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I noticed a very offensive letter to the editor in the HTH on Sunday. In short this Hilo resident said people living in Puna are whiners because they are complaining about a lack of infrastructure.
http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/arti...ters03.txt
I read the recent Tribune-Herald stories about Puna's road and traffic problems, and the state Department of Transportation's plans to improve them.
It seems like there was a lot of whining during those meetings about the roads. It's as if the people of Puna awakened recently (and suddenly) to the realization that they live ... IN PUNA!
People, why did you move to Puna if you wanted all the services and amenities (and roads) offered by a place that's a little less rural, such as Hilo? Didn't you pay a lot less to buy property there? Didn't you want to live a more rural lifestyle? There's a reason Puna has always been cheaper than "the city," you know. Less infrastructure!
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Hmmm.
Funny.
I read that letter when it appeared yesterday and cheered!
And when I got together with some Orchidland pals to go paddling in town, one of 'em said "Did you see that fantastic letter in the paper?! It's the exact same thing we've been saying for years now! Finally someone had the balls to write a Letter to the Editor! ...and the whiners."
---malolo (...20-year Puna resident)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Edited by - malolo on 05/28/2007 17:41:21
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Malolo, I'm a bit surprised by your
thinking. Why should Hilo have all great infrastructure when Kona, Puna, Kohala have poor infrastructure.
In short he is implying we should all move to Hilo if we want great infrastructure and services.
To me denying adequate infrastructure to Puna
and other areas I mentioned is wrong. Compounding it is the fact when people speak up about the disparity they are called whiners.
Edited by - Aaron S on 05/28/2007 17:43:43
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Yeah.
I guess I could have been more clear, Aaron.
Sorry.
The folks that drive me nuts aren't the ones who have something to say about the state/county roads so much, but the ones in the private subdivisions who think the state and/or county owes them something (smack dab in the middle of their private subdivision).
For example? ...the people who buy a house on a bumpy flood-prone road in the middle of a rainforest without having done any homework, who suddenly want the state/county to "fix" things somehow? ...the people who buy a house in an area where everyone has happily lived on catchment for ages, who can't believe the state/county are not going hurry up and run a water main, just because they moved in?
That kind of stuff.
That "they'd never get away with treating us like this on the mainland," kind of attitude. I'm sure you seen and/or heard it in your area as well?
Hell, go trade your Volvo in for a Jeep, fer chrissakes! Be responsible for your own water needs! I dunno. Just stop yer whining.
By the way...those aren't really coquis you hear chirping at night: they're actually whiny residents I've turned into frogs!
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Next thing you know, those whiners are going to be complaining about the lack of affordable medical care and the lack of primary care physicians to make health insurance actually sort of work! The nerve of them.
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I moved to Puna because it has one of the best bus systems on island (for those in Pahoa, along 130, in Keaau there are early morning to late night buses - 6 round trips a day! This is one of the best bus systems I have ever seen, mainland or anywhere, for a rural area.) I have heard many comments that the bus should go into the private subdivisions, but that is another of positive/negative things...you are no longer living in a 'private subdivision' when you open it up to public services. That is the beauty& the beast of private homeowner assn.
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I made a stink about the traffic situation recently and actually attended the last meeting of the council...
My thing was about the excessive speeds and extremely high number of accidents along that corridor (Hwy 130). Just hoping to find a reasonable solution for the residents that already live here and are getting hurt at alarming rates...
I couldn't care less if we had dirt roads and needed 4 x 4's ...just want the people to be safe as possible.
Carrie
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There is a move afoot here in HPP, headed up by Walter Moe, to incorporate the subdivision as a township under Hawaii law. This is in the early discussion stages, but it appeals to some as a way to improve services in our area without waiting forever for the County to get around to it. Whether HPP could do better on its own than with the County is open to discussion, but many say it would be hard to do worse. (Based on some past HPP projects, I'm not so sure about that.)
Incorporation would require the approval of the state legislature, and oh what a circus than can be. It would be interesting to see how the County reacts, though. It would make them look pretty bad to refuse to let us try it on our own while not doing anything themselves. Just initiating the legal process would be a big wake-up call.
Cheers,
Jerry
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This is by no means the first time I've heard this said about services. I sort of agree. I bought here knowing exactly what I was getting into, what I'd have to do without.(paradise on a budget). If you want the services, expect to pay for them, nothing is free. There are a lot of things Puna could use, but then again people in hell want ice water. I expect future higher taxes, systems development charges or a "special taxation district" to pay for it all. Nobody wants to hear that, but I'm afraid it's reality.
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It's interesting in the sense that I focused more on the "less rural" part rather than the "Hilo" part. I got no beef with Hilo though.
More infrastructure means higher prices for land and higher taxes for all. More infrastructure means the country becomes the city. More infrastructure means more people will be apt to move to an area that is already stretched thin with regard to services.
I for one, like it just the way it is. Pave the roads begats widen the roads begats put in stoplights begats put in strip malls at the stop lights.
Land is cheaper here for a reason. Embrace those reasons or move somewhere else.
