pCard audit
pCard audit
The audit of the county politicians using the county credit card is almost finished. The numbers already revealed indicate the county officials have been using these cards for personal use.
This might not be a criminal offense, if the funds are repaid, but it still is an ethical offense.
There was an ethics bill in the County Council earlier this year, but it was shelved. I wonder why.
Are there any punishments on the books for these ethics violations ? If so, they should be exercised. If not, let’s get the council on the ball, or throw them out in the next election.
Bob Dukat
Pahoa
Get the facts
Many of the letters published recently in the Tribune-Herald regarding the Thirty Meter Telescope reflect unfortunate but widespread reader ignorance about the project. It is important to note the Gervais quote: “You can have your own opinions — but you can’t have your own facts!”
I respect the opinions of those opposed to the TMT, especially the cultural opinions of Native Hawaiians, who regard Mauna Kea’s summit as a sacred place — traditionally the piko between Wakea and Papa.
But here are some facts everyone should be aware of — facts that should not be distorted to support opinions:
1. The proposed site for the TMT is not at Mauna Kea’s summit — it is several hundred feet below the summit in a low valley far from the once-pristine summit tephra cones where other observatories are located.
2. The TMT will not be an “eyesore” visible from Hilo, or from any other place except Waimea.
3. The TMT will not “pollute Hilo Bay” — the pollutants that do contaminate the bay come entirely from cesspools that are located too close to the shoreline — or from previous industrial discharges.
4. The TMT will have no impact on Hawaii’s water supply. Our water comes from rain that falls in the forest below 7,000-feet elevation, a mile below the arid summit of Mauna Kea.
5. A very comprehensive EIS was prepared for the TMT, which carefully documents the project and all associated negative environmental impacts. It is available in the Hilo library, and should be required reading for anyone who respects Mauna Kea and who wants to base their opposition or support on facts — not on their imaginations.
John P. Lockwood
Volcano