Letters for Friday, December 22, 2006

• Open letter to DLNR II

• We can shop where we want

• Small is good

• The really hilarious agenda

• Big box garage?

Open letter to DLNR II

Wednesday’s letter by Mr. Coopersmith (“Open letter to DLNR,” Letters, Dec. 20), an intelligent and very generous Koke‘e leaseholder I have the pleasure of knowing, stated that Kauaians don’t want amenities and improvements at Koke‘e, that Koke‘e should be left alone, but then goes on to ask that the roads, restrooms, trails and state cabins be repaired. And for good reason, for any visit to the park leaves no doubt that the disrepair in this gem of a park, which apparently does not even have a resident ranger, speaks of insufficient funding. But I think these arguments are disingenuous — a detraction from the real issue, which is the cabin leases.

While undoubtedly there was near unanimous objection to the Koke‘e Plan at the public meetings, DLNR should ascertain if the the objections really represented Kauaians, or mainly the community of Koke‘e leaseholders. They have argued for essentially never-ending leases governed by only the free market, or for at least full compensation by the state if cabins are surrendered (realizing that compensation would in practice render the plan dead). Kauaians, leaseholders and DLNR should ask if granting long-term private rights in a public-owned park is in the best interest of conservation. For conservationists nowadays know that without broad support and economic benefit to surrounding communities, protection does not last long.

San Diego/Kalaheo

We can shop where we want

For those citizens on Kaua‘i who are opposed to the big box stores that have come to our island, they seem to ignore two very important points.

First, we are still a nation of free people capable of going when we want and where we want to shop. If we wish to go to a mini mart for convenience and pay premium prices rather than go to Foodland or Safeway, then we are free to do so.

If we feel a loyalty to our neighborhood businesses over Wal-Mart, Kmart, Costco or The Home Depot, then no one can stop us from going there.

Free markets will dictate whether or not these big box stores stay open and my guess is that most people will go where the prices best fit their budgets.

Second, and even more importantly, no one on this island should forget that the emergence of Costco with their $2.79 gallon of gas (regular) forced every gas station on Kaua‘i to lower their prices 40 to 50 cents per gallon.

Instead of complaining about the proliferation of big box stores, we should thank Costco for saving Kaua‘i families millions of dollars in fuel costs and demand an investigation by the Attorney General’s Office to see why we were being ripped off by the oil companies. If these companies are making a profit with gas around $2 per gallon, then how can they justify their old prices which we would still be paying if not for Costco? Exxon-Mobile made record profits (in the billions) in the last quarter; what happened to the gas cap or some investigation of these oil companies?

Kapa‘a

Small is good

My letter is in response to the article published in The Garden Island on Dec. 18 about school closings and consolidations (“Small schools may be consolidated”).

It is typical of the Bush-Lingle years that our public servants gut our infrastructure and sell off our commonwealth for short-term interests. We are living in times when small and local services are becoming increasingly important.

After recommendations of Lingle’s the Economic Momentum Commission, the Hawai‘i Department of Education is considering consolidation of small public schools and under-utilized schools (less than 66 percent of capacity).

Consolidation of schools is the wrong thing to be thinking about. The EMC is not an educational or cultural commission. Their goal is keeping the current economic engine going. They are not looking at the fact that we are running on empty.

This is the worst kind of Soviet bureaucratic-style mentality. It relies on the economy of size and simplicity as guiding virtues.

The DOE is even considering selling off public property. Needless to say, once sold off for private use, this property will never be available again for meeting the needs of the public. This thinking has allowed mining and timber companies free access to our national parks.

In an energy expensive future, small schools nearby will be a much better service to the community than a few schools far away. Just look at the Amish in New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. They do not rely on the automobile and as a result they still use one-room school houses in their communities. All schools are still within walking distance of each student.

Our elementary schools should be in 20 minutes walking distance; middle schools 20 minutes biking distance; and high schools 20 minutes bussing distance.

For that would mean at least one more high school (on the north side), and adding lost middle school grades back to a few elementary schools (like ‘Ele‘ele).

The state of Hawai‘i was thinking more clearly when it recently announced that it would provide photovoltaic panels to power the only school on Ni‘ihau, thus making it possible to operate computers and other equipment that could not be used in the past. Ni‘ihau has a total population of 160 people.

Finally, doesn’t the DOE know it has been demonstrated that smaller schools provide better support for individual students? Small is good.

Hanapepe

The really hilarious agenda

Luckily I did not read “Juggernaut of the Gay Agenda” (Letters, Dec. 16). But I was fortunate enough to read “The Real Gay Agenda” by Ross Martineau (Letters, Dec. 19).

I laughed until I cried.

It should be made into some sort of decree, so it could be distributed to all the “Gay Agenda” pseudo-experts. Indeed, that in Martineau’s “Agenda” the fact that only one half-hour of the day was earmarked to overthrow the government and take over the world while one whole hour was allotted for hair appointments was hilarious. Humor is our best friend, as hatred is the enemy.

Thanks for the great laugh, Ross!

Kilauea

Big box garage?

When he was the state transportation director, the late Dr. Fujio Matsuda jokingly suggested that traffic congestion problems would be solved if government manufactured vehicles and private enterprise constructed roads.

The Kaua‘i County government could pass a bill barring the import of all vehicles to the island, then erect a vehicle-building facility in the industrial center.

Of course, the structure would have to be 75,000 square feet or less.

Lihu‘e