City, state officials like Keystone Cops

In your Feb. 15 front-page article about the Keystone Cops antics of city and state government bureaucrats over Kunia Loa Ridge Farmlands, their incompetency could not be more obvious ("Holes in the system," Star-Advertiser).

Each governing entity blames the other for this farce and says in so many words: Not our jurisdiction. Too many government employees know it is next to impossible to be fired even when presented with overwhelming evidence that they are massively inept to complete even the simplest administrative task.

The Kunia Loa Ridge project probably involves a few hundred thousand dollars at most in revenue to the city — yet the city cannot oversee it properly.

Why would anyone expect career bureaucrats to manage the billion-dollar rail project — over budget and over time — any better?

Bravo to the Star-Advertiser. As Justice Louis Brandeis said: "Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants."

Arthur Warren
Keaau

Term limits might reduce complaining

I read the letters to the editor daily and what amazes me is there is not a shortage of complaints about what is wrong with our city, state, transportation, Hawaiian Electric, University of Hawaii sports and academics, and everything else.

But the people keep electing the same government officials with hope that things will be different. It is like the definition of insanity: doing the same thing and hoping for a different result.

Unless we elect different parties of people, it will be business as usual. We’ll have nobody to blame but ourselves and all the letter-writing will not change anything in our government or way of life in Hawaii.

What happened to the idea of term limits and getting rid of the career politicians who are in there for themselves and not the people they represent?

Ernie K. Itoga
Waialae Iki

Poverty explains educational woes

Kudos to Paul McKimmy for his clear and cogent statement of the whole and exact truth about the so-called failure of our public education system ("My two kids," Insight, Island Voices, Star-Advertiser, Feb. 15).

The real problem is the failure of our collective will to live up to the values we profess as an American meritocracy.

We all need to recommit to the children we claim to treasure by compelling our leadership to address the root causes of poverty that spawn so many real failures and ills in our society.

Elly Tepper
Hawaii State Teacher of the Year 2000, Kailua

Bicyclists should do more to be safe

I agree with letter-writer Ignacio Torres regarding bicycle safety: Car versus bicycle usually means the car will win.

I am a long-time resident who brought my bike with me when I moved here in 1977. I’ve remained dismayed that if bicycle safety laws exist — helmets and lights for all cyclists — they are not enforced. Many cyclists are insured; many aren’t. The taxpayers will pick up the tab for injuries to these uninsured cyclists.

If at least they were somewhat protected by helmets, it would help their survival potential and state costs. I realize many riders are homeless and just getting by, etc., but at least let’s start the conversation about bike safety and its enforcement.

Debbie Aldrich
Haleiwa

Unfunded liabilities the gorilla in room

Jay Fidell’s column states what many folks, over the years, have simply wrung their hands and whispered about ("State can’t afford to ignore heap of unfunded liabilities," Think Tech, Star-Advertiser, Feb. 17).

We hear about balancing the budget, yet that 800-pound gorilla in the room sits silently as governance postures immunity from the eventual consequences, as evinced by other cities in America.

The Feb. 26 meeting, "Hawaii, the State of Unfunded Liabilities," 11:30 a.m. at the Laniakea YWCA, should be SRO, so anyone interested should be there early.

Phil Broms
Niu Valley

Jellyfish warnings should be earlier

Those of us who surf and swim frequently in our ocean know where to find the jellyfish predictions online.

However, it would be helpful for tourists and others if the TV media posted the warnings a few days earlier on their seven-day forecast (instead of the night before) so that beachgoers could make alternate plans ahead of time. The Star-Advertiser weather page should also have a similar alert several days ahead.

This would help tourists and others avoid the trauma.

Paul Perretta
Lower Manoa

Blaisdell Center is a war memorial

Regarding the recent workshop on Blaisdell Center’s future, I was disturbed that the war memorial aspect of the Blaisdell’s history was not shared with participants, nor on the website designed to gather public input on its future.

Dedicated in 1964, Blaisdell Center, the buildings themselves, are a living memorial to all Hawaii’s warriors, with special tribute to our war dead. When I learned this history had been completely lost, and as the Blaisdell honors many in my family, I took on this kuleana to re-introduce the Blaisdell’s lost war memorial heritage to society.

The good citizens of Honolulu must understand this significant part of the Blaisdell’s history, if they are to make an informed decision on the future of this important public and historical resource.

Neal Blaisdell Center is a war memorial. Please don’t allow this history to be lost again.

Tanya Harrison
Founder, Neal S. Blaisdell Center War Memorial Project; Pendleton, Ore.