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Letters for Sunday • May 28, 2006
• For a Republic of Kaua‘i
• Improve public transportation
• Where is the Planning Department?
• It’s the principle
For a Republic of Kaua‘i
Thomas Jefferson said it best: “Government is the enemy of every freedom loving man.” Ours, at every level, from local to federal, has proven itself to be ineffective at best and an enemy of the people at worst. Locally, we have a government which has refused to implement the will of the voters, built itself a palace of bureaucracy without even consulting its constituents, makes a recreational bikeway a priority while doing little or nothing about gridlock traffic. We all know what the problems are. Yet (and this assumes they count the votes correctly), we continue to vote these clowns back into office year after year. What is wrong with us? Are we just stupid sheep being led to slaughter? If so, we deserve everything we get.
Right now your government, via the charter commission, is preparing to offer amendments to our constitution, the county charter, to our voters. After attending a few meetings of this well intentioned group, I have concluded that amending our charter is like trying to patch a rust-bucket island car one too many times. It is vaguely written and the many amendments which will be offered to the voters will only confuse them. The correct course of action would be to write a whole new charter simply and specifically reflecting the will of the people and limiting the powers of government and its labor unions.
The one question I propose being put to the voters this fall is: “Should Kaua‘i begin a process to become an independent nation?”
Before you dismiss me as a crackpot, consider this: We have only not been a separate nation for about 150 years, a blink of an eye in historical terms. Many nations on earth have smaller populations and less resources. Some islands have more than one nation on one island.
Of course, many would be fearful of losing the bounty (welfare) of matching federal dollars and the grants to which our government and people are addicted. Not to mention the protection of Uncle Sam’s high-tech war machine. These people are short-sighted and afraid to be self-sufficient, sovereign and truly free.
The entire budget of $100 million per year could be charged to Uncle Sam as rent on its PMRF facility. Voila! No more property tax. OHA lands could be immediately transferred to their rightful owners, the Hawaiian people, with fee simple deeds. The sacred ground at Coco Palms could be returned to its rightful owners to become a cultural center and seat of the new nation. Land for affordable housing could simply be taken by eminent domain from the large landowners here who seem to prefer hoarding wealth to sharing it. The solutions inherent in becoming truly sovereign and free of the State of Hawaii and the USA go on and on.
I, for one, would gladly turn in my USA passport for one embossed with the seal of the Republic of Kauai.
• Michael Wells, Moloa‘a
Improve public transportation
Is building new highways and making other roads four or six lanes the only way to solve the traffic problems on Kaua‘i?
Would new highways and bigger roads add to the enjoyment of our unique natural beauty and the rural lifestyle we all need and enjoy?
How about a different approach?
Use the $380 million road-widening budget to improve public transportation to a degree those rental cars will not be needed to get around on the island.
Perhaps we should take seriously Will Rogers’ suggestion: “Take all the cars off the road that are not paid for.”
No community has ever solved their long-range traffic problems by adding new lanes.
Professor Albert Allen Bartlett, a retired professor of physics from the University of Colorado in Boulder, asks this question: “Can you think of any problem, on any scale, from microscopic to global, whose long-term solution is in any demonstrable way, aided, assisted or advanced by having larger populations at the local level, the state level, the national level, or globally?”
We all must remember that Los Angeles or any other big city did not just happen. It happens one project at a time.
Our quality of life depends on making changes before it’s too late at the county building, where they have never seen a project they didn’t like.
• Ken Taylor, Kapa‘a
Where is the Planning Department?
The front page news in today’s The Garden Island (Friday, May 26) about the residents and developers coming together to talk about problems is certainly heartening. On further reflection, however, one must pause and ask: “Where is our Planning Department in all this?”
The Kauai Planning Department, ostensibly the most important department in this county for protecting this island’s future, has a measly budget of barely a million dollars a year. In contrast, the Solid Waste Operation, which doesn’t even rate as a division in the Public Works Department, has a budget of $10.9 million (two years ago it was $7.8 million, two years before that, $6.6 million), and has nothing to show for it. As far as performance is concerned I suppose Solid Waste is in worse shape than Planning; the latter, after all, could attribute its dormant state to its starvation budget and resulting plummeting morale.
