Robbing TAT funds
Robbing TAT funds
I found your story about House Bill 1586 (“Counties could lose TAT funds,” Tribune-Herald, Feb. 16) unfathomable. Not your reporting, but the bill itself.
There seemed to be three parts to the story. First, “income tax reduction.” That’s clearly camouflage for what follows.
The second lets we, the state, rob the TAT funds from the counties that earned them.
Third, having deprived the counties of their TAT funds, we — again, the state — will force the counties to raise property taxes. This increase in property tax is couched under the umbrella of taxing those rich out-of-staters who come here to enjoy a second home.
Here’s what is unfathomable: The forced increase in property taxes will affect us all, not just those awful out-of-staters (who, incidentally, contribute enormously to our economy).
I say that again: This increase in property taxes will affect us all.
Unfathomable: not able to find bottom; not able to understand.
Skip Sims
Ninole
Pay attention!
In response to the article “Students to drivers: Slow down!” (Tribune-Herald, Feb. 16), I fully understand the conundrum students face.
While in Kaneohe, I was waiting for a light to turn green when a car was pulling out of a parking lot to turn right. The driver never once looked to the right, and when a young man was about to step onto the street, a man placed his hand on his shoulder and said, “Not yet!”
If the young man had stepped out the moment the light turned green, the driver might have seen him disappear underneath the car.
Before making a right-hand turn, drivers should always look to the right to see if there are pedestrians waiting to cross because in many cases they might have the walk light. The look to the right should be stressed.
As for bicycles, designated, dedicated lanes for them should be a priority because driving down Highway 132 (Kapoho Road) or other roads where the shoulder is narrow and there is oncoming traffic, you really have to be careful when there are bicyclists on the road. This has special meaning for me because I was on a bicycle when a car ran the red light. Fractured ribs are no fun at all.
Another time, I was riding my bicycle and a sports car pulled out in front of me like I wasn’t even there. I had to perform a hard left to keep from striking the driver’s side door. A man standing on an apartment balcony overlooking the intersection was shaking his head, as he found it difficult to believe what he had just seen.
I think a more apt headline would be: “Students to drivers: Pay attention!”
Dave Kisor
Pahoa