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Letters to the Editor for Thursday, June 4, 2009
• Boost employee efficiency first
• Coastal path a great place to rejuvenate
• The reality of Hawai‘i
Boost employee efficiency first
In response to “Bus, golf rates to increase,” (May 24, The Garden Island), I cannot understand, with the economy being so bad, how any one would raise the most reasonably affordable means of transportation for the young, old, working class and disabled on Kaua‘i.
And the golf course, a lot of people go there to relax and forget for a few hours the stresses we’re all facing now days. The county and state should start laying off all the excess employees on the payroll and save a lot of money.
For instance, a couple of months ago I was visiting a friend near Kalaheo School. There was a county employee sleeping on a grass clipper; he was sleeping from 8:30 a.m. till 11:30 a.m. when someone came to pick him up for lunch.
I called the complaints office and the woman laughed when I told her that’s why everybody wants to work for the county and state. She asked if I got the license number of the truck that dropped him off. Not my job!
And twice in two weeks I counted seven workers, that I could see, by the Missionary Church in Kalaheo cleaning the side of the road. Only three were working; the rest were sitting on the guardrail laughing and talking.
Also, did you know it takes five workers to replace a stop sign?
I saw that too on the corner of Papalina and Puu roads in front of Kukuiolono Golf Course. These are only a handful of times. It happens every day.
Darlene Soares, Kalaheo
Coastal path a great place to rejuvenate
Last week we took my elderly parents and other relatives visiting Kaua‘i to the multi-use path.
Since my father is in a wheelchair, we parked at the Kealia look-out and used the handicap accessible stall and walkway that leads to the multi-use path. My sister, her husband, and my two children biked the path, while we took our time enjoying world-class views of the coastline and surf.
Young and old, healthy and frail, residents and visitors, walkers and bikers were enjoying the path as we were. Every single pavilion along Kealia Beach was being used, but two young guys let us share a covered picnic bench so that my mother could rest in the shade.
For me, the multi-use path is a coastal park, a safe place to exercise without fearing for one’s safety, and a place to rejuvenate and take in Kaua‘i’s scenic beauty.
Nadine Nakamura, Kapa‘a
The reality of Hawai‘i
I would like to respond to the June 1 letter, ‘I still love you, Kaua‘i” by Charles Tapio in The Garden Island.
Mr. Tapio talks about the time he lived here on Kaua‘i, and he talked about how badly people treated him saying, “Land of aloha?! I would say: Not.”
Pretty much every country in the world has words that describe, peace, love, friendship, etc. Hawai‘i is not the only place on Earth that has words to describe these things. Most other countries have many different words for these feelings instead of just one word to describe many different feelings.
Hawai‘i is just like every other place in the world in that some people feel these things, and some do not. Some just act like they do.
Having aloha spirit towards only your own family and friends is not aloha spirit. That is just love or friendship for people you know or are related to.
People either have a good heart, or they do not. What race you are has no bearing.
For some reason, many of the people in Hawai‘i seem to want to forget their own personal histories, where they actually came from. It was not that long ago.
If you are 50 percent Hawaiian and 50 percent Chinese, you are just as much Chinese as you are Hawaiian, as far as your ancestry goes.
China had art, culture and great writers dating back to when the Egyptians were building pyramids. There is a lot to be proud of in all countries in the world.
Around 1,500 years ago, Marquesans arrived on the Big Island. Some 800 years ago Tahitians came and took over Hawai‘i from the Hawaiians. About 232 years ago Europeans came to Hawai‘i and this time, it was the Americans who took over Hawai‘i some 115 years later.
Americans then brought over the Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, etc., and now most of the people born here in Hawai‘i are descendants of people who were just brought over to Hawai‘i during the last 100 to 200 years.
Kaua‘i is some 5 million years old.
And that is the reality of Hawai‘i and Kaua‘i.
Dennis Chaquette, Kapa‘a
• Coastal path a great place to rejuvenate
• The reality of Hawai‘i
Boost employee efficiency first
In response to “Bus, golf rates to increase,” (May 24, The Garden Island), I cannot understand, with the economy being so bad, how any one would raise the most reasonably affordable means of transportation for the young, old, working class and disabled on Kaua‘i.
And the golf course, a lot of people go there to relax and forget for a few hours the stresses we’re all facing now days. The county and state should start laying off all the excess employees on the payroll and save a lot of money.
For instance, a couple of months ago I was visiting a friend near Kalaheo School. There was a county employee sleeping on a grass clipper; he was sleeping from 8:30 a.m. till 11:30 a.m. when someone came to pick him up for lunch.
