Letters for June 25, 2015

• Support ‘Citizens United’ resolution

Support ‘Citizens United’ resolution

I hope we get a 7-0 vote from the county council regarding the resolution addressing the U. S Supreme Court ruling, “Citizens United.”

Arryl Kaneshiro was not comfortable with two sections in the original! He claims he supports the intent and just wants better language. I suggested adopting the language used by the 13states that have already passed amendments on this very issue.

Because we are joining the movement that’s calling for a constitutional convention on this specific issue, we should all have the same language?

The county just needs to support and urge the state’s creation of an amendment stating “corporations should not receive the same constitutional rights as natural persons and that moneyis not speech.” I hope he meant what he said about support this.

Matt Bernabe, Kapaa

Drivers should slow down

Are Kauai Bus drivers required to drive at a safe speed while transporting riders? Safe speed of 55 mph on the highway

and 25 mph or slower through business and residential areas.

It seems like the Kauai Bus drivers are always in a rush going from one stop to the other on the highway. They also speed

through business area, especially on Waioli Road to Port Allen. There are lots of tourists there throughout the day and into the

evening hours.

The way these Kauai Bus drivers, some locals, and tourists drive up and down Waioli Road, it’s an accident or fatality waiting to happen.

Mayor Carvalho, “isn’t it (Waioli Road) a county road?” If so, the speed limit signs isn’t worth a darn! Why isn’t there crosswalks

and speed bumps in that short quarter of a mile four-lane county road that merge into two lanes at the business area? Will someone have to get seriously hurt or die? Or, you just don’tcare?

Howard Tolbe, Eleele

School not necessary on North Shore

This letter is a belated response to the lady who wants a middle school on the North Shore so her children won’t have to get up at 5:30 to 6 a.m. to catch the bus to Kapaa Middle School. This letter also commends the Mahuiki, Maka, Puulei, Haumea, Tai Hook, Olanolan and Hashimoto North Shore families — as well as other North Shore families — for instilling great work ethics in their children.

I taught at Kapaa High School for 29 years (1971-2000). During that time I did not hear one complaint from North Shore students or parents about getting up early to catch the school bus, nor anything more about the long ride to and from Kapaa. My thanks went to the aunties, uncles, tutus and other ohana members for driving children on the way to or from work.

One of the reasons that this issue of complaint about distance and transit time did not surface in the past is that the hard-working families had inherited the work ethic of rising early and working late.

Why should the State Department of Education spend scarce monies to build a new North Shore Middle School for a small number of resident children who now spend hours riding to and from school? The parents who object to the current situation might consider investigating optional schooling for their children such as Internet school programs, homeschooling, charter schools located in closer proximity, or GED preparation later, at the high school level.

One of the drawbacks (favorable aspects?) of moving to the beautiful North Shore is isolation, whether from town and services, medical or otherwise, shopping — and school beyond the elementary level. All of these factors, no doubt, were considered prior to a move to Kauai’s North Shore. (A move also usually insures that two more cars will add to the traffic flow and existing traffic jam problems.)

On this request for a new middle school, I hope the “early bird” gets the worm before the “squeaky wheel” gets the oil.

Also, on a separate subject, contrary to some North Shore opinions expressed via this forum, I think albizia trees growing beside roadways should be cut down now — before a storm knocks them down and really isolates the North Shore by stopping all transit for a protracted time.

Delano H. Kawahara, Retired science teacher, Wailua