• Road work scheduling • Laudable goals • KIUC doubletalk • Flip flop, flip flop • Unsustainable living Road work scheduling I would like to thank Larry Chaffin (“Wailua Cane Haul Bridge closed to July, Letters, Jan. 11) for offering
• Road work scheduling • Laudable goals • KIUC doubletalk • Flip flop, flip flop • Unsustainable living
Road work scheduling
I would like to thank Larry Chaffin (“Wailua Cane Haul Bridge closed to July, Letters, Jan. 11) for offering such a common sense solution to our road problems.
I would also like to invite someone from the DOT to explain why “our” government isn’t working longer hours to get roadwork done by the summer visitor rush?
As a business owner on the North Shore, I am quite aware of what the tree trimming (love that it’s getting done), road repaving (love the new road) and landslide at Hanalei have done as far as choking business owners to the brink of wondering if we can afford to keep staying open. Now, we can’t even plan a town trip for supplies without adding an additional 1.5 hours to our trip.
How will our visitors like the wait to visit the North Shore? How will the delivery companies pay for the additional expenditure of wages and gas? Yep, you got it. It is one big domino effect and unfortunately the folks controlling the scheduling of the road work don’t seem to care about doing the right thing.
Mindy Smith, Hanalei
Laudable goals
The Kaua‘i Alliance for Peace and Social Justice makes its case (“Guided missiles, misguided men,” Letters, Jan. 15) for government priorities of health, education, housing and jobs, but fails to suggest moral means to such ends which translates to a higher consciousness of financing by voluntary methods bringing an end to government force and coercion.
When that shift away from the primitive control apparatus of “rob Peter to pay Paul” occurs, you may be surprised how quickly the war-making machinery of the tax-based world comes to a halt, and how far more funding becomes available for the laudable goals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Good people who reject government force really do care about their fellow humans when they have a choice.
Triaka-Don Smith, Lihu‘e
KIUC doubletalk
I have received my latest bill from KIUC and must agree with the letter from Roberta Griffith regarding cutting costs at KIUC (“Cut costs, KIUC,” Letters, Jan. 11).
The energy adjustment portion of the bill has completely gotten out of hand. It is more than the cost of the actual KWH charge. My bill varies wildly from month to month because of this charge.
This is in spite of having installed solar panels, cutting every conceivable corner at home to conserve energy. I would like to know exactly what criteria are used to determine the wildly fluctuating “energy adjustment” charge. If it is based on oil prices, I did not see the oil prices double this month, or last.
There are two additional charges I find questionable. One is the “customer charge” and the other is the “resource cost charge”. These are very ambiguous terms and it seems to me would be defined somewhere on the bill. They are not.
What are KIUC’s plans to utilize my money to provide more efficient energy in using wind, water and sun to reduce our energy bills? Are they just riding the bandwagon for higher profits with the oil companies? As for the 10 percent increase KIUC is asking for, I think the energy adjustment requires an attitude adjustment.
Elaine Turner, Princeville
Flip flop, flip flop
Our mayor, Bernard Carvalho, who I have always respected and supported has joined the ranks of all politicians.
The Garden Island reported Jan. 16 in its online breaking news, “Mayor shifting path from beach to highway.”
Mr. Mayor, you gave in to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. You were tough in the past as a huge advocate of the pedestrian trail, an EIS was approved and the County Council voted it a go, and now you decide to change it because you are being threatened by the office of Hawaiian affairs.
The whole Wailua area where construction is currently ongoing with the new bridge construction is also on Hawaiian burial grounds.
This whole island has people buried underneath almost everywhere we walk, the Wailua beach area is already a playground for locals and tourists, with many activities ranging from sunbathing to kite surfing.
If you’re going to stop the construction of the most sensible place to have the pedestrian trail, why aren’t you stopping the bridge construction and rerouting the highway?
This shift is not free, this is going to cost quite a bit more taxpayer money to complete at a time when we just cannot afford additional expenses, lies and headaches.
I have publicly supported the mayor in the past and have promised him my vote should he decide to run again. However, since he can flip flop, I can too.
James “Kimo” Rosen, Kapa‘a
Unsustainable living
In regards to recent proposal to increase gasoline taxes by 50 cents in the elusive quest for sustainability… auwe!
Sustainability for who? The rich? Already there are a lot of people who need to drive to work, live in crowded housing to make the rent and can barely make ends meet.
These are the people who will be hurt most by added costs. Aren’t energy costs high enough on Kaua‘i? Sustainability is a worthy goal but not when it makes feeding and housing one’s ‘ohana unsustainable!
Christian Smith, Honolulu
