•Health care bill flawed •Energy questions answered Health care bill flawed I am writing in response to “Health care myths busted” (Sept. 3, The Garden Island). This biased reporting by Michael Levine should have been more appropriately placed in your
•Health care bill flawed
•Energy questions answered
Health care bill flawed
I am writing in response to “Health care myths busted” (Sept. 3, The Garden Island).
This biased reporting by Michael Levine should have been more appropriately placed in your editorial section. This article was not objective reporting especially with Mr. Levine’s use of the word “myths.” He implies that Rep. Hirono is the source of all truths in regards to health care reform as proposed by the Democratic Party. In place of the word “myths” he should have used the word “concerns.”
Here are my enumerated concerns about your article and the proposed health care reform.
1. Mr. Levine’s article stated that Rep. Hirono held a health care townhall. She did not hold a townhall where differing concerns would be entertained. The caption of the accompanying photo correctly described this event as an AARP Health Care Reform Briefing and as such was a one-sided forum.
2. Why isn’t medical malpractice tort reform included in the bill? Ask any doctor what his greatest ongoing expense is. The answer: medical malpractice insurance. Expenses are typically passed on to customers — you and me. Why is this not addressed in the bill?
3. Why did President Obama want a health care reform bill passed before Congress went on its summer vacation? Whenever a salesman tells us you have to decide now, sign here, don’t warning bells start to ring in our head? Perhaps he did not want us to know what was in the bill — think about it. Did Rep. Hirono know what was in the bill? Did she read the bill?
4. Mr. Levine described the AARP briefing with the words “civility, aloha and dignity.” Where was all this civility, aloha and dignity when Mr. Lynn Call dared to express his concern in opposition to the bill? The article reported that he was “shouted down” and a request was made to remove him from the event.
5. Why is Rep. Hirono so insistent that any reform have a “strong public option?” Will she be willing to forgo her private health insurance and accept the coverage by the “public option?”
6. Why would I want to trade my excellent health care for the government provided “public option?”
7. Why are Rep. Hirono and her fellow Democrats spending all this effort, time and means to fulfill Obama’s wishes for a health reform bill when Americans are concerned about jobs? Imagine private health insurance companies going out of business because they cannot compete against “free option” and resulting lost of jobs because of the lost of their investments in our economy.
8. Can I place all of my trust in Rep. Hirono and AARP to look after my health care needs? Can I trust Rep. Hirono to function in the best interest of America and not her political party?
These are just some of my concerns and they are not myths.
Frank Kakazu, Puhi
Energy questions answered
In response to Linda Silva’s letter, (“Energy questions linger,” Letters, Sept. 8) I would like to answer Linda’s questions.
1. Yes, Western Renewable Energy’s owner, Steve Hall, owns a 3 mwh bio-energy generation facility that is fueled by wood chips. It is located in Eager, Ariz., and Steve built it himself after his logging community was shut down, just like Kaua‘i has been shut down with the loss of sugar and pineapple. He sells electricity to Arizona Public Service, a major electric producing company in Arizona as well as Navajo Nation Reservation.
As a matter of fact, since 2005 my colleagues have extended invitations to Kaua‘i County government and KIUC parties to visit this site and see Eager facility but nobody has shown any interest to do so.
2. Kaua‘i can produce enough green pellets. They can be made from a variety of grasses that grow along our highways including “guinea grass,” which has already been tested for its burning potentials which prove extremely high, as well as many invasive species.
The immediate problem lies in the availability of large tracts of land to specifically grow such feed stock. Big landowners do not want to commit to long-term leasing for specific uses. Unfortunately, the vast majority of land on Kaua‘i is owned by large landowners such as the state, the county and previous “plantation families.” I think about 10 percent to 15 percent may be owned by smaller parties such as businesses and the general public.
Due to this fact, WRE has arranged to import “manufactured green alternate energy pellets” that will be made at WRE’s facility and shipped to Hawai‘i. Hopefully, as these pellets are shipped in arrangements will be made to manufacture the pellets in Hawai‘i as lands become available if and when priorities stabilize concerning the leasing of lands for such an opportunity to turn fallow lands into productive agricultural ventures — hopefully, for sustainable food and meat capabilities here on Kaua‘i and other islands. There must exist a surface of “political will” on the part of the government to want this to happen which has not been available in the past.
3. No garbage will be burned. Garbage will be separated into categories and used in an “added value” program to make commercially viable products for sale.
4. Emissions will be minimal. They will be captured and turned into “livable CO” that can be pumped into green houses with excess heat for a controlled environment.
5. WRE has no connection with the Cowern operation. Cowern is looking to burn wood chips. WRE is going to manufacture safe, alternative “green” pellets made from multiple cellulous materials as well as capture and sequester emissions.
6. WRE can produce electricity for the same price KIUC does and probably cheaper, somewhere between 17 and 19 cents per kwh. Any energy generated would be sold to KIUC, if they agree to a “power purchase agreement.” Adding delivery, administration and all the other “bells and whistles” cost would likely keep electrical bills in a 25 cent a kwh range. The important fact is that members’ electric cost would begin eliminating the fossil fuel adjustment portion of your bill, the portion that doubles user’s monthly electrical bills. Generation would be fueled with green pellets, replacing erratically priced fossil fuels. It would be a gradual stabilization of everyone’s energy cost lessening dependency upon imported oil: a step toward sustainability.
7. As for why KIUC is reportedly considering a $75M diesel, fossil fuel backup project rather than an alternative energy project, I have no idea. I would suggest taking that first step toward green energy as, by the way, mandated by state law.
It’s time to begin that journey.
John Hoff, Lawa‘i
