Regarding “Lawmakers assail teacher pay differential plan” (Star-Advertiser, Jan. 15): What happened to our commitment to students and teachers?

Why is helping the hardest-working teachers “throwing money” at “a bunch of people”?

Everyone has a litany of government waste — rail, faulty computer systems, etc. — but supporting your teachers should not be on that list.

At the very least, special education teachers and assistants deserve higher compensation. All teachers attend special needs conferences and understand that their fellow instructors must fulfill department, state and federal requirements, plus obtain feedback and reports, meet with parents, classroom teachers, counselors, administrators and off-campus professionals.

Students must be worked with. Parents must be heard, kept in the loop. Numerous detailed reports must be written, updated and distributed. All add up to many, many hours beyond a regular teacher’s heavy workload.

Doubting lawmakers should gather “evidence-based analysis” and spend a month performing special-education teacher duties.

Les Inouye

Manoa

Parents need to be part of early-learning push

Preschool education has been in the news lately, along with the need for funds, teachers, classrooms, etc. However, what was not considered is involving a child’s first and most important teacher, “parents.”

Learning as we know begins at birth, not 3 or 4 years old. According to neurologists, 50% of a child’s neuron brain cells are developed by age 5 through sensory (see, hear, smell, taste and touch) stimulation.

If our future parents were educated in high school in ways to do this, it would have a positive effect in learning and teaching when their children enter school. Furthermore, there would no longer be a need for preschools, thus saving all a lot of money.

Additionally, if the state Department of Education would give today’s parents of preschoolers the list of skills their child should be familiar with when entering school, that too would make learning and educating more successful.

Bill Punini Prescott

Nanakuli

Enact fair-share policies so taxpayers don’t leave

The Legislature wants to make Hawaii more affordable for working families, to stem the flow of people leaving due to the high cost of living. Apparently legislators don’t understand that the cost of living is primarily due to compliance with government regulations. Now they want to put in more regulations?

What needs to be looked at is the type of people who are leaving. It’s not the homeless or others benefiting from the tax-and-spend philosophy of our government. Those leaving are wanting a better life, but cannot afford that in Hawaii. These are the very ones we want staying.

We should start thinking of reducing the costs, by reducing onerous government regulations. Perhaps we should also look into making homelessness a crime as other cities have started to consider. Everyone needs to carry their “fair” share, and this includes people who, in the end, expect government to take care of them, at the expense of others.

Carlton K. Chang

Waialae

Humanity must stop killing; strive for peace

An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. A nail for a nail.

It was a primitive stance that President Donald Trump made known to all the world, following the surprise U.S. strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

What an extremely sad way to start the new year! And the incident is not less sad just because Soleimani was an officially confirmed terrorist.

It is fondly hoped that the day may yet come when every person will be able to say to every other person, and conduct himself or herself accordingly: “I am you, and you are me. Your joy is my joy, and your sorrow is my sorrow. This world of wonder and beauty is not mine alone, it is yours too.”

Let all humanity continue to strive for love, peace, righteousness and joy to reign on Earth and among all people.

Antonio V. Ramil

Wailuku

Good, basic upkeep is all we ask of officials

Once again, Lee Cataluna hit one out of the park (“Single-term mayor could achieve proper focus,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 5).

Watching these one-party wonderlings move from office to office with few accomplishments irritates citizens. Just do the basics. It ain’t rocket science: Fix the roads, collect the trash, mow the grass, clean the restrooms, patrol the streets. Enough with visions and plans while society deteriorates, and governing organizations remain mired in quicksand.

Give it a try. We cannot be any worse off than what we have now.

Jim McDiarmid

Mililani

Ease emissions, consume less to help environment

It’s no wonder we have a climate crisis. If we could only change our addiction to convenience, laziness and consumption. We are continually bombarded by vehement vehicular vociferousness ads broadcasting, “Buy New, 2020 Models Here Now.” Glossy photos and pulsating commercials on TV have hijacked our priorities and values.

Cars and trucks have sentenced cities globally to years of imprisonment. Noise, deadly carbon monoxide, lung-contaminating particulates, filthy buildings, pedestrian injuries and deaths have all punished people, towns and cities. So, bring on more car sales, bigger gas hogs, warmer seas, increasingly unhealthy coral reefs, dirtier skies, trees and oceans.

My credit union is complacent in promoting vehicular influence: its continuous ads for new vehicle financing and loans brainwashes the masses.

Think outside the box. Rideshare with neighbors, be an activist for bus service. Ride a bike and walk more. Learn to live with fewer errands, under-consume, simplify, lower your carbon — and stress — levels.

Gary Harrold

Hilo

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