• Kudos to Dr. Rovinsky • Coco Palms should become a park • To Calvin Say and all legislators • Hold the SEC accountable Kudos to Dr. Rovinsky This is a testimony to the knowledge, dedication and compassion of Dr.
• Kudos to Dr. Rovinsky
• Coco Palms should become a park
• To Calvin Say and all legislators
• Hold the SEC accountable
Kudos to Dr. Rovinsky
This is a testimony to the knowledge, dedication and compassion of Dr. David Rovinsky, surgical director of the Bone and Joint Clinic at Wilcox Memorial Hospital.
He and his staff applied their considerable skills unto this very grateful patient.
It is my hope those who read this, if not previously aware, will become enlightened as to the remarkable high quality care and performance generated by his person and stall.
For these and other reasons, I think Dr. Rovinsky is better than most of us.
Skylar Brown, Kilauea
Coco Palms should become a park
By now people probably know the possible developer of the Coco Palms property has returned to the Planing Commission asking for a two- or three-year extension on their building permits.
During the last two years they have failed to do the maintenance they promised to do — keeping up the fish pond and coconut grove and beginning to tear down the storm-wrecked buildings.
None of these things have happened but they want an extension anyway since they are having trouble getting financing for their project. There is no reason to think they will start to do upkeep now or that the economy will have changed enough to allow the building to start within the next few years.
They are also talking about making major changes in the buildings they want to construct.
With all this up in the air it seems to me they should be refused an extension and come back when they have financing and design changes on paper. Feb. 10 the Planning Commission voted to defer the decision but it will come back soon since the present permits lapse in May this year.
It is my opinion that Coco Palms is not a viable project and the land should be acquired by the public to be used as Hawaiian cultural center and park. Without permits the assessment would be considerably less which would help the public to buy the property.
Steps are being taken now to see if there is enough interest by the public to buy Coco Palms. If you are interested please send some money to them for a preliminary study. Also, write this paper and the Planning Commission urging them to refuse an extension on the permits and come to the Planning Commission when Coco Palms is on the agenda again.
Marge Freeman, Kapa‘a
To Calvin Say and all legislators
State Rep. Calvin Say’s proposals are a hard insult to government workers (Re: HB1715, 1716, 1719, 1720).
The threat of taking away our medical benefits and moving our acceptable retirement date to 65 will force us to retire before June 30.
I am a state employee (personnel clerk) with the Department of Education and an HGEA excluded associate member for a short 15 years. Others have dedicated 30 to 40 years or more.
I have worked happily underpaid and happily overworked, because I love my job and most certainly for the relatively good benefits I was promised.
My paycheck doesn’t cover even minimum living expenses; retirement and social security will be minimum. I took a 30 percent cut coming from the private sector to the DOE primarily for the alleged security and benefits, certainly not for the salary.
I foresee Say’s bills forcing out seasoned, knowledgeable employees from every part of the state government, setting the stage for systemic chaos.
It is curious that 35 percent pay increases for upper echelon state officials sail through unquestioned, while clerical and blue collar grunts like me — the backbone of the functioning system — are slapped with threats Say has presented.
It is curious that there are no proposals to cull the judges’ and elected officials’ retirement base of 3.5 percent compared to our 1.25 percent, plus their annuity, plus they may retire in only 10 years at any age.
Your proposals are an insult to government workers and political suicide for you and any other elected official who votes for those bills.
Donna Alalem, Kapa‘a
Hold the SEC accountable
The American economy consists of sellers and buyers.
The sellers can be farmers or manufacturers, anyone who has a product to sell.
There are two kinds of buyers: consumers, who use the products that they buy; and speculators, who try to buy at a low price and sell at a higher price in order to make a profit.
In the interest of fairness in the marketplace, reasonable rules are established, usually by government. These rules are supposed to administered by regulators.
My earliest knowledge of a regulator was at school. There was a pendulum clock on the wall. On the glass door of the clock was the word “Regulator.”
As a school kid prank, we used to detach the pendulum from the clock works, which promptly went crazy, ticking rapidly. As soon as we replaced the pendulum, the clock went back to measured time.
I can’t think of a better example of what happened to our economy, when the regulators failed to regulate. It was a perfect example of what happens to a free market, such as ours, when it succumbs to the disastrous effects of greed unchecked. None of us are perfect.
We’ve all got a smidgen of larceny in our hearts. We need the rules. We need the regulators.
In my opinion, the Securities and Exchange Commission should not go unchallenged for this transgression. Those responsible for the damage that was done should be terminated with prejudice.
Harry Boranian, Lihu‘e
