Good, but not quite good enough
Good, but not quite good enough
First of all, Dennis Boyd did a fantastic job on bringing us all the stories on the entrepreneurs and their HIPlan businesses vying for the $25,000 toward their business.
However, I was disappointed that no information was given to the public on who the judges were going to be, and what their qualifications are. Also, more importantly, who gave of the $25,000 prize money? There was no mention of the sponsors, or the past judges, that gave of their time to judge the preliminary rounds etc.
I think Dennis Boyd should have also focused on the people who gave not only money to help fund these very few and far between competitions, (they are maybe a handful if any in the state), but recognition to the people who gave of their time. And for us, we want to know a little about the judges too.
What makes them qualified? How do they judge the business that wins? etc., We want to make sure they also feel validated, so they will want to donate of their time and money next year and give back to our community again in 2018.
Maybe WHT, can do a follow-up story, now that the competition is over on Saturday, who the judges were, and who gave how much of the prize money, so we can be grateful, and thank them. I am thinking of entering into the HIPlan for next year.
Laurie Bennet
Kailua-Kona
Russia doesn’t have a free press
One of the two compliant letters over your “Wish you weren’t here” headline concerning Trump’s passage through Hawaii the other day falsely claimed that a third of Hawaiian voters went for Trump.
Other content of that letter also amusingly went on to disrespect and insult President Obama and our state, along with our residents, after complaining of the headline’s disrespect for Trump.
The First Amendment protects a free and independent press which can print any opinion it so chooses. Perhaps these two people would prefer to live in Putin’s Russia, where their free press has been murdered and imprisoned away.
Randle Brashear
Captain Cook
Unfair competition
Years ago, the County Transportation Commission was warned about the probability of Uber coming to Hawaii, yet never had an agenda discussion of this new service clearly within its purview as stipulated in chapter 13 of the county code, which covers carriers for hire such as taxis.
There was the opportunity to get out in front of the situation and develop appropriate rules before the new drivers arrived, but now we have both Uber and Lyft operating on the Big Island in increasing numbers with virtually no constraints. So, as usual, we must react to a problem after it has occurred.
Taxi companies must abide by a load of regulations, fare controls, expenses and permitting requirements which the new services are not presently required to follow. This uneven paying field is grossly unfair to cab owners, some of whom have apparently joined Uber and Lyft as drivers while still functioning as taxis!
I could go on much longer detailing the unfairness of our present rules and authorities in this matter, but it is up to the County Council and the county administration to act swiftly to review this disparity and make necessary changes to ensure Uber and Lyft meet safety requirements and equivalency with the taxi industry or deregulate taxis to the same level as the upstarts.
As a past commissioner, I would be glad to assist in the evaluation.
Neal Herbert
Hilo
Headline OK by me
I was delighted with Friday’s headline, “Wish you weren’t here.” Seventy percent of Hawaii voters know that Trump is a braying idiot, a lecherous piece of filth, a serial liar, racist, misogynist and a tone-deaf dunce who knows nothing about government or governing and doesn’t care that he doesn’t know because all he wants is face time on camera, just like any fading TV host.
If Mr. Greer and the rest of the Trumpists can’t see it, then they aren’t paying attention anyway and no Hawaii newspaper is going to support their ignorance.
Mr. Greer needs to relocate to Mississippi or Alabama where his regressive, backward views will be heartily supported.
Linda Albers
Kailua-Kona