•A sad loss for Kaua‘i • Government, out of the way • Our harbors • Ferry navigators know control • System worked A sad loss for Kaua‘i I moved from Kaua‘i in December of 2006 to Austin, Texas. I still
•A sad loss for Kaua‘i
• Government, out of the way
• Our harbors
• Ferry navigators know control
• System worked
A sad loss for Kaua‘i
I moved from Kaua‘i in December of 2006 to Austin, Texas. I still keep up on the “goings-on” on the island through The Garden Island online, friends and ‘ohana I left behind.
How sad it was to read about the passing of Elizabeth “Kapeka” Mahuiki Chandler.
One of my first memories of Kaua‘i, in 1995, was that of Kapeka sitting in St. Williams Church in Hanalei, hair wrapped with orchids, in a beautiful mumu, flanked on both sides by her kids and grandchildren. I thought to myself, “This is old Hawai‘i, this is aloha, this is a woman rich in ways most will never know.”
Kapeka had an incredible spirit and was steeped in Hawaiian tradition. She was always smiling and was revered by all of the visitors who saw her sitting at the back of the church in her wheelchair as someone “special.”
She carried with her the history of Kaua‘i from long ago and passed that on to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren … all 64 of them.
May God bless you, Kapeka, for always having a smile for us. You are part of Kaua‘i that I took with me when I left. You will always be a part of happy memories and the true definition of the word “aloha.” What a legacy you have left behind.
Jeff Hayes
Austin, Texas
Government, out of the way
If anyone really believes more government restrictions will somehow result in more affordable housing, they’re sadly off base. Efficiency in government, removing roadblocks to less expensive housing development, removing a few of the obstacles (and therefore decreasing the time and money) would go a lot further toward providing the elusive affordable housing. I’m not a big fan of development, but no housing will happen by itself. The best plan would be for government to get out of the way as much as possible and let the market solve the problems.
Wil Welsh
Kapa‘a
Our harbors
I spend most of my spare time at the Kukuiula Small Boat Harbor near Spouting Horn in Lawa‘i. To me it’s a very peaceful place and I enjoy myself there like many of the local people do. Most of the people who frequent the harbor are like myself; on a fixed income or families on a tight budget.
These people can’t afford to go to the Sheraton, Hyatt or Marriott, or most all of the restaurants on the South Shore, so the harbor is a reasonable alternative. You can get a couple of beers, barbecue a hamburger, buy some bait, do a little fishing and stay on the budget and enjoy yourself.
My problem with this is the condition of these harbors is nothing less than a total embarrassment to the state of Hawai‘i. We have eight lights at the harbor. For six months, we had only one. It took letters asking the people in charge six months to get seven light bulbs replaced. It took over one year to get a 20-foot section of the dock replaced that washed out in a storm and that wasn’t completed with tie-off cleats and bumpers the way it was designed. The 6-foot by 6-foot, wood-curb bumpers to keep a car from running into the water are all rotten and falling apart and nothing is done.
Every time you ask someone on the state payroll to do something it’s the same answer: “We don’t have the money.”
Yet the state can hire attorneys, call out the Coast Guard and all types of law enforcement to push something on the people as stupid as this Superferry.
The governor and this administration knows well that if a vote were taken today in the county of Kaua‘i the Superferry would lose hands down. So they don’t have money to fix what we have, but we have plenty of money (millions) to force something on us we don’t want.
Bill Murphy
Koloa
Ferry navigators know control
Regarding his potentially tragic worse case scenario (“‘Alakai’ maneuverings,” Letters, Nov. 13), I respectfully submit to the Maui harbor pilot, Ed Enos, that I would assume the captain, pilot and navigators of a ship the size of the Superferry would know full well how not to let their vessel “get caught in the wind and blown onto the jetty or breakwater.”
True that it may show us just how reliant we are on outside sources for goods from afar, but heaven help us if these professional mariners operating a vessel of this size cannot avoid being blown onto a jetty. If not, then the lovely Nawiliwili Harbor is in way more trouble than we thought.
Kim Brown
Po‘ipu
System worked
The Constitution of the United States has been amended fewer times than most state constitutions and city and county charters.
Perhaps the first 10 amendments referred to as the Bill of Rights are the most important. When a constitution is originally framed, the framers are generally in agreement that they want as perfect a document as is humanly possible. Subsequent framers are usually not that altruistic.
There is political involvement that favors private interest more than it does the public good. That’s why we should be very careful, when it is suggested by someone that a constitutional convention be convened. Is it because it is flawed, or because someone is unhappy with the way a particular controversy was decided?
The adage “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” should be applied strongly. In my opinion, the three branches of the state of Hawai‘i government are operating almost flawlessly. The Superferry situation is a good example. Let’s examine what has transpired so far.
Governor Linda Lingle decided that a state ferry system would be beneficial to the general population of Hawai‘i. The opponents of the ferry system went to the judicial branch for relief. The judiciary in the form of the State Supreme Court — and subsequently a temporary restraining order, in support of a state statute — blocked progress on the ferry system. The legislative branch changed the law. It was signed by the governor, leaving the restraining order moot. The judge, at the request of the governor, lifted the restraining order, allowing the ferry management to proceed.
The process worked just as the framers of the constitution anticipated that it would. Our constitutional government is unique. The British have the Magna Carta which was imposed on a king by British noblemen. Other countries have other forms of documents which are designed to promote their peaceful operation. The rule of law is the foundation for our freedoms.
We must guard it diligently against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
Harry Boranian
Lihu‘e
