Letters to the Editor for Thursday, July 23, 2009

• School lunch increase better be warranted

• Alternative solutions

• Old boys committee

• Increase my taxes for your benefits?

School lunch increase better be warranted

It’s amazing that in this time of economic hardship, the DOE found it necessary to raise the cost of meals at Hawai‘i’s public schools. 

I was sure that public school education and meals are paid for by our taxes. This increase wouldn’t be so painful if the increase was justified.

I was invited to have lunch at my son’s Big Island school last year when he received an award. It sure says a lot when the teacher felt a need to apologize for the lunch that was being served that day. It wasn’t worth the $1.25 the students were being charged and definitely not worth the $4 each of the attending parents paid.

Lunch that day consisted of a mini-hamburger bun with a slice of cheese in the middle; a block of Jello with a pineapple cube inside; soup made of water, beans and celery; and milk.

That answered the question of why my son comes home from school starving everyday; as-well-as the amount of wasted food I see in the trash can each day.

Also, did you know public schools consider ketchup a major vegetable?

If this meal is what constitutes a price increase, it may be time to hire a new meal planner in the public school system.

What about the parents of private school students who pay into the DOE’s budget, but pay tuition and meals for their children themselves?

I hope lunch at Kaua‘i schools warrants an increase or my son will be brown-bagging it.

Francine Grace, Lihu‘e

Alternative solutions

The following headlines in The Garden Island on Tuesday jumped out at me:  “Council to hear key bills — Plastic bag ban, drinking curfew on tap Wednesday.”

While I fully agree that plastic bags are a bane to our environment and a threat to our wonderful sea animals, ‘ban’ is such a harsh word usually reserved for nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.

I lived in the Netherlands where the citizens were educated in the negative effects of plastic. After a successful campaign, shoppers started bringing their own large, cotton bags. Those that forgot their bags could buy large plastic bags from a dispenser for 25 cents. Paper bags were out of the question. It was all very civil and soon, even I, an American, learned to bring my own bag like all of the Dutch shoppers. I still do this here on Kaua‘i on occasions. However, my plastic bags — when I have them — are recycled at the Sunshine markets where the vendors are more than happy to have them.

Besides, biodegradable bags, according to reusablebags.com, also have their shortcomings. They say that both plastic and biodegradable bags require the same amount of energy and natural resources to produce, when mixed with regular plastics they can cause a sorting nightmare rendering recyclable bags useless, and the breakdown of starch (used in their manufacture) in water depletes the oxygen causing problems to marine life.

Instead of banning plastic bags in retail stores altogether, how about a campaign to educate our fellow citizens on the evils of using plastic and have a supply of cheap alternative environmentally friendly cloth bags available? In this manner the number of plastic bags used in retail stores will gradually diminish. It would be a lot more fun and easier to police.

I also lived in Washington State where the Blue Law meant that no bar drinks could be sold after midnight on Saturday nights. Of course we found our way around those rules by stacking drinks before midnight and consuming them before the bars closed, usually around 1 a.m. As a result, the roads of Washington early on Sunday mornings were a lot less safe. This is something to consider when setting a drinking curfew in public parks.

Ada Koene, Koloa

Old boys committee

This is in response to Dickie Chang’s comment regarding a Special Advisory Committee to review and recommend amendments to the rules of the County Council.

Chang stated: “I hope the public understands that this ain’t no old boy network.”

Well, Dickie, if it “ain’t no old boy network,” why is the committee composed entirely of old boys? Are you telling the public that you and Jay Furfaro could not find any qualified women on Kaua‘i to serve on your committee?

Linda Estes, Koloa

Increase my taxes for your benefits?

Let me see, a state worker accrues sick live at 21 days per year and vacation at 21 days per year.  Add 14 paid holidays per year, for 56 days off (out of 260 possible workdays) every year.

I work in the tourist industry and accrue vacation/sick pay at the rate of nine days per year, paid at minimum wage of $7.25/hour. With five paid holidays, I get a grand total of 14 total days, all paid at minimum wage.

Some 56 days vs. 14 days — and they want to increase my taxes to pay for their benefits?

It is time the government employee unions negotiate in good faith. The governor made a thoughtful opening offer.

JoAnne Georgi, ‘Ele‘ele