• Raymond Chuan, Hanalei
It’s the principle
Today, May 26, I made a visit to the recycling center at Nawiliwili to recycle 144 plastic, can and bottle containers. For such a small amount I am perfectly happy and willing to manually process these through the machines.
There was no one waiting; however, a man from the office approached informing me that I must take these to be weighed at the station below because “the State” doesn’t want me to do it that way with under 50 items. I complied.
At the weigh station, I had to wait and then my “little bit” was taken and weighed in at three pounds plastic, one pound cans and two (pounds) glass bottles. I go back up to the office and receive $4.10 instead of the $7.20 by actual count. When called on that fact, he was willing to make up the difference but I did not take it. Excuse me, that is not the point! I live on principle (this one being honesty) and this tells me “the State” is willing to rob its citizens even on such a small scale. Multiply $3.10 by the thousands who “just let it go.”
You ask us to be good stewards of our beautiful state and then have practices such as this. It is not about the money but about the principle. However, I remain joyful, of which you can not rob me.
• Susan Mills, Hanapepe
• Improve public transportation
• Where is the Planning Department?
• It’s the principle
For a Republic of Kaua‘i
Thomas Jefferson said it best: “Government is the enemy of every freedom loving man.” Ours, at every level, from local to federal, has proven itself to be ineffective at best and an enemy of the people at worst. Locally, we have a government which has refused to implement the will of the voters, built itself a palace of bureaucracy without even consulting its constituents, makes a recreational bikeway a priority while doing little or nothing about gridlock traffic. We all know what the problems are. Yet (and this assumes they count the votes correctly), we continue to vote these clowns back into office year after year. What is wrong with us? Are we just stupid sheep being led to slaughter? If so, we deserve everything we get.
Right now your government, via the charter commission, is preparing to offer amendments to our constitution, the county charter, to our voters. After attending a few meetings of this well intentioned group, I have concluded that amending our charter is like trying to patch a rust-bucket island car one too many times. It is vaguely written and the many amendments which will be offered to the voters will only confuse them. The correct course of action would be to write a whole new charter simply and specifically reflecting the will of the people and limiting the powers of government and its labor unions.
The one question I propose being put to the voters this fall is: “Should Kaua‘i begin a process to become an independent nation?”
Before you dismiss me as a crackpot, consider this: We have only not been a separate nation for about 150 years, a blink of an eye in historical terms. Many nations on earth have smaller populations and less resources. Some islands have more than one nation on one island.
Of course, many would be fearful of losing the bounty (welfare) of matching federal dollars and the grants to which our government and people are addicted. Not to mention the protection of Uncle Sam’s high-tech war machine. These people are short-sighted and afraid to be self-sufficient, sovereign and truly free.
The entire budget of $100 million per year could be charged to Uncle Sam as rent on its PMRF facility. Voila! No more property tax. OHA lands could be immediately transferred to their rightful owners, the Hawaiian people, with fee simple deeds. The sacred ground at Coco Palms could be returned to its rightful owners to become a cultural center and seat of the new nation. Land for affordable housing could simply be taken by eminent domain from the large landowners here who seem to prefer hoarding wealth to sharing it. The solutions inherent in becoming truly sovereign and free of the State of Hawaii and the USA go on and on.
I, for one, would gladly turn in my USA passport for one embossed with the seal of the Republic of Kauai.
• Michael Wells, Moloa‘a
Improve public transportation
Is building new highways and making other roads four or six lanes the only way to solve the traffic problems on Kaua‘i?
Would new highways and bigger roads add to the enjoyment of our unique natural beauty and the rural lifestyle we all need and enjoy?
How about a different approach?
Use the $380 million road-widening budget to improve public transportation to a degree those rental cars will not be needed to get around on the island.
Perhaps we should take seriously Will Rogers’ suggestion: “Take all the cars off the road that are not paid for.”
No community has ever solved their long-range traffic problems by adding new lanes.
Professor Albert Allen Bartlett, a retired professor of physics from the University of Colorado in Boulder, asks this question: “Can you think of any problem, on any scale, from microscopic to global, whose long-term solution is in any demonstrable way, aided, assisted or advanced by having larger populations at the local level, the state level, the national level, or globally?”
