• Hope for Kipu Falls • Just plain wrong • Bike path needed now • Katrina and poverty • Speculation economics Hope for Kipu Falls Thank you for your interesting article (Sept. 12) about Kipu Falls. Mr. Chang did a
• Hope for Kipu Falls
• Just plain wrong
• Bike path needed now
• Katrina and poverty
• Speculation economics
Hope for Kipu Falls
Thank you for your interesting article (Sept. 12) about Kipu Falls. Mr. Chang did a good job of describing some of the conflicting aspects of that remarkable locale.
We at the hospital have an added perspective, namely we unfortunately can count on seeing a patient a month who gets so seriously injured there (on the rope swing) that they end up in the operating room. And for every one of them we see another 2 or 3 who escaped with less serious injuries. One 21-year-old woman was killed by her injuries there a couple of years ago, and there have been at least a half-dozen other young people who would have died there had it not been their lucky day (including AirOne helicopter flash-flood rescues).
Mr. Chang and Allan Smith did an excellent job of describing the pros and cons of the locale and its popularity. Our hope, as medical professionals is that a) the tourist publications and guidebooks will include warnings and safety tips in their descriptions of Kipu Falls, and b) whoever it is that accepts liability for the site will develop, soon, a strong safety plan. David Denson’s ideas of having safety-trained volunteers at the site is an excellent one. It will require great effort and coordination to pull it off but it can be done — as witnessed by other fine volunteer-based services and attractions that we have on Kaua’i.
Dr. Monty Downs
Wilcox Hospital Emergency Room
Just plain wrong
Is it just me or am I the only one who has noticed this? I see people cleaning their property or of others (as in getting paid) with the help of leaf blowers. Sure it makes the job easier but time and time again I see these people blowing the rubbish into the road or other people’s property.
How lazy can you get? Pick it up! Blowing the leaves and debris onto the roadway or the property next door is just plain wrong. I see this several times a week on Rice Street alone. Maintenance men blowing the rubbish into the streets so when a car goes by, it disperses it everywhere.
Is it only me that thinks the right thing to do is to pick up the trash you just collected instead of making it someone else’s problem? I sure wouldn’t sweep my rubbish into my neighbor’s yard, that would be “no class.”
I dunno, maybe it’s just me.
Stephen Shioi
Kapa’a
Bike path needed now
In response to Glenn Mickens’ letter to the editor dated Friday, Sept. 9, 2005, Mr. Mickens seems totally aloof of why Kaua’i needs a bike/pedestrian path.
First of all traffic and congestion are at an all-time high on Kaua’i.
Second, a decent bike trail would encourage more people to ride bikes which in turn would lessen our dependence on expensive gasoline.
Third, it is dangerous riding a bike on Kaua’i.
I ride a bike and take the bus as my primary means of transportation, this island is not biker friendly, though I am on a bike most of the time. If Kaua’i became more biker friendly, the benefits are numerous.
1-Lessen dependence on petroleum products.
2-Save money on gas.
3-Increase exercise which is good for your health.
4-Lessen traffic.
5-Create jobs to construct the bike trail.
6-Bike sales would increase locally.
7-Bike rentals would increase to visitors.
8- A user-friendly area where a bicyclist can feel safe.
9-You can buy a bicycle for the cost of filling up your vehicle one time
10-You see things in a different consciousness, not as rushed and more serene and peaceful.
11- Concessions could be leased out by the city to actually make money off the trail.
Therefore, Glenn Mickens and Councilman Mel Rapozo, I know your argument of maintenance for the trail, however I believe people have a different consciousness on a trail and if maintenance became a monetary problem I am sure volunteers would clean rest rooms and pull weeds or whatever is needed, and if the city leases concessions, not only will the trail be maintained but money could be made off of it! This is a win-win situation!
The bike and pedestrian trail is well overdue, it is not 30 years ago, the time is now. These times they are changing and we need change.
James Kimo Rosen
Kapa’a
Katrina and poverty
Now that the world’s spotlight has been focused on the widespread poverty in New Orleans, I keep hearing Republicans blame the poverty on Democrats.
How about asking “Compassionate Conservatives” and the “Religious Right” and the Catholic Church to take a large part of the blame for that poverty?
The Catholic Church is the largest and most powerful religious group in the entire state of Louisiana, with many New Orleans attractions such as Mardi Gras based on Catholic rituals. And the Church has many millions in real estate and other assets, all tax free.
Whatever happened to “Love your neighbor” and “Blessed are the poor?” How about Christians being judged by the way we treat “the least of these?” How about actually helping the poor who live under the shadow of those magnificent church steeples, rather than accumulating huge financial assets for “the church?”
Oh, and by the way, all the Catholic outrage over abortion is negated by their seeming indifference to actual living human children and adults who once were unborn but now live among us as real people in need.
Barbara Elmore
Lihu’e
Speculation economics
As the owner of a vacation rental, I can explain to Raymond Chuan the difference between a single family home which is rented part time and a vacation rental which is owned by a speculator who rents only until he can sell at a profit.
I have owned my beach home at Ha’ena for over forty years and hope to enjoy it for the rest of my life. Forty years ago the real estate tax was very low and there was no need to rent the house to tourists. Now it is over $10,000, due to the demand for beach property and the speculation which has driven taxes sky high.
I assure Mr. Chuan that the income from vacation rentals cannot handle such high taxes, along with the high rates of insurance.
If I must sell my beloved home because of high taxes, it will only drive the assessment of beach houses even higher, resulting in even higher taxes. The only people able to afford a beach home will be speculators and in the long run, your taxes will rise as well.
Barbara D. Larsen
Hanalei
