Knowledge is key in disease fight
Knowledge is key in disease fight
As a visitor to the Big Island I appreciated reading your straight forward reporting about dengue fever (“Hookena Beach closed” Nov. 5).
Our world has gotten smaller and disease can travel anywhere easily in 24 hours, so informative reporting is a necessity. This time in human history is unique, with the globe so connected. Fortunately, the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria is working hard to bring these diseases under control that have ravaged mankind for millions of years. Thanks to donors both public (like America) and private, millions of lives are being saved. But we must continue funding this important work to win the battle.
Knowledge is key, like your reporting on dengue fever. When citizens know the dangers of drug resistant tuberculosis, for example, it becomes easier to make sure our elected representatives continue robust funding for the Global Fund.
Willie Dickerson
Washington state
Subsidize some fees to make airline tickets cheaper
We hear a lot about the cost of interisland air fare, accompanied by a lot of hand wringing by our “leaders” but no solutions. There is plenty of implication that nothing can be done. Notice that part of the fare is taxes and fees.
Perhaps the state and even the counties could waive or subsidize some of those taxes and fees for planes dedicated to interisland service. They could make it up on business jets that are currently subsidized for parking at Kona International Airport. A 40-by-40 parking space for a $40 million jet costs less than a 10-by-20 spot for a ‘78 Datsun.
Ken Obenski
Kaohe, South Kona
Most TMT construction won’t be as writer depicted
The Nov. 9 “My Turn” opinion piece by Dennis Gregory (“TMT project sounds like 12 years of construction misery”) represents the worst kind of fear-mongering, in my opinion. You don’t have to be a construction engineer to look at the drawings of the Thirty Meter Telescope observatory building and see that only the foundation and base building will involve the “heavy construction” and concrete work he rails against. Twelve years of “grinding gears and spewing exhaust” — really? Once the building is complete, much of the construction shifts to years of delicate precision work, largely confined to the interior under the dome.
If Mr. Gregory wants to oppose the project, that’s his right. But his argument might be more believable if he included just a few facts.
Alan Silverman
Kailua-Kona