We all must remember that Los Angeles or any other big city did not just happen. It happens one project at a time.
Our quality of life depends on making changes before it’s too late at the county building, where they have never seen a project they didn’t like.
• Ken Taylor, Kapa‘a
Where is the Planning Department?
The front page news in today’s The Garden Island (Friday, May 26) about the residents and developers coming together to talk about problems is certainly heartening. On further reflection, however, one must pause and ask: “Where is our Planning Department in all this?”
The Kauai Planning Department, ostensibly the most important department in this county for protecting this island’s future, has a measly budget of barely a million dollars a year. In contrast, the Solid Waste Operation, which doesn’t even rate as a division in the Public Works Department, has a budget of $10.9 million (two years ago it was $7.8 million, two years before that, $6.6 million), and has nothing to show for it. As far as performance is concerned I suppose Solid Waste is in worse shape than Planning; the latter, after all, could attribute its dormant state to its starvation budget and resulting plummeting morale.
• Raymond Chuan, Hanalei
It’s the principle
Today, May 26, I made a visit to the recycling center at Nawiliwili to recycle 144 plastic, can and bottle containers. For such a small amount I am perfectly happy and willing to manually process these through the machines.
There was no one waiting; however, a man from the office approached informing me that I must take these to be weighed at the station below because “the State” doesn’t want me to do it that way with under 50 items. I complied.
At the weigh station, I had to wait and then my “little bit” was taken and weighed in at three pounds plastic, one pound cans and two (pounds) glass bottles. I go back up to the office and receive $4.10 instead of the $7.20 by actual count. When called on that fact, he was willing to make up the difference but I did not take it. Excuse me, that is not the point! I live on principle (this one being honesty) and this tells me “the State” is willing to rob its citizens even on such a small scale. Multiply $3.10 by the thousands who “just let it go.”
You ask us to be good stewards of our beautiful state and then have practices such as this. It is not about the money but about the principle. However, I remain joyful, of which you can not rob me.
• Susan Mills, Hanapepe
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of kauaiworld.com.
HiKauai wrote on Feb 11, 2009 9:19 AM:
" Hello again TGI,
Please do not expect anyone to buy your theory of promotion or advertising and success program Waimea High School. We the former students there at one time in our lives actually do not care of local propaganda and success story with you or anyone there and their cars to show for as a success story.
Basically, I wrote to Waimea High School, and I suspect as always that this town is a ghost town. No offense but there is nothing to do there, just unemployed educators and former students.
I am not with their idea of success story, and I am not placing religion or anything like that on anyone, because as you know, this is still a free country and you can do anything you want. The whole idea of success just doesn't work well in a farm club setting and wanting to make it out or make it happen after you graduate in high school there to say the least.
Basically, some people I may know here, think some of you people still stuck there are still losers because you haven't made it happen for yourself or others, if you get my point staying home doing nothing.
Sincerely,
Dean Kelly Sabado "
Please do not expect anyone to buy your theory of promotion or advertising and success program Waimea High School. We the former students there at one time in our lives actually do not care of local propaganda and success story with you or anyone there and their cars to show for as a success story.
Basically, I wrote to Waimea High School, and I suspect as always that this town is a ghost town. No offense but there is nothing to do there, just unemployed educators and former students.
I am not with their idea of success story, and I am not placing religion or anything like that on anyone, because as you know, this is still a free country and you can do anything you want. The whole idea of success just doesn't work well in a farm club setting and wanting to make it out or make it happen after you graduate in high school there to say the least.
Basically, some people I may know here, think some of you people still stuck there are still losers because you haven't made it happen for yourself or others, if you get my point staying home doing nothing.
Sincerely,
Dean Kelly Sabado "
HiKauai wrote on Feb 11, 2009 1:45 PM:
" First of all, let this be known, that these comments here are worthless and useless considering the topic being discussed. We found this topic a useless waist of time and money. This is from any intellectual interested reader. And yes, I am not associated with any former classmates there on Kauai also, for this matter alone.
