No surprise these rates going up, too
Reading in the WHT this week was a article about HELCO wanting to raise rates. Well, that shouldn’t surprise you since the county has raised gasoline and property taxes and is in the process to raise water and sewer rates.
What ever happened to the Trump tax incentive to lower corporation taxes, therefore these saving were to be passed on to the consumer? I’m sure I read this or was it a dream?
Our county government and utility providers need to look at better management practices and streamlining to reduce day-to-day expenditures. Raising rates and adding more employees isn’t the answer. Let us taste a piece of the pie instead of just licking the plate.
Larry Ostini
Kailua-Kona
Bad news atop bad news
Bless our government for raising our taxes. They need the money to balance their budget. Most of us were probably unaware that emergency response to rescue offending trespassers that get into trouble and need rescuing come from our tax dollars.
The equipment, training and overtime can amount to a lot of money. Just think of how much money could be saved if people did not go where they are not supposed to go. Not to mention putting the rescuers in danger also.
If people need to be rescued from a perilous place where they were trespassing, they should be held responsible for the cost. Good luck with that. The bail should be $10,000 or more because when these scofflaws are scheduled for court, as soon as the tail lights of their plane disappear, they are going to be thousands of miles away and probably will never return.
But then there is the case of the tour boat that got lava bombed. The poor visitors who got hurt are trying to sue to recover their expenses only to be met with a counter suit to not have to pay. Word travels far and wide about the problems that we have here and it does not go well for tourism public relations. With tourism down over 50 percent, it’s no wonder why.
Ted Johnson
Kailua-Kona
Well done, Senator
Mahalo Sen. Lorraine Inouye for voting against the GET increase and for being among the nearly extinct elected representatives who recognize that Hawaii people are being taxed and subjected to increased fees at every opportunity.
Fat salaries, big raises and the bloat of the rail system make your counterparts and county levels immune to realizing the negative impact they are forcing on its citizenry. There is so much waste at all government levels with no one pushing efficiency and cost management.
Steve Lopez
Kailua-Kona