• Candidates forum • Minnesota-Kaua‘i connection • Highways • VP debate • Kaua‘i visit Candidates forum Kaua‘i politics, for the first time, is much more focused on the issues and less on personalities due to the successful forum last night.
• Candidates forum
• Minnesota-Kaua‘i connection
• Highways
• VP debate
• Kaua‘i visit
Candidates forum
Kaua‘i politics, for the first time, is much more focused on the issues and less on personalities due to the successful forum last night. Those of us who have experienced issue debates on the mainland as the norm have been urging the Kaua‘i community to have debates on the real issues. Thanks to TGI for bringing that awareness to Kaua‘i; now voters will expect an issue-focused Forum every election.
Geri Gallagher
Kapa‘a
Minnesota-Kaua‘i connection
Another Minnesota-Kauai connection: In the Thursday, September 30 issue of The Garden Island, I read about the Japanese-Americans being warmly welcomed in Minnesota during WWII. My family moved from Minnesota to Kauai in 1999 and purchased a commercial sprout growing business, Rainbow Garden Kaua‘i.
While establishing our sprout sales in the Kapa‘a Sunshine Market, I met Nancy Blalock. When she learned we had moved from Minnesota she spoke of her brother living there. When I asked where, her reply was “White Bear Lake,” which was where I grew up! She told me her brother was Edwin Nakasone. This same Mr. Nakasone mentioned in the article in the paper today, who is the president of the Japanese American Veterans of Minnesota, was also my high school history teacher in White Bear Lake, Minnesota in 1969.
When I first learned of this connection I looked up Mr. Nakasone in my high school yearbook and brought it to the Sunshine Market the next week to show Nancy. It just so happens that a picture of her brother is shown in a small group discussion and on the opposite side of the page, in a student-life picture, is me, studying. Nancy shared with me that her brother liked Minnesota so much because of the way the people there had accepted him as a Japanese-American and he decided to make it his home. I was proud to read that Mr. Nakasone had spoken of the welcome the Japanese-Americans received in Minnesota and how their aloha helped prepare them for what lay ahead of them.
My teacher has taught me a lesson…I had learned “aloha” living in Minnesota for 46 years before coming to Kaua‘i. Perhaps I caught some aloha from Mr. Nakasone. It is contagious, you know! What the world really needs is a mass epidemic of “aloha” with no cure available.
If aloha can survive the frozen Minnesota winters, it can survive anywhere!
Julie Schleper
Kapa‘a
Highways
I drive from Kalaheo to Kapa‘a three times a week to work. I hit traffic in Kalaheo at the light, at tree tunnels and in Puhi by the community college. The last time I filled up with gas I noticed there was a 51 cent a gallon tax that is suppose to go into the transportation fund to be used for road construction, repair and maintenance.
However that is not what happens to the money. Over the past eight years the current state legislators have taken $156 million of this money and used it for other purposes.
This is not the whole story however, because the federal governmant matches 4 to 1 so the actual dollar amount lost to our state is $780 million. How many good paying jobs have been lost because of this misuse of funds? The next project on the books is the widening of Kaumuali‘i Highway from the Tree Tunnel to Lihu‘e the cost of which is $62 million.
This project was suppose to be started right after the intersection by the round building was completed.
If any of you are as concerned with this misuse of the highway tax funds as I am, call your state legislators and express your displeasure.
If they are not going to use the money for our roads why in the world are they collecting it?
JoAnne & William Georgi
Kalaheo
VP debate
VP Dick Cheney made minced-meat out of John Edwards. He was as devastating against Edwards as John Kerry was against President Bush – a flip-flop you might say. Unlike Bush, Cheney was able to articulate the administration’s policy on Iraq in a way that shows that Democrats are unworthy of leading our nation in this new world war, the war against Islamic Jihad. Here is how he did it. Edwards repeated ad nauseam that there was no connection between Saddam Hussein and al Qeda. Cheney pointed out that al Qeda beheader-in-chief, Abu al-Zarqawi took his al Qeda training camp to Iraq after the US lead coalition liberated Afghanistan from the Taliban and was given safe-haven by Saddam Hussein to continue al Qeda’s terrorist operations. That is a serious connection.
Edwards stated that a Kerry administration would treat our allies with respect and get our disgruntled allies to come-on-board and help in the war. Cheney pointed out that France, Germany, and Russia have already said they will send no troops to Iraq, then embarrassed Edwards for calling those allies who are with us the “coalition of the coerced and the bribed.” This negates Kerry’s claim of being sensitive to our allies.
Cheney pointed out that Kerry voted against the First Gulf War and that no amount of tough talking now will cover-up a thirty year record of running from conflict. He noted that Kerry was in favor of the war in Iraq until he saw that Howard Dean, the anti-war Democratic presidential hopeful was whipping his okoli, so he flipped to an anti-war position to appeal to anti-war Democrats. If Kerry can’t stand-up to Howard Dean, how will he stand-up to international leaders and leaders of state-sponsored terrorism?
Biff Whiting
Kalaheo
Kaua‘i visit
My husband and I just returned from a completely relaxing and wonderful visit to your beautiful island home of Kaua‘i. The purpose of our trip was to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary and we had been booked on a Caribbean cruise. As you know, hurricane Jeanne blew in and changed our cruise plans, in 24 hours we were able to change our flight and book reservations at a comfortable condo in Koloa.
Our flight was smooth, our accommodations were exceptional and every meal we ate was the best, whether it was breakfast, lunch or dinner. All of the people we interacted with were pleasant, helpful, relaxed and kind to us exhibiting the Aloha spirit. We found this especially noteworthy because several of these people said they worked two jobs and had families too! One waitress in particular was a delight to us. Mila served us breakfast early in the morning and that evening she also served us dinner!
The entire week was without fault until we arrived at the airport in Lihue. Now, looking back it was a comedy of errors. Actually, it was difficult to find anyone there possessing the Aloha spirit. Once we made it through all of the screenings, inspections, etc. we were exasperated and were thankful that we had such a relaxing week to reflect upon as we returned home.
Mr. & Mrs. Bagato
Clovis, California
