• North county bridges • Earned vs. entitled • Festivities too loud • Super arrogance? North county bridges Bridges are compromises. Hanalei Bridge is not particularly efficient or safe, but it is historic and charming. For slowing traffic, speed bumps
• North county bridges • Earned vs. entitled • Festivities too
loud • Super arrogance?
North county bridges
Bridges are compromises. Hanalei Bridge is not particularly efficient or safe, but it is historic and charming.
For slowing traffic, speed bumps are better than one-way bridges, but are not historic or charming.
I wish more attention were paid to the Wainiha Bridge, which is cost-effective, but an abomination to the eye — not historic, efficient or safe.
One can hardly see to the other side to see what the driver there intends to do.
Luckily, there is a mid-stream turnoff. Bridge design needs aesthetic input, too.
The Kalihiwai Bridge is a graceful engineering wonder, but not much in keeping with peaceful Kalihiwai.
Lumahai Bridge is rather strange — great engineering built for 60 mph, but at either end, the road is 30 mph. And in crossing over, the view of the water is largely blocked.
I like the old Eiffel-style bridges like Hanalei that afford open views of the rivers.
David Au, San Diego, Calif..
Earned vs. entitled
It is assumed by some that the freedom to not work for a living is an entitlement. Others insist that it is only an earned right.
So are we entitled to be taken care of by others (i.e., social, religious, government welfare, or an inherited endowment), or does working hard to earn enough money to take care of our own needs and wants entitle us to no longer work (i.e., self-welfare)?
Or none of the above?
It is a rarely acknowledged fact that humanity, by virtue of our long history of entrepreneurial research and development, has “earned” the ability, and the “right” to provide the basics for a comfortable standard of living for every human being on planet earth.
It is also a rarely recognized assumption that the purpose for working hard is to earn enough money so we can quit working, live comfortably, have some fun and hopefully die before going broke — using up our rightfully earned, accumulated surplus.
No creation (energy-system) in the universe is entitled to be taken care of, either by others, or by its own accumulated surplus.
The function of a surplus is to enable each particular entity to perform its designed function more effectively and efficiently.
After taking care of its own welfare — taking care of its own well-being — it is prepared to fulfill its designed function in the larger setting in which it finds itself.
After getting its own act together, it is prepared to act together with other, similarly prepared creations to become effectively functioning participants in a system larger than itself.
Only then is its well-being assured; its welfare is an added benefit resulting from participation in the formation of the next larger system.
Only human beings assume that they have the right to go on welfare, either to live off of their own accumulated surplus (self-welfare), or to hitchhike on the surplus of others (religious, social, government-and/or inheritance-welfare).
Our world is clearly in need of creative-thinking entrepreneurs who refuse to settle for either of the above. A new system wants to emerge.
Robert P. Merkle, Koloa
Festivities too loud
Po‘ipu blew up last Saturday evening. The Grand Hyatt had a fireworks display that was beyond loud.
We have lived in the area for 15 years and have experienced a number of Hyatt fireworks displays, but nothing so loud.
The Grand Hyatt was extremely remiss in not warning the surrounding residents and visitors of the timing and extent of the display.
There were many frightened people and pets. The next Sunday morning, I talked to a visitor who was out looking for the damaged areas.
Beyond the smoke and noise, the other issue is the refuse from the fireworks falling into the ocean and onto the shore is very damaging to the creatures and vegetation.
Allan and Charlotte Beall, Po‘ipu
Super arrogance?
How can the Super Bowl be the “world championship?”
There are 32 teams in the NFL. There are no foreign countries invited to compete, and only 22 states have NFL franchises. Some may call this arrogance.
Super Bowl Sunday — a day that is more popular than Christmas in America, a day when spousal abuse runs high, a day when beer and pizza are the diet, a day when a television commercial costs $2.5 million for a 30-second spot.
The Super Bowl has become so commercial in the United states, that people who do not follow football or even understand the game will watch it or go to a Super Bowl party and ruin it for the true fans by asking dumb questions such as, “How many home runs do they need to win?”
You have to either love it or pull your hair out.
America is more like the land of the free and the home of the Super Bowl.
I would like be the first to wish everyone a Merry Super Bowl.
James “Kimo” Rosen, Kapa‘a