I called the complaints office and the woman laughed when I told her that’s why everybody wants to work for the county and state. She asked if I got the license number of the truck that dropped him off. Not my job!
And twice in two weeks I counted seven workers, that I could see, by the Missionary Church in Kalaheo cleaning the side of the road. Only three were working; the rest were sitting on the guardrail laughing and talking.
Also, did you know it takes five workers to replace a stop sign?
I saw that too on the corner of Papalina and Puu roads in front of Kukuiolono Golf Course. These are only a handful of times. It happens every day.
Darlene Soares, Kalaheo
Coastal path a great place to rejuvenate
Last week we took my elderly parents and other relatives visiting Kaua‘i to the multi-use path.
Since my father is in a wheelchair, we parked at the Kealia look-out and used the handicap accessible stall and walkway that leads to the multi-use path. My sister, her husband, and my two children biked the path, while we took our time enjoying world-class views of the coastline and surf.
Young and old, healthy and frail, residents and visitors, walkers and bikers were enjoying the path as we were. Every single pavilion along Kealia Beach was being used, but two young guys let us share a covered picnic bench so that my mother could rest in the shade.
For me, the multi-use path is a coastal park, a safe place to exercise without fearing for one’s safety, and a place to rejuvenate and take in Kaua‘i’s scenic beauty.
Nadine Nakamura, Kapa‘a
The reality of Hawai‘i
I would like to respond to the June 1 letter, ‘I still love you, Kaua‘i” by Charles Tapio in The Garden Island.
Mr. Tapio talks about the time he lived here on Kaua‘i, and he talked about how badly people treated him saying, “Land of aloha?! I would say: Not.”
Pretty much every country in the world has words that describe, peace, love, friendship, etc. Hawai‘i is not the only place on Earth that has words to describe these things. Most other countries have many different words for these feelings instead of just one word to describe many different feelings.
Hawai‘i is just like every other place in the world in that some people feel these things, and some do not. Some just act like they do.
Having aloha spirit towards only your own family and friends is not aloha spirit. That is just love or friendship for people you know or are related to.
People either have a good heart, or they do not. What race you are has no bearing.
For some reason, many of the people in Hawai‘i seem to want to forget their own personal histories, where they actually came from. It was not that long ago.
If you are 50 percent Hawaiian and 50 percent Chinese, you are just as much Chinese as you are Hawaiian, as far as your ancestry goes.
China had art, culture and great writers dating back to when the Egyptians were building pyramids. There is a lot to be proud of in all countries in the world.
Around 1,500 years ago, Marquesans arrived on the Big Island. Some 800 years ago Tahitians came and took over Hawai‘i from the Hawaiians. About 232 years ago Europeans came to Hawai‘i and this time, it was the Americans who took over Hawai‘i some 115 years later.
Americans then brought over the Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, etc., and now most of the people born here in Hawai‘i are descendants of people who were just brought over to Hawai‘i during the last 100 to 200 years.
Kaua‘i is some 5 million years old.
And that is the reality of Hawai‘i and Kaua‘i.
Dennis Chaquette, Kapa‘a
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| Letters for Wednesday, June 3, 2009 |
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Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of kauaiworld.com.
interesting wrote on Jun 4, 2009 7:49 AM:
" ---------- "I called the complaints office and the woman laughed when I told her that’s why everybody wants to work for the county and state. She asked if I got the license number of the truck that dropped him off. Not my job!"
that is part of what happens when you (1) load up the county payroll with friends / family -- political supporters, and (2) let the employee union get way out of hand / poorly negotiated union contracts that make it impossible to fire anybody
not uncommon in smaller towns. very common here
-----------
the end of your letter was pretty good there Chaquette; nice job "
that is part of what happens when you (1) load up the county payroll with friends / family -- political supporters, and (2) let the employee union get way out of hand / poorly negotiated union contracts that make it impossible to fire anybody
not uncommon in smaller towns. very common here
-----------
the end of your letter was pretty good there Chaquette; nice job "
kalapaki wrote on Jun 4, 2009 9:30 AM:
" Why is the Mayor going to Japan? How much will it cost us? Is it really necessary? "
thehumbler wrote on Jun 4, 2009 4:12 PM:
" Darlene, Better yet this work should be subed out to contractors who would get it done in a hour instead of a day, better quality and no sick leave,vacation time, sleep time, BS time, and this would get rid of all of the superviors who are no better for allowing these non working slugs to get paid for what the do and don't do. By the way a ride on the Kauai Bus actually cost the County, State and Federal Government an average of $35 per person with all costs worked into the fare. We should just issue Taxi vouchers, it would cost less. Sell the County owned Golf course, sub out the County work, issue Taxi vouchers and we could save millions. "
G. Gordon Smith wrote on Jun 4, 2009 7:02 PM:
" Re: Dennis C.'s comment . It seems to me that there are no actual Hawaiians, since no one was originally on the Islands. So every human ancestor was actually a Haole, i.e., : they all came from somewhere else. Unless Adam & Eve were created on one of these Islands, then Adam & Eve would be the original Hawaiians and all of their offspring would be Hawaiians also. The fact of the matter is that everyone came from someplace else. Or dose one believe that evolution took place on each Continent and each Island around the world.
