Race to the Top not cause of grade gains

Schools Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi is touting Race to the Top as the primary reason behind the dramatic gains Hawaii has made in national educational rankings ("Public school students gain in test scores," Star-Advertiser, Nov. 8).

Indeed, I have been telling parents left and right that public school education in Hawaii has been steadily improving and that the old stigma of "48th or 49th out of 50" (perennially ahead just of Mississippi and Washington, D.C.) would eventually fade.

However, I believe many teachers would agree with me that, contrary to Matayoshi’s claim, Hawaii teachers and students have collectively achieved such gains in spite of Race to the Top, rather than because of it.

Indeed, I predict a statewide crisis by the end of this school year as many Hawaii teachers seek to leave the classroom precisely because of the lack of support teachers are getting in swal- lowing the impossible cocktail of demands that the grant is placing on them in this, its third year.

Andy Jones
Language arts teacher, Radford High School

Congressional fights will be entertaining

So, another name is added to the list.

With the announcement by state Sen. Donna Mercado Kim of her intent to run for the 1st Congressional District seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, the field is getting rather crowded, and as a Republican, I couldn’t be happier.

While I have the utmost respect for what U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye did for our state and country, both as a soldier and U.S. senator, I did not agree with his decision to provide a recommendation to the governor as to who should replace him. The result, I believe, will be a fractious fight within the state Democratic Party.

The fight between the "appointed one" and the "anointed one," along with the concurrent contest for the 1st Congressional District seat, promises to be entertaining.

Mark Gilmore
Ewa Beach

Coverage of debate lacked objectivity

The Star-Advertiser’s bias has been evident throughout the coverage of the same-sex marriage bill, but probably no more blatantly than with the blaring headline, "Opposition fails" (Star- Advertiser, Nov. 7).

Wasn’t the whole democratic process supposed to be concerned with passing, or failing to pass, legislation, rather than trying to defeat a voice that opposed the newspaper’s opinion?

What a sad indication of lack of objectivity which is supposed to embody media reporting in a democracy. Or is the land of aloha no longer a democracy where the people’s voice, rather than the voice of the legislators, prevails?

Judith A. Dill
Nuuanu

Car safety stickers and fees not needed

On a recent trip to the mainland, I noticed no cars had safety checks and registration stickers as we do in Hawaii. Why does Hawaii need these things? Why should a new car or truck have a safety check? Why are they charging different amounts for vehicles? Isn’t this discrimination?

We receive federal money for highways, so why do they continue to take it from us hardworking people?

I challenge our lawmakers to get rid of the registration fees and safety checks, except for cars more than 10 years old.

William Pirtle
Waipahu

Tax code is biased against single folks

Legislators barked up the wrong tree in attempting to redefine marriage.

If equality is the issue, then the energy should be focused on the Internal Revenue Code, which discriminates against all singles, regardless of gender and personal preferences and outcomes. That portion of the tax code concerning married couples is archaic and should be abolished, especially since unmarried individuals comprise a sector that has grown considerably and continues to grow; the result would be true equality for all.

But to convene a special session for the current issue was absurd when we have pressing problems with the state’s infrastructure (deteriorating sewer, water and electric lines and public buildings and parks), traffic congestion, overcrowded prisons and criminal activity, the homeless, the high cost of living and, of course, our dependency on tourism instead of the promotion of diversified agriculture.

Bark, but select the right tree.

Frank Koide
Mililani

Homes hard to find for female seniors

One of the problems for female seniors trying to find housing here is they have a hard time making that transition from "my" to "our" apartment.

They wait too long. As they get older and the rents goes up, they need to find a female roommate, so they are only paying half of that rent. It’s a difficult adjustment for female seniors, but they have to face up to it.

Matrimony websites have done well. Maybe we need some "roommate" websites to help seniors find a place to share.

From years of living in Waikiki, I see that college-age women have no trouble with sharing. I often see two or three of them getting along in an apartment. The female seniors just have to learn to adjust and communicate.

Richard Loutzenhiser
Ewa Beach

Small-boat marina sorely needed here

How ironic that here we are in the middle of the Pacific and yet we have fewer registered boats than most states in the country.

This is because the nature of our shorelines provides precious few sheltered areas to moor boats.

A small-boat marina that could accommodate 600 boats would be a wonderful legacy for our politicians currently in office. Granting zoning changes for hotels in Ewa Beach would not ("Plans for Ewa Beach could include hotel," Star-Advertiser, Oct. 24).

We should reopen the lagoon to the ocean and build the marina as planned.

William Miller
Kaimuki