Don’t blame pigs
In the Feb. 1 article in the Tribune-Herald, “Pigs out of control on Maunakea,” Mr. Mark Hanson stated he refused a $130,000 grant from the state because the “pigs keep killing my trees.”
I have been planting trees on Maunakea for 20 years, and not once has a pig eaten or killed any of my trees.
Mr. Hanson has received thousands and thousands of dollars in the past years from the state to plant sandalwood trees. The problem is after Mr. Hanson and his volunteers plant those trees, they rarely go back and water or fertilize them … and a very high percentage of the trees die because of it.
The state should monitor there grant-receivers more closely. Stop blaming the pigs; just water your trees!
B. Heidenfeldt
Hilo
Support voter bills
Want to make a woman happy? Help take one thing off her never ending to-do list!
Women typically hold may different responsibilities in our society. Giving busy women easier access to voting by supporting Automatic Voter Registration, which reduces red tape and saves them a few steps on the road to being able to cast their vote, benefits them and our entire community.
The Zonta Club of Hilo is an organization that is dedicated to empowering women through service and advocacy. That mission is especially important this year as we mark the 100th year of women’s suffrage in America.
That gives added significance to two bills that are currently advancing through the Legislature that propose the enactment of AVR in Hawaii. This initiative is particularly timely as Hawaii moves to an entirely Vote By Mail system. Please go to https://olvr.hawaii.gov and make sure your voter information is current so that you get your ballot in the mail.
By complementing VBM and ensuring that voter rolls are updated promptly, Automatic Voter Registration could do much to encourage women voters to become more fully engaged in our democratic processes. That is something our lawmakers, many of them women, should embrace wholeheartedly.
Automatic Voter Registration will not require everyone to exercise their right to vote. When you obtain or renew your driver’s license or get a state ID, you can decline to have your updated information transmitted electronically to the Office of Elections. Automatic Voter Registration simply cuts out needless duplicate paperwork, minimizes human error and saves all eligible voters and the state time and money.
Please tell your senators and representatives at the state Legislature to make Automatic Voter Registration a reality in Hawaii. Women need it. We all need it. Please advance SB2005 and HB2119.
Heather Kimball,
Advocacy chair, Zonta Club of Hilo
Red vs. blue
The impeachment mess has unfortunately further swelled the chasm of an already divided country.
Supporters of President Trump are further entrenched in defense of their president, and critics of him are driven even further down (if possible) into the depths of rage against him.
Supporters feel that the impeachment attempt was simply unfair politics, fueled by fake news and a selfish partisan agenda. Critics feel that an absolutely evil monster has gotten away with yet another atrocity against humanity and was abetted by a completely corrupt conspiracy.
I suspect that today, with such a flood of electronic information available — much unverified and conflicting — that some people simply believe the info they like.
While quite a bit of Trump supporters hold their noses (or wear gas masks) when supporting him, they are much more worried about the Democrat candidates’ “I’ll give you free stuff” (by forcing other people to pay for them) pitch.
Leighton Loo
Mililani, Oahu