• Special thanks to KLA • Feeling the squeeze • TV show showed no respect • Funding requirement a poison pill Special thanks to KLA Generosity: The habit of giving freely without expecting anything in return. We are blessed on
• Special thanks to KLA • Feeling the
squeeze • TV show showed no respect •
Funding requirement a poison pill
Special thanks to KLA
Generosity: The habit of giving freely without expecting anything in return.
We are blessed on Kaua‘i that so many people donate time, energy and money to nonprofits and charitable organizations, but how often do you hear about a non-profit donating money, once the organization has met its own fundraising goals?
Kaua‘i Lifeguard Association did exactly that this past fall. Kaua‘i Ocean Recreation Experience, a nonprofit under the Kaua‘i YMCA umbrella, benefited from KLA’s generosity with a generous grant, which assists us to provide training and support to our Island ‘ohana.
Our mission: To help both Kaua‘i residents and their families, who are physically challenged or have special needs, to get back into the ocean with the assistance of trained professionals.
Please be sure to give your aloha and mahalo to KLA for all they do to keep our island ‘ohana and visitors safe and support other sister organizations on Kaua‘i, such as the Junior Lifeguards and KORE . Special thanks go out to all the people involved with the First Wave Celebration.
Suzie Woo, Kalah
Feeling the squeeze
I renewed my driver’s license last month and the charge went from $12 to $35, up 191 percent. Then, my car registration renewal came in and it went up from $111 to $166, an increase of 49 percent. My Medicare Part B went from $99 to $149.50. When will these fees and expenses stop going up?
My experience in the private sector is that people earn between $10 to $20 per hour. They also pay for their 401k retirement, 100 percent of their family medical, have little vacation or sick time, six holidays, and when they retire, 100 percent of their Medicare Part B. They also do not have job security and have to work for their raises.
Contrast that to government workers. It is virtually impossible to fire them. They get periodic raises whether they deserve them or not. They have 14 paid holidays, government paid healthcare for themselves and it is partially paid for their families. They have an excellent retirement plan subsidized by the tax payer, and they do not have to pay Medicare Part B for themselves or their spouses when they retire.
I am tired of reading Letters to the Editor by state workers complaining that the top 1 percent of wage earners should pay more in taxes. It looks to me like government workers are in the top 1 percent and should pay for their benefits like the private sector workers have to.
There is no way our government can squeeze more taxes or fees out of private sector workers or retired people.
JoAnne Georgi, ‘Ele‘ele
TV show showed no respect
Was the money worth more than the respect of our military veterans? The producers of the series “Hawai‘i 5-0” should have shown some respect to our military veterans that are laid to rest and to those military veterans conducting the ceremony for the dead.
Yes, the producers may have had permission to film in the area; however, knowing and seeing that there was something going on. The producers could have waited until the ceremony was over or cancel the filming until the next day.
How much money is the series bring to Hawai‘i? Is it worth the disrespect for the people who fought for our freedom and protection of our country?
Maybe we should ban the series and not watch it. We don’t need those kind of film producers to promote the Hawaiian Islands. We have far too many brochures and guides to promote the islands.
Howard Tolbe, ‘Ele‘ele
Funding requirement a poison pill
It is true that the Post Office has been unable to meet the healthcare and pension funding requirements demanded by a Republican Congress in 2006.
It is true that the Postmaster General has proposed drastic cuts in services in an attempt to meet these goals.
But it is also true that the funding requirements are for 75 years — including employees who haven’t even been born — and only the Post Office has to meet this hurdle.
Private companies, especially the airlines, go bankrupt and basically steal their employees’ pensions, turning the payments over to the PBGC so that retirees receive maybe half of the payments they were promised.
This funding requirement was a poison pill designed to destroy the Post Office.
Imagine folks, without the Post Office you will have to go to Longs in Lihu‘e to pay $10 to mail a letter via Fed Ex.
If you want something else, you better do something about it rather than complain about the Post Office.
I think the Post Office does a fantastic job. I am always impressed by the employees I deal with.
John Zwiebel, Kalaheo
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