Letters to the editor: 05-26-19
Irony in law logic
Democrat presidential candidate Kirsten Gillibrand uncategorically states “making abortion illegal will not prevent abortions.” How very ironic. Progressives understand no law will prevent abortions. I’d like them to extend that same realistic thinking when they propose all these ridiculously restrictive gun control laws!
Also, a tip of the cap to Kelly Greenwell, who has finally come to the realization that climate change is not an existential threat to the planet.
Nothing is occurring that hasn’t always occurred. The oceans are not rising, storms are not worse. Floods are not worse. Droughts are not worse. Wildfires are not worse. They are as they have always been. The world will not end in 12 years.
The recent desperation from global warming fanatics is due to the fact they’re losing the American public on this subject. Their increased desperation is in direct proportion to the public’s growing skepticism!
Dave Chrisman
Kailua-Kona
Show honor in teachers’ paychecks
Look at these recent headlines: “Waikoloa teacher receives worldwide honor,” “Kealakekua stem students win national honor” … “Teachers qualify to receive subsidies to afford to live in Hawaii.”
This is not an honor, this is an insult to our most valuable public servants. Why don’t other public servants (fire, police, civic workers) need this handout? We do not hear of 20% annual turnover in these professions.
How sad that we pay lip service tributes to our teachers on the one hand but in truth and practice do not provide them an affordable wage. An increase in salary, not a handout would be a much better investment in respecting the value of teachers in our lives. Even this handout loan has shackles. You are required to keep your home for 30 years to keep the subsidy. Who of us expect to keep the same home for 30 years?
There is no greater investment we can make in our state than education. They deserve a commensurate monetary compensation. Even our mayor acknowledged this fact in a recent significant pay raise for his administrators: “To keep them, we must pay them or they leave.”
Our teachers are the ship that delivers all of our next generation that will take care of our island. No one has a greater impact on our state. They should be the highest respected public servants in our state, not just in awards but in honored living wages that show the respect they deserve.
Joyce O’Connor
Waikoloa Village