Unsightly poles should be removed
I am a resident of Hawi in North Kohala. My wife and I travel to and from Kona about every 10 days and I am appalled at the visual pollution left behind by some unknown cable company. It has damaged our pristine coastline between Mahukona and the entrance to Hawi. Some thirty-some odd telephone size poles remain on the 3- or 4-mile stretch supporting an assortment of cables on the lower half only. The top half of these poles remains unused, resembling Easter Island tikis. I cannot tolerate visual pollution and feel this is a pollutant and waste of natural resources.
How about nipping them off and selling them for building materials or better yet, put them on the lumber ship at Kawahaihae and collect the revenue from the Chinese into our treasury? If that doesn’t make sense, how about using them for pilings to provide slip spaces for the many frustrated boaters who want to keep their boats in the water rather than a frustrating waitlist in Kawaiihae Harbor for a safe harbor to moor? How about a log cabin program for Native Hawaiians?
Dick and Anny Medve
Hawi
Why use such a large bus in Waikoloa?
It’s a blessing having Hele-On shuttle service in Waikoloa Village for those who need and use it. I don’t myself. However, is it really necessary for Roberts Transportation, the service provider, to use a 40-foot-long, 51-passenger motor coach? It is very noisy and belches diesel fumes.
The reason I bring this up is because it goes by our house 16 times a day. On the days they use the gas-powered, 25-passenger mini bus, I don’t even know it’s operating.
I heard a rumor that the reason they use the 40-foot monster is to give new drivers driving time in the big motor coach. Do we really want limited-experience drivers driving a full-size bus around Waikoloa Village? I don’t think so.
Elden Cochrane
Waikoloa
Conservatives to blame for overpopulation
Does over population cause polution? You can add another billion people to this planet and it will not create a fraction of the pollution that corporations like the Koch brothers pollute with their oil drilling and refineries, coal mine stripping and dumping and gas fracking operations produce in one week, and since protecting the environment would cut into their billion dollar profits, there is no chance they will change. They keep telling people that it’s because of overpopulation, or nature, or it just doesn’t exist. They are even fighting against solar, wind and alternative energy.
The Koch brothers own the conservatives (Republicans), even some Democrats and the Supreme Court majority. There are some good progressives (Democrats), socially and environmentally compassionate, but there are no conservatives like that because they would be seen as too liberal and voted out in the primaries.
Now that Obamacare is working, the Republicans are back to beating a dead horse again — Benghazi. They have nothing to offer 99 percent of the population, but the so-called “conservatives” keep getting elected.
As far as overpopulation growth as the reason they give for more pollution, there would also be less population in America if the right wing conservatives would allow easy access to birth control, abortions and prenatal care. It’s not because of religious conviction, it’s because they want the evangelic vote, so they won’t allow Obamacare in their states, so now women can’t get the help they need to stop overpopulating America.
Michael Swerdlow
Waikoloa
Say no to military expansion on island
I oppose the military expanding on this island. As a Vietnam veteran, I know what the military will do to our island. Excessive noise and chemical and munition poisoning. They have heavily polluted bases in the U.S. and overseas.Let the politicians keep this on Oahu.
As for the soldiers, I hope we keep them out of unnecessary wars. The only ones who prosper and make our country unsafe are our chicken hawk politicians and defense contractors who profit from the wars. Let them enjoy some agent orange-flavored water that they served and continue to have in Vietnam.
William Laich
Kapaau