Years of government interference in schools has meant that despite rising salaries there simply aren't enough people prepared to do the job.

You see, I believe most people want just a few basic things from government. They want safe neighborhoods, good schools, good roads and the opportunity for good jobs to support their families. They want a safety net in place for the hard times.Beyond that, they just want government to leave them alone.

Good schools, good jobs, good government. These are not unreasonable demands. But sadly, some of our people have already lost heart and have left Hawaii to look for these things elsewhere.

It's truly no big deal. Some people are upset by what came out of the government, but in terms of our operation, we'll just go with the flow.

This increase in applications . . . is a result of sustained efforts by both the federal government and graduate schools.

Whatever the government says about improving infrastructure, building schools and other essential services the fact is it just simply doesn't have the money. Servicing public debt alone last year (interest and amortization) ate up 95 percent of total revenues.