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i]Originally posted by mailesomaha
"Solvable crimes are solved; where ever you are and whoever you are."
...in your dreams
"What I don't find funny is the perpetuation of 'naming' the class or status of an entire people, be they Kona people naming Hilo people, or Mexican people naming Guatamalans, in order to perpetuate their status in order to justify their disqualification from basic services which further degrades their status, further degrading services...and so on. But profiting from that is, I don't know, what is that called?!"
...nicely put!
"This isn't a district that doesn't want a police presence; that's not a mistake, it's just a lie."
...again, well said
James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park
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I have had only one interaction with law enforcement here and it was a positive experience. 3 or 4 years ago we had a shed broken into while we were gone and reported it in case others were having problems around here. I wasn't really expecting them to come out or any thing but they were here in just a couple of hours talked to us for a while went and talked to a few neighbors to see if they were having any problems. Gave us some tips on protecting our property and such, they did more than I expected.
On the flip side it burns me to see two of them directing traffic at work sites when they could be out and about.
Scott
Posts: 2,648
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Joined: Sep 2006
quote:
On the flip side it burns me to see two of them directing traffic at work sites when they could be out and about.
And most likely not paid by the PD but by the contractor (as in off duty detail). Of course if it's a public tax funded project you are still ultimately paying for their presence.
Pua`a
S. FL
Big Islander to be.
Pua`a
S. FL
Big Islander to be.
Posts: 1,163
Threads: 32
Joined: Aug 2009
@ James Weatherford - We have established that Bob Orts does not live in Puna, but last time I checked, there was no residency requirement to post on this site. Why is it every time you don't agree with his opinion on any topic, you discount it by saying "you don't live here"???
As a potential Council member, I would expect you to be open to all viewpoints...and respectful to those who express them...especially when they are taxpayers!
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A couple of officers came to our door a few nights ago because there was an attempted burglary on the street behind us and the people who were staying in the house saw the culprits run toward our property. The two officers were very nice and courteous. I realized at one point that our front gate had been locked for the evening. I said, "hey, how'd you guys get in?" And they said they hopped the gate. The next day, when I told this to my neighbor, he said, "What!? You should've told them to get lost! They have no right hopping your gate!" That attitude, to me, was unbelievable. I guess that's a sample of the comments here. Sometimes I feel like I've gone back to 1968 (we moved here a year ago), when see that "us" and "them" mentality. Course that's just the one neighbor. I have no problem with the cops coming onto my property looking for bad guys.
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You do not have to live in Puna in order to have an educated opinion about the place.
I thank Bob for his insightful posts, especially the one in this thread, which matches my experience.
He's right, some people on this forum have a weird anti-police mentality. Anyone who spends their day fighting criminals is a very very good friend of mine. And that includes the handing out of speeding tickets.
So James, if you get elected, you won't listen to the opinions of anyone without first checking their zipcode?
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James. understand that local resident’s opinion of their area can radically differ from the opinion of those outside the area. I don't know how long you've been dealing with the political arena of America, but as a candidate for elected office, may I suggest you find out real fast how perception of an area can be opposite of the reality. And you will want to learn how that perception can influence many aspects of government.
My personal opinion of the Puna Area is that it's a Hodge Podge mixed of good and bad, it's a melting pot of many differing attitudes and feelings for government. It has many positives and many negatives. It has rich and poor. Together this makes it a very interesting area. BUT, if those outside the area only see the bad and believe the area is trashy, no matter how nice things are in your eyes, everyone else is seeing the opposite.
That is the item that needs to be corrected. So long as the Puna area is viewed as the "other side of the tracks", you are not going to get the respect the area deserves. Think about all the things Puna does not get or have. How much of not getting do you think is due to how people outside the area view Puna.
I can talk to economic development people about a project and mention every district as a potential site. You will always get some negatives mentioned in all the districts. However, most times they brush those off with all the good things. Even Kau is only negative because of distance from Kona or Hilo. But mention Puna and the negatives flow like water with only sporadic mention of good.
Now, if everyone wants to wear blinders and pretend the world views the area as a wonderful place, so be it. But that does not change the reality of how the area is viewed and how that view rubs off in the delivery of services.
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So instead of arguing..LOL..What can we do to change the perception. As a entrepreneur, I see opportunity. I really think what really hinders economic development is the active volcano and absolutely nothing else.
Did you know that the volcano is the number 1 tourist attraction in the entire state? Besides, there's already too much economic development here.
Bob, Ask the people that live here and we will tell you thats just how we like it. "outside" opinions ? who cares !
