• Concert was great • Documentary details smart meters • Clearing up KIUC costs Concert was great I’m writing to commend Mark and Haunani Rossi for putting together the most memorable Hawaiian Concert in Honor of King Kamehameha IV &
• Concert was great • Documentary details smart meters • Clearing up KIUC costs
Concert was great
I’m writing to commend Mark and Haunani Rossi for putting together the most memorable Hawaiian Concert in Honor of King Kamehameha IV & Queen Emma on Friday, Nov. 15 at St. Michael’s in Lihue. Local musicians, hula dancers (novices) from KCC Hula Club, led by their teacher Pua Rossi-Fukino, performed. The last performance by Evan Kanahele from Niihau and all the dancers joining in chorus brought a tear to many eyes, including mine. For those of you, who did not attend this annual event, mark your calendar for next year. You’re in for a treat!
Colette Buis, Lihue
Documentary details smart meters
The TBYP documentary is a thorough study of smart meters. It reveals that nowhere have they lowered costs or provided any benefits at all to the people. However, it does illuminate the increased costs, the deep invasion of privacy and the very significant health risks of this technology to the people.
Edward Snowden’s leaks about the spying activities of the NSA on our computers, cell phones and every aspect of our lives is a part of the same agenda as smart meters, which further deepen the invasion into our privacy.
KIUC has either knowingly, or unknowingly become a pawn in this game and is now using the very same tactics of the elite 1 percent that is used in every arena: fear, money, attempts to divide the people and diversion from the real issues. KIUC has instituted punitive fees and charges upon those co-op members who have opted out of smart meters. But the real target of these fees is not the 3,000 people who have already seen the dangers of smart meters and opted out. The real target of these fees is the remaining 30,000 people who have not yet opted out.
KIUC is attempting to divert people’s attention away from the real issues of privacy and health, and distract the people into arguing among themselves about who pays for meter readers. Through this diversion they hope to convince the 30,000 to vote against the 3,000 about these fees. If successful KIUC will have actually convinced the 30,000 to vote in favor of their own demise in terms of health and privacy.
I urge you to watch the documentary TBYP, and then opt out of smart meters in support of the well-being of you and your family, and then, in the upcoming referendum, vote against the manipulative fees being orchestrated by KUIC and the real powers behind them.
“Take back your power” indeed!
Michael Shooltz, Kapaa
Clearing up KIUC costs
In the time it takes to write a letter to the editor, you can read the 26-page decision of the Public Utilities Commission and the 11-page statement of position by the Division of Consumer Advocacy, which describe the basis of their approvals for KIUC’s smart meter opt-out fees.
These documents are linked off the KIUC website, www.kiuc.coop. By clicking on the Nov. 1 news release on our site, you can find the links to the decisions.
Also, let me correct a couple of points. The federal government paid half the cost of KIUC’s smart meters, so the cost to our members was $5.5 million, not $11 million.
It does not cost $3.4 million to read meters. Before smart meters were installed, it cost about $800,000 in wages, vehicles and equipment to read all 30,000 meters. With 3,000 old meters still in use, the process is much less efficient, so it will cost about $340,000 to read them, in addition to the costs of testing, repairing and rebuilding the old meters that customers are still requesting.
Another cost, 3,200 perfectly good smart meters, bought and paid for, that are now sitting on a shelf.
Money saved from discontinuing meter reading would have been returned in the form of patronage capital, the annual bill credit that members of our cooperative receive.
Jim Kelly, Communications manager KIUC
