• Congressional chicanery • Stolen boots • Getting on track • Drug treatment center Congressional chicanery The continuing manufactured crisis and debate in Washington over the debt ceiling by politicians of both parties is a disgusting display in sleight-of-hand. Its
• Congressional chicanery • Stolen
boots • Getting on track • Drug
treatment center
Congressional chicanery
The continuing manufactured crisis and debate in Washington over the debt ceiling by politicians of both parties is a disgusting display in sleight-of-hand. Its purpose is to distract the American people from the real economic issue-which is, jobs.
Instead of relying on budget cutting and austerity plans which destroys employment opportunities, we need to increase investments to improve and repair our national infrastructure. Not only would this create good paying jobs, it would be establishing and repairing assets that would continually contribute and begin to turn our economic ship around.
Let us not be distracted by political theater, but focused on reality. Nothing inspires confidence in the economy like a real job with a real paycheck.
Randy Swindell, Hawai‘i Ports Maritime Council President
Stolen boots
Fifty-three terrorists are holding America hostage. They have a gun to our economic head and unless they get their way, they are going to pull the trigger.
When your Social Security check doesn’t show up next month, will you realize the folly of protests for smaller government which was suppose to keep its hands off of your Social Security? Will you understand how you have fallen prey to the propaganda on Fox News? Will you finally know that Glenn Beck has been lying to you?
Even though President Barack Obama offered drastic cuts in Social Security and Medicare making you a sacrifice to the TEA party, they still want more. The men who own the TEA party want America to default on its interest payments. They want another Great Depression. They want interest rates to rise so that real estate prices will fall. Then, when you walk away from an underwater mortgage they will steal your house too.
These are the men who are suppose to be the job makers. Where are the jobs? Gone to China.
The Koch Brothers, along with many (not all) of the very rich, own the TEA party. They inherited their wealth from their father who sold important oil technology to the Soviet Union. Some might call him a traitor, but he really was just a capitalist. Whatever it took to get rich.
The Republican Party has always said you need to pull yourselves up by your bootstraps. I’ll bet you never thought they would steal your boots.
John Zwiebel, Kalaheo
Getting on track
The Salary Commission met on July 26 and is scheduled to meet again on Aug. 5, when it anticipates deferring administrative raises that were due to take effect on July 1, 2011 to July 1, 2013.
Background: In 2007 the commission established a salary schedule consisting of across-the-board increases for elected and appointed officials of 25 percent effective July 1, 2007 and three 7-percent increases effective the first day of December of 2007, 2008, and 2009 — a cumulative total of slightly more than 50 percent.
The 2009 increase for administrative personnel was deferred to 2010 and then to July 1, 2011, while the commission allowed the 2009 increases for legislative personnel and members of the prosecutor’s office to stand. It is now expected that the administrative raises will be deferred to July 1, 2013.
When it receives the commission’s salary resolution containing the deferrals, possibly as early as August 17, the Kaua‘i County Council can reject all or part of it but cannot change its terms.
These belated deferrals represent the latest in a series of mistakes, including charter violations, and politicized decision-making that have plagued the executive salary process during the past four years.
Several clarifications are needed if the process is to function in an orderly fashion and in accordance with the 2006 charter amendments, including but not limited to (1) Salary Commission resolutions to take effect only at the beginning of the fiscal year; (2) no more multi-year raises; (3) a recognition that the commission establishes salaries by resolution but the council must appropriate the salaries by ordinance.
In reviewing the record what I have found appalling is the lack of effective communication among government agencies.
Because of its monitoring role in the salary process and its potential for educating both government and the public, the council is best situated to take the lead in reversing that pattern. I hope the council will do so when it receives the next salary resolution.
Horace Stoessel, Kapa‘a
Drug treatment center
At the beginning of the Isenberg town hall meeting for the residential Adolescent Treatment Center, a call went out from Ka‘ala Souza for civility and mutual respect to all in attendance.
However, when a question regarding the cost of the facility was asked, Police Chief Darryl Perry was not the only one who made a disparaging remark. I think the question was a legitimate one and although it appears too early in the process to provide an answer, one needs to be provided.
We can’t just go about building this and that without knowing how much things cost. What about that $3 million plus expense for a lousy spur to the bike path in Kapa‘a? Do you think it’s worth the money? Has anybody asked? What about that other extension to the same path for well over $300,000? Did anybody ask about that up front (and get an accurate answer)? Nope.
I realize the Adolescent Treatment Center is needed desperately and it’s a touchy subject for those real close to the problem, but there are those of us who are not “real close” who will ask the legitimate questions. We don’t mean to offend you, but if you’re too close to the subject, you should learn to reign in your emotions.
We live here too and have just as much right to know what’s going on.
Vincent Cosner, Lihu‘e
