• Don’t call it a flood • Ethanol inefficient? • Help Hawai’i’s ag industry • Road conditions embarrassing, dangerous Don’t call it a flood In a headline in the paper dated today you refer to the flood in Kilauea. Please
• Don’t call it a flood
• Ethanol inefficient?
• Help Hawai’i’s ag industry
• Road conditions embarrassing, dangerous
Don’t call it a flood
In a headline in the paper dated today you refer to the flood in Kilauea.
Please do not refer to this as a flood — it was the breaching of a dam that caused the disaster. A reverse tsunami if you wish, but not a flood. Mahalo on behalf of all those involved.
- Michelle Carroll
Grass Valley, Calif.
Ethanol inefficient?
This cornmade product in our gasoline causes gas lines, fuel tanks and fuel filters to be repaired, cuts down on gas mileage and engine efficiency. It cost more to produce than gas. It does not reduce the price at the pump. It reduces our reliance on oil from Iraq, Venezuela, Indonesia, and other countries who hate us. So what? Are we humans in Hawai’i always going to be inefficient as to our costs of living here?
Help Hawai’i’s ag industry
Your 1/24/06 guest commentary by Sandra Lee Kunimoto (governor-appointed chair of the state Board of Agriculture) says the governor’s “Mission to the Philippines fruitful for Hawai’i agriculture.”
Having a new “mango processing plant” geared “for export to the Mainland, Japan, Hong Kong, China, and Hawai’i,” and being able to work with UH and “various U.S. Dept. of Agriculture officials to discuss common challenges in the agriculture industry and to explore partnership opportunities in agriculture technology, pest control, research, and trade” should be fruitful for the Philippine agriculture industry. The Hawai’i agriculture industry should also be entitled to that level of government and business support and cooperation.
From what I understand, Hawai’i’s agriculture export possibilities for mangoes, mango products, and other fruit is limited because of trade, business, or shipment restrictions that penalize Hawai’i mango and papaya growers If any of this is tied to trade agreements that the United States has with other countries, then there needs to be some changes made. If it’s simply interstate restrictions then changes need to be made there also. Hawai’i should be exporting mangoes and other fruit to the Mainland, China, Japan, Korea and elsewhere.
If Hawai’i’ mango and other fruit businesses lack financial viability, the government should provide incentives and financial support like it gives to other industries and businesses.
Importing mangoes to Hawai’i? If the market isn’t there for our own mangoes and papayas, it’s not because the fruit isn’t good. We, and (especially) Japanese visitors, love our Hawaiian mangoes and papayas. Imported mangoes we get in local markets don’t compare with local grown.
Road conditions embarrassing, dangerous
This past Sunday (26 March 06) as I traveled to Hanalei on Kuhio Highway, I was very saddened for those families who lost loved ones. My deepest sympathy to them.
The damage on Kuhio Highway is indeed an inconvenience to the north side. However, during my travel into Hanalei and to the end of the road, I made several other trips through ‘Anini Beach Park,, Princeville, and Wainiha. I couldn’t help but notice ow smooth and well-paved these roads are. (In fact, it started from Kealia Beach to the end of the road).
On my return trip to the Westside, I noticed from Kaumualii Highway (exiting Lihu’e) through the Tunnel of Trees, onto Lawai and back on to Kaumualii Highway, there was a lot of potholes. Some were patched with soft tar. Is there any concern of the safety and driving condition through these roads? It’s also embarrassing, because some of our major hotels are in the area and this tourist has to drive both east and west out of Koloa in those conditions. At night, you can’t even see the center or side of the highway because the center line isn’t’ visible. What happened to the reflectors along the way?
Did the governor Rod Haraga, and our mayor really look into the areas that the bad weather left on our roads? (Or are they just concerned about only where rich people live).
Why pay car tax every year if our roads don’t get repaired the right way?
I also noticed a nice rubberized bump on the road leading to Hanalei landing.
