Letters to the Editor: 3-22-17

Resources used to save weak species may be better allocated

As I read West Hawaii Today daily about the ohia death and the Hawaiian crow, I can’t help but think that Mother Nature has her own agenda. Maybe they just aren’t meant to survive — something else will take their place.

Just as nature weeds out the weaker humans who take drugs and end up killing themselves, or those who don’t follow warnings and cross over into dangerous areas, it seems that nature is again taking out the weaker species and will let the stronger ones evolve. Maybe we aren’t meant to save them or waste our resources on the inevitable. This may sound heartless but in reality, it’s just facing facts. I’m an animal lover and a strong supporter of our environment. I do volunteer work every weekend to protect our coral and turtles from over enthusiastic visitors.

We should put our funds where it’s meant to be most useful.

Colleen Miyose-Wallis

Kailua, Kona

Bacteria scare lesson forself-reliance

The recent bacteria scare in Honolulu’s milk supply is nothing new. A 2010 University of Hawaii-Hawaii Department of Health research study of undesirable bacteria levels in milk cartons on Oahu and Hawaii Island shelves suggested that milk shipped in from the continent in large containers and re-pasteurized and packaged here presents a higher level of hazard than milk currently produced on Hawaii Island (the only island with remaining dairy operations).

This is just one more reminder that greater food self-reliance is beneficial to both our local economy and community health. Let’s encourage and support the private and public sector investment and the consumer advocacy that this return to Hawaii-based food production requires.

Betsy Cole

Interim president, CEO

The Kohala Center

Kamuela

Teachers need better pay

Mr. Hugo von Platen Luder, I would like to point out a different view of the issues of school and teachers. Hawaii has unqualified people in classrooms acting as teachers because they cannot get enough qualified teachers. Hawaii also experiences a problem keeping qualified teachers as the pay is so low.

Maybe if we actually pay teachers a living wage, we would get higher educated and qualified people in our classrooms as teachers, thus improving the quality of education that our students so deserve. Teaching our young is one of the most important jobs there is as those very students are our future, so why don’t we pay teachers appropriately?

Cindy Ku’upua Whitehawk

South Kona

Beach-users show true care

Kudos to the young couple on Monday, March 20 who, before they took to the waves with their surfboards in Heeia Bay, spent about an hour and a half cleaning up the large amount of flotsam and jetsam that had been piled up on the beach by the high surf.

We caught sight of them from the balcony of the condo. When we visit the bay we, too, collect garbage but their task was Herculean!

Christine and John Gilmour

Toronto