Area near Cut Mountain should be cleaned up

Do West Maui politicians care about the homeless mess near Cut Mountain at Olowalu? The area is loaded with litter, over 50 stolen or abandoned cars and a complete human waste mess.

I live near the area and often see paramedics, fire department and police vehicles there. Why hasn’t this place been cleaned up? Lazy energy from the local politicians, or they are blind to this issue? This is a complete shame that there has been no effort to clean this area up.

RON TATE, Lahaina

Court ruling provides a chance to make things right

Leaving a legacy to be proud of, the Maui Planning Commission and Stanford Carr Development have a wonderful opportunity regarding the Hawaii Supreme Court’s ruling. Benefiting the entire community, this is their chance to make things right.

On March 19, 2021, The Maui News Viewpoint of Stanford Carr read: “True injustice was to families who were to be Kahoma Village owners.”

Carr stated, “In March 2020, when the world stopped turning, more than half of Kahoma Village’s workforce buyers were forced to withdraw their plans for homeownership. While every applicant was returned their deposit, what can never be returned is the opportunity lost for them and their families.”

If sincere, then the court’s decision, though against the commission and developer on all counts, is truly a blessing. They should be ecstatic to have this opportunity to negotiate a housing development in Lahaina for these families.

Ideally, the pricing should follow the affordable housing guidelines from 2014. If the commission had allowed due process and addressed the intervener’s concerns immediately, it would have avoided the lengthy court proceedings.

Suffering permanent loss of this historical site, the county and developer can help right the wrongs committed. A resolution that includes funding for a historical public park in Lahaina would be the honorable thing to do.

Everyone makes mistakes; the response makes all the difference. Real integrity is doing the right thing even when it costs.

“Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than gold.” (Proverbs)

MICHELE LINCOLN, Lahaina

Unemployment insurance mess is back to haunt us

For Hawaii employers, it’s deja vu all over again.

Just like they were a year ago at this time, the businesses that provide jobs to the state’s civilian workforce are in danger of having their annual unemployment taxes skyrocket, which, in turn, could cripple Hawaii’s economy just when it is starting to get back on its feet.

Last year, the tax was supposed to more than triple, until the Legislature finally stepped in to ease the pain. This year, it could increase by more than double, from an average of $825 per employee to $1,768.

The tax is legally required to increase because of all the demands on the unemployment system caused by the Coronavirus lockdowns, which at one point saw more than 200,000 Hawaii employees out of work.

Many of those employees are still out of work, still drawing unemployment wages and still depleting the state’s unemployment fund reserve, as the state’s emergency restrictions on businesses approach possibly their third year.

When the reserve drops, Hawaii employers are expected to make up the difference.

Last year, the Legislature passed a law that froze the unemployment tax rate for employers at the Schedule D rate — a slight increase from the pre-lockdowns rate, but far less than the catastrophic Schedule H hike that would have otherwise automatically gone into effect.

Unfortunately, the bill was little more than a stop-gap, addressing only 2021 and 2022. Now, as 2023 approaches, Hawaii businesses are once again in a pickle. Since the lockdowns began, the state has paid out $6.5 billion in jobless claims, leaving the unemployment fund with only $123 million.

In order to keep the fund up last year, the state funneled $800 million from the federal government into it, then cleared that debt with an equivalent amount of federal relief funds. Still, the fund is still far from the $1.3 billion reserve that is deemed adequate for a year’s unemployment claims.

Thus, if the Legislature doesn’t intervene again, the state unemployment tax will soar up to Schedule H — the highest rate — for 2023. That’s an increase of 114 percent — more than enough to affect hiring decisions or prevent struggling businesses from surviving the lockdowns.

Hawaii was one of the states hit hardest by the Coronavirus lockdowns, especially given their effect on tourism. Yet, we’ve seen some positive trends, with the economy growing faster than some predicted, leading to higher state revenues. In fact, the state budget currently has a $3 billion surplus, at least a portion of which could be used to shore up the unemployment fund.

In a recovering economy, the last thing you want to do is introduce a massive tax hike. Instead, you want to embrace policies that grow the economy. That’s because the state can gain far more in revenues from an economic bump than from trying to wring more tax dollars out of already-strapped Hawaii businesses.

The Aloha State’s private sector has had to overcome so much in the past two years. Many businesses have had to close their doors forever. Others are barely holding on, hoping that the worst is behind us.

There are many ways that the Legislature can address this problem. One could be to introduce another rate freeze, to give officials time to reexamine the law and its automatic tax increases.

What we should not do is levy yet another heavy burden on Hawaii’s businesses and disrupt our state’s economic recovery.

E hana kakou! (Let’s work together!)

KELI’I AKINA, President/CEO, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

Hawaii Democrats are disappointed in Ed Case

This past Saturday, with a vote of 46 in support and 19 opposed, the Democratic Party of Hawaii State Central Committee (SCC) passed a Resolution publicly and officially rebuking Blue Dog Democrat Rep. Ed Case over his position, action and inaction with regards to the national Build Back Better agenda.

The Democratic Party of Hawaii is saying that Congressman Ed Case’s actions do not reflect the values of the party. As a longtime member and former vice-chair of the party, I don’t recall the SCC ever taking such an action before. The Resolution which I have posted in full on my blog, speaks for itself, and I encourage all to read it through to the end.

Full disclosure: I am a member of the SCC, and while not a sponsor of the Resolution, I did vote in enthusiastic support of its passage. It’s also common knowledge that I am a supporter of Sergio Alcubilla, who is challenging Ed Case in the upcoming Aug. 13 primary election. If you are interested in finding out why I am supporting Sergio, please read “Why Choose Challenger Sergio Alcubilla Over Blue Dog Ed Case?”

Other news that’s not news but should be: The Hawaii Reapportionment Commission is being aggressively lobbied both publicly and privately by elected legislators, even though the state constitution says clearly the actions of the commission should not favor them or anyone.

Does anyone else find this objectionable and inappropriate, if not downright in violation of the state constitution? The commissioners were even given the addresses of sitting legislators so they would be aware of whose districts are being impacted by the various proposed map changes.

Why was there not a requirement, or at least a good faith effort, to conduct this process politically “blind,” and why is there not a prohibition against legislative interference?

GARY HOOSER, Pono Hawaii Initiative

Biden Administration failing to protect gray wolves

Gray wolves in Montana and Idaho are being targeted by states that have authorized the killing of as many as 90 percent of the population.

In Montana, you can sit just feet outside of Yellowstone National Park and gun down as many as ten wolves each. In Idaho, private contractors have been hired by the state to trap and shoot nearly all of the wolves in their borders. Montana will soon allow the use of deadly and indiscriminate neck snares that strangle the animal unfortunate enough to come across them.

The Biden Administration needs to act. The former director of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service under President Obama published an op-ed in the Washington Post calling on the administration to issue emergency protections for gray wolves. In the piece, Dan Ashe detailed the authority that Secretary Haaland has to do so and provided ample reasons for this action.

Biden and Haaland are entrusted with the caretaking of our natural spaces and the species that live on them. Their inaction to date is inexcusable.

Please join me in writing to the Department of Interior at DOI.gov and ask that they finally act to protect wolves in the Northern Rockies before it is too late.

JOSEPH W. EICHENBAUM, Lahaina