Traffic lights need work
I give up! I had hoped our police officers, who drive our roads 24 hours a day, would realize just how screwed up our traffic lights are. It appears that the “presence feature” at most lights, are not working. This causes long waits and worse, “gridlock.”
The light from the new Safeway seems to have priority over Henry Street and stays on far longer, than there are cars present. This gridlocks Henry Street at its intersection with Queen Kaahumanu Highway. The light at Malulani Drive, coming from Lowe’s, doesn’t activate for so long, cars back up preventing those people from exiting their community. Once the light does change, it allows only a few cars through, before turning red.
The signal at Henry Street and Palani Road is just as bad. Cars on Henry Street wait, even though there are no cars passing through the intersection. Do we not have a traffic engineer on staff in Kona? Or, has some evil person flipped the switch labeled “Screw up the Traffic”
Kenneth C. Brandt
Kailua-Kona
^
Right to lie?
In a Feb. 11 letter to the editor, Mr. and Mrs. Avallone express “absolute” opposition to House Bill 1571 (“Vaccination Status Violation Bill”), proclaiming that it would “violate our constitutional rights and our privacy.”
As HB1571 would make “misrepresentation of COVID-19 vaccination status; falsification or alteration of COVID-19 vaccination card; sale, distribution, or manufacture of falsified or altered COVID-19 vaccination card” a civil violation subject to fines, it would be intriguing for either Mr. or Mrs. Avallone to cite exactly where in the U.S. Constitution they believe the constitutionally protected right to intentionally and blatantly lie resides or why they believe being disallowed from lying to “a business, church, nonprofit organization, or governmental entity” is an intrusion of their privacy.
What is going on in the world is that after two years and nearly six million deaths worldwide, almost one million of which were in the U.S., we’re (hopefully) beginning to turn the corner on COVID, thanks to vaccines, boosters, and non-pharmaceutical interventions and no thanks to conspiracy theorists who allege there is some “secret agenda the public is not aware of.”
The fact that according to Statista, Hawaii has the lowest COVID-related death rate in the U.S. should suggest that the Hawaii government is more in tune with the times and deserves our respect compared to those who would lie about their COVID status and thus, would deserve our resentment and distrust.
David Conrad
Kailua-Kona
^
Can anyone say Cash
For Clunkers?
Why does every misguided idea from the federal government have to be adopted by the state of Hawaii? Want proof? I bet that Hawaii will be the very last state to drop masking and vaccine mandates while numerous other states and countries are doing so, as Gov. David Ige, et al, insist on adhering to the faulty CDC guidelines.
I’m old enough to remember the Cash for Clunkers boondoggle under President Barack Obama. It harmed the industry it was supposed to help to the tune of about $3 billion and likely didn’t reduce carbon emissions a bit. But it was another “successful” green stimulus program brought you by the federal government.
Now it’s back before the legislature in the form of a on ban the sale of two-stroke motors by 2024. And the government will make loans to people or businesses that give up their two-stroke products. Think weed whackers, some lawn mowers, leaf blowers, mopeds and Jet Skis. Will landscaping outfits, the epitome of individual small business owners operating on a very tight budget, be able to qualify for such loans? How many of these hardworking companies be put out of business? What new committee, department or agency will monitor such a program and will the taxpayer again be the one holding the bag when it fails?
Mikie Kerr
Waikoloa
^
Letters policy
Letters to the editor should be 300 words or less and will be edited for style and grammar. Longer viewpoint guest columns may not exceed 800 words. Submit online at /?p=118321, via email to letters@westhawaiitoday.com or address them to:
Editor
West Hawaii Today
PO Box 789
Kailua-Kona, HI 96745
