tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post1347150227963873044..comments2023-10-17T04:51:08.765-10:00Comments on KauaiEclectic: Musings: Down in the ValleyJoan Conrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00172330100788007499noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-23459931519562696942007-10-29T10:46:00.000-10:002007-10-29T10:46:00.000-10:00The high bacterial count is due, as jkeliipio note...The high bacterial count is due, as jkeliipio noted, to cesspools at sea level and the recent growth in the region. The valley also has numerous streams that flow past homes on their way to the sea, making it easy for sewage overflow to enter the water. Efforts are under way now by the federally-funded Hanalei Heritage River group to try and get a sewage system going.<BR/><BR/>I did vote for the Ohana tax amendment, and it was organized by some people who I think would be considered part of Kauai's progressive community. I, too, grew up under Prop. 13, but felt the Ohana amendment wouldn't have the samme impacts, as property taxes here don't fund many of the same services that they do in California.<BR/><BR/>And yes, the laulau were super ono, if I may say so!!! A pressure cooker is definitely in order.Joan Conrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00172330100788007499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-6100884938145872882007-10-29T10:17:00.000-10:002007-10-29T10:17:00.000-10:00Having grown up in California and having seen the ...Having grown up in California and having seen the havoc caused by Prop 13 (passed when I was a child), I am wary of the Ohana Amendment. On the one hand, I do not want to see working class families forced out of their homes because property taxes rise astronomically. On the other hand, I think wealthy homeowners should pay their share to support the community. I think a great idea would be to tax ag lands in inverse proportion to their productivity - so if you're on a "gentleman's estate" and not producing food you pay much more than farmers who use the land as intended. Maybe we can come up with a more "progressive" way to levy property taxes so that they are tied to income. <BR/>One of the things about Prop 13 - and I don't know if the Ohana Amendment mimics this - is that it's only beneficial to the first generation. So my mother, thankfully, pays property taxes that she can afford, but if my sister were able to afford to buy a house there, the property taxes would kill her. So it didn't really help multi-generational families stay in California.<BR/><BR/>I don't own property, so I don't have much of a stake in this beyond what property taxes do to increase my rent. I just think that people on the left are very wary of tax initiatives that might result in a gutting of critical social services. Also, as a general rule of thumb, conservatives who champion such tax reform tend to be more likely to own property, while progressives and working class people often don't own property and are therefore less invested in property tax debates except in relation to their effect on social services. I am not defending this situation, but I think it's generally true.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-7864727684018894692007-10-29T08:17:00.000-10:002007-10-29T08:17:00.000-10:00You raise the issue of escalating property taxes. ...You raise the issue of escalating property taxes. I wonder if anyone has any insight into why the progressive community on Kauai declined to mobilize in support of the Ohana tax amendment, and failed to register even a blip of consternation when the state supreme court arbitrarily overturned (on an absurd, ginned up rationale) the results of that referendum.<BR/><BR/>My theory is that such tax initiatives, while objectively neither "left" nor "right" wing, are generally viewed as right wing projects and so remain off the list of preferred progressive causes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-89468261561253861962007-10-29T00:46:00.000-10:002007-10-29T00:46:00.000-10:00Residential cesspools at sea level can easily poll...Residential cesspools at sea level can easily pollute a shoreline.<BR/>Joan, Mahalo for the Hanalei happenings.As sad and depressing as it was to hear about Hanalei, it was nonetheless appreciated. <BR/>I hope your laulau was ONO!<BR/>Next time, if you have a pressure cooker, you could use that instead to cut down on laulau cooking time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-876039787419057452007-10-28T20:08:00.000-10:002007-10-28T20:08:00.000-10:00"the bay is often polluted with the bacteria that ..."the bay is often polluted with the bacteria that comes from sewage"<BR/><BR/>What process allows this occur?RobertWoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00432672527434882452noreply@blogger.com