Jobs, jobs, jobs
I’ve lived on Hawaii Island for years and love it. Still, a few things we all see every day make me scratch my head.
The red light runners are bad, not to mention the dark-tinted windows and the wide tires on four-wheel-drive trucks. Many will say our police have better things to do. If so, then our vehicle safety check program is just another cash cow.
My primary concern is the lack of jobs. We all know Hawaii needs jobs badly. Why not allow a few hotel casinos? Think of the many jobs that industry would create, as well as the jobs created by their support vendors and all the tax revenue. Could they be built on Hawaiian Home Lands?
Our aging schools need updating, maintenance and repairs. Why not allow a state lottery with proceeds going directly to the schools?
Another area is our idle farmland. Hawaii has much more idle farm land than that which is being farmed. With the state’s help, how about a program that would allow people to “zero-cost lease” small parcels of land (5, 10, 20 acres?) to farm for a specific period of time (five years?) to try their hand a small-scale farming?
If it becomes profitable at the end of the “trial” period, a paying lease would be instituted. Remember, this farmland is currently sitting idle and has been for years. Provide tax incentives for the land owners.
Why isn’t a hemp industry being fast-tracked here?
Another big issue is the lack of vocational training. Not all young adults are college material. Our young people need careers, not just a job. A person working in the trades can earn a good living and be a valuable asset to their community.
I believe Hawaii can do better if our politicians and leaders would put the needs of Hawaii residents first and start thinking beyond the way it has always been.
Lloyd Cabral
Keaau
Stick with it
The June 30 article, “The future of hydrogen on BI,” made me concerned that our state is neglecting the fulfillment of the existing alternative energy program for electric vehicles.
In 2012, Hawaii passed legislation requiring electric vehicle charging stations in parking lots of 200 or more, and other incentives, but put no enforcement in the law.
Here on our Big Island, when traffic accidents and weather can force unexpected detours of substantial distance, the current nonenforcement of electric vehicle charging stations becomes a deterrent to driving electric vehicles, and not the intended incentive for non-fossil fuel vehicles.
Let’s fix what was begun with electric vehicles and learn lessons from that. Consumers are already invested in this technology here.
Francine Roby
Honokaa