Letters for Sunday, December 24, 2006

• Overkill again?

• Airport parking nightmare

• Details, please

• The Big Zip’

• Big box, ho hum

• Happy holidays from a nonbeliever

Overkill again?

I had a feeling that somebody would insist we fence off the waterfall where the two women fell to their deaths. What a great idea! Hey, while we’re at it let’s close every road that someone has died on in a car crash. I saw on the news that some guy accidentally shot himself in the head with a nail gun 13 times. We should immediately ban the sale of all nail guns. Oh, and someone drowned in the ocean too — well it’s closed forever. Everyone go sit in your house with the curtains closed, death is waiting outside to get you. Boo!

Koloa

Airport parking nightmare

I was surprised to see that when allocating money for capital improvement projects, Kaua‘i was given so little compared to the other islands. Guess it’s nice to know we don’t need that much fixing up … hmmm.

But what really bothered me is that the Lihu‘e Airport parking lot expansion is not even scheduled until Fiscal Year 2009. This last Thanksgiving I was taking my 80-year-old father to the airport for his trip home to the Mainland. I had an escort pass arranged so that I could help him check in, get him through security (he gets a little confused) and on his plane. I dropped him off at the curb, went to park, and the lot was full and closed. I drove around, leaving my father standing at the curb for 20 minutes, not knowing what to do, until the parking lot attendant (nice lady that she was) allowed me to park for five minutes in a no parking zone so I could at least help my dad get checked in, which I did. I couldn’t help him any further than that as I had to retrieve my car quickly.

But my position wasn’t nearly as bad as for the people trying to park and fly someplace. I have no idea what became of those folks, driving around, like me, looking for a place to park. So obviously, expansion of the parking facilities at the airport is a critical need now, not in 2009. Can we do something to speed this up?

Waimea

Details, please

Always interested in how the state allocates financial expenditures, I read Tara Godwin’s front page article (“Lingle’s budget spends $23 billion in two years,” Dec. 19) with some interest. But I find the article very lacking in details, i.e., the three largest sums for Kaua‘i are allocated to three of our elementary schools: $5.14 million for Kapa‘a Elementary School’s library; $5 million for Kalaheo Elementary; and $4.5 million for the Kilauea Elementary cafeteria.

YES, I say, for monies toward Kilauea’s education and quality facilities. These funds, however, seem extraordinarily high for add-ons or separate structures.

So I am inquiring for additional details regarding these funds and request that The Garden Island provide more detail as to what these large sums include. Are staffing funds included (for what time period), are interior furnishings, chairs, tables, books, etc. part of these allocations? Please, Garden Island, provide the full story. Without the entire picture, readers may interpret the governor’s plan with some concern. I look forward to a more detailed report from The Garden Island.

Kilauea

The Big Zip’

Hopefully our County Officials will quickly pass the big box so that they can get on with resolving the important issues that face our Garden Island. Issues like drug-related crime, improving education, cleaning the litter from our streets and beaches, affordable housing and traffic problems.

During the recent county elections, all the candidates preached those benevolent words of concern for improving the quality of life, resolving our island drug problem, providing affordable housing, etc. However, I do not recall any candidates presenting a plan to achieve those benevolent words.

So here is a plan. The county adopts a new tax called “A2” (Acres Squared), which is assessed as Base Rate times Acres Squared.

For example, say, the Base Rate is set at $10.

If you own 0 to 1 acre, the tax is 10 x 1 squared, or 10 x 1, which equals $10;

1 to 2 acres, the tax is 10 x 2 squared, or 10 x 4 = $40;

4 to 5 acres, the tax is 10 x 5 squared, or 10 x 25 = $250;

9 to 10 acres, the tax is 10 x 10 squared, or 10 x 100 = $1,000;

99 to 100 acres, the tax is 10 x 100 squared, or 10 x 10,000 = $100,000.

We could have three base rates: Business, $200; Residential, $100; and Agricultural, $10. The tax dollars would be used to improve our schools, drug- and crime-prevention, cleaning our streets and beaches, affordable housing and resolving traffic problems.

Don’t like my plan? Give me a better one.

Remember, the key to any plan is funding. Our county officials are challenged to develop a plan to solve Kaua‘i’s real problems.

‘Ele‘ele

Big box, ho hum

I am tired of seeing people say that a reasonable cap on retail development would hurt our local residents. That argument is pure shabai.

Kaua‘i residents will always have a choice, just as they do know. We have a Costco, Wal-Mart, Kmart, Big Save, Ishihara Market and many other local mom-and-pop stores. The ordinance to limit the size of stores will not drive any of these businesses currently in Kaua‘i out of business.

It will put a curb to buildings that just don’t fit the character of Kaua‘i. It will keep traffic to a reasonable level. But most importantly, it will protect our ‘aina for future generations to enjoy.

Kapa‘a

Happy holidays from a nonbeliever

Rigid Christian moralistic views are unkind, unattractive and uncompassionate. Happily, not all Christians think like (that).

I am an atheist. Thanks to Richard Dawkins’s best-selling book, “The God Delusion,” I now feel comfortable saying that I am a “nonbeliever” in God, gods, angels and spirits. If it’s supernatural, I don’t have “faith” in it.

Atheists are “critical thinkers.” Many of us linger at erudite Web sites such as edge.org, skeptic.com and naturalism.org. We believe, like Spinoza, that “nature is all there is” and it’s a privilege to be a card-carrying part of it.

Atheists are “skeptics.” A skeptic is not a cynic or grumpy curmudgeon. Skepticism is the application of reason to any and all ideas — no sacred cows allowed. We must see compelling evidence before we believe.

And finally, I am an atheist who enjoys Christmas. I like the trees, cards, music, parties, cookies and sparkly lights. Happy 2007!

Hanalei