In reality every person born on the Hawaiian Islands could claim to be Hawaiian, just as I can claim to be an Arizonan , but with Ancestors that came from Germany and England. If one's Ancestors came from the Marquesas Islands then they would be Hawaiian with Marquesa Ancestors who may have come from some place else.
All of this rhetoric about rights due to birth place and ancestry is nothing more than a way for people who feel inferior to try to make themselves superior by claiming to be the offspring of some original group of people. That is we are better than you 'cause we are German or Brits or Irish or Russian or Hawaiian. No group of people are better or worse than any other group regardless of color. The only thing that makes anyone superior is Education 'cause that is earned not bestowed.
Most of all remember "Respect " is earned ! Not bestowed upon one or a group. "
In reality every person born on the Hawaiian Islands could claim to be Hawaiian, just as I can claim to be an Arizonan , but with Ancestors that came from Germany and England. If one's Ancestors came from the Marquesas Islands then they would be Hawaiian with Marquesa Ancestors who may have come from some place else.
All of this rhetoric about rights due to birth place and ancestry is nothing more than a way for people who feel inferior to try to make themselves superior by claiming to be the offspring of some original group of people. That is we are better than you 'cause we are German or Brits or Irish or Russian or Hawaiian. No group of people are better or worse than any other group regardless of color. The only thing that makes anyone superior is Education 'cause that is earned not bestowed.
Most of all remember "Respect " is earned ! Not bestowed upon one or a group. "
blueblood wrote on Jun 5, 2009 6:31 AM:
" Gilgamesh, Kauai is around five million years old. That is the reality, google it. "
getalife wrote on Jun 5, 2009 6:55 AM:
" The fact that government employees have a union is redundant, ridiculous and absurd in and of itself.
These are not " high " skill jobs, contracting them out would save billions in wages, benefits and the really big one, retirement pensions.
This is especially true of the Fire Department, firemen do almost nothing every day unless you include, sleeping, cooking, eating, exercising, reading the paper, watching TV, surfing the web, talking on the phone, doing paperwork for their second jobs, figuring out ways to jerry rig their schedule so they take in massive overtime one week then get several entire weeks off, work the disability angle so they can take a golf vacation, etc..... yeah these are all things they get paid very well to do.
Many small towns on the mainland have volunteer Fire Departments, they have no shortage of volunteers and no complaints about their service.
There is also a privatized Fire Department used in several large cities called " Rural metro " they do the job for a fraction of the cost to the taxpayers and use 401K's instead of pensions. "
These are not " high " skill jobs, contracting them out would save billions in wages, benefits and the really big one, retirement pensions.
This is especially true of the Fire Department, firemen do almost nothing every day unless you include, sleeping, cooking, eating, exercising, reading the paper, watching TV, surfing the web, talking on the phone, doing paperwork for their second jobs, figuring out ways to jerry rig their schedule so they take in massive overtime one week then get several entire weeks off, work the disability angle so they can take a golf vacation, etc..... yeah these are all things they get paid very well to do.
Many small towns on the mainland have volunteer Fire Departments, they have no shortage of volunteers and no complaints about their service.
There is also a privatized Fire Department used in several large cities called " Rural metro " they do the job for a fraction of the cost to the taxpayers and use 401K's instead of pensions. "
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joe wrote on Jun 4, 2009 6:05 AM:
Meanwhile we get daily glimpses of waste and inefficiency in our County and State governments at ALL levels. There sure are a lot of nice white trucks driving all over, burning fuel, 4 people inside, having looong lunches or checking the fishing. Carpenters and landscapers are hot and dirty at the end of the day, our public servants still look nice and clean. I'm sure many other Kauaians see the same and are frustrated too.
I'm just glad the State decided not to approve the "Recreational Renaissance." True Renassance happens in the mind and attidude. Lingle is being nice to offer furlough instead of layoffs, but I can see that many govenment employees don't work those days anyway. Personally I think some people should get fired. Right now there is no threat of losing your County or State job.
From my perspective it totally sucks and I wish some big changes could happen. "