Letters for July 24, 2016

Letters for July 24, 2016

Watch ‘Cowspiracy’ to learn about dairy farm

While deciding whether you are for or against the proposed Mahaulepu dairy farm, please take a moment to Google “Cowspiracy.” You can down load it for $4.95 or purchase the DVD outright.

It’s just a simple documentary on dairy farms, explaining the procedures and requirements for running such a farm. Not to much to ask, considering this farm is being proposed to be placed on one of Kauai’s prime, scared pieces of land.

Before you make your decision, you owe it to your self and to our aina to get the facts. Please take the time to sit down and watch “Cowspiracy.” You won’t regret it.

Mika Ashley-Hollinger

Kilauea

Roads should be priority, not afterthought

I find it disgraceful and malfesant that our county government currently has no adequate budget or plan for establishing such a budget for repairing and maintaining our county’s roads that are in dire need of repair and maintenance (as reported in TGI on July 21).

Road deterioration and the need for repair and maintenance is not something that just happened this year. Why has the yearly mayor’s budget not always included a line item that establishes a realistic and workable road maintenance budget? In my opinion, providing safe and reliable roads should be one of the highest priorities of the county government, right after police and fire. It is hard to believe that a professional qualified county manager would have allowed this situation to occur.

TGI has also recently reported that the county is seeking comments on its plans to upgrade Black Pot Beach Park. Well, here are some related comments from me: 1. If the county doesn’t have the money to maintain our roads, where is the money to upgrade Black Pot coming from? 2. Does the explanation for the embarrassingly poor maintenance of Black Pot and other county beach facilities fall into the same category as lack of road maintenance; i.e., it isn’t adequately budgeted by the mayor nor demanded by the council?

Peter Nilsen

Princeville

Wondering about spokesperson joining water board

Syngenta is being sued in the Midwest for Atrazine pollution of the water.

Gee, wonder why Syngenta would support Beth Tokioka taking the (unpaid) water board position? They pay her over six figures to be their spokesperson. Wonder how she would find the time? Would they offer her time off from her responsibilities at Syngenta to put in the time required at the water board?

Why?

This is nothing against Beth. I like her and respect her past contributions. No doubt, she is totally sincere in her belief that pesticides on Kauai are doing no harm — as are many others.

However, I have seen this game before. Wonder if anybody on Kauai has ever played chess or even checkers? Moving the players into place seems to be sort of an obvious plan to me.

All of us need to think carefully about all appointments into positions which affect polluted water, land and all areas of vulnerability on Kauai.

The stakes are high, and the “professionals” at this game have played — and won – many times before, though the game is new to most people on Kauai.

Mary Mulhall

Kapaa