Kupuna would love to call Coco Palms home
Loved reading Wednesday’s letter suggesting instead of re-doing Coco Palms into yet another hotel, adding even more traffic, what a wonderful thought to consider the better gift to our island of a badly needed assisted living facility for our kupuna.
We, to whom Kauai is home, would cherish such idyllic, sacred grounds to spend our remaining years if possible.
Brilliant idea!
Lin Cosbey, Kilauea
Living a Republican nightmare
I dreamt I attended the recent Kauai Republican convention. I suffered, in my dream, an asphyxiating attack, and fell to the floor.
I was quickly surrounded, four deep, by concerned and valiant conservatives. Consistent with their political convictions, not a one would summon 911, for fear of swelling the municipal budget and initiating an enterprise which would bring no one profit. They bravely shouted imprecations, mixed with exhortations for me to regain vigor, reminding me that I was responsible for myself and to blame for my illness. As my vitals extinguished, they nodded their heads gravely, and wrung their hands sadly, saying, “There was nothing to be done, and fate must be accepted.”
I then awoke. It was only a nightmare … until the morning news.
Jed Somit, Kapa‘a
Too many other issues to give raises now
Dear Honorable Council Members and Mayor,
I read TGI this morning and am confused as to why you would consider pay raises so early in your newly elected positions.Your salaries were just increased in 2016. In 2017, a 2.5 percent raise was rejected. And now you are entertaining salaryincreases of 7.6 percent and 11.8 percent, and 14.8 percent for various other officials, taking effect on July 1 this year!
You are all earning pensions and health benefits that will be yours in retirement.
Meanwhile, the minimum wage earner who is fortunate if they are working for more than 20 hours a week and thus requiredto receive health benefits will see their pay adjusted to finally reach $15 an hour by 2023.
There are discussions of how to further tax your citizens of Kauai in order to keep our roads paved. Left out of this discussionis the foresight of developing new roads and bridges to lighten the horrible traffic that already exists.
We residents have been putting up with Kapaa traffic, Lihue traffic, Kalaheo traffic, accident traffic, for five years or longer, andit is only getting worse.
Nothing has been planned on the extreme North Shore. When the roads are finally open again (after a one-year closure), will itreturn to the same overcrowded parking dilemma it was before?
Coco Palms is defaulted again. Has the county thought of ways to acquire it and turn it into a Coco Palms park with activechallenges. Climbing walls, slides and ramps as well as picnic areas would be fun.
Is there enough public access areas so that the locals do not feel displaced on the only home we know?
As the cost of housing goes higher, the locals are feeling as though only tourism matters.
The jobs available are to serve the tourists.
The sense of hopelessness among our young people is tangible.
Are these important matters being addressed by our lawmakers?
Or are our leaders only interested in their own wallets?
Dianne Sumida, Kekaha
