• The transportation mess • Why not rent • The ‘good doctor’ we really need • Ego and compassion The transportation mess Several decades later, and haul cane roads are still not being prepared to spread out the mess that
• The transportation mess • Why not
rent • The ‘good doctor’ we really need •
Ego and compassion
The transportation mess
Several decades later, and haul cane roads are still not being prepared to spread out the mess that the Department of Transportation has in place. The Kaua‘i Bus, for instance, has never had a handle on creating a reliable means of movement. Redundant? Absolutely.
What happened to minivan transfers as opposed to one passenger in a bus? Band-Aids are short-lived, and dummy government fixes are not working. Heller?
In the case of Death Alley possibilities, and similar to Bette Midler’s bypass road ‘donation’, landowners DHHL, Grove Farm and the state must consider this Forever Road Avenue or have eminent domain forced upon them.
Also, it is my opinion that those who administrate these department divisions are uneducated and underqualified, lacking the necessary expertise or experience.
Finally, O‘ahu’s multi-modal DOT plan is about to be shoved down our throats, which like the super ferry movement, cannot be successful here. Kaua‘i is and always will be the separate unconquered kingdom and we, its people, will not allow others with blinders on to take it from us.
I’m awake and fully engaged, what about you?
Debra Kekaualua, Wailua Homesteads
Why not rent
For all the time share owners on the Point at Po‘ipu who are being assessed $5,000, may I suggest that you cut your losses now. You can easily rent a condo on any of the islands for around $1,000.
That’s a better deal than your recent maintenance fee. And it’s only going to get worse. Check the ad in Sunday’s paper.
Some time share salespeople can make $250,000 a year. Where do you think that money comes from?
Doug Henry, Kalaheo
The ‘good doctor’ we really need
I wish to respond to Rolf Bieber’s Dec. 22 letter (“Bring on the good doctor”) in favor of the Ron Paul presidential campaign. The writer offers Paul as an antidote to what he describes as our “unjust, overreaching, treacherous, criminal federal government.”
I think the writer overlooks the real danger, that of unregulated corporate capitalism to our representative democracy.
The writer must know that Paul has declared Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid to be unconstitutional government conspiracies, and that he proposes to get rid of the EPA and has described climate change as a hoax.
Paul, with his openly racist and intolerant utterances, appears to actually subscribe to paranoid notions about how our reality works, and turns to conspiracy theories to justify policy positions. This is not a man who can, or should, be trusted with the nukes.
In the areas of health care, environmental protection and consumer protection, Barack Obama has made modest progress in spite of an unthinking all-or-nothing effort to defeat him.
Paul claims government is the problem. But corporate domination is no substitute for democracy.
Consistency is a good trait, but Paul is doggedly, unwaveringly and consistently wrong. Burning down the house in order to fix the plumbing should not be an option.
The “good doctor” we need is a highly educated American from Hawaii. We elected him.
Now Obama needs to know we continue to support him in this fight to preserve and strengthen the people’s rights to fair elections, consumer protection and health care.
David Roach, Kapa‘a
Ego and compassion
I will invite Mr. Thorp (Letters: Jan. 2) to look deeper into my letter. I do not say ego is king, I say ego is vital. Kings are not vital. Also, I will ask: Does the individual benefit from being compassionate? Yes. And does the individual benefit from cooperative endeavors? Yes.
Then there is no conflict at all between ego and either compassion or cooperation. I don’t know about you, but I get a tremendous ego boost from helping others, because I know it defines me as an individual and also makes my world better. I wrote nothing about letting the ego run amok.
Here is the thing. Using your ego to advantage is the same as using any other mental faculty: with balance.
I think the Dalai Lama (and Buddhism in general) is all about balance. For example, the Dalai Lama wrote another book. He must love writing.
I am going to guess the Dalai Lama gets a great big kick out of helping others, and loves being the Dalai Lama most days. Does he have an ego? You bet he does, and he know how to manage it, not suppress it.
Whenever one is asked to suppress one’s ego “for the greater good,” and suspend one’s self interest and judgment, it is a good idea to look deeper at what is going on. Frequently, it means one is about to be used against one’s best interests.
Thanks for the “conservative” label. I can’t wait for my American flag lapel pin to arrive. Peace.
Kurt Rutter, Kapa‘a
