• Emotional pursuits can burden tax base • The upsides to global warming • Positive comments better than negative
Emotional pursuits can burden tax base
Am I living in the same world as Ned Whitlock? After reading his cogent article, I researched chlorpyrifos on the Internet. To quote the Environmental Protection Agency of the federal government: “Dietary exposures from eating food crops treated with chlorpyrifos are below the level of concern for the entire U.S. population, including infants and children. Drinking water risk estimates based on screening models and monitoring data from both ground and surface water for acute and chronic exposures are generally not of concern.”
This is dated February 2002.
The EPA does extensive studies costing millions of dollars in protecting the safety of the environment and the American people. Should our county have the audacity to provide a study superseding the EPA and at what cost?
Enough already! We, as a county, are not prepared technically or financially to provide studies that already have been done by the federal government. When will reality either penetrate the councilmembers Hooser, Bynum and Yukimura or when will it penetrate the voters that a change is demanded? Plainly stated, we don’t have the technical or financial resources to accomplish anything in the field of insecticide research.
I respect Mr. Whitlock’s efforts, wrong though they be. I, too, want Kauai to remain clean, pristine, healthy and serve as an example for the world.
We do not have our own air force or military. We rely on the collective use of our nation’s resources to provide answers to questions on health, consequences on the use of pesticides, standards of quality in drugs and many other protective efforts.
While it is appropriate to maintain these broader concerns, let us put some trust in the work that has been done. At the same time, we should not ignore circumstances that may arise in the future. Have some degree of trust that this can be done by established agencies already pursuing these answers. Don’t burden your tax base further with costly emotional pursuits that only suit councilmembers who are searching for reasons not to retire.
Monroe Richman
Koloa
The upsides to global warming
With all the press about the dangers of global warming and how bad it’s getting, I think it’s only fair we hear from the other side and find out why global warming might actually be good for the planet. First, because it will be warmer, winters won’t last as long. In fact, in a couple of hundred years we may not even have a winter. Just think: No winter means no school closings in places like Maine, New York, Minnesota and Montana. It will save municipalities millions of dollars! No winter also means no expensive heating bills. And no icy driveways or snow to shovel! That will translate to fewer people going to the doctor because they’ve wrenched their backs shoveling.
Second, with a warmer planet, it’ll mean we can grow crops in places we’d never even considered before, like Antarctica and Greenland and the top of Mount Everest.
Third, because it’ll be so hot, more and more Mainland vacationers will want to come to Kauai — this time to cool off. It’ll be a boon for the tourist industry! I can just see the posters now: “Come to cool, refreshing Kauai, where it’s always a balmy 120 degrees!”
So, friends, embrace global warming. It ain’t as bad as you think.
Steven McMacken
Lihue
Positive comments better than negative
It was so nice when you guys had to stop posting AKA “Kimo’s” letters, rants or raves for awhile there. Maybe limit people to one letter a month — it just gets so old.
Maybe instead, he should do something positive instead of always being so negative.
Saa Ginlack
Kapaa
