excellent as auditor

It is not often that I praise public officials. I normally criticize and vilify them.

However, if there is anyone that I have the utmost respect for, it’s retiring state Auditor Marion Higa.

In a world of politics, government budgets and special interest, she was the one voice that had the guts and fortitude to say: "Wait a minute. There’s a problem, and here are a few suggestions. There is carelessness and poor oversight, and we need to correct it. There is a waste of money, and we need to tighten our belts or have a better bidding process."

Higa reminds me of that little boy in the fable, "The Emperor’s New Clothes": Sometimes the truth hurts, but it has to be said.

Enjoy your retirement. You earned it and deserveit. Thank you, Marion Higa, for a job well done.

Robert K. Soberano
Moiliili

Rail could draw on state’s art collection

I was encouraged to see the headline, "Let art flourish in rail stations" (Star-Advertiser, Our View, Dec. 3), but then reading on, was astonished to see that the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation was going to spend $5 million on art for the rail stations.

The editorial even states that the state is actually required to spend 1 percent of new construction money on state art projects.With this mandate, the state has continually produced artworkat epic production levels. The state Foundation on Arts and Culture has one of the most voluminousart collections in the United States.

Most of the artwork resides in warehouses since there are not enough locations to put these works for public viewing. So why do we need the city to spend $5 million on artwork the state already has and would willingly loan for the transit stations?

Garry P. Smith
Ewa Beach