Letters to the Editor: 6-10-16

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A road in need

A road in need

Believe me, it is great to see the county moving ahead (albeit slowly) after some 40 years, during which I, and a few others, have pestered mayors, village associations and any others who would lend an ear, that this road (Oneo Lane) was a needed infrastructure for Kailua-Kona.

It’s eeded to create a circular flow to keep congested traffic moving in an orderly manner around the village. The only fault I see in this plan is where the road is to be located. After consulting over the years with several planners in the state, it was determined that the most sensible roadway should be located at the intersection of Alii Drive and Wailua Road (Habaneros) instead of creating another unnecessary intersection. It was thought that the vacant property on the mauka side, (which is now for sale) be purchased for the roadway.

That property, being of a strange configuration and offering no view, was deemed sacrificial. This property, in its odd shape, would also allow space for government uses such as a police substation, fire station and an emergency medical facility with access to both Alii Drive and Kuakini Highway, both of which are important arteries. It was also shown that the grade of this road, in this area, would be substantially less than it would be at the now proposed sight. That alone would prove a savings in tax dollars rather than going to the only other location in the area which is the Bishop Estate (Kamehameha Schools) land now being proposed.

However, let’s thank the Lord for small favors — a road is a road indeed and in need.

Hugo von Platen Luder

Holualoa

GOP off the rails

I am no Hillary lover but I am sincerely disappointed in Rep. Paul Ryan, Sen. John McCain and other top Republicans for sacrificing their principals to support Donald Trump for president. It shows that Republicans are clearly opportunistic and willing to throw our country under the bus in hopes that Trump might win the election.

Like I said, Hillary is no prize but Trump has shown himself to be a racist, religious bigot and misogynist. His Make America Great slogan hearkens to the isolationist/fascist America First movement of the pre-WWII days. He has attacked fellow Republicans and has no concrete policy ideas beyond saying “it will be so great you won’t believe it!”

Trump has tapped into a very dark place from which our country might not return. The Republican Party has officially gone nuts in its quest for power.

Joseph Appleton

Kamuela

Hoffman a proven leader

I wholeheartedly agree with the opinions about the current mayoral race as expressed by Cindy Coats in the June 8 letters.

I recently had the opportunity to meet Pete Hoffman and was quite impressed with his understanding of all the issues affecting the Big Island, as well as his ability to articulate his proposed action on those issues. He has a profound grasp of the economics, culture and political dynamics of Hawaii County and has a demonstrated ability to lead and manage, as exemplified by his eight years on the County Council and his 28 years as a leader in the US Army.

I plan to vote for him in the upcoming primary and urge others to do so.

Gil Taylor

Kailua-Kona