• Leading by example • Same standards for the trees • Attending council meetings • Obama should implement single-pay insurance Leading by example I often see general manager Gary Mizuuchi’s smiling face while I am shopping in Safeway and (Monday)
• Leading by example • Same standards
for the trees • Attending council meetings
• Obama should implement single-pay
insurance
Leading by example
I often see general manager Gary Mizuuchi’s smiling face while I am shopping in Safeway and (Monday) I got to know him a bit better. The day had gotten away from me and there I was shopping at peak time with one arm in a soft cast and
sling. Gary must have noticed I was getting tired of pushing my cart around and lifting groceries because after greeting me he guided my cart to a closed cashier lane, unloaded my groceries, personally rang me up and carefully placed all my
things in one bag so I could carry them, all the while cheerfully commiserating about recent injuries. Gary lives aloha and I feel his leadership throughout the store as I have been helped by so many employees who have opened numerous boxes to find me just the right thing or taught me a little sign language at the deli counter.
Now instead of complaining about all the confused tourists clogging up the aisle and parking lot, I find myself helping them find their way too.
Mahalo Gary!
Connie Corona, Kapa‘a
Same standards for the trees
In the past, those of us in the community who have been fighting against putting a bike path on the Sacred Sands of Wailua Beach, have been criticized for putting up flyers on trees fronting the Eastside and Kapa‘a Shorelines. We are told that we are damaging the trees and trashing the environment, even using a popular Kaua‘i radio station to do this.
This form of local communication, or one way of using the “coconut wireless”, is a way of respecting our local people, especially lifetime ocean users, sharing with them the cultural desecration that is taking place in our Wailua Ahupua‘a.
We don’t hear these same folks crying about the trees that are now being dug up to make to room for the bike path on Wailua Beach.
James Alalem, Wailua
Ray Catania, Lihu‘e
Attending council meetings
I attended the County Council meeting 01/26/11 at the request of Mr. Mickens, 0940-1540 hours. My intent was to comment on the integrity of Kaua’i Bus’s inception, past management practices and SERVICE expansion including Forum letter FREE Big Island bus/shared taxi services.
Instead, I commented on the new auditor’s department that will be without appropriate clerical support, yet the chair and other council sit with more than 1:1 clerical staff surrounding them, and the chair’s audacity to demand 100 percent return without properly enhancing the department with necessary support.
Also, council allows the Corps of Engineers to dictate movement of the Kekaha lifeguard tower whereby unnecessary expenditures are required and could better be spent elsewhere, like hiring a clerical team for Auditor’s department. Then, County attorney was bashed by the chair, he commenting that the attorney had “lectured” him/them, which was not the case, the way I perceived or observed the humble asssessment given by the attorney to the council for the comments surrounding furloughs ending, a new slate start to appropriate funds “moving forward” without “furlough” baggage. Attorney stating a “clean” start would be the better way to more forward. DUH!!
More community peoples need to regularly attend these meetings. The way I see it, there are millions of taxpayer dollars spent at the liberty of our council without checks or balances. Why has it taken all of 40-year residency on Kaua‘i to plan or
implement an auditor’s department, when it’s clear outer islands have a “yellow book”?
Debra Kekaualua, Wailuauka
Obama should implement single-pay insurance
The present healthcare debacle is Barack Obama’s big chance to act Presidential. For-profit health insurance lobbyists have the legislature tied up in knots.
An executive order by the President, setting aside for-profit health insurance is the only chance to institute single-pay health insurance, which is the most effective and economical solution.
In my opinion, this is the biggest test of Obama’s presidency to date. How he handles it can make or break him. Let’s hope that he has the fortitude to do the right thing, defy the lobbyists and give us single-pay health insurance.
Harry Boranian, Lihu‘e
