Help parents, not preschools

What shackles young children’s ability to learn is not lack of access to government-funded preschool, but lack of attention from their parents. Gov. Neil Abercrombie unfortunately appears to believe a falsehood: that yet another government program will do the job some birth parents won’t ("Abercrombie presses need for preschool," Star-Advertiser, Jan. 6).

Research has consistently shown that government preschool has, on average, no effects on the children who attend it. Yes, that’s right: No effects.

For example, the most recent federal evaluation of Head Start, the $8 billion-per-year preschool program, showed that children who attended it, on average, have lost any and all benefit it may have provided by third grade.

State preschool programs have had a similar lack of effect on students in California and Oklahoma, two of the earliest states to implement such programs.

Research also confirms that parents are the No. 1 academic influence on children, primarily in how often and well they talk and read to their small children.

Joy Pullmann
Education research fellow, Heartland Institute

Focus politics on ‘we,’ not ‘I’

I enjoyed your "New Era in Congress" articles (Star-Advertiser, Insight, Jan. 6). In spite of my great respect for their predecessors, I do believe our current members of Congress will bring a new vision and energy to the many tasks before them now and in the future as they represent our beloved Hawaii.

However, I did find it interesting to note how many times U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono, and U.S. Reps. Tulsi Gabbard and Colleen Hanabusa used the terms "I, me or my." Iolani School has a great saying that is a part of its "one team" concept that originated with the well-known Father Bray: "It’s about we, not me."

I hope our talented leaders will be guided by this philosophy.

David Kennedy
Hawaii Kai

Albright doesn’t deserve praise

Jonathan Starr wrote in glowing terms of U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz’ record and offered his opinion that the senator’s appointment is a "great boon" to Hawaii ("Schatz will make good U.S. senator," Star-Advertiser, Letters, Jan. 5).

Dismaying to me, however, was Starr’s disclosure that Schatz "was mentored in world affairs since childhood" by Madeleine Albright, secretary of state under President Bill Clinton. Those of us with long memories and moral compasses will remember that Albright answered thus in 1996 to a TV question regarding the deaths of 500,000 Iraqi children attributable to the crippling sanctions imposed on Iraq in the 1990s: "… we think the price (was) worth it."

I shudder to think that Schatz may have a worldview shaped by this woman as he participates in the formulation and execution of my country’s foreign policy.

Robert H. Stiver
Pearl City

Military budget needs to trim

The Star-Advertiser’s editorial, "Protect Hawaii from fiscal fallout" (Our View, Jan. 4) is regrettably in line with the hand wringing one hears everywhere about the impact of Daniel Inouye’s passing on the local economy. In your view, Hawaii’s congressional delegation should continue his practice of procuring every military dollar it can get its hands on.

There is an alternative view.The recent bill signed by President Barack Obamaallocates a bloated $633 billion to the military-industrial complex. It is absolutely unaffordable in a nation drowning in debt and deficit spending. Cutting the military budget sharply is in the interest of all of us as U.S. citizens.

Sure, Inouye secured lots of federal monies for us here.But in the process we became dependent on these funds, many of which were wasteful and unproductive.We now have a marvelous opportunity to diversify our economy and become self-sufficient in energy and food.

So let’s stop the hand wringing and get at it!Imua!

Noel Kent
Kaimuki

Don’t depend on federal pork

It saddens me that in every article I’ve read about U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye’s recent passing, the main subject is always the loss of "pork" that the great man was able to procure for the state.This type of attitude is exactly what has created our current national fiscal crisis.It is extremely selfish and short-sighted.

I have been coming to Hawaii since the early ’60s and consider it my second home.I have seen the results of bad economic times, when the tourists don’t come.Perhaps people should take a longer-term view and think more about improving our nation’s fiscal state instead of just how much pork can be sucked away from the other 48 states.If those people can’t afford to come, what will you do, plant pineapples again?

Hal Dixon
Spokane, Wash.

Vagrants ruin downtown

The closing of the downtown Macy’s store may be the last nail in the coffin of Fort Street Mall.

That area has already given up the bus stops and what few benches there are to the vagrants, bums, homeless, drug users/dealers/mules and the mentally ill who wander around talking to the wind.

This year there seems to be a new group of "mainland snow-bums" in the area. When walking past most doorways you have to cover your nose from the horrid smell.

No one is going to lease that very big Macy’s store. No store wants to open in a place where there are customers from Monday to Friday only.

Maybe Hawaii Pacific University could take that for their new student housing since the Aloha Tower area is now in dispute.

I certainly hope the city and state do not even consider making the Macy’s area a housing/drop-in center for the vagrants/ homeless/mentally ill downtown population.

Toby Ruby
Downtown Honolulu

Kahuku, Iolani show integrity

As I read the Sports section article "The bitter and the sweet" (Star-Advertiser, Dec. 31) the comparison between Kahuku and Iolani was quite ironic.

I believe in the earlier years of playing football, Kahuku had to borrow uniforms from Iolani Raiders because it couldn’t afford to buy any of its own. That is how the name Kahuku Red Raiders came to be.

I’ve always thought kindly of this gesture by Iolani, to help a fellow high school when needed. And now both schools share the state football championship in Division I and II.

I was born and raised in Kahuku, and I’ve noticed that these athletes are humble, respectful and community-minded, as are athletes from Iolani. I guess to be of championship caliber, mutual respect for one another seems to be the common trait.

Benjamin Lorenzo Baligad
Kahuku