• Finish the job • Honoring Ted Kennedy • Government runs amok Finish the job Many thanks to Rep. Sagum for hosting a meeting at Kikiaola Harbor including DLNR officials and the Army Corp of Engineers. Perhaps for the first
• Finish the job
• Honoring Ted Kennedy
• Government runs amok
Finish the job
Many thanks to Rep. Sagum for hosting a meeting at Kikiaola Harbor including DLNR officials and the Army Corp of Engineers.
Perhaps for the first time, the community was given assurances that the project will be reviewed and monitored to guarantee that the breakwaters are functioning properly.
As many Westside boaters have noted, the improvements and dredging at Kikiaola Small Boat Harbor have had adverse effects on the boat ramp and loading dock. Specifically, many of us believe that the removal of the “spur” which previously extended southward from the “east breakwater” has allowed south swells to roll into the harbor (never an issue before).
These swells have created hazardous boarding conditions and have led to the deterioration of both the dock and the ramp. For the first time we were given assurances that the Corp will not abandon the project until and unless the overall functionality of the harbor is satisfactory.
There was even an admission made by Corp officials that a “modification” of the current breakwaters may be necessary. I would like to encourage Westside boaters, and indeed all Kaua‘i harbor users to continue in support of the state and the Corp in their efforts to improve Kikiaola. With many millions already spent, it is encouraging to hear those responsible for the project commit publicly to its successful completion.
We should all stand united in encouraging the DLNR to continue the current dredging contract until all soft material has been removed from the entire inner harbor. Let’s finish the job.
James Thompson, Kalaheo
Honoring Ted Kennedy
As many in our nation mourn the passing of perhaps the greatest U.S. senator of the last 50 years, they also wonder how to best honor his legacy.
I think the vice president has the most eloquent response to this question: It’s about giving to others. It’s about giving back to our communities — public service. The senator’s decades of service have changed our nation for the better in many ways. His efforts bettered the lives of seniors, women, the poor, minorities and children. He stood up for justice on all levels.
With his passing it’s up to the rest of us to stand up, speak out, and work to give every person in our society the chance to fulfill their dreams. To reach their potential people need a strong foundation: shelter, food, education.
And, real health care — care that cannot be lost if you get sick, lose your job, or have a pre-existing condition. Health care that everyone can afford. That’s how to start to honor Sen. Kennedy’s service to America.
We have to let every member of the U.S. Congress and Senate know that health care for all Americans is a right, and they must pass legislation to make this a reality. Legislation with a strong public option for health insurance, strong cost controls, an employer mandate, and that guarantees patient choice. Creating an America where all citizens have quality, affordable health care would truly honor Sen. Kennedy’s memory.
David Thorp, Kalaheo
Government runs amok
The cavalier measures taken by Gov. Lingle to fire 1,100 state workers in “balancing” the state budget send a chilling shockwave across the state as crucial services, essential to the well-being of Hawai‘i citizens, are curtailed and severed.
Department of Human Services recipients especially at risk with these draconian cutbacks include adult victims of abuse and endangered children requiring Aid to Families with Dependent Children as well as those needing Child Protective Services and Foster Care.
There has been a significant increase in adult abuse, usually elders and the disabled who are normally eligible for Adult Protective Services due to financial exploitation, inability to give self-care as well as physical and psychological harm by friends, strangers or even family. Cutbacks in funding and staff will leave these vulnerable citizens without the protections for which society and the state should be responsible.
Decreased staff and funding services for recipients of AFDC, CPS and foster care will result in hunger, homelessness and delinquency as well as physical and sexual abuse by and against children.
Denial of social worker intervention and decreased funding for at risk children and adults will not balance the budget, but will accelerate costs to clean up the damages, apparently unforeseen by Lingle as her shoot-from-the-hip strategy further erodes the social fabric of Hawai‘i. In Lingle’s alleged balancing of the budget, she neglects to admit that she single-handedly wasted over $40 million of taxpayer money on the Superferry which ultimately declared itself bankrupt leaving the taxpayers to pick up the tab for this gigantic boondoggle.
Just think how many endangered adults and children could have benefited by these misspent millions! We are witnessing government running amok, not any semblance of competence in balancing the budget.
Janet Ashkenazy, Kilauea
