• Superferry not working there
• Superferry officials let us down
• Put ADU to the voters
• Nurses need support
Superferry not working there
As someone who spends the summers in Toronto, Canada and the winters in Kaua‘i, I have had a front seat watching the problems with the Rochester-to-Toronto Superferry which was supposed to link the two cities in the summer months.
Both years that it ran, it failed miserably, and both cities incurred enormous costs that they will not be able to recoup. It is no longer running.
If these cities with their large pool of customers (millions of people) can’t make a financial go of it, how can the state of Hawai‘i do it?
It is also a mistake to proceed with something like this without thoroughly dealing with all the other serious issues raised by allowing the Superferry to proceed. As a long time volunteer at the Kilauea Point Wildlife Refuge, I shudder to think of the number of whales, monk seals and turtles that will be killed. We also know the damage that the mongoose causes. One of the things that sets Kaua‘i apart are all the wonderful ground-nesting birds we enjoy.
Superferry officials let us down
A group of people here on Kaua‘i (People for the Preservation of Kaua‘i) are deeply concerned about the impact that the Superferry may have on all our lives. We feel that we have all been served misinformation by the Superferry executives. We also feel that our elected officials have let us down by allowing plans to go forward without requiring an Environmental Impact Study. We are deeply concerned about a number of issues that haven’t been addressed:
• The potential death and injury to endangered humpback whales, dolphins and all other marine life. (The loss of even one monk seal or leatherback turtle would be very serious for these highly endangered populations);
• The congestion of the harbors, beaches, surfing areas, roads and parking;
• The Superferry will provide an easy conduit for drugs and invasive species, virtually impossible to detect during the planned one hour unloading and reloading. (A mongoose population would spread rapidly, destroying Kaua‘i’s population of albatross, nene and other island seabirds);
• The potential for increased crime (movement of stolen cars, surfboards and household contents off the island);
• The migration of homeless people from O‘ahu to Kaua‘i. We have our own homeless issues to deal with;
• The potential for over-fishing and over-harvesting of scarce resources such as opihi and maile.
Please, please, don’t be pressured by the greed and short-term gains of the Superferry people. Please take stock and really examine the overall impact from a broad viewpoint. What’s the big rush? Please take all the time that is needed to investigate this issue thoroughly and conduct a multi-year Environmental Impact Study. There is a reason why Kaua‘i was never conquered when it was part of the kingdom of Hawai‘i … it would be criminal to act in haste and repent at leisure.
Put ADU to the voters
I would like to express my concerns about the much debated Additional Dwelling Unit and its planned sunset on Dec. 31 of this year. Just so I am clear, this sunset would make us the only county in the state that doesn’t allow additional dwellings on agricultural land. So, in essence, this sunset would take away my right to build on my property.
What concerns me as well is the absolute arrogance of our commissioners and council members who refuse to believe that this doesn’t affect the common Kaua‘i resident. I was present at the commission meeting and I watched as dozens of local people with various backgrounds all testified as how important this ADU right is.
Let’s be reasonable: I am sure many people have taken advantage of this, but I would bet the amount that have benefited honestly far outweighs the negative.
For whatever reason, some council members feel obligated to take this right away from us — what gives seven individuals, who I have never met, the right to dictate how I can utilize my land?
If they feel so obligated to change how I live, how about being fair and at least offering this debate to the voters for their decision?
Nurses need support
I write in support of the nurses and their principled stand for adequate hospital staffing. They are really highlighting the gap between what is good for the community versus what is best for the corporate bottom line. As an RN, I can tell you there is nothing scarier than to have that kind of responsibility (after all, we are talking about people’s lives here) and not enough staff to meet the patient’s needs. IV’s that must be restarted, a new admission you were not expecting, a patient suddenly taking a turn for the worse and requiring urgent attention, etc., is just par for the course on a busy nursing station.
In addition to that, try to spend some quality time with your patient or the family for the purpose of instruction, or to prepare them for an upcoming procedure or to just spend some time comforting a worried patient or family member. Let us not forget the tremendous amount of documentation that accompanies the professional nurse’s duties, supervising support staff, etc. Something has to give somewhere when staffing is minimal — do you want it to be in the patient care area? When your mom or dad or son or daughter is hospitalized? Are you willing to risk their well being for monetary gain? And make no mistake, what a risk it will be if the nurses do not prevail.
I am about to meet my fourth internal medicine physician at Kauai Medical because the previous three have ceased to practice there. To say nothing of the other physicians who have left their practice with Kauai Medical — is this part of the same management philosophy and is that why there is a veritable revolving door for physicians at Kauai Medical? Both are owned by Hawaii Pacific Health.
What we see playing out at Wilcox/Kauai Medical is a microcosm of what is being played out all across this country. Corporate interests versus the common good. I thank the nurses for their commitment to the community’s best interests, now if only Pacific Health had that same commitment. Dr. Evslin was right on with his observations.
- Sherry Lynn French, R.N.
Kapa‘a
