When my great-great-grandmother came to Maui with her 9-year-old son, she knew it was going to be a struggle, but their lives were going to be better than what she left behind in Madeira. So you know I'm speaking from experience.
When I was a kid, Kihei and Makena were places we went to enjoy a day with everyone. The shoreline was just that - shoreline. No homes, nothing except the water and nature.
When you came out of the tunnel going to Lahaina, to the right was sugar blowing in the wind. Look at it now - full of million-dollar homes and concrete.
People came here for different reasons, and the people who write in to complain about the cane burning wanted some of this beauty but they also want Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co. to stop burning.
They have tried everything to resolve the problem with the smoke with alternative harvest, but the cost would put them out of business, and then what? They would have to sell land back to rich companies and Maui will look like another Oahu. Is that what you want? Just remember this island is not yours, mine or theirs, it's everyone's.
Rose A. Pagan
Wailuku
