Letters 4-7-2013

Legislature

What good is state’s cesspool scam?

Septic system tax? What a scam by the government here in Hawaii.

Legislators want to tax our cesspools and septic tanks, which cost home owners $10,000 to install and $500 every few years to pump out.

They claim they would use the money to hire more government workers (with all the government benefits) to monitor the pollution that these systems might create — which they’re not even sure they do.

And what if they find pollution, what are they going to do, close down Waikoloa Village or Hawaiian Paradise Park or any of the many subdivisions all over the island that have individual septic systems?

Of course not.

So what good does it do to monitor?

Now, if they are going to put sewer systems in all the subdivisions to stop the pollution, I could understand it, but they won’t.

I’m still waiting for the sidewalks in Waikoloa Village, and I had to pay extra to add an apron to my driveway so when they put them in, they would connect up — that was 25 years ago and still no sidewalks. So I can assume sewers are not going to happen either.

Looks like just another excuse to tax us, probably to pay for their raises.

Michael Swerdlow

Waikoloa

septic system tax

Taxing a hole in the ground unnecessary

I hope everybody who pays property taxes on this island read Nancy Cook- Lauer’s front page article in the April 2 edition of WHT regarding cesspool/septic fees.

House Bill 903 is being passed through the state Legislature and it will affect more than 60,000 residents on Hawaii Island alone — who may soon be seeing hundreds of dollars added to their annual property tax bill.

Mayor Billy Kenoi opposes this bill for good reasons. It needs to have public hearings on all our islands. This bill has quickly made its way through House and Senate committees with the support of Sen. Green and Rep. Evans. It will soon be heard by a joint committee.

HB 903 is written under the pretense of a water pollution control act, but if one reads between the lines it is a sewer tax on thousands of septic systems and individual cesspools that have worked for many years and continue to work just fine, not contributing to any water pollution.

Essentially, the state will be taxing us on a hole in the ground with which they have had nothing to do regarding its construction or maintenance.

HB 903 will not change the wastewater systems. It will simply collect taxpayers’ money to pay salaries of more government workers to collect the tax and monitor water pollution.

This is a duplication of monitoring, “as there are adequate safeguards already in place.”

Please contact your state legislators and voice your opposition to HB 903.

Dan Sabo

Kailua-Kona

Banana virus

Bunchy top redux?

I’ve put off writing this letter, hoping in good faith, the Hawaii State Plant Industry Division hot line, both in Hilo and Captain Cook, would respond.

A month has elapsed without a word from them. Maybe this will catch someone’s eye.

The Hilo office answered its phone after several attempts that were first directed to the Captain Cook office. The lady in Hilo said the Kona office secretaries lost their positions due to budget cuts.

I explained to her that I suspected the “bunchy top” banana virus had infected one of my plants (I live in Kona Highlands and it was one of the quarantined areas quite some time ago). She took my number and said a regional agent would be in touch soon.

I found out the virus has almost been completely eradicated — only one confirmed case is in Hilo.

Anyone interested in perhaps another right here in Kona?

Dennis L. Lawson

Kona Highlands