• Supporting Thielen from afar • Action, not words • Community events deserve better • Affordable housing for who? • In the waiting line • Politics without judgment Supporting Thielen from afar Having worked with Rep. Thielen for the past
• Supporting Thielen from afar
• Action, not words
• Community events deserve better
• Affordable housing for who?
• In the waiting line
• Politics without judgment
Supporting Thielen from afar
Having worked with Rep. Thielen for the past three years, I feel qualified to comment on her record as an advocate for renewable energy. As the inventor of a wave energy system, I am myself a strong proponent of renewable ocean energy.
The U.S. government hasn’t exactly “rolled out the red carpet” for wave energy companies, yet Cynthia pursues us tirelessly at wave energy conferences, convincing us to travel to Hawai‘i, where the environmental climate is conducive to wave energy, even if public utilities haven’t fully realized its potential.
The people of Hawai‘i and the United States are in dire need of someone like Cynthia Thielen who can initiate a change from traditional systems — in energy as well as in politics. Thielen doesn’t play favorites, nor is she afraid to break rank on matters of principle. Such characteristics are rare in the political world, and those who possess them should be treasured and cultivated.
In short, I know that Cynthia Thielen, as a lady of integrity, strength and forbearance, will endeavor to provide Hawai‘i’s residents with the best representation possible. I cannot imagine her casting a vote without first considering the interests of her state, country and constituents at the utmost length.
Energetech Australia Pty Ltd.
NSW, Australia
Action, not words
Is it fair to say, “If you put up with it, you deserve it?”
Why when we vote on Kaua‘i do we re-elect folks that for the last two, four, eight or more years have been in the positions that are supposed to be fixing the problems?
Do you think it would be possible to ask our politicians for a list of goals or benchmarks? And, like a corporate executive, expect them to resign if they do not achieve at least some of them?
The list of goals could be titled “Acta Non Verba.”
Hanalei
Community events deserve better
My family just returned from one of our favorite annual events, the Storybook Festival, this year held in Hanapepe. My children painted lizards, made lei, illustrated books, watched hula and listened to stories, all for free. The energy and the creativity behind this event always impresses me. Although we love this annual event, we were saddened to see how few families showed up.
I frequently hear families and kids bemoan the lack of “things to do” on Kaua‘i. And as a child, I too complained about how little there was to do here. Having recently returned from years on the Mainland, I realized that on the Mainland people long for the community events and the small-town festivals that Kaua‘i holds regularly. Disneyland and supermalls are only so interesting for so long. However, the low attendance that I regularly see at our community events sabotages them, preventing them from growing and continuing. Thank you to those who organized the Storybook Festival. If we all continue to support Kaua‘i’s activities maybe, just maybe, I won’t have to hear my own children complain about how little there is to do here.
Lihu‘e
Affordable housing for who?
The affordable housing that has been built into the plans for the Marriott Waipouli Resort and Kauai Lagoons sounds great. But then I read the fine print: Priority will be given first to Marriott employees and associates, then Kaua‘i residents. So what is keeping Marriott from bringing in new employees from the Mainland and hooking them up with a great deal on housing? Nothing, as far as I can see. As long as their salary falls within the guidelines, and they are first-time buyers, there appears to be no reason that Marriott won’t be allowed to do this. If this is what happens, then we have all been scammed again by developers. And if our council is really trying to help the residents, they will plug this loophole.
When I hear “affordable housing,” I picture elderly aunties who need a place to stay, or young local families trying to make a better life — not fresh corporate transplants from California who are stoked because they got a great deal on a house in Kaua‘i.
Kapa‘a
In the waiting line
I just spent approximately an hour and 45 minutes in the recycling line at the Lawa‘i Post Office. I was only the eighth customer serviced this morning, finishing at 11:45 a.m. The center opened at 8:30 a.m. The staff was actually counting the pieces by hand at one point as the scale’s LED overheated and quit working.
I understand the need to have a “supervisor” on duty for Reynolds Recycling to ensure that only the containers allowed are indeed recycled, but there is absolutely no excuse for the long wait. If Reynolds is going to check every bag and container, then it will need to have at the very least three to four persons at the site to expedite the process. Guess what folks: People are not going to recycle if they have to wait over an hour or two in line. The solution is to put a limit on what is considered “residential recycling.” A normal home will generate up to 30 pounds of recycling material in one to two weeks, according to the gentleman at the site.
The recyclers that arrive with up to a dozen extra large, contractor-size plastic bags (pickup trucks piled above the cab) weighing well over 30 pounds should have to recycle at a site that can accommodate the loads and that do not require the added transfer back into the plastic bags, such as Garden Isle Disposal’s site in Lihu‘e. The recyclables were dumped from their plastic bags into trash cans, weighed and then dumped back into trash bags to store in the roll off. Let’s make some changes that make it easier to recycle. How about curbside recycling for all of Kaua‘i!
Koloa
Politics without judgment
I have been very troubled by a few of the advocates of the recent Ohana Tax Measure because of their callous public criticism of incumbents on this subject. It has seems that a small number of them have regressed from concerned public debate into pure name-calling on this important issue. Councilwoman Yukimura’s letter succinctly framed another perspective for me in an objective, intelligent light, without placing a judgment on those whose opinion differs from her own. It is easy to see why she again received the largest number of votes in our recent primary election. Thank you once again, Councilwoman Yukimura.
Lawa‘i
