• Farming requirement not realistic • Quality education? • Why the pride? • Law should apply to horses • Give racial references a rest Farming requirement not realistic My husband’s family has been living and working on Kaua‘i for over
• Farming requirement not realistic
• Quality education?
• Why the pride?
• Law should apply to horses
• Give racial references a rest
Farming requirement not realistic
My husband’s family has been living and working on Kaua‘i for over 35 years so when we retired we planned to move to Kaua‘i. This was 1993 and the effects of Hurricane ‘Iniki were everywhere. We shopped for a year and finally found a lovely piece of property within our budget. Being an architect my husband designed our modest three-bedroom home and we set upon building it, doing most of the work ourselves in order to stay within our budget. We built it, we live on it, we love it and we intend or should I say now, hope, to die on it.
We use our unused bedrooms as bed and breakfast rooms. With the rising costs of utilities, skyrocketing gas prices, costly food, and the increase in property taxes we could not survive here without the rental of these two rooms and I fail to see how that negatively impacts the agriculture on this land. We use the same amount of space, the same amount of utilities as a family of five, probably less, since our guests are gone all day.
The criteria of having a 50 percent income derived from farming for some is very unrealistic. We are in our 70s and 80s. We cannot farm as would a 30-year-old and do not have the means to hire others to do it for us. We sell what we can to our son, who is an organic farmer and who in turn sells it at the farmers markets. But when our avocados and bananas are ripe everyone else’s are ripe and the market is glutted. We desperately need a cooperative to help market the produce we grow. We grow avocados and bananas to sell, pineapples and mangoes to use and have a small organic kitchen garden to somewhat sustain us.
Because we are on ag land we are far enough away from our neighbors so that there is never a disturbance. It’s peaceful and bucolic and city folk really enjoy this experience of farm life. They come back over and over again. No sounds of traffic, no loud parties in the hallways or under your windows and each and every B&B is unique rather than some generic hotel experience. It’s fun to see people’s faces when they are shown how pineapples grow on the ground, and they can pick their own papayas and limes and marvel at a breadfruit tree or sniff the fragrance of a gardenia still on the bush.
I have been a professional innkeeper for over 20 years and ran a well known 10 room Victorian B&B in San Diego and nowhere have I ever heard of restricting B&Bs from farm land. In New Zealand, Britain and most of Europe, stays on farm lands are encouraged. A goodly percentage of members in our B&B organizations have their facilities on current or inactive farms. Just pick up any current Mainland B&B guide book to bear me out.
Elizabeth Ferris
Kilauea
Quality education?
I had to respond to this one (“Public schools offer quality education,” Letters, July 9).
My sons had a middle school history class with photocopies of a book, instead of a text book. Also a high school class with just enough books for the classroom, but not for each student. They were unable to take them home for homework or use the the books outside the classroom.
Another thing that really irritated me was that many times when we went to rent a movie, my kids would say, “We already saw that movie in class.” One was even an “R” rated show. Why? Why were they wasting time watching movies at school?
The teachers were OK, but I don’t think they had the resources to provide a quality education.
The school situation was one of the main reasons we moved from Kaua‘i two years ago. I think my kids will have many more opportunities after high school and a brighter future than if we stayed on Kaua‘i.
Sandy Brewer
Winston, Montana
Why the pride?
Mr. Patrick Bruno’s letter (“Kapa‘a Middle School pride,” Letters, July 8) may provide some insight to the issues at Kapa‘a Middle School. When you gloss over oppressive control, tolerate abuse and ignore the plight of others, you empower and embolden the bullies. When you cheer bullies on from the sidelines, you mislead them into a false sense of approval. They begin to believe you and eventually they come to feel that they, themselves, are the victims. It’s “Playground 101.”
About ‘ohana: Usually when “‘ohana” is used, it implies a positive family atmosphere. What kind of ‘ohana is it when a principal is willing to terminate the career of a good man and highly qualified counselor (Dayne Greene)? What kind of ‘ohana is it when an acting-principal is willing to take a dedicated professional’s job away simply because the teacher (me — also a decent fellow, if I do say so myself) is willing to speak up for others? These are not “mistakes” made while doing one’s “best to make right decisions.” These are willful, vindictive acts against people of integrity and intelligence. It is disingenuous to use the word “‘ohana” when you are aware of, endorse, and participate in the use of fear and intimidation against one’s own “family.” My father told me the story of a visit to an old man in his neighborhood. The old man pulled a plant out of its pot and revealed a worm circled around its young. Then he said, “See, even the worm knows to take care of his family.”
Keith Amano
Kapa‘a
Law should apply to horses
Why would the new felony law not apply to horses? It certainly should. Makes no damn sense. Shame on the bureaucrats who were responsible for that disgraceful lack of moral integrity and judgement. Horses must depend on their owners, even if they are cruel, uncaring brutes. It’s unbelievable that they only get a slap on the wrists. The bureaucrats should consider themselves responsible for every tortured horse and for every death of mistreated horses.
Jan Crowther
Cambria, Calif.
Give racial references a rest
I’m so sick of all the racial references and whining I have to read about every day. Last time I checked, we all bleed red. We want the same things also: family, friends and a place to call home. The only thing your silly rhetoric is accomplishing is fostering an atmosphere of hate. I think all of you need to check yourselves. It’s simply ridiculous I run into people who don’t like me because my skin color is different. I don’t do that to you.
Joseph Lavery
Kapa‘a
