For-profit doesn’t mean greedy
The executive director of the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce (KKCC) Kirstin Kahaloa contributed an interesting “My Turn” column in the newspaper on Sunday.
The column was in support of the TMT. I agree with the executive director’s view, almost completely. Where I differ is her statement, and I quote: “First and foremost, the TMT is a nonprofit organization. It does not seek to profit investors or shareholders.”
That is a very peculiar position to be taken by a leader of a Chamber of Commerce. My small business is a dues paying member of the KKCC and the conclusion I drew is that nonprofit’s motives are superior to “for profit” companies because, she later wrote in the article, “Greed and wealth are not the foundations of TMT.” The shareholders of my company, which is privately owned, will pay $600-800,000 in federal and state taxes in 2015. We support at least 25 employee families who also earn salaries and pay taxes from their salaries as provided by the “greed driven” shareholders.
As a frequent visitor to Hawaii County and property owner here, I find that many citizens of this state have a similar feeling about private ownership, as the leader of our Chamber of Commerce has so vividly expressed.
Bruce A. Wilson
Kailua-Kona
Look to Temple Mount for life lesson
One of the holiest sites on Earth is the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The site is sacred to all three Abrahamic religions, although Christians are less interested than they once were. It is in Muslim control today, although it is in Israel. Despite the millennium of hostility between Muslims and Jews, they have found a way to share that sacred site. Muslims pray inside the Dome of the Rock which was modeled on Christian church design and Jews at the Western wall, believed to be a remnant of the Second Temple.
There is a lesson here about a well-known controversy in Hawaii. Kaana like.
Ken Obenski
South Kona