Letters for Saturday, April 11, 2009

•An inspiration to all

•Civil unions for anyone?

•No drugs for unemployed

•Kaua‘i is twice as nice

An inspiration to all

My Aunty just forwarded me an article regarding how you came together and fixed the roads to Polihale in just eight days. Unbelievably awesome. I read the article from my work station here in Oregon and got homesick.

I am so proud to come from a community that does not sit and wait for handouts. For different reasons, people came together to get the job done, and once again the road to beautiful Polihale is ready to welcome surfers, visitors, and families alike.

I am reminded of life post-Hurricane ‘Iniki, when our islanders did not sit in the dirt to bemoan the situation. Instead, I remember people working to get the debris cleared, so fast, in fact, that except for our poor “Tunnel of Twigs,” the island did not seem to have suffered a Category 5 hurricane.

Kaua‘i’s response to hardship stands as a moving example for others. When determination and the aloha spirit come together, we are capable of creating such positive change. May this change resonate in other communities that are struggling through this man-made disaster.

Thank you, Kaua‘i, for your inspiration.

Kelly Ochoco Nelson, Eugene, Ore.

Civil unions for anyone?

Would gay marriages be more “palatable” if supporters were to emphasize the actuality that civil unions  would be available to non-gay partners in the same manner it does to gay partners had House Bill 444 been enacted?

All that HB444 requires of persons seeking a “civil union” are that they be 1) unmarried; 2) of the same sex; 3) at least 18 years old; and 4) not be related to each other. It does not require a showing of homosexuality. Don’t ask, don’t tell. It does not require a living together of the partners, nor the establishment of a familial relationship.

Why would two same-sex non-gay persons want to be “unionized?” For the same reasons the gay couple want to be “unionized,” namely, all the rights, benefits and privileges which are “derived from statutes, administrative rules, court decisions, the common law or any source of civil law granted to spouses” in a valid marriage.

In any event, unless the requirements of a civil union, intended only for gay partners, are clearly defined, the same-sex non-gay partners stand in the shadow of the law to take advantage of that which was not intended for them.

Alfred Laureta, Lihu‘e

No drugs for unemployed

Like a lot of us, I have a job. I work, they pay me. I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit. In order to get that paycheck, I am required to pass a random urine test with which I have no problem.

That with which I do have a problem is the distribution of my taxes to people who don’t have to pass a urine test. Shouldn’t one have to pass a urine test to get an unemployment or welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them?

Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I regularly contribute at church, through designated charities at work and even the fundraisers in my community.

I do have a problem with helping perfectly work-capable people who seem to have found a method for scamming the state, doing drugs, while I work.

I understand and completely accept the fact that there are layoffs and reduced staff at many of our local businesses as the economy continues its transition. I am sure that these good citizens wouldn’t mind a simple, painless urine test in exchange for a hand up.

Can you imagine how much money the state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check? Can you imagine how fast the ice and pokololo use would dissipate from our ‘aina?

Lee Woodruff, ‘Ele‘ele

Kaua‘i is twice as nice

On behalf of bicycle teams of Hawai‘i On Tandems, I would like to thank you wonderful folks of Kaua‘i for the true spirit of aloha shown to us during our first (ever) Tandem Rally on your beautiful island.

We rode for four days, from March 26 to March 29. People were turning around in their front yards and clapping and shouting encouragement. Kids came running with big smiles on their faces. We must have seen a hundred shaka signs.

On the road the cars driving in our direction went far around us (no one came within ten feet of me and my wife). When they couldn’t give wide clearance because of oncoming traffic, they slowed behind us and waited until they could.

For the four teams from O‘ahu, it seemed there was almost no traffic at all, but on those few occasions when we stopped to make a left turn across oncoming traffic, or when crossing an intersection, someone in the line of cars always stopped for us, and the drivers always had a big smile on their faces.

Many of us have visited your island before, but this time we saw it in a new light. Kaua‘i rocks! Mahalo plenty, and warm aloha from HOT.

Barton Cox, Honolulu