• Fish kill in Hanapepe Bay • Don’t be chili … um, silly • Same ol’ song and dance • Our fading infrastructure • Go postal, get good service Fish kill in Hanapepe Bay I just read the statements of
• Fish kill in Hanapepe Bay
• Don’t be chili … um, silly
• Same ol’ song and dance
• Our fading infrastructure
• Go postal, get good service
Fish kill in Hanapepe Bay
I just read the statements of state employees Tarey Low (enforcement) and Alton Miyasake (biologist) about the fish kill and odor at Hanapepe Bay on Kaua‘i. If Mr. Low couldn’t just lift his phone and call his game wardens and find out who was fishing in the bay, I wonder where they all were assigned, since you can see the bay from the highway a mile away. Oops, sorry, this happens so often, maybe no one pays attention anymore. As a biologist, Mr. Miyasaka should know that bays and estuaries like Hanapepe are vital habitat for fish stock, and any overfishing, pollution or other disruptions can cause great harm. Yes, you have to investigaye, I mean pollution could have been a cause, or local fishermen might have caught too much fish so they dumped them, but I will predict that nothing will happen. Now, if this were on O‘ahu, you would have three television stations and about 20 politicians out there, venting their outrage over this issue. If this had happened at Hanalei Bay, our local politicians would be calling for a state investigation. Alas, this is west Kaua‘i, so, like all other surf fishermen, I will scour the waters for fish, then if the akule do come near enough to catch with poles, I will rejoice in my good fortune and if really lucky, share my good fortune with family and friends, all the while knowing that as soon as possible, a commercial fisherman will legally come and harvest the school. Inside the net will be illegal sized papio and moi out of season, but don’t worry, it is legal for them, you see, the incidental catch rule. There will be dead fish washing up in the bay, on Makaweli Beach and elsewhere, but be happy, you can be cited for a 9 1/2 inch papio, too much oama in your cooler or too small a crab, and don’t blame the game warden, he is just doing his job. But the next time you vote, if you elect the same people who have turned a deaf ear, quit complaining and live with it.
Lance Miyao
Waimea
Don’t be chili … um, silly
Jane Taylor must be naive (“More than bargained for,” Letters, Aug. 7). She seems to believe that Costco would not be responsible enough to pull all the chili from the warehouses when the recall was sent out.
For the record, when the recall came, Costco immediately instructed its warehouses to pull the chili, and any other products affected by the recall. Costco workers made certain that no one else would become ill.
Costco did not cause the problem with tainted food. Costco took steps to ensure the safety of its members.
I’m certain that all other stores on Kaua‘i, and elsewhere, did the same.
Kristi Stephens
Lihu‘e
Same ol’ song and dance
Illegal vacation rentals. Illegal vacation rentals. I gotta make ends meet. I’ll lose my house if I don’t rent to tourists. It is my land, I’ll do what I want with it. Blah, blah, blah. Common sense tells me that if you can’t afford something, don’t buy it, which is why I don’t ever expect to be able to own property on this island.
Roger Olsen
Lawai
Our fading infrastructure
The recent collapse of the bridge and related tragedy in Minnesota affects me deeply as I grew up in the state and was born in Minneapolis. What inspires me to write this is yet another in what seems to be mounting avoidable disasters. Hurricane Katrina, Ka Loko, the I-35W bridge; what they all have in common is they are the products of neglected engineering. The levees in New Orleans, dams, bridges, electrical grids, all built decades ago and left to fend on their own. All these systems, if they have even been inspected, are lucky to even get a patch-up job at best.
It is impossible to blame anyone or even groups of people for this failure. Republicans and Democrats alike have overseen the aging of our infrastructure. Federal and state funds have been cut for years from the budgets.
I am by no means a fan of the present Republican Party, who cuts funds from most social programs so they can make sure to fund their tax cuts and interests of their lobbyists. However, more government isn’t necessarily the answer. While it is an option, private corporations could work as well. I think that if we had enough professionals employed to give us sound infrastructure, if we had the ability for everyone to afford healthcare, myself and most others would be satisfied no matter how it was realized.
We can spend $10 billion a month on the occupation of Iraq, but we cannot provide a high quality of services for our own country. I work for myself, well over 40 hours a week and do alright financially. However, I have not had health insurance for years. Even though my wife has coverage, it would cost me several hundred dollars a month for me to be added on, which is beyond our means. President Bush loves to say that the government shouldn’t pay for health insurance; the people should pay for it. I think that is true, but how is it possible when it is unaffordable?
Until programs or corporations are funded and created that can provide countless jobs for all utilities, infrastructure, ports and borders to be inspected and kept up and healthcare is available to everyone, I will continue to feel that I am living in a second world country. We can continue our quest to fight terrorism and spend the majority of our tax money on it, but until we fix our outdated country, I cannot feel comfortable in my own life, let alone feel safe crossing a river or anytime I start to get a scratchy throat.
Brian Groen
Lihu‘e
Go postal, get good service
Let’s make an effort to look for the good government employees. Take the time to tell them what a good job they are doing. Bring their extra efforts to the attention of their boss. Looking for the good changed my attitude about waiting in lines.
A number of years ago I lived near three post offices. I started comparing them as to friendliness, time in line, etc. I would fill out the card with bravos for a good job. For the last three years I have gone into the Lihu‘e Post Office at least once a week. Comparing them to 10 other postal facilities around the country, Lihu‘e is tops. They work as a team which includes postmaster Mark. Before this last confusing change in postal rates, Richard our carrier, came by each office with information about the change and explained what would be happening. When the Lihu‘e P.O. did not have the templates for people to measure the size of their mail, Jan wrote down names and called us when our templates arrived. Karen, Keith, Bobby, Emery and Arthur go beyond what I have ever seen when it comes to helping people. They are all an example to me in how to treat others.
I propose that we praise others for what they do. I would like to start by thanking the Lihu‘e P.O. for consistently doing a great job.
Liz Thompson
Kekaha
