Legislature needs to address cost of living
We all know that Hawai‘i is the most expensive state to live in, ranking first above California. This is caused by a number of reasons, like less space for building new homes, having to import all of our necessities, and many others.
Kaua‘i has been my home for my whole life. I wish to someday buy a house and retire here. But the cost of living is way too high. Prices are much higher than they were before, which makes it hard to live comfortably. Some studies say that you need to have a salary of $122,000+ to live without financial worries in Hawai‘i.
The rising prices and struggle it takes to continue living here is near unbearable. It adds to other problems like homelessness and locals leaving. More bills should be passed to financially help those in need, especially residents.
J. Miguel, ‘Ele‘ele
Incentivize new construction for low-income Kauaians
I am Andrelyn Acoba and I am currently a sophomore at Waimea High School. I am writing this letter to raise my concern about the lack of affordable housing in our island, Kaua‘i. I perceive that living in Hawai‘i is costly, but, I also believe that something must be done to provide economical housing for locals.
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the United States nearly has a shortage of around seven million of affordable rental homes. This affects adults who are under the age of 50, as they have many obligations to pay. However, we as a community can make a difference if we come along together.
One way to solve this problem is to incentivize new construction of affordable homes. What I mean by this is that the state should continue to build low-income houses for people who can not afford to buy a house. This way, they do not have to stress much about their food security, health care and many other concerns. Affordable housing for locals will also result in a decrease of homelessness, as it is also one of the biggest problems on our island.
I hope this reason is sufficient enough to take it into consideration.
Andrelyn Acoba, Kalaheo
Raise the minimum age for drivers licensing
The age for drivers license should be raised to 18. The 15-year-old is too young. They take no responsibility of obeying the driving laws.
While walking on Waiolo Road in ‘Ele‘ele, these young drivers are speeding up and down the road.
Yesterday (May 9), at Port Allen entry there is a crosswalk which I was in and halfway through. If my wife didn’t see the car (Black BMW/ driven by a very young teenage girl; didn’t get the license plate number) coming down the road at a fast speed and told me to watch out, I would have been hit in the crosswalk. The young driver just sped through the crosswalk couple inches away from me.
Teens now days are too young and too spoiled (by parents) to be driving on the roadway/highway. Their either playing, texting, or whatever while driving.
Oh yeah, since my last letter to TGI Forum, I’ve notice couple patrol cars on the side of that road watching for speeders. We need more patrol officers there. Or, place a camera or two overhead on a pole that records the speed and license plate of a vehicle to be cited by the courts.
Howard Tolbe, ‘Ele‘ele
