Government leadership? Now that’s funny
In Monday’s West Hawaii Today, “Some lawmakers want to take the University of Hawaii out of the picture when it comes to managing Maunakea. The University of Hawaii at Hilo’s Office of Maunakea Management would be replaced with a new entity, managed by a governor-appointed board.”
Ah yes, just what we need, more bureaucracy. Sen. Kai Kahele, D-Hilo, said “It’s time for the Legislature to get involved and show true leadership.”
Ha, Mr. Kahele, every time that the government gets involved, it means more money wasted and sloppy overseeing. A bill was introduced Wednesday to replace University of Hawaii at Hilo’s Office of Maunakea Management with a new entity, managed by a governor-appointed board. Guess who is going to pay for this? The good citizens of Hawaii, of course.
Do you think that the budget will remain the same? No. More taxes will be needed to pay for this. This on top of the great leadership that the government has given big raises to recently. Mr. Kahele, maybe you should take a closer look at government “true leadership” with the Hele-On buses, the Kona water fiasco, and the swelling over budget and extended completion time for the Honolulu Light Rail.
One other thing, how is that new Queen Kaahumanu Highway improvement between Honokohau Harbor Kona International Airport coming? On time and on budget? Now you can see where this is going. Another over-swelled government bureaucracy sucking tax money down the drain while doing nothing but drawing a huge salary.
Ted Johnson
Kailua-Kona
Curb littering before it’s too late
The Daniel K. Inouye Highway has proven to be a safer and quicker alternative for our islanders and visitors to travel between population centers on the east and west sides of our beautiful Hawaii Island.
It is most unfortunate that some have chosen the 50-plus miles of highway to discard of unwanted trash. Perhaps a hefty fine for littering will deter this inconsiderate behavior that is visibly becoming a problem.
Our state Highways Division may want to explore strategies used in other jurisdictions to curb the issue. Paved pullouts every 10 miles with garbage receptacles hidden from view by a wall constructed of natural rock so the operator can pull alongside and dispose of their opala without even having to exit the vehicle is one possibility.
Let’s keep our island beautiful and set a good example for our keiki.
Warren Shaw
Waimea
Volcano Watch omission won’t be the norm
Please confirm that the omission of Volcano Watch from Sunday’s paper was a mistake. We’ve been reading it in West Hawaii Today for years, and find it a valuable service to our community that should not be curtailed.
Tom Daniel
Kailua-Kona