FIRST, HELP THE HOMELESS

To Councilman Dominic Yagong, regarding the survey about the 735
acres of county property in Paauilo: You totally neglected the
homeless. This group of people has no advocate.

Veterans make up large proportion of the homeless. These people were
trained to hate, kill and destroy the enemy. Then they come home and
are expected to become civilized.

In Vietnam, 58,000 GIs died and thousands of veterans committed
suicide. Now many are made homeless. They could not make the
adjustment to civilian life. Violence and domestic abuse cause a lot
of homelessness. Drugs are another destroyer of families. The federal
policy of drug possession and lose your house is a big contributor of
homelessness. What is your plan for the homeless problem?

Here is a golden opportunity to turn Paauilo into a model for the
nation. Use the ahupua'a system where the homeless build their own
roads and houses and pay for it themselves. Plus you need to charge
them $100 per month for each adult for a lease rent. A hundred adults
would give you $10,000 per year, and this is without the county paying
for any of the expenses.

Right now homelessness is a big problem. But a homeless community in
Paauilo can become a great asset.

The state's remedy for druggies is to lock them up and deprive them of
life. The best remedy is work. Let them live in tents -- that's how
they live on the beach. They must build their own houses and roads. On
county land, county laws and standards must apply.

Human beings are the most intelligent creatures God created in this
whole universe. Their ability to earn money, build their own houses
and roads cannot be denied. Look what they have done on the beaches.
This is a better plan than you have.

MARK KIYUNA

Hilo