Council members need to play
by same rules
Kudos to Penny Niederer and her recent letter, “Conflict of interest and short-term rentals.”
Apparently for council members Tim Richards and Karen Eoff, rules that all of us taxpaying citizens must adhere to just don’t apply to them. Why is that?
If an owner of short-term property rentals neglects, forgets, or pockets GET and TAT, they face penalties ranging from fines to liens to even possible jail time. Why should these two council members not be held to the very same rules and regulations that all other Hawaii citizens are required to?
“I’m concerned we’re kicking the can down the road and not addressing it.” Those were Richards’ words from the front page article, “GET outta here!” — the very same edition that ran Penny’s letter.
Inquiring minds want to know how these people are allowed to keep their position and make decisions that affect all of us.
Robert Patterson
Kailua-Kona
Election year
staved off tax raise
No raise for the GET. After all, it’s an election year. Typical politicians.
I totally disagree with this regressive tax and anyone who voted for it should be voted out of office.
Dave Hirt
Waikoloa Village
Trump outdid
himself on this one
By withdrawing the U.S. from the seven-country Iran nuclear agreement, Trump has taken his silliest and most dangerous action yet. As usual, he presented few facts to support his reasons for this move.
He seems to believe that Israel’s President Netanyahu’s recent presentation claiming that Iran lied about its intentions prior to the multi-nation agreement somehow justifies the U.S. withdrawal. In other words, the U.S. should not have even tried to make a deal with a rogue state because it previously misled us about its intentions.
Trump has been caught up in his own trademark chaos. He believes his own hyperbole. He talked himself out onto a ledge pandering to his own poorly informed supporters. They loved his blather and bluster, like a home team pep rally before the big game. Now he thinks he can win by forfeiting the game. We’ll teach ‘em — we’ll quit!
Now where are we? Iran has the option of resuming its nuclear program while still continuing to support terror around the world. The other five signatories to the agreement, Germany, France, the UK, China and Russia are now trapped in the netherworld of agreement/no agreement.
Trump has the self-satisfying thrill of having acted on his gut instinct in spite of counsel otherwise by more deliberate minds at home and around the world. He is blind, of course, to the fact that his action has given a rogue state the moral high ground over the U.S.
Now it is up to Trump to find some way to turn this sow’s ear into at least a decent clutch purse. I wish him luck because we are all being held hostage by his impulsive, self-aggrandizing gyrations. What a world, what a world!
John Sucke
Waimea
