Congresswoman helpful in middle of disaster
A big mahalo to Tulsi Gabbard for her efforts to bring supplies and help to us folks in Puna who have been devastated by the recent lava.
The day after the first lava eruption started in Leilani, I saw her in Pahoa; she was walking around greeting and listening to folks, assuring me and others that she and her office would do what they could to help, I saw pictures of her at the command center later in the day and I appreciated her leadership in this emergency.
Since then, U.S. Rep. Gabbard has:
– Served in her capacity as a major with the Hawaii Army National Guard assisting Civil Defense with efforts related to the eruptions.
– Sent us a postcard with contact information for all the disaster service and a note of encouragement and support
– Requested help in providing respirators to us from one of the aid organizations that had been helping out on Kauai. Samaritan’s Purse came through with $100,000!
– Let us know that the request for FEMA help had been approved by the president.
The respirators have helped us with the hazardous vapors wafting through our neighborhoods and may save a life of someone trying to evacuate a bad situation. I feel much safer now that I have a respirator in case I need it for evacuation.
Whether on the ground, in uniform, or acting as our voice for peace and aloha in Congress, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard’s commitment to understanding, serving, and helping the people here in Hawaii is without equal.
Scott Garris
Pahoa
Budget imbalance due to lack of fiscal planning
One can only speculate what will happen with the now possibility of property tax increases. At the very time when, due to the volcano, tourism counts, hotel occupancy and small business incomes drop — and possible loss of jobs may be in the wind — the county might decide to add still more insult to injury by raising property taxes because the county budget is so out of whack.
And no one thought to prepare for such a possibility with a rainy day fund. Was not Mayor Harry Kim aware of some of the budget problems before he gave a 33 percent raise in pay to so many of the county employees this year?
There would be a certain unpleasant irony in all this if, next year, a number of those same employees who got such raises find themselves with pink slips due to county budget cutbacks.
My suggestion is for the county from now on, when good times return and when the tax money is sufficient, to give out county employee bonuses, rather than wage increases. It’s what many businesses do, it will save money over time on FICA, and workman’s comp costs and will help to keep the budget in balance in lean times.
Carl Merner
Holualoa