Your Views for May 31

Grudging approval of TMT

Gov David. Ige made the right decision about allowing the Thirty Meter Telescope construction to proceed. Overall, though, he seemed poorly informed about the past management of Mauna Kea and almost grudging is his recommendation for the project to proceed.

In his press conference, he stated that, “From my own personal experience on the mountain, with all the noise and crowding, I could not feel the same feeling that I felt on the summit 20 years ago,” Ige said of his recent visit to Mauna Kea.”

There was no significant difference in the facilities on Mauna Kea from 1995 to 2015, but on his recent visit, the protesters were present, taking control of the road, building makeshift faculties and generally causing chaos.

The governor was also very critical of the University of Hawaii for poor management, which has led to the current problems. He seemed to be unaware of the 2000 Mauna Kea Master Plan that provided a strong advisory role for cultural advocates and established the Office of Mauna Kea Management. This plan has been in effect for 15 years and provides the overall management of Mauna Kea.

Maybe that is just his way of letting the protesters get a little more recognition for their efforts by making UH confess to poor management.

In addition, Gov. Ige seemed unaware about the observing time the astronomical facilities on Mauna Kea are required to make available to the University of Hawaii. This is obviously a form of rent, which in dollar value would amount to millions of dollars per year.

In addition, all the observatories contribute to the funding for the Office of Mauna Kea Management and maintenance of the roads and common facilitates on Mauna Kea. The governor seems to think that the only cost the observatories pay is the $1 per year specified in their subleases. He suggested that all the subleases be revisited to negotiate a higher rent.

He seems to miss the recognition the State of Hawaii gets worldwide for leadership and excellence in astronomy, and is acting like a greedy landlord. He should be proud to have such an asset in Hawaii.

I am sure that any other state in America (yes, Hawaii is in America) would be delighted to have these facilities if they had a suitable site.

Gerald Smith

North Kohala

$100k?

You must know that the Pahoa Transfer Station was reopened to the tune of $100,000. Can’t figure out what that money was used for, since the lava was only in one teeny corner of the place.

Our beautiful water tank was taken down but never replaced. Where is it?

There is no running water at the dump! There are no sinks. There are no toilets, except for one plastic “john” for county employees only. We had all that before the dump was gutted; whoever took our stuff should bring it back.

The tourists are coming by the busload, including handicapped folks, and they are going to the bathroom on the lava and in the bushes.

Please stop treating Pahoa like junk because you want people to move away from the lava zone.

Sara Steiner

Pahoa

More heroin?

Regarding “DEA raids clinics, pharmacies in the South,” May 23, Tribune-Herald: We learn the Drug Enforcement Administration has made hundreds of arrests across southern states of people, including doctors and pharmacists, for illegally prescribing opiate painkiller drugs.

There was care to point out the addict customers were not targeted for arrest.

With hundreds of opiate pill suppliers off the marketplace, now we have, what, thousands of pharmaceutical opiate addicts going through withdrawal? How are they supposed to resist the pull of street heroin to ease the craving of opiate withdrawal?

With this news and nothing in the way of special support for overcoming addiction, we see the DEA action effectively spawning a heroin epidemic. We can imagine the heads of heroin drug cartels turning their eyes toward the South for special marketing attention.

Who is going to help the withdrawal-burdened pill addicts in the South resist the heroin needle?

William Mautz

Hilo