1812, not Revolutionary War
Ms. Salley’s letter to the editor needs a bit of clarification.
The British bombardment of Fort McHenry, witnessed by Francis Scott Key, occurred during the War of 1812, not the Revolutionary War.
Wiley Knight
Waimea
Blind devotion can be dangerous
Respect is earned, not bestowed by title or position.
Do you teach your keiki to belittle handicapped people? Is it all good if they misbehave on a daily basis, just because they are your keiki ? If they sexually assault women do you defend their behavior? If they poison the environment do you approve? If they advocate picking on smaller kids, poorer kids, or minorities, do you approve?
A person becomes respect-worthy when his or her actions are respect-worthy, not when a title is conferred upon him. I do not respect Donald Trump, his family and most of his cabinet, because I find their actions to be abhorrent. Never would that kind of behavior be tolerated in my household, and never would he be used as an example to be emulated.
Leslie Iijima
Waikoloa
Brown envelope diplomacy
We recently learned that our mayor and two of his council members, Karen Eoff and Dru Hanuha, have been developing a proposal to ban or restrict vacation rentals.
This has been done in secrecy for the past six months. Most of the council members allege that they were not aware of this. The public was intentionally kept in the dark and no public hearings were held. Mayor Kim, Eoff and Hanuha tried to keep the lid on this proposal because it stinks!
The hotel industry lobby undoubtedly had a hand in providing input. The hotel industry no longer enjoys a monopoly regarding the rental of short term rooms and they want it back. The internet has made it possible for vacation rentals to flourish.
My wife and I are both retired and on a fixed income. When our various family members and friends are not visiting we rent part of our home as a vacation rental. This added income helps us when a financial difficulty arises. We pay all the required taxes (GET and TAT) as well as income taxes to the state and federal government. We thoroughly enjoy getting to know people from all over the world and they, in turn, LOVE the option to experience affordable and friendly hosts. We have made friends with the guests who stay with us, visiting and spreading aloha. Our guests are an important part of the economic picture in Kau. They purchase food at the stores and restaurants as well as drive to nearby attractions, i.e. Punalu’u Bakery, Kau Coffee Mill, Kula Kai Caverns, etc.
We have never had any difficulties, noise or issues with any guest. We would never consider turning this into a long term rental, EVER, so the taxes we pay would no longer flow into the government coffers.
There are many vacation rentals on the Big Island. If you are an owner, a manager, someone hired for cleaning and/or maintenance, you need to be heard.
Please write your council member, the mayor, etc. to register your concerns. We urge you to prevent the closure of any vacation rentals on the Big Island. This rotten piece of legislation needs to die.
Perish the thought, but the behavior of our “honorable” mayor and “honorable” council members seem to run parallel to someone who received a plain, brown envelope from the enormous hotel industry lobby.
Tim Schutt
Ocean View