New technology will get us open again
I read with interest the recent editorials in the TGI newspaper and agree with many of the points raised regarding House Bill 1286. JoAnn Yukimura, Dr. Weiner and Chad Taniguchi have their hearts in the right place, but some of their statements are worthy of further scrutiny.
As they stated, “Unfortunately, the lieutenant governor and certain travel, medical and business leaders have chosen to ignore science and push a travel plan that puts the short-term economic interests of tourism over the health of the people.” What about the long-term interests of the many local businesses who have, or will soon be closed, many never to reopen? How long are we willing to keep local workers unemployed?
They also shared, “A recent poll showed 67% of Hawai‘i’s residents agreeing that the island is being run for tourists at the expense of local people.” Like it or not, tourism is currently the engine that drives our island economy. Kaua‘i determines the number of tourists by the number of rental units that our government approves and makes available. It is obvious that our island would be better served with a transition to a more-diverse economy, one that will be more stable, especially when another catastrophe hits. I am looking for the Kaua‘i leaders who will describe this new economy and the time and cost to get there.
It appears that a Honolulu-based company, Oceanit, is poised for approval of a new saliva rapid test that gets virus results in under 15 minutes at a cost of less than $20. Other highly-accurate rapid tests are also available. How about encouraging investment in this newer technology and getting us open again?
George Hinds, Koloa
Check facts on DC statehood
In response to “No statehood for DC” (Forum, Feb. 15), the author should have looked up some facts.
DC is not too small to become a state. Its population is larger than Vermont and Wyoming and getting close to Alaska.
If DC becomes a state, yes it would it have two senators, just like every other state.
Washington DC has too much power now? Residents of Washington DC are not the ones in power. In fact, having no voting representation in Congress means they have much less power than other U.S. citizens. The ones in power in Washington DC are from states. They may live in DC — mostly temporarily — but they pay taxes to their states.
Yes, the Constitution says Washington DC is a federal jurisdiction. Under the proposed amendment to the Constitution, making DC a state, the federal section of DC would remain a federal jurisdiction. The remainder (where people live) would become a state.
Perhaps Hawai‘i Senators Schatz and Hirono are in favor of DC statehood because it is the right thing to do. It is not fair to deprive more than 700,000 Americans of the democratic rights that other Americans enjoy while charging them with the responsibilities of a state and requiring they pay the same federal taxes. What other democracy in the world deprives residents of its capital city of the right to representation in their government?
(I live in Princeville and Washington DC, 50-50).
Kathy Chamberlain, Princeville
George, most people’s Covid positions are influenced by their economic class. Working class needs tourism to live on Kauai. The Financially Privileged class doesn’t. The FP’s are not necessarily wealthy, but are just able to get by financially until Covid fades away. Most FPs would rather tourists don’t ever return and find tourists annoying.
I to would like to see the plan of how we are to diversify Kauai’s economy. Until then, unless we want to purge our current residents in the tourism economy, we’d better embrace tourism.
Nobody cares about Simpleton DC and the bloated mental midgets like Mazie Hirono, and human hologram Shatz, who infest it at the expense of OUR federal tax dollars. We are just glad they never show up on Kauai. You need to go back to DC 100% too since nobody cares about your cause except overweight old geezers from the mainland who are too lazy to turn the toxic cable news off.
https://www.bitchute.com/video/grGCwB6iU6yp/
Why not let the 700,000 people vote as part of the state of Maryland?
Why not Montana or Alaska then? Because they don’t reside there and are not citizens of those states, just like they are not citizens of Maryland or New York. They reside in D.C. Alaska became a state as did Hawaii. Why not D.C?
Thank you Kara for a great response to miss Princeville. Kathy is so dizzy with logic fatigue that she’s forgotten how to think beyond her own convenience. I’ll go with the Constitution as written by individuals with a mountain more experience, common sense, and intelligence to call upon!
This is a good time to remember that the Constitution “as written by individuals with a mountain more experience, common sense, and intelligence” did not allow women or black people to vote. That came with the Amendments. Those same Founders were deeply concerned about “Taxation without Representation”, a situation currently experienced by the @ 700,000 residents of Washington, D. C. When we pick and choose only the parts of history that fit our personal beliefs, we descend into tribal “truthiness” and move farther away from past and present reality.
Of course, those with the lack of common sense and other maladies described above can not possibly realize that the Constitution said nothing about race, other than the Founding Fathers said “ALL MEN (AND WOMEN) ARE CREATED EQUAL”! As far as voting, the living of life and survival during their day was controlled by men who were dying at massive rates due to the dangers, wars and calamities as they struggled to protect their families from harm. Yes, it was men who made up everything and every leadership position in the Government. They were the primary protectors and caretakers of all others, including blacks who were non citizens at the time. It’s a very small person who thinks they can go back in time and second guess the decisions that started and created the greatest “Empire” in the history of mankind. D.C. being set apart as the hub of Government separated from the States of the Union is a Constitutional fact. Nothing to do with the “politically correct” dolts who are coming out of the woodwork and proclaiming their selfish “rights” ad nauseum. But then, some of us are just that full of themselves!
DC statehood is a silly discussion. The only reason for someone in Hawaii to want statehood for DC is to advance the left-wing agenda. A constitutional amendment requires the approval of 38 states. Most of the 50 states are controlled by Republicans. You might as well be talking about Ethiopia being the next state.
Interestingly, I read that the last two states were only added because one was expected to be Republican and one Democrat. For this reason, they could get enough states to approve it. But, they predicted it backwards. That is, they thought Hawaii would be Republican and Alaska would be Democrat.
Everyone should take a breathe and make sure they understand what the residents of DC have as voting rights. The answer may surprise some of you.
If the DC and PR thing go through you will then soon see several Texas’s, Alaska’s Wyoming, Montana’s etc..as well.
It is embarrassing that the highest poverty rates exist in our territories, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. All, including the District of Columbia, have delegates in the House of Representatives. Giving the District of Columbia statehood is purely political and aimed and changing the balance of power in the senate. Our founding fathers had it right.
Being able to vote and have electoral votes is not the same thing as having representation in the legislative branch.