Josh Green’s tourist fee proposal is a bad idea

Watching the political debates was a real eye-opener. Lt. Gov. Josh Green has no idea of the tourist industry. The question was raised how to limit the number of tourists coming to the islands. His plan is to charge each tourist a $50 fee.

I have been in the hospitality business more than 40 years and the last 30-plus years managing a vacation rental property in West Maui. If we were to charge what Mr. Green wants to, we will get nothing but “entitled’ tourists. As it is now, as room and airlines rates go up, we are experiencing the worst kind of tourists. I have experienced this new elite tourist breed just in this last year. They pay more, so they expect more! We will lose the faithful malahini who have enjoyed and respected our islands for many years — they won’t be financially able to come back.

The only way to curb the amount of tourists is to eliminate illegal B&B’s and stop building new hotel rooms and timeshares. A moratorium should go into effect immediately.

SU CAMPOS, Napili

Positively powerful

“You made me so mad! See what you made me do?!”

“I had a horrible day because so and so irritated me so much!!”

The truth is no one makes us/you do anything. We choose to react in a negative pattern. We’ve learned to create this pattern to excuse ourselves with blame toward another or some event.

Is this immature? Maybe so, but the pattern is within. How to change it?

The doctor asks, “What is your first thought or feeling upon awakening?” Can you recognize it when you open your eyes? Is it positive or fear, negative about yourself, life, another in your care?

Even though we may realize it’s best to be upbeat, we still weigh ourselves down with blame, irritation or disgruntled feelings and thoughts. This is our critical, separating self or negative ego. It’s good to recognize and call it out. This critical psyche is easy to let take over. But what can we do about it?

We are powerful beings. We create with our thoughts! Our minds can control our emotions if we so choose! It’s good vs bad habits. Substance? Our positive creative ego brings beneficial effects: balanced health, happy and loving relations, happiness with ourselves and others. We become a good example. As we lift ourselves up out of the miasma of guilt, insecurity, judgement of self and others, we begin to breathe and enjoy life. Whatever life brings, we can face it.

Here are some suggestions: do not allow others to bring you down; don’t take it personally; don’t allow blame to begin the pattern; recognize and take responsibility.

Throw the old negative whatever into the volcano (my kupuna’s advice is, “Pele doesn’t mind.”)

Breathe in the Sun, Creator, Love, Oneness.

Be who you REALLY are: a loving, powerful being!

LINDA LYERLY, West Maui

We’re burning up

Record heat waves in America and Europe endanger millions, as wildfires rage, in a brutal manifestation of man-induced global warming.

Each of us can reduce our personal contribution by cutting back on consumption of animal foods, which account for a whopping portion of “greenhouse gases.” Carbon dioxide is released by burning forests to create animal pastures. Methane and nitrous oxide are released from digestive tracts of cows and sheep and from animal waste pits.

In an environmentally sustainable world, vegetables, fruits and grains must replace animal food products in our diet, just as wind, solar and other renewable energy sources replace fossil fuels. The next trip to our favorite supermarket provides a great opportunity to explore the delicious, healthful, eco-friendly plant-based meat and ice cream products in the frozen food section.

LESTER NAITO, Lahaina

Blame fossil fuels for the climate crisis

As someone who follows local and national news reports, I must tell you I am worried about the recent extreme heat and wildfires raging across the country. I feel for people who lose their lives and livelihoods to extreme weather, and I’m scared that it’s only a matter of time until it directly hits me and my community.

Seeing headlines in local news outlets covering these climate disasters made me realize that most news stories show no connection between them and their main cause: fossil fuels. This is dangerous, because many people will continue to refuse to see that longer, hotter and deadlier summers are caused and perpetuated by the disastrous coal, oil and gas projects — and the fossil fuel industry.

The science is clear — the longer we allow coal, oil and gas companies to dig and burn, the worse the impacts of the climate crisis will be. With every fraction of a degree of warming, we’ll see and suffer more extreme heat, droughts, floods, wildfires and hurricanes. But the fossil fuel industry continues to ignore these alerts and undermine our chances for a safer future, and CO2 emissions keep rising. We all know this is causing global heating, and resulting in extreme weather events, yet they keep digging, burning, and profiting, with zero accountability.

Climate impacts — like the recent heat waves and wildfires — disproportionately affect people and communities who are already marginalized and disadvantaged. People who did the least to cause the climate crisis suffer the worst from its impacts. They lose livelihoods, hope, and worse — their lives — while oil companies continue to hit record profits. This is wrong on so many levels. Local, regional and national media have an important role to play and a moral obligation to tell the whole truth. It’s time to make one thing about extreme weather very clear: it’s not a “crisis” that just happens to us; it’s a crime, and the fossil fuel industry is to blame. And saying it once isn’t enough. Media has an important job to do to turn the tide of public opinion and help the world avoid the worst of the climate impacts.

Please tell the REAL story about the climate crisis.

INGRID EICHENBAUM, West Maui

Lifeguards needed at Kaanapali Beach

Airport Beach needs a lifeguard tower. Or, the association can pay for police calls and the shipping of human remains. There are just too many troubles.

LEO THINER, West Maui

Read the next section of the U.S. Declaration

After reading several segments of our Country’s notice to England’s King, it can impress readers with intelligent creation. This portion picks up where it concluded last week.

“He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands. He has excited domestic insurrections among us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

BONNIE DeROSE, Lahaina