• Still waiting for an answer on Iraq war • No more gas tax, please! • Public wants transparency • No parking in the road! Still waiting for an answer on Iraq war I do not know why we attacked
• Still waiting for an answer on Iraq war
• No more gas tax, please!
• Public wants transparency
• No parking in the road!
Still waiting for an answer on Iraq war
I do not know why we attacked Iraq. Neither do millions of other people around the world. (“On war critics proven wrong,” Editorial Roundup, Jan. 8)
What we do know is this: No Iraqi or Afghani was involved in 9/11. All the pilots, and most of the terrorists on that wretched day, were Saudis. Saudi Arabia is one of the most repressive Muslim countries in the Mid East.
Osama bin Laden is a Saudi, very opposed to American bases in Saudi Arabia and the Mid East, as are many members of his family and members of the Saudi Royals. We supported him and his band of Muslim fundamentalist fighters in the Afghani war against the Russians. These are facts the world knows.
I and the rest of the world would certainly like someone, President Obama, perhaps, to tell us the truth, then, why did we attack Iraq? Surely someone in our government must know the answer. The world and I are waiting.
Bettejo Dux, Kalaheo
No more gas tax, please!
The idea of adding a 50-cent gas tax on Kaua‘i to incentivize hybrid vehicles is wrong on so many levels. (“Energy plan calls for 50¢ gas tax,” The Garden Island, Jan. 7)
Since they are expensive and “green,” hybrid vehicles are a kind of status symbol. I am glad there are people out there with extra money to finance these experiments. Eventually, an experiment like hybrids will provide useful information to improve everyone’s life.
However, hybrids do not make much sense for a place like Kaua‘i. The place where hybrids might pay off is in big cities with lots street lights and lots of smog. Thankfully, we do not have big cities nor smog here on Kaua‘i.
As you are cruising along on a country road on Kaua‘i, those heavy batteries in the back of your hybrid are a lot of dead weight to carry around. The high cost to produce a hybrid car and replace the batteries every so many years is a big waste of money and energy resources if that car is going to be used on Kaua‘i.
Besides the fact that hybrids make no sense here, it would be so unfair to place a heavy tax on our lower income neighbors so that the money could be given to our high income neighbors who could afford to buy a new status-symbol, hybrid car. Are they serious? People are struggling right now. They don’t need big new taxes to finance status symbols for the rich.
Photovoltaic cells already make economic sense. With the state and federal tax credits, an investment in PV cells on your roof could be an excellent investment, like over 20 percent return per year, risk-free and tax-free. We don’t need any more county taxes to make this viable. We just need to spread the word. This newspaper could continue to spread the word without raising any taxes.
Wind power is even more economical than PV cells and can provide some really low cost electricity. I think we should move forward with allowing windmills, with careful thought to the visual impacts. I don’t think we want any big wind turbines around the most scenic parts of the island. However, in the countryside, I think windmills look fine. They look much better that all the telephone poles, in my opinion.
I think that wind power is a fruitful topic for the county officials to discuss. We don’t need more taxes to make it happen, but we do need to carefully consider how it should be regulated. Since PV cells are a good deal, with no negative side effects, there is really not much to discuss about PV cells. Hybrid cars are not viable, just a status symbol for the wealthier experimenters.
Mark Beeksma, Koloa
Public wants transparency
Thank you, Ken Taylor, for being the voice of the concerned public. (“A skunk at a garden party,” Letters, Jan. 3)
I believe that the absolute majority of the conscious people of Kaua‘i is feeling exactly the same as you regarding the dismissal of Rolf Bieber by Mayor Carvalho.
He was our voice, the one of the concerned public wanting transparency and right action from their elected officials, and because of his excellent work, the mayor refused to reappoint him.
Mr. Carvalho! What a shame!
Thank you, Mr. Bieber, you have our approval and we hope to see you back fighting for us in whatever position.
Lilian de Mello, Kapa‘a
No parking in the road!
The parking conditions in Hanalei have gotten out of hand. Lately every weekend cars are parked on both sides of Weke Road from the intersection at Aku Road all the way down to Black Pot.
These cars appear to be primarily rental cars and park along Weke Road with at least one wheel of the car in the roadway. Many times it makes the road unpassable for two way traffic and we have to take turns letting each other pass.
Last weekend it was so bad, that cars were backed up all the way to the intersection.
In the past, I contacted the police department in hopes that they would issue parking citations to discourage people from parking in the road, but was told that as long as an emergency vehicle can get through they would not issue any citations. They even sent a fire truck to make their point and it barely inched its way through.
This is crazy. Where else in the USA can you park in the road, block traffic and not be at least asked to move your car? It’s only a matter of time before Weke Road is gridlocked with cars in which case nothing can get through, let alone emergency vehicles.
A simple solution would be to require cars to park completely off the road (including mirrors) or to allow parking on only one side of the road. Something needs to be done.
Heidi Rodgers, Kilauea
