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Letters to the Editor

Letter: Supreme court stood up for democracy, citizenship

I will be celebrating this 4th of July with the knowledge that the U.S. Supreme Court blocked President Donald Trump’s attack on citizenship. If Trump had successfully undermined the concept of citizenship, we would have lost a keystone of our democracy. Today, the innocent children of immigrants would be the target. Tomorrow, it could be you or me. Despite its earlier disastrous errors – Citizens United, which allowed corporations to buy elections; its second amendment gun rights obsession; or giving legal immunity to Trump – the court stood up when it counted the most: on ...

Letter: Planning commission meeting poorly run

I attended my first Maui County Planning Commission meeting June 23. My interest was the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources proposed modifications at Big Beach. The hearing room was filling up and by 9 a.m., it was standing room only. I watched as citizen after citizen signed in to give testimony. And the room continued to fill. Consequently, the meeting was delayed for the second time. It was obvious that there were dozens of people outside wanting to listen. Members on the agenda were late. Meeting recess … again. The commission decided to recess in order to find a TV ...

Letter: Permanent restrooms not needed at park

Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources has proposed new restrooms, among other “improvements,” at Makena State Park. If permanent restrooms are built, how will the sewage get to the roadway and the county sewage system? Or, is the state silently planning to install huge septic tanks? Water refill stations are ridiculous. Visitors need to be reminded to take sufficient water to any outdoor excursion. There used to be a food truck at the first lot. Bottled water can be purchased from them, if they’re still there. Maui County Council has failed to control ...

Letter: Spend your movie budget anywhere else

Barry Wurst’s review of Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day” takes readers on a condescending, roundabout journey through film school academia rather than getting to the meat of the matter. We don’t need a lecture on the Spielberg canon. It would have sufficed to say the movie is wet dog. In today's grueling, “get-it-done-yesterday” world, filmgoers just want to know if a movie is worth their hard-earned dollars as an escape from the daily grind. “Disclosure Day” is so topsy-turvy and void of believability that it’s mind-boggling to discuss it in the context of ...

Letter: Nothing gets done about meth scourge

Why is our government so soft on meth use and sales? It’s like nobody cares anymore. So many people are strung out and the dealers are making a life out of ruining others. Just look around, it’s everywhere; in your workplace, in your homes, and some are just accepting it like nothing is wrong. The chronics are all over the streets, stealing anything that they can, ruining our everyday life. Cameras, fencing and security alarms don’t deter these people. They are growing in population everywhere like rats and still nothing gets done. We don’t have a mental illness problem, ...

Letter: Neighbor Island healthcare crisis demands action

My grandmother flew from Maui to Oahu sick and scared, paying the price for a procedure that went wrong. An understaffed and under-resourced system had failed her. One that lacked the specialists and expertise to make it right. She recovered, and our family is grateful. But I keep thinking about all the people who don't have this same outcome. This is the reality for too many neighbor island residents living under a healthcare system stretched too thin. Doctors are leaving the state, and a bill that would have raised insurance reimbursements to retain primary care physicians on ...