The county should allow kitchens in guest houses
Presently guest houses on ag land can not have a kitchen.
They are allowed to be built and you can eat in it, sleep in it, use the bathroom in it but you can not have a kitchen.
All houses on ag zoned lots are subject to a Farm Dwelling Agreement. The guest houses are subject to the condition, too. I am not saying to have vacation rentals in them. Allow a kitchen just as you allow a kitchen in any other “farm dwelling.” The argument that we need this restriction to preserve Ag land does not hold water.
This will provide many much needed homes (albeit small ones) estimated to be in the hundreds at no cost to the county.
Presently due to the restrictions leading to the shortage of housing, the government is expected to do “affordable housing.”
By allowing these kitchens, perhaps we can put a dent in the pent up demand for truly affordable housing. Gotta think outside of the shed.
Dennis Esaki, Lihue
Political hard ball
There was just something about Gary Hooser’s words that haven’t felt consistent, logically or emotionally.
Consider; “For five years I have watched them use every tool at their disposal, from threats to lawsuits, to thwart the community’s desire to shield their children from dangerous neurotoxins in pesticides sprayed near schools and homes. That is not going to change. Now their lobbyist is leading the Democratic Party.”
He’s talking about the Hawaii’s farmers fighting for survival, and the need for every scientific advantage available. And, he’s using that emotional argument to support a fallacy.
In the 2012 Columbia study often cited as “evidence” of chlorpyrifos (CPF) toxicity used only 20 highly contaminated fetuses, from an urban environment.
Another Inner City study with 99 percent plus CPF in air supply generates inconclusive data.
For the last six years, the Environmental Protection Agency has legally requested that Columbia data, and been refused. Why?
Gary’s words continue: “We spend years fighting this industry and now their lobbyist is going to be put in charge of our (Hawaii Democratic) party?”
Gary’s organization is spending great effort fighting the Ag Industry, when the Joint Fact Finding Study concluded the greatest risks to our citizens are domestic chemicals. This conclusion is proven in their own studies. The logic of attacking the Ag Industry escapes me.
Now, back atcha: I’ve heard reports from our elected Hawaii legislators of the bullying tactics used to obtain 100 percent support for a bill to ban CPF from agricultural use, that now sits on the governor’s desk. They’ve expressed fear of physical demonstrations in front of their offices, if they don’t toe the line. That intimidation has worked.
My question is why is this organization fighting the farmers, when their own study reinforces the domestic in-home pesticide threat to children’s health? Then I remember the political adage, “Follow the money.”
Mike Curtis, Koloa
If you want to pay me and my partner $10,000 dollars one summer, the guest house behind your yard, let me know. I could use $10,000. I’ll make it. Kekaha.
Aloha Kakou,
The nation of Thailand has just announced yesterday in one of their leading English speaking newspapers that they will be banning Chlorpyrifos, Glyphosate, and Paraquat from the farms in Thailand.
The ban will take effect in 2019. Apparently limiting these poisons is not enough. They will be phased out completely.
To the Thais, the limiting of the poisons here in Hawaii to only not spraying within 100’ of schools while in session is not enough protection for their children compared to how we protect our children.
Many of us have always felt that slight and partial limitations of Ag Poison spraying was not enough for protection of children, much less adults working in the schools.
What with the average wind speeds of the Pacific Tradewinds, 100’ buffer zones is extremely inadequate to,protect school children and teachers, and gave us doubts as to the anti-poisons’ movements approach to protecting young and old alike from the cancers that poisons can cause.
A Court in California has just announced labeling is mandatory that Glyphosate causes cancer be put on food labels.
While Mr. Hooser and his loyal helpers have done a lot, it clearly has not been enough. And those efforts against these Ag poisons may have been only distracting Red Herring Fake efforts, which have allowed rampant ongoing Ag Poison use not only in proximity to homes, highways and schools, but also in their scheduling of spraying crops up to 320 days a year.
And what, will we need another Cancer Radiation Center in LIHUE to take care of all that cancer business coming up over the horizon in such a small population as Kaua’i?
Medical Disease Care needs to be TRANSPARENT, in that we the public should know how many people on Kauai (and Hawaii) are under Disease Treatment for not only the Ag cancers, and as treatments relate to all cancers, not just those caused by Ag Poisons, but also as cancer relates to the food sprayed with any kind of poisons.
Though the disease fighters are not looking for the Causes of disease in this era of Disease Care, they are only looking for the Fight and the business it produces at the expense of Prevention (is the cure).
Mr. Hooser, et. Al., their efforts have done so little to prevent Ag. Poison Disease that the effort has really only allowed the prolonging of the Poison situation, and has tired out the peoples’ efforts.
