• On guest commentary by Hoku Swartman • Serious debt strategy needed, not politics • Presidential vacations • Missing Myles • What new era? On guest commentary by Hoku Swartman If you will forgive a personal observation, it is clear
• On guest commentary by Hoku Swartman • Serious debt strategy needed, not politics • Presidential vacations • Missing Myles • What new era?
On guest commentary by Hoku Swartman
If you will forgive a personal observation, it is clear that Mr. and Mrs. Swartman made a great pick in mates. Hoku Swartman’s column was brilliantly written, first establishing his bona fides in detail, which were impeccable, followed by systematic and intelligent evisceration of the true villains in the latest dustup: the NIMBYs (as in Not In My Back Yard) and those who load Hanalei Bay with the vilest of effluvia (doo-doo) from Hanalei River upstream cesspools, Hanalei cesspools, wealthy owners (does $10,000,000 and up for land or a residence sound “wealthy”?), not to mention careless dog owners and some boat people in season, the occasional diaper, and wild animal droppings from way upstream. Well, the recently reported tiger sharks like it …
By contrast, the renovated fish pond(s), increased tax revenue tax base, jobs, an eco-friendly developer and their eloquent spokesperson (Mrs. Swartman), and a well-thought-out development. Which, by the way, will not resemble the cliff-hugging residences on view at Nawiliwili.
Where were the screams of pain when Black Pot was a hot bed of drugs, racing down Weke (thank you Richard Parks for fighting successfully for the speed tables), 3- to 4-deep pickups the length of the of the beach from the pier to the Hanalei River every weekend (accompanied by the gentle music of F-bombs), a unique variation of NIMBY?
Tom Rice
Princeville
Serious debt strategy needed, not politics
On Dec. 3, this paper printed a letter titled, “Republicans don’t reflect the values of the 98 percent.”
So let’s get some math straight. First, President Obama won a small majority of the vote, 51 percent, and he wants to keep that evil Republican George W. Bush’s tax plan for 98 percent of the population. The writer may want to read that sentence again. If the Republicans don’t represent the 98 percent, then why keep their tax plan?
No one wants to obliterate entitlement programs. However, they do need to be adjusted for future generations. The writer of this letter never mentions the debt. Secretary of the Treasury Geithner wants to just get rid of the debt ceiling. That’s like giving your teenager a book of signed blank checks. I would want to buy a Ferrari, or at least a BMW SUV. His proposal is ludicrous, not serious, and we need a serious debt strategy.
And where is the president? He is out campaigning instead of sitting down across the table from Speaker Boehner.
I believe the president won’t put a serious proposal together before the end of the year, that way he can blame those evil Republicans in the 2014 mid-terms, that way he can achieve his goal of getting the House of Representatives back on his side.
It’s all still politics, and the people are the losers.
Mike Lyman
Lihu‘e
Presidential vacations
Every year, a president and his family take vacations; and every year, there’s an outcry from the party not in power. (Of course, the actions of Barack Obama are always met with a firestorm of outrage, far beyond the intensity directed at his predecessors.)
In reality, Obama falls in the middle of presidential gadabouts, with more time out of Washington than Clinton or Reagan, but less than either of the Presidents Bush. George W. Bush was on vacation to Crawford, Texas, or on “retreat” to Camp David a whopping 967 days of his two terms.
We would be incredibly naive to assume these so-called retreats and vacations were truly work-free holidays for the most powerful leaders in the world. However, responsibility aside, even a president gets to go home once in a while.
Surely no one is suggesting that Texas is a more worthy site than Hawai‘i for a presidential homecoming or that it’s just too far away for a reasonable and serious person to visit.
Suzan Kelsey Brooks
West Des Moines, Iowa
Missing Myles
We have been coming to the island for over 20 years and we always look forward to our visits with Myles Emura a lifeguard at Po‘ipu Beach.
As a lifeguard and representative of the County of Kaua‘i, Myles exemplifies the aloha spirit and the concern for water safety. We missed him this year and only hope he returns to Po‘ipu.
Dick and Judy Hames
Richland, Wash.
What new era?
The New Era really starts when:
• Solid waste problem is really handled.
• Deterioration of Kaua‘i’s fragile natural environment is halted (caused by overdevelopment and toxic runoff of chemicals and sewage).
• Faults in the county government are corrected (this includes racism and questionable financial practices).
• Hawaiian sovereignty issues, including land ownership, are seriously resolved.
Otherwise it is just business as usual. With a lot of talk and no action on core problems. Thanks for the Kaua‘i Bus and farmers markets, but these are not core issues.
Molly Jones
Kealia
