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Sen. Green cut short needed discussion
Your article on why Sen. Josh Green killed the caregiver support bill, Senate Bill 296, is troubling, partly because of the conflict-of-interest issues raised ("Senator takes heat from psychologists, retirees on potential conflicts of interest," Star-Advertiser, April 12).
It’s clear that the Senate Health Committee chairman cut short a much-needed discussion of the role family caregivers play in Hawaii’s health care system, and how hospitals could relieve some of the pressure from unpaid caregivers when their loved ones are discharged.
Hawaii’s families are struggling at home alone with elder-care issues that ought to be a public-policy priority. Sen. Green squashed an important opportunity to inform and engage the public on a topic that affects everyone.
As a member of the Kokua Council for Senior Citizens, I know that Hawaii can do more to address the question of how best to support residents’ ability to care for their loved ones at home.The conversation needs to happen now.
Thomas J. Davies Jr.
Kakaako
Sen. Green still has support of voters
That was quite a front page article about Sen. Josh Green being accused of a conflict of interest by lobbyists because he is a physician who works at a hospital and thinks and acts like a physician, even as he does his Senate work.
That’s probably not news to his constituents, who keep voting for him despite that he thinks and acts like a physician.
Jay Scharf
St. Louis Heights
Beach pavilions should stay public
I’m against the cityplan to commercialize Kuhio Beach pavilions as an excuse to keep them clean and homeless-free ("Mayor Caldwell steps up law enforcement at the Waikiki pavilions," Star-Advertiser, April 13).
The money raised by renting the spaces would be a drop in the bucket and would not pay for even small cleanup at best, nor would it help with big spending such as rail expenses.
Restore the Waikiki beach tables and lock boxesto glory with the original smooth, easy-to-clean benches and tables — not the existing ugly ones — and that willbring back the people who used to come here for vacation. That would attract locals and new visitors as well, to spend their money just for the opportunity to enjoy playing chess and bridge, and relaxing on the beach with unobstructed views for general public use.
Karel Kon
Waikiki
Chaperoned tours great for students
Educational tours that are organized by public schools and led by their teachers should be supported by Hawaii’s Department of Education.
Whether they are to the U.S. mainland or other countries, these tours provide a life-changing view of the world to our students ("Don’t discourage chaperone duty," Our View, Star-Advertiser, April 9).
Tour enrollment is easy and a good value. When children enroll, the tour agency can set up payment plans, making it easier for families to afford the trips. These tours are "one-stop shopping," with the agency arranging every detail: flights, transportation, all tours, hotels and meals.
Most families cannot spend the time and money for the whole family to take such tours; by allowing schools to sponsor them, all students have the chance to have these enriching experiences, while the parents have convenience, economy and peace of mind.
The DOE should continue to make these tours available to all students.
Jennifer Hartl-Davis
Kailua Intermediate School teacher
Dagwood has right idea on carpooling
Everyone agrees that Hawaii has a real problem with overcrowded highways.
Well, the Star-Advertiser shows the solution to the problem on a regular basis; you just have to know where to look.
Go to the back pages of the paper, the comics. Read "Blondie" and see how Dagwood gets to work: He’s in a carpool of four to five people. So rather than four or five cars on his road, there is only one.
Maybe we should take a lesson from Dagwood and carpool. Hey, maybe someone could even start making bumper stickers that say, "Dagwood does it, let’s carpool."
Russell Gust
Waikiki
Must science impose on sacred places?
Albert Einstein said: "To raise new questions, newpossibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requirescreative imagination and marks real advance in science."
Therefore, would one place a telescope on top of the Sistine Chapel, Taj Mahal, Mount Fuji, Grand Canyon, Great Wall of China, orother places of sacred, cultural relevance?
We have done this, and nowwant to place more.
Is there no other way to mark real advance inscience and humanity?
Linda Fujikawa
Kapolei
Embrace the future, behold the stars
The Hawaiian people could not be protesting the forming of a great observatory if the ancestors of this remarkable society had not stared up at the sky for guidance and trust.
In today’s world, we recognize that, if not for the curiosity of mankind, we would not have the ability to understand why we are here, or ask, "Where do we want to go?" It is the same song those ancient sailors heard. The chorus chants the answer: That together, humanity can go anywhere.
Why dress in garments of the past when we could weave fabrics of the future? If power is in a rock, it causes men to go blind. Hawaiians should be proud of this scientific marvel. Hawaiians should proudly point and say: That’s the direction we should go. Take off the tapa cloths of yesterday and wear the mantles of tomorrow. Embrace the future and behold the stars.
Don Parker
Niu Valley