HSTA seeks tax increase for teacher pay
The DOE has a budget of $1.9 billion dollars and I for one would like to see a federal financial audit of how those monies are being spent and on what. To my knowledge the DOE has never been audited and the HSTA teacher’s union doesn’t seem interested either or so it seems.
I would think the HSTA, one of the largest special interest groups in Hawaii, would want to know also how the money is being spent before looking to tax residents, or maybe they already know.
I would call upon my legislative representatives House Rep. Cindy Evans and Senate Rep. Lorraine Inouye to seek an audit of the DOE, but then they are both endorsed by the HSTA Union and that makes it dicey to say the least.
And that brings up another issue of unions endorsing political candidates. If successful, who does the elected representative represent? The special interest group or the people? Especially when HSTA wants to increase taxes against the majority will of the people.
So no audit any time soon coming from my district.
But wait, not being politically astute, would that be a conflict of interest as both are endorsed by the HSTA?
Jeffrey Coakley
Kapaau
Disagreement on names unnecessary attack on science
In an April 8 letter, “Science should not rename land,” the writer disagreed about titles given to certain zones on the island, which from my experience most people still call the by their respective names. I am in favor of naming or renaming places or discoveries as a way to honor and preserve culture and traditions. A good example related to astronomy and Hawaii would be the discovery of the Laniakea Supercluster, which was named to honor Polynesian navigators. But the anger over names quickly turned into name calling science, denigrating past and current projects and scientists in general.
Choosing to become a scientist is not a get-rich-quick scheme, but rather a difficult profession where one has to accept failure as well as success. Preservation, conservation and research do not make lands and oceans their personal real estate or playground but rather a place to study and learn, sometimes in very adverse conditions as was the recent work of scientists on Mauna Loa (they weren’t camping and roasting marshmallows). Their research will give us a better understanding on how groups of interplanetary travelers could work together on long-term space missions, something we are likely to witness in the coming decades. The Mauna Loa Observatory monitors atmospheric conditions on Earth such as ozone layer, air quality and climate changes. These findings affect all of us on this planet.
Aerospace and space science include many discoveries and a multitude of applications which already benefit humankind on Earth. Science brings us together through collaboration; regardless of where we were born and raised. It has brought together nations and people from widely different origins and cultures.
The TMT is a perfect example of such a collaborative project to further human knowledge and our understanding of the universe. Humans are curious by nature. For centuries we’ve traveled, explored, discovered and sought answers to fundamental questions and will continue to do so. Astronomy and peering into the universe to discover its origin and our place in it is, as Carl Sagan wrote, “a humbling science and character building experience.”
We should focus on real issues threatening our islands such as pollution, sewer systems, landfill, new developments and infrastructure. Cooperation and dialogues offer innovative solutions to resolve problems or disputes. It isn’t about “Us vs. Them,” it isn’t about the past, but the present and the future.
We’re in this together, here in Hawaii or anywhere else on this pale blue dot. Let’s work together instead of perpetuating cultural divide.
Isabelle DeGroote
Waikoloa