Recent Hawaii legislative efforts on Ag poison limitations has only serve to have the giant petro chemical companies be given time to create newer and more poisonous future Ag poisons to replace the poisons being phased out. The phase out period giving them all the time they need to replace this year’s Ag poisons with next years more lethal poisons..
This same chemical company replacement strategy is the same strategy used in the yearly new medical drugs replacing last year’s medical drugs whose toxicity and lethal side effects become too well known and intolerable for the public, although a money maker for the legal profession’s lawsuits..
And while Ag poisons have killed off too many of the bees, for some odd reason a secondary reaction has made the fruit flies become massive in numbers and in fruit destruction.
Going back to embracing and relying on Nature may not be such a bad idea; and certainly an Idea whose Time. Has Come…!
And let us never forget the Law of Cause and Effect. Cancer and Diseases are all Effects, why are the $Trillions of dollars spent on Disease Care not being spent on finding and eliminating the obvious Causes of Cancers and other Diseases.
Mahalo,
Charles
Aloha Kakou, and Mike Curtís,
Mike, studies have become no longer the rigid scientific words of truth, but are the advertising words of those who pay for them whether they are for or against an issue. The tie breaker as to who wins the issue and gets the most said and most widely read are the side with the most money who pay for the study and get their point or promotion across to the public.
We think you have hit the nail squarely on the head. Not only should safety be adhered to on the farms / poisons that are around schools and hospitals and homes; but also in-home use of chemicals whose toxicity is ignored and safety labels never read; whether those chemicals are used for cleaning or the ridding of insects, or animals like rodents, or weed infiltrating the Petunia patch, or they are in your medicine cabinet.
And overlooked on every shelf and almost every package or can or bottle in every grocery store are more chemicals unfit for human health and function. Read the labels, if it sounds like a chemical it is, and it is not food.
Chemicals in the food can make you sick, chemicals in medicine drugs can make you sick, chemicals in your closet or garage can make you sick, chemicals on the farm can make you sick.
Well let’s ask ourselves the challenging question, are the people actually sick?
Statistics for the USA, say that 55% of Americans take 1 to 4 drugs daily, not including over the counter drugs (chemcals). So, are people sick in America. Well over half are…!
For persons taking more than 1 drug, they are usually being prescribed by more than 1 doctor, making mixing of drugs more dangerous and increasing sickness.
A Pill for every ill is an idea whose time is coming to a closure and whose replacement is finding the Causes of Diseases.
The LAW is, Remove the Cause and it removes the Effects (the diseases).
Causation will be the new research…! If they really do want us to be healthy.
The repetitive and accumulative decades of personal use of chemicals and Unfit Food are just 2 of the causes of Disease. (Dis-Ease).
Health is a personal issue for everyone, like a bank account it is best to invest early and daily to enjoy a Healthy and Active life into your 10th and 11th decades of your optimal Lifespan.
If the Board of Education made sure that all students received 12 years of schooling up to at least high school graduation in the study of their own bodies; they will have a better chance of not requiring Diseae Care in their life.
With education you will know how to choose properly between a red hot dog or a fresh salad with a variety of no Ag poison fresh vegetables. The choice will be yours, how will you choose?
Well this requires answering the question of what is Personal Health Care? Well, it is 6am, and I gotta go to work.
Mahalo,
Charles
Re allowing kitchens in ag lot homes, but not for “vacation rentals”. Sadly, some of these homes will be booked as illegal rentals before the stove is plugged in. This idea could have merit for local housing, but only if the island moves to strictly enforce illegal rentals…and in a no nonsense, “not worth it to cheat” way of $1000 or more for the first offense and moving to $5000 for the second.
Well said, Mike. The emperor has no clothes.
Gary Hooser is seeing the hard, cold reality that his anti-GMO, anti-ag vendetta is not supported by the rest of the Dems in the state. But instead of accepting his #2 role with dignity, he’s trying to tear down the new party chair. Perhaps he should be booted out altogether in favor of a vice chair who seeks unity instead of sowing division and hate.
Don’t get Hosed by the Hooser,he is at best just another Career Politician! Should we,the voting Citizens of Kauai Believe anything he Says? The Simple will believe Anything!
Hmmmm, seems to me there is a lot of name calling and accusation in here … look up the facts, search ALL the studies and educate yourselves! Big AG has a long history of going for profitability over sustainability and of funding studies that support their agenda. There are plenty of studies that support the elimination of chlorpyrifos and glyphosate. There are many countries that are working to ban these chemicals. Let us have a healthy future ….