• About your mother • Mahalo Kaua‘i • Furloughs better than layoffs • Committee support critical About your mother Mr. Joseph Lavery I must congratulate you on your insight in your response to Mr. Mickens’ letter. (“Who asked you?” Letters,
• About your mother
• Mahalo Kaua‘i
• Furloughs better than layoffs
• Committee support critical
About your mother
Mr. Joseph Lavery I must congratulate you on your insight in your response to Mr. Mickens’ letter. (“Who asked you?” Letters, June 21)
Unfortunately, you missed the point completely. I have no doubt that you have a wonderful mother would was there for you. However, there are hundreds if not thousands of children who are neglected, abused, and exposed to drugs use on a daily basis.
Your response is simplistic and lacking of awareness. The government must legislate the use of illicit drugs because there aren’t enough mothers like yours to go around.
Thank you, Mr. Mickens and KPD, for your commitment to keep the citizens of Kaua‘i safe.
Erin Loo, Mililani
Mahalo Kaua‘i
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the ‘ohana Glover Hansador at Halfway Bridge. I was fortunate to see the everday operations there. They are truly a large part of Kaua‘i’s economy.
They have been very good friends of mine for a very long time and I would like to express my gratitude to them.
I would also like to thank the contractors of Kaua‘i for the work they have given me and the crew. I would like to also thank all of my friends for their support they have given me.
It’s been the best medicine that I have received so far. Also I would like to thank the Lihikai ‘ohana for their support.
Richard Basulto, Kapa‘a
Furloughs better than layoffs
In response to the letter, “1 cent makes sense” (Letters, July 24), the writer says a 1-cent increase in the general excise tax is a “meager 1 percent.”
Not so! Keep in mind that a 1 cent increase in the GE tax, raising it from 4 percent to 5 percent, is actually a 20 percent increase in the tax amount. Considering that the present 4 percent GE tax is a pyramiding tax — that is, it is passed through all levels of commercial activity — the Tax Foundation of Hawai‘i tells us that is approximately equivalent to a 12 percent sales tax.
Raising it by 1 cent would bring it to nearly a 15 percent sales tax equivalence. Now, considering the GE tax is passed to all consumers on virtually all items, including food and medical, it is one of the most regressive taxes there is. It puts a proportionally higher load on lower income folks who need to purchase food just as much as the rich do. To increase taxes on the unemployed, under-employed and the poor will only make the present recession worse and leave us with a higher, and probably permanent new tax rate.
Government is paid for by the private sector through taxation. The private sectors here are feeling hard times through little or no fault of their own. (It’s a national recession.) With the private sector experiencing unemployment, under-employment, pay cuts and the like, it seems only fair that the government sector share in the current pain.
The furlough proposal of the governor was fair and it permitted employees to keep their benefits, seniority and retirement entitlements, with the opportunity to full restoration once the economy recovers and the budget can be once more balanced.
Resistance by the unions is appropriate. That’s their job. But holding the line at a 5 percent pay cut, which will not result in the constitutionally required balanced budget, results in the greater pain of layoffs.
Sandy Brodie, Princeville
Committee support critical
Kudos to the Kaua‘i County Council for finally scheduling and having a thorough discussion of the transparency issues and timely document distribution problems during the July 20 council meeting.
These issues are extremely important as they affect how efficiently the council members can serve its constituents and what type of access the public has to documents. Readily accessible e-mail, print and online documents are vital in allowing for knowledgeable participation by both our council and residents.
I have often felt that my e-mails sent to all council members never reached them as never once did I receive a reply from any council member. Now I understand why. It was shown during the meeting that e-mails sent to all council members are not electronically forwarded to them and commonly have their return e-mail addresses and phone numbers blacked out.
Finally, the proposal by Dickie Chang and Jay Fufaro to establish an ad hoc Special Advisory Committee to review all of the council’s rules and report back in 90 days is a very good idea — especially if it also looks at information flow and the committee is expanded to six members, including men and women, as Lani and Tim have suggested.
This committee will take an in-depth look at all these issues making recommendations on how to streamline the flow of all information and what is a fair process in placing items on the agenda.
I was glad to see Walter Lewis’ column July 25 outlining the rule changes that are needed — perhaps he should be on the committee.
This ad hoc committee should be supported by all, especially the council members.
Anthony Allen, Princeville
