• Vote your taxes • Telephone company inept • On laynet restrictions • Dear candidates • Environmental clock • On HPH job slashing Vote your taxes By now, all Kaua‘i property owners have received their annual real property tax bills.
• Vote your taxes
• Telephone company inept
• On laynet restrictions
• Dear candidates
• Environmental clock
• On HPH job slashing
Vote your taxes
By now, all Kaua‘i property owners have received their annual real property tax bills. Payments are due in two payments, six months apart — in August and February. Ever notice how county elections are scheduled three months away from those dates, in November?
It’s too bad that property taxes aren’t due on Election Day. Perhaps our elected officials would pay more attention to Kaua‘i’s inequitable property tax situation (see the recommendations of the real property tax task force of two years ago that were promptly shelved by the current elected officials).
Here’s a suggestion for all Kaua‘i property owners — when you make your August tax payment, write on your calendar for Nov. 7 the amount of your annual tax obligation. When you go to vote, think about how much you must pay in taxes, whether you agree with that, and vote appropriately. For people who rent, your rental payments continue to increase as landlords pass along increased taxes. How much are you paying now compared with five years ago? Or 10 years ago? Many of the currently elected officials were holding office over those years. Make a note on your calendar so that it’s in your mind on Nov. 7 when you vote.
- Michael Taylor
Princeville
Telephone company inept
We all have taken precautions to protect ourselves from identity theft.
Now what do we do with an inept telephone company like “Hawaiian Telcom”?
After four months of numerous phone calls to them requesting cancellation, they continue to bill and remove funds from my checking account. First Hawaiian Bank says you must contact Hawaiian Tel to cancel withdrawals. As a manager of residential properties, this has been a reoccuring total disaster for telephone service. I encourage all customers to immediately discontinue service. Maybe the state of Hawai‘i could rid itself of such inept phone service that continues to waste the consumer’s and business community’s time and money.
- Andrew Pendleton
Princeville
On laynet restrictions
Regarding laynets and the overfishing now being discussed, universal minimum fish size restrictions deserve to be also considered, because it could be a solution more equitable in the community than restrictions on net “soak” time, and would likely be easier to enforce too. Kapuna-sized fish would not be protected of course, but reproduction in the fished population need not be impaired. Because the minimum size could be chosen, at least theoretically, so that enough sublegal sized fish can spawn several times before getting large enough to be caught. That is what is important. Reserving Ha‘ena’s fishing grounds for subsistence use is an interesting development that could encourage ahupua‘a-type conservation. Still, the community would need to be on guard against self-interest fishing arising to trump community-interest fishing. That would be only natural — just like the self-interest trumping seen in the usage and marketing of real estate on Kaua‘i. Marine sanctuaries for fish conservation may be a better idea.
Dear candidates
If your desire is to cause an accident then gather as many bobbleheads as you can, stand by the highway and attempt to distract the drivers with the sun in their eyes and a nine-hour workday behind them (Tourists think it’s silly too). Otherwise, please maintain your dignity. Seriously, it doesn’t win votes and it creates a hazard. Unless it’s an emergency you shouldn’t be trying to distract drivers. How can that even be legal? I’m gonna vote for the candidates that demonstrate good judgement. One speaks for many.
Environmental clock
The present administration has turned back the clock on environmental protection. It is imperative that we act now to preserve legislation which protects our environment.
Why are these bills being pushed through congress without open discussion and public input? Please do not let these two bills pass. We are counting on you, our representatives to stand up to big business and to do the right thing.
Make our environment more important than the monetary gain big business hopes for by sunsetting these laws.
On HPH job slashing
I was a nurse educator on Kaua’i for 18 years, leaving last year to relocate back to the Mainland — a relocation that was initiated by the impact of HPH job-slashing on my family.
As Dr. Evslin in his fine commentary stated, many good people lost their positions at Wilcox Hospital; not just CEOs but good people from housekeeping, nursing and human resources — to name the tip of the iceberg. Ironically, back then the only group I recall sounding an alarm about the merger was the nurses at Wilcox. I watched many good people leave and others who stayed constantly looking over their shoulder.
Is that any atmosphere in which to provide excellent care?
Now they want to do away with the LPNs. There are certainly some more humane (which is what a hospital is supposed to be, isn’t it?) ways to deal with this other than termination. Perhaps some of them might want to become RNs but can’t afford to take the time off from work to do that. Many hospitals have paid for LPNs to go back to school, assuring them a job while and after they do that. This is just one solution but HPH doesn’t seem to mind showing good, loyal employees the door. Nurses, I applaud you — for your resolve in trying to ensure quality nursing care for the people of Kaua‘i and for being the conscience of health care.
- Joanne Noone
Ashland, Ore.