Quick point on respect

I have read many letters recently talking about earned respect. I was born in 1961 and we had a family of six sisters and no boys. My dad and mom demanded respect or we had the choice of a crack in the mouth!

Did they always deserve my respect? Heck no, but I gave it anyway.

My dad recently passed away and I want to say thank you, Dad, you taught me to respect no matter what. I miss you and your disrespectful moments. I love you, regardless.

Linda Tohara

Kailua-Kona

Vacation rentals squeezing people out

I am so glad that Tim Schutt is making out well with his vacation rental and is enjoying his retirement. I wish I could say the same. Unfortunately, my retirement, like may others, isn’t quite enough to live on.

It’s close, but I must still work to make ends meet. My rent takes up the lion’s share of my Social Security (and I get a good amount) and my wife’s disability makes up our food budget. The rest I have to earn even though I’m almost 76!

All that being said, we ran into a real bind last month. We were informed our house was going to be sold and we had 45 days to leave! That’s when we found there were few to no places available around Kona and most were priced well beyond most people’s means. There were hundreds (!) of vacation rentals (at more a week than I could pay a month!) but no homes for us. With my age and declining health and my wife’s serious health problems, we could hardly live on the streets which was certainly facing us. Any government help is on a two- to six-year waiting list!

Too many homes are being taken off the market thus raising prices for what’s left of a dwindling inventory. Yes, we need regulation. Otherwise, the good people who work here will be forced to leave — then what are you and the hotels and everyone else going to do for people to do the work around here?

Oh, yes, find another foreigner to exploit! And, yes, I am a white American from birth. This has to come under control for the good of the island and its hard-working people. Think about it, please.

Gary Jepson

Kailua-Kona

Beware of scams

My turn to receive a call purporting to be from the IRS, that I’d filed a fraudulent tax return and was hiding this from the federal government. I was instructed to immediately call this number: (818) 309-2080.

I did call the police department and it seems there have been a number of these calls recently. Hopefully, by now, everyone knows the IRS does not make such phone calls and that this is an example of a phishing scam.

Phyllis Hanson

Keauhou