Thank you for filling potholes
Mayor Kim, Charmaine Kamaka of the Parks and Rec Department and the Public Works director should all be given accolades for filling the potholes at the Old Airport Park. Their service to the public should be applauded!
The actions taken to improve the runway will not only benefit the local residents but also the tourists. With that in mind, it would behoove the mayor to proceed on another plan of action to begin paving the Old Airport Park.
This is Kona’s main recreational area, which could be paved one section at a time. The loose rocks on the outskirts take away from the beauty of the environment and also pose a safety hazard. The end of the runway appears to be the worst section.
Imagine a tourist or a child getting hit by one of the loose rocks as a vehicle accelerates! As a former Boy Scout, the motto I remember is “always be prepared.” Or in other words, it’s better to be safe than sorry!
R.W. Caldarone
Kailua-Kona
Single-payer still the way to go
I don’t know whether he’s done it yet, but Bernie Sanders intends to introduce a single-payer health care bill in the Senate. When the ACA was passed, I formed the view that the implementation of this plan would pave the way for a single-payer system.
My reasoning was that the greed of the insurance companies, which (companies) the whole system was based on, the greed of the pharmaceutical companies, and the greed of many doctors and hospitals would eventually mean that the system would prove too expensive for the country.
I thought that when this happened a single-payer system, such as Medicare for all, would be the only feasible alternative. I just wonder whether my prediction is coming true. President Trump is so irritated with the failure so far of “repeal and replace,” he is threatening to do exactly what is likely to bring such a system about. He is threatening not to enforce the mandatory signup provisions in the ACA and to withhold the government reimbursements to the insurance companies that underlie premium subsidies.
These actions are having the intended effect that the insurance companies on the ACA are raising their rates immensely. His intention is effectively to scuttle the ACA. Boy, I hope that guy stays irritated! Single-payer is what this country needs.
Mike Keller
Kailua-Kona