County not accepting blame
The low mark goes to our Water Department and our administration. Imagine a private company noticing its customers and requesting they purchase 25 percent less product because the company is so lame it allows four of its 13 manufacturing machines to be inoperable for months.
If that is not bad enough, the head of the company, Harry Kim, then chastises the customers for their nonchalant approach to reducing their purchases. The fingers are pointed the wrong way!
John Cochrane
Kona
Don’t take advantage of voucher programs
With regard to the “Affordable Housing Lottery” article in Wednesday’s WHT, I was struck by the comments of the 23-year-old woman who was hoping to get an apartment because she has two boys and is pregnant.
These housing “vouchers,” EBT, etc, are taxpayer-funded programs. In other words, somebody pays their own bills, then pays for these programs on top of that. This money doesn’t come from a government bake sale. Legislators don’t get together and mow lawns to raise funds to build apartment buildings. This is money earned by people that doesn’t get to their bank account. This is food that doesn’t make it to their table. This reality should be respected.
To be in a situation where you can’t afford to pay for your own housing as an adult means you should be lowering expenses and trying to increase your income. A pregnancy means your expenses are going to rise dramatically. This strikes me as a wildly irresponsible decision.
I do support programs that help people get through tough times. I certainly don’t approve of the abuse of these programs, and people essentially ripping off those around them who make the decision to be a productive and contributing member of society.
Ryan Platt
Kailua-Kona
Development only hurts water problems
Why is the planned timeshare near Kahaluu Beach allowed when the front page of your newspaper said that there is a water shortage?
Three hundred-plus units will only compound the water shortage problem. Actually, one would think that there would be a complete moratorium on all new building in Kona until the water situation is completed.
One solution would be to divert the water now going to the civic center to those new timeshare condos. Whoever allowed this, AKA, the Planning Department, must be from Southern California where they keep building more housing with no regard to where the water will come from.
Teresa Tagon
Keauhou