Letters for July 9, 2016 Miss use of grandfathering I wish the County Council members would quit misusing the term “grandfather.” The following is the definition that is commonly used and enforced: “A grandfather clause (or grandfather policy) is a
Letters for July 9, 2016
Miss use of grandfathering
I wish the County Council members would quit misusing the term “grandfather.” The following is the definition that is commonly used and enforced:
“A grandfather clause (or grandfather policy) is a provision in which an old rule continues to apply to some existing situations while a new rule will apply to all future cases. Those exempt from the new rule are said to have grandfather rights or acquired rights.”
The intent of grandfathering a law is to avoid punishing somebody who has been doing something that has been legal, when a new law makes that activity illegal going forward. Grandfathering is not a way to reward people who have been breaking an existing law. In that case, the person who has been knowingly breaking a law should face some sort of penalty.
Jonathan McRoberts
Kilauea
Junior Lifeguard program a Kauai treasure
On Friday, July 1, my wife and myself had the pleasure of watching the young people in the Junior Lifeguard program finish up their training by going out two-at-a-time on a lifeguard-driven Jet Ski.
The lifeguards were just so wonderfully supportive of the kids — teenagers, equally divided between boys and girls. It was obvious that the young folks in the program respected their trainers and the trainers definitely demonstrated respect for their charges.
And the trainees were so friendly with each other, and so patient as they waited for their turn in going out on the Jet Ski. It was just so easy to be in their presence at the Waiohai Beach.
It occurred to me that such training is something these young people will always treasure. I am rather convinced that such an experience is a gift to the youth that says louder than any words that they are valued, and that the island wants them to partake in what is nothing less than a deep part of the ancient culture of the Kauai — the ocean and how to work with it for the benefit of all.
No young person, in my opinion, can go through this program and not receive great benefit. The time and effort of all concerned is really … sacred. The long-gone ancestors who once made this Kauai their home are surely blessing this endeavor from on high.
Radall Bassett
New York City
