• Be careful not to gloat • The voters speak • To a receptive council • Congratulations, James Tokioka • Big box ban better • Why expand on Kaua‘i? Be careful not to gloat I know Democrats are probably very
• Be careful not to gloat
• The voters speak
• To a receptive council
• Congratulations, James Tokioka
• Big box ban better
• Why expand on Kaua‘i?
Be careful not to gloat
I know Democrats are probably very happy this week with the gains made in Congress. I warn you, though, to be measured with your glee, because there is absolutely no reason to believe that anything is going to change here. This is the problem with the mantra “Vote out the incumbents.”
Yes, Democrats will have a bit more power to put Bush in check, but Bush still has the veto pen and has not been afraid to use it. More important, though, the real problem with the government is not the clash of ideologies but the classless idiocy of politicians, and Democrats can certainly not claim to be any better than their counterparts across the aisle (or on the flip side of the same coin, in my opinion).
Democrats have an opportunity now to really make a change in the way government works, and if they don’t take that chance, we are all going to be right back in this same place a few years from now with the same nonsense and more calls to vote out the incumbents. It’s time to actually fix government rather than volley control of it back and forth like some badminton birdie.
‘Ele‘ele
The voters speak
Wednesday’s front page headline read, “The people have spoken.”
Yes we have.
We voted for more traffic congestion, more development, more secret government and probably higher property taxes. What more could we ask?
All is not lost, however. We will have the chance in two years to vote again for more of the same government policies. Would it be possible to Xerox this year’s selections for council and send in an early ballot for 2008?
It would save us a lot of time and trouble to know that the next council will be the same as this one.
‘Oma‘o
To a receptive council
Let me compliment you on a well-crafted editorial (Forum, Nov. 9).
By direction and by innuendo, the editorial is a milestone on Kaua‘i.
It is important that the Kaua‘i County Council carefully select whomsoever will serve as their chairperson. There must be an attempt to avoid the failures of the past by voting for vision, open government free of intimidation and displaying respect for constituents as well as receptiveness to the ideas and efforts of others, such as the Property Tax Task Force. To do less will signal the voters that it will be business as usual, which is no longer acceptable.
I thank you again for your statements. I, as well as others, will anticipate that your newspaper will continue to objectively review the actions and workings of government here on Kaua‘i. The opportunity is yours. The beneficiaries are the people of Kaua‘i.
Koloa
Congratulations, James Tokioka
I would like to thank the people of Kaua‘i for giving me the privilege to campaign for the House seat. My love, my wife Anne, and I both have been treated well by all of you.
Many, many thanks to the 40 percent of the voters who took time out to vote. I thank my campaign staff and all the contributors and supporters of my campaign. Without all of you we couldn’t have been competitive.
I congratulate Mr. James Tokioka for being our next Representative for District 15. I wish him success in bettering Kaua‘i.
There is one thing I would like the people of Kaua‘i to know. Mr. Tokioka and I both know that candidates do not have control over what our respective parties do out of Honolulu. During this campaign; there were two inflammatory mail-outs. The first (the milder of the two) came from the state Democrat headquarters in Honolulu. In response, the second came from the state Republican headquarters, also in Honolulu. Mr. Tokioka and I have been personal friends for the past six years and we both intended not to hurt each other personally during this campaign. I believe we kept that intent because neither of us was responsible for the two inflammatory mail-outs.
Lastly, my hats off to the united Democrat Party. Their people worked hard and rallied for their candidate. Democrat icons from Sen. Daniel Inouye down to Ezra Kanoho and most of the County Council members, including the chairman, stepped up in the campaign. Republicans have a lot to learn.
I now look forward to continuing my quiet way of helping to better Kaua‘i in every way I can.
Much Aloha.
Lihu‘e
Big box ban better
I wanted to write to say “Thank You” to the mayor and County Council for having the forethought to stop the big-box madness before it is too late. The economic pie in Kaua‘i is only so big. If one retailer takes too much of the pie, other existing stores will be forced to close. Allowing one retailer to take the whole pie does not increase our shopping choices, it reduces them.
We need intelligent growth on Kaua‘i. We need more choices, not one or two enormous choices with nowhere else to shop. We need to support the council and mayor in making smart choices for the growth of our community. The size limits allow new grocery stores to come and give us competition. It allows other types of retailers who can offer needed shopping without wiping out all of our existing businesses in the process. We need new shopping choices, not one huge non-choice where everyone will be forced to shop when they close the doors on many of the others.
Kapa‘a
Why expand on Kaua‘i?
Is Wal-Mart feeling a touch of paranoia? Why else expand here?
Costco arrives and out of all the islands in the chain, Wal-Mart chooses Kaua‘i to build a superbox.
Kaua‘i needs another big box like it needs another hotel/condo resort.
Koloa
