Do like I did
Did I misread that wages and fringes are more than 60 percent of the county budget? I hope so, or we are *$&@#ed.
I had a large plant nursery business on the mainland. Our labor and fringes were 25 percent. All were legal employees, but the difference is they were free to contribute to fix things. I encouraged the communication and it always got better.
Then you have the county. Actually, I was on the bottom of the organizational chart, but ideas flowed that way. Hey, only $35 million a year but part of $150 million a year in sales company. What do I know?
David Hirt
Waikoloa Village
Looks like plenty of work is left
It’s a beautiful, sunny Friday morning in Kona, and driving the expanse between Kaiminani Drive and the Kealakehe Transfer Station in bumper-to-bumper, snail-crawl traffic, I did not see one human or machine working on the highway widening project.
Surely, they could find something to do! Is this project taking forever, or is it just me?
John Bingham
Kailua-Kona
Millennials answered my prayers
You all know what happens when it rains a lot. All the worms and snails crawl out of the dirt. It seems like that’s what is happening in the government, the White House, Fox News, big corporations, etc.
I’m in my 80s and I’m tired of dishonest politicians and big-time greed everywhere you look.
The gun lobbyists bought all the government. So many deaths, I feel helpless, so I’m just praying and living my life as a good example.
My prayers have been answered with the millennials and children making changes in gun laws. Why did it take our kids to bring clarity? When they looked around, there were no grownups governing.
God bless the brave young people. I’m so grateful for them.
Faith Elaine Fitzpatrick
Kawaihae Village
Raw deal for West Hawaii
Can anyone please tell me why the West Hawaii landfill should be receiving arsenic-contaminated soil from the east side?
According to an article in the Sunday, March 25 paper, there would be up to 200 truckloads brought across to us, here, in West Hawaii.
Why should we have to get their contaminated soil?
Marge Spencer
Kailua-Kona
Sweet Tweet of an idea
Occasionally, a bit of wisdom comes at us from an unusual origin.
The fact that Trump is considering the death penalty for drug dealers following his hero in the Philippines is a great way to curb our morally bankrupt pharmaceutical companies and the doctors who over-prescribe these powerful drugs.
Who needs a border wall when the culprits are already here?
And don’t forget, his pick to run our drug enforcement agency is a powerful lobbyist for opioid manufacturers — not fake news.
Too bad our fearless leader can’t stay focused for more than a day — sometimes his fleeting ideas make sense.
Steve Snyder
Kalaoa