Sincerely,
Dean Kelly Sabado "
Sincerely,
Dean Kelly Sabado "
HiKauai wrote on Feb 11, 2009 1:50 PM:
" I have seen alot of losers being mentioned in association to Waimea High School sports at UH Manoa. Might I add they are the one's who are delerious and a debachery to any level minded reader. These names are wide and long. And they run from 1979-1990 graduates trying grace the pages of Kauai and represent that school, outrageous. I for one, right now am putting all of them down for ever contemplating fame and popularity. We actually do not understand your fame and glory at Waimea High School.
This is in regards to your articles on the Waimea High School athletics and any department there.
Sincerely,
Dean Kelly Sabado "
This is in regards to your articles on the Waimea High School athletics and any department there.
Sincerely,
Dean Kelly Sabado "
HiKauai wrote on Feb 11, 2009 1:55 PM:
" Losers I have mentioned that graced those pages are as follows:
Ross Kagawa 1984' UH baseball 1987' classmate of Percival Butay(cousin)
Edmond Acoba 1981'
Liko Pereira 1989 and someother school baseball?
Kui Souza 1988 Sacramento state baseball
Craig Ibara 1983' HPC of honolulu baseball
Keith Pigao - student information desk for all information here for class reunion
Lyman Lacro 1986, UH Volleyball 1987
Barry Magoay 1985, UH Volleyball 1989
These are just some of the names trying to gain popular votes via their own high School Waimea High School
even now. Unreal!
Best regards,
Dean Kelly Sabado "
Ross Kagawa 1984' UH baseball 1987' classmate of Percival Butay(cousin)
Edmond Acoba 1981'
Liko Pereira 1989 and someother school baseball?
Kui Souza 1988 Sacramento state baseball
Craig Ibara 1983' HPC of honolulu baseball
Keith Pigao - student information desk for all information here for class reunion
Lyman Lacro 1986, UH Volleyball 1987
Barry Magoay 1985, UH Volleyball 1989
These are just some of the names trying to gain popular votes via their own high School Waimea High School
even now. Unreal!
Best regards,
Dean Kelly Sabado "
HiKauai wrote on Feb 12, 2009 1:08 PM:
" Hello again TGI,
This is me, Dean Kelly Sabado. Thank you for letting me comment on your articles there on the island. I just want to thank everyone agreeing with myself on who actually I meant, calling them losers in that town. Ha! Ha! Ha! I am a personal graduate of that high school but will proudly say if they keep up the good work in academics and life, will not be too ashamed of being associated with Waimea High School as an alumni.
Sorry, but there are others who felt this way! Here on the island of Honolulu and even the mainland. These names may have one time in their lives even mine represent the epitome of failure and laughs, and not success.
best regards,
Dean Kelly Sabado "
This is me, Dean Kelly Sabado. Thank you for letting me comment on your articles there on the island. I just want to thank everyone agreeing with myself on who actually I meant, calling them losers in that town. Ha! Ha! Ha! I am a personal graduate of that high school but will proudly say if they keep up the good work in academics and life, will not be too ashamed of being associated with Waimea High School as an alumni.
Sorry, but there are others who felt this way! Here on the island of Honolulu and even the mainland. These names may have one time in their lives even mine represent the epitome of failure and laughs, and not success.
best regards,
Dean Kelly Sabado "
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HiKauai wrote on Feb 11, 2009 9:08 AM:
RE: 2/11/2009 and the above topic
Can we cut out the "EXPLETIVE" here. Everyone knows if you are or were affiliated with high school at one time in your life in Waimea, Kauai, you would know that you do not place one of the three stooges willing to work at Kentucky fried chicken and place him at the vice principal's seat at Waimea High School. We all know that BOE and DOE played no roll in this nonsense of students being athletes then becomming success in the respected choice of degree and field like a BA degree. An example, you cannot put someone like a Pereira or even an Aaron Francisco from Kahuku High School, now former Arizona Cardinals NFL, as a BA candidtate after a prolific showing in sports. It just does not work that way. We all know that they cannot be serious placing academics after a 10 year assistant coach with a rediculous man/educator and/or coach if I might add like Tommy Rita of the 1980's and then expect him, Patrick Pereira to educate people in 2000's after being associated with dumb athletes all their life and now turn to academics. Now they educate people? Ha! What are we looking at here is basically a rediculous and dumber community than most perceived DOE standard base learning. Otherwise throw this article out already, alright?
best regards,
Dean Kelly Sabado "