Letters for Sunday, December 20, 2009

• Let the people decide

• We all win

• Don’t charge entry fees to state park

Let the people decide

The question for the Charter Review Commission is not whether a strong mayor or county manager form of government will or will not serve the people for better or worse. Instead, the question before the Charter Review Commission is whether they will allow this question on the ballot before the people in 2010.

The choice of creating a Charter Review Commission for 10 years was placed on the last election’s ballot without a detailed list of particulars, analysis, research, and findings now being called for by the Charter Review Commission for the county manager issue. If the people choose “no,” then don’t worry about it. If the people choose “yes,” then work on the details and implementation.

Transparency and accountability never happens unless one knows who is in charge. No single branch of government is in charge on this issue. The appointed Charter Review Commission is not in charge. The judiciary is not in charge on this issue. Presumably, in a democracy, the people are in charge. Let the people decide.

If the people are truly in charge and the Charter Review Commission values the will of the people, they will put the question to allow a strong County manager form of government on the ballot. Let the people decide and live with the consequences, just as they are now living by their decision to empower the Charter Review Commission to be either gatekeepers or enablers to democratic choices.

Carol Bain, Puhi

We all win

Just when I thought we’ve heard it all, along comes another obvious example of convenient perspective by the liberal left (“Climate skepticism,” Letters, Dec. 17).

While Mr. Downs makes a good point by suggesting we should all conserve and leave a lower carbon footprint, regardless of climate change, his conspiracy perspective is completely backwards.

When you have a group of “scientists” from one of the most prestigious scientific think tanks banding together to completely ignore hard scientific evidence that global warming is not occurring, you have a conspiracy. In fact, when that same group of “scientists” conspire to prevent any scientist from speaking at their international scientific conventions if that scientist has any evidence refuting their man made global warming theory, you have a conspiracy.

Have you actually read the myriad of e-mails going back and forth between these left leaning “scientific” conspirators? Do so and you will clearly see they are conveniently intent on marketing to the world their hoped for reality of man caused climate change. I’ve read a few of them and these individuals have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that their “scientist” credentials should be revoked. Of course their head “scientist” resigned over the matter but that is not enough. Every scientist who participated in recognizing only data that showed their hoped for outcome and suppressing all data that showed other conclusions should be fired.

This group of left leaning zealots have never had so much attention and admiration afforded them since the Al Gore “Convenient False” movie that led to his Nobel prize. Of course, now there’s a credible group of moderate, not conservative, pundits calling for big Al to return the prize since some countries have banned the movie because of so many falsehoods being uncovered in its content.

Mr. Downs states, “There is nothing to be gained by scientists deliberately misstating their conclusions.” Bingo, Mr. Downs, that’s exactly what this main “global warming is man-made” crowd has been proven beyond a shadow of doubt to be doing. Read the e-mails!

On one point we should be in agreement and all working diligently to effect. We need to lower our carbon footprint, stop destroying forests and Ag land, save the wildlife of our planet, and quit putting harmful chemicals into the air and water that sustains us! If we do that to the best of our ability it won’t matter whether the earth is warming or cooling because of man made activities, or whether it’s just a natural occurrence of the earth’s weather cycles that have been warming and cooling since before the dinosaurs. We all win.

Gordon Oswald, Kapa‘a

Don’t charge entry fees to state park

I read your article about charging entry fees for Waimea Canyon. I want to voice my strong opinion against charging fees to enter this sacred landmark.

We Kauaians have visited this place since I was very young and to charge someone is not right.

Steve Delano (Mana boy), Garland, Texas