A more equitable society
Reflecting on the article about resorts helping with holiday hunger, it occurs to me that the real holiday gift we could give the island would be to address the reasons why hunger exists here. Just to begin, I have looked at the Living Wage Calculator for Kaua‘i (https://livingwage.mit.edu).
According to that, a living wage for the County of Kaua‘i is $21.27 or $44,238 pre tax for a person with no children. There are a lot of people on this island who don’t meet that threshold.
The average salary for a hotel worker is $45,105. The average also means a lot of people don’t make that much. This is an expensive place to live, and getting more expensive all of the time. Feeding the hungry doesn’t have to be an act of charity. It can be a demand for a more equitable society.
Larry Parker, Koloa
Cable woes
At the old Kaumakani school overpass on the makai (ocean side), there is a cable/wire that crosses post to post approximately 4.5 to 5 feet above the overpass. It poses some kind of danger. It’s so low that a child could jump up and hang on it.
Several days ago, a friend of mine was on that overpass walking from the mauka (mountain side) to makai (ocean side) looking down at the cars passing under it (the overpass) and not expecting the cable.”
To make a long story short, “he walked into the cable and bruised his forehead.” It’s a good thing it wasn’t a live wire or there where no spikes to poke his eyes!
That (what’s mentioned above) should not have happened. How did the owners of the cable get a permit to hang it so low above the overpass? The problem should be fixed right away.
Howard Tolbe, ‘Ele‘ele
