Reform welfare
Reform welfare
Thursday, Sept. 20, in the Tribune-Herald the headline was the same old and ongoing story of the isle’s welfare fiasco.
Of course, it has gone up and will continue growing as long as no reforms are placed on recipients. Where do you think these extra recipients come from? They are the offspring of recipients who have learned how to use and abuse the system!
I do not blame anyone for finding ways to get free money. Stupid politicians enacted the laws that allow money to be taken, without thinking of the future harm that could do to the abusers.
This is where the increase in welfare recipients is coming from. Every day, these children reach the age where they enroll in the system their parents were on — and so the cycle continues.
There was mention of hotels that have jobs. My answer to that is: Any lob is better than no job! Working creates self-esteem and a chance to learn the workings of that job and where and how it fits in the total scheme of the industry it is in. Our island’s main industry is service-oriented, and the jobs in that type of industry are everything from cleaning bathrooms to managerial positions.
No matter how many jobs are created, there will never be enough to satisfy the millions of eligible workers out there because of population growth.
To any politician out there who has any empathy for their constituency and the well-being of human beings, please reform the welfare rules.
Carmine Spada
Pahoa
Hirono a ‘twit’
Recently in the Tribune-Herald, a letter writer described Congresswoman Mazie Hirono as a “twit.”
At first, this description offended me. It did seem a little harsh. But the more I thought about it, the more honest that description seemed. There’s a lot at stake in November, and we cannot afford to elect someone who fits that description to the U.S. Senate.
A. Yamamoto
Hilo
HSTA errors
A contract is a written agreement. Not so, says the Hawaii State Teachers Association. Regarding the supplemental agreement for “Race to the Top” schools, the HSTA and the Department of Education jointly provided teachers with frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the contract. This document states that on the 12 professional development days, teachers will receive 45 minutes per day preparation period. They have not.
DOE officials have not responded to the concern, and the HSTA maintains this is an error. However, at the time of the vote for this contract, teachers were given an errata sheet that states, “This corrects typographical errors found in the agreement/FAQ document.” This statement was not lined out as other errors were. The union apologizes for any “confusion” this may have caused.
So, according to HSTA negotiations specialist Ray Camacho, the terms of this agreement are being implemented correctly — except for the errors!
Irene Barber
Keaau