10-01-2007, 09:46 AM
Hi all, new here, recent new-comer to the big island...
Isn't the real issue that helicopter flights, although legal--for now--really represent people who are making private money exploiting the natural beauty of Hawaii? And as they exploit what is held in the public trust--that natural pristine beauty that we all share and have right to--they destroy it? Noise pollution is pollution like any other; and clearly no one is allowed to flick their trash in your yard, or their sewage either--clearly we accept you don't have the right to burn tires on your property and smoke out your neighbors--it seems all but sensible and inevitable that no one has a moral right to make an unbelievable racket over your house either. If we as a society want to continue to allow helicopters to fly, and we might--at least it's reasonable to suggest that people underneath flight paths are entitled to some sort of compensation for the hassle and loss of quality of life. Certainly I'm not anti-business, but we need to realize that some businesses rely on getting something for nothing and taking that which isn't rightfully theirs--that is, a permit to be a pain the ass. It's really just a basic issue of theft.
Isn't the real issue that helicopter flights, although legal--for now--really represent people who are making private money exploiting the natural beauty of Hawaii? And as they exploit what is held in the public trust--that natural pristine beauty that we all share and have right to--they destroy it? Noise pollution is pollution like any other; and clearly no one is allowed to flick their trash in your yard, or their sewage either--clearly we accept you don't have the right to burn tires on your property and smoke out your neighbors--it seems all but sensible and inevitable that no one has a moral right to make an unbelievable racket over your house either. If we as a society want to continue to allow helicopters to fly, and we might--at least it's reasonable to suggest that people underneath flight paths are entitled to some sort of compensation for the hassle and loss of quality of life. Certainly I'm not anti-business, but we need to realize that some businesses rely on getting something for nothing and taking that which isn't rightfully theirs--that is, a permit to be a pain the ass. It's really just a basic issue of theft.