• Hurricane/storm shelters
• Nobody is listening
• Hit ‘em where it hurts
• A fair answer would be it depends
• Arizona nurse supports Kaua‘i nurses
Hurricane/storm shelters
Attn: Mayor Baptiste
In case of any hurricane, is the Kapa‘a Middle School prepared to set thick plywood (at least 3/4”) over the windows … or do we sit there behind only the glass windows? Same for any Kaua‘i shelter, really. Does Civil Defense handle this or do the schools themselves on their own budgets? Are the bolts to hold them already set in place? All three Kapa‘a school shelters are on bluffs fully exposed to the hurricane or storm wind velocity. Are we ready yet?
But really why aren’t the new police station and the new courthouse we just paid for not designated as shelters, when they are built to last and appear to be fortresses that would serve to protect the people by the thousands?
Nobody is listening
Of the many points that attorney Nancy Budd made in her recent letter to The Garden Island, Koke‘e commercialized,” July 24, 2006, the one that struck me as the saddest was that “virtually all of those testifying at the two public hearings that (she) attended were opposed.”
How ludicrous is it that our public officials are required to hold public hearings but NOT required to hear our collective voices raised in protest? And how hard is it to figure out what drives the apathy that is overwhelming our democratic process?
How can the Department of Land and Natural Resources possibly justify building more facilities when the current ones are so poorly maintained? (The Koke‘e leaseholders, with their own time and money, had to replace the roofs on the park pavilions, for heaven’s sake!) Will the state someday need them to replace the roof on their proposed hotel?
The DLNR reminds me of a group of children. They repeatedly kill their goldfish because they can’t remember to feed them. Now they want a puppy. Well, we ALL say NO! But you “kids” are out of control … and nobody is listening.
Poor puppy. Poor beloved Koke’e.
Hit ‘em where it hurts
My sincere thanks to Linda Kelekoma of Anahola who had the good sense to stay on the line when that 4:30 a.m. phone call was made to most of the island regarding refinancing homes.
I just went online to the Federal Communications Commission and filed a complaint against this company, First National Mortgage Company of California. I would urge anyone who was seriously annoyed by this call to do the same.
The website for filing a complaint is http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html.
If you signed up on the Do Not Call Registry, you have a legitimate complaint and this is the only way to stop such aggravating practices. They get a healthy fine every time they violate the Do Not Call Registry.
Hit ‘em where it hurts, folks … file a complaint!!
Again, Mahalo nui loa to Linda!
- Kay Obloy
Wailua Homesteads
A fair answer would be it depends
Fares published on the Hawaii SuperFerry website were developed when the price of oil was around $50/ barrel. The price of oil today is over $70/barrel and from all indications, will only get higher. The fine print of their fare page states “excludes possible fuel surcharges.” An example of fuel surcharges that we all know well — the fuel surcharge added to your electricity bill is nearly the same as the cost of electrical usage. This will likely be the case when the SuperFerry comes on line. So that $100/round trip will likely be $200/round trip. Add a round trip for your car, another $200 after the fuel surcharge is added.
Published fares are one-way and point-to-point — i.e. a trip to Maui would be $100 one-way plus the fuel surcharge (Kaua‘i to Honolulu, Honolulu to Maui), plus a hotel or sleep in your car in Honolulu because our scheduled trip leaves at 6:30 p.m. and gets into Honolulu at 9:30 p.m. It could easily cost $300 — $400 for a round trip to Maui and that doesn’t include your car!! A trip to Big Island would be slightly higher.
Sadly, when Terry O’Halloran, Hawaii SuperFerry’s PR person was questioned about an estimate of what the current fare might be, he said they didn’t know! Perhaps it’s more they don’t want US to know! It’s possible that when the fare is nearly doubled, it won’t be such a good deal. It’s also likely that when you consider the fare, fuel surcharge, the cost of either shipping a vehicle or renting a car and the need for a hotel, it will cost more than air fare for one or two passengers. A possible exception might be a large group that doesn’t need housing on arrival in Honolulu.
It appears that HSF isn’t going to tell us the true cost until they’re operational — and then if it really isn’t a deal, we will have sacrificed the whales and our rural Kaua‘i lifestyle. Think about it. We need an environmental impact study — before the ferry lands. We need independent answers to how the HSF is going to impact our island — BEFORE THE FERRY LANDS.
- Judie Hilke Lundborg
Lihu‘e
Arizona nurse supports Kaua‘i nurses
I am addressing this letter to the people of Kaua‘i and asking them to support the nurse on strike on Kaua‘i. These nurses are fighting for the right to provide quality patient care. Their concerns have not been based on pay raises. I am a Registered Nurse on the mainland.
There are many research studies that have found that poor staffing directly (negatively) affects patient outcomes regardless of the skill and experience of the nurse. There are increased deaths and illnesses with poor staffing conditions. Patient acuity is a term that refers to a classification system involving how “sick a patient is;” patients with more problems need more nursing care. Acuity needs to be done with accurate data.
The pay raises will bring the RNs to market standards but are conservative and not above mainland standards.
Please support these nurses and allow them to provide the quality care they desire to give the Kaua‘i community. These RNs only want the opportunity to give quality care to you and your loved ones.
One RN stated that JCAHO standards were kept while achieving accreditation but were ignored after the accreditation was completed.
There are patient safety goals and standards that are set by JCAHO which protect patients and allow nurses to give safe quality care.
Please support your nurses which will allow you to receive better quality care in your community.
- Patricia Blanck-Miller
Bachelor of Science of Nursing, RN
Youngtown, Ariz.
