Drones can make our lives better

Senate Bill 2608 would restrict drone use to law enforcement agencies in Hawaii. This ill-considered and misguided bill misses the point entirely.

Drone use in the civilian world is ever more useful and beneficial. The tiny aircraft are being used for shoreline and wildlife management, fire fighting, geographical surveys, agricul- ture, aquaculture, photography and dozens of other applications.

The FAA has named Hawaii one of six drone research sites in the U.S. Let’s take advantage of this status and demonstrate vision instead of a knee-jerk reaction. Think of the jobs potential. The University of Hawaii-Hilo is working to establish remotely piloted aircraft as an area of study and the Big Island could become a center for drone research as soon as next year.

The question should not be, "How can we restrict this technology?" but rather, "How do we take advantage of the technology to make our lives better?"

Patrick "P.J." O’Reilley
Kakaako

Military cutback a danger to U.S.

The Star-Advertiser editorial, "Military draw down long overdue" (Our View, Feb. 28) was without a doubt the least insightful I have ever read.

Surely some of the editorial staff lived through the years of military drawdown from President Jimmy Carter, resulting in a hollow force that gave our adversaries the notion that America was no longer a force to be feared. President Ronald Reagan reversed the military decapitation and began a "peace through strength" military that resulted in the breakup of the Soviet Union and tearing down of the Berlin Wall without firing a shot.

To advocate a military drawdown (except, as noted by the Star-Advertiser, for "a robust military presence here") is a danger not only to the United States but also to the world that depends on a strong U.S. military to maintain a critical balance of power.

A weakened military will be noted enthusiastically by Russia, China and Muslim radicals.

Pam Smith
Ewa Beach

PPV UH games a big disservice

Five more years ("UH-Oceanic TV deal locks in pay-per-view for sports until 2020," Star-Advertiser, March 1)!

This at a time when the question is, "Where did the fans go?"

The University of Hawaii throws the penalty flag, again, at its remaining fan base with pay-per view. On any given Saturday, we can watch a lot of games. The Hawaii game is the only pay-per-view game on TV.

We are season ticket holders who go to the home games and we are booster club members. Yes, it is our choice not to pay for the away games. With pay-per-view, we feel like we are part-time fans.

It just does not seem right to charge the fans to watch our team play on TV. If you want fans in the stadium, let them watch all the games and get their interest back. Even more so, we need to start winning a lot of games.

Michael and Taide LeHouck
Hawaii Kai

U.S. DOE great for some people

President Jimmy Carter tried to improve American education by establishing the U.S. Department of Education.

We are now spending more than $80 billion a year and really do not have much improvement in education to show for all that money.

Every few years the federal DOE forces the states to institute a new program, only to drop it later as unworkable. For all the money spent by the DOE, it has succeeded in one thing: It has ensured paychecks and pensions for thousands of additional federal workers.

Warren Fukushima
Pearl City

Everyone needs patient advocate

It’s time for a decision that could save your, or your loved one’s, life. Has your emergency room physician made the right diagnosis in discharging you at 4 a.m. with abdominal pain? Was any test made on whether you have sepsis, or signs of septic shock? It is today’s biggest killer disease in U.S. hospitals.

Was there someone besides that lone late-night physician to respond to your requests for more information and attention? There wasn’t two years ago, when the late Patty Rohlfing of Maui needed them and there isn’t yet.

But there could be soon, if Senate Bill 666 advances from conference committee, where it got derailed by an arbitrary deadline. An updated version would give the Health Department power to require the hiring and training of patient advocates and their emplacement in emergency facilities statewide.

It would provide for quality standards and controls, and, if need be, a task force to help oversee implementation of the process.

Fred Rohlfing and Barbara Marumoto
Former state lawmakers

Conventioneers a good example

Kudos to the ocean scientist conventioneers who were in town last month.

I live in Waikiki and every morning I saw attendees walking en masse from their hotels to the convention center to attend their meetings. By voting with their feet, they made the decision to avoid loud, traffic-generating,polluting mega-buses shuttling them a few blocks between destinations. Instead, they chose the healthful, environment-friendlyand considerate mode of transportation.

These folks also volunteered their time at Magic Island to help cleanup our reefs.What a wonderful example they set for their profession and for the community at large.Let’s seek out more conventioneers like this in the future. They are good for business and good for our environment.

Jeff Merz
Waikiki

Makakilo access still a headache

About 18,000 people live in Makakilo and we have only one way in and out: up and down the hill on Makakilo Drive.

If there’s a big water main break or other major blockage, we have no other way to get to the hospital, work, school or shopping.

At least six years ago the state funded planning and design to link the east end of Makakilo Drive to the new Kualakai Parkway freeway interchange; the city started studying it in 2007. But the two have not managed to get it going.

City Councilwoman Kymberly Pine, Mayor Kirk Caldwell, state Sen. Mike Gabbard and state Reps. Sharon Har and Ty Cullen could push and fund the project. Or please tell us why they won’t.

How nice it would be to approach Makakilo on the H-1 from the east and see some bulldozers working their way down the hill.

Alan Sarhan
Makakilo

Salt Lake pool finally heated

After four years, three mayors, a newly elected City Council member for the 7th District and newly elected Neighborhood Board chairman, the Salt Lake swimming pool is finally heated again.

The community and residents using the swimming pool for their daily exercises appreciate the efforts of the people involved in restoring the heating systems.

Since the spring program classes at the Salt Lake pool have started, this is indeed welcome news. Mahalo.

Ken Thong
Salt Lake