Letters — Your Voice — for July 13

Unhosted vacation rentals are a problem

Has anyone seen the Vrbo vacation rentals commercial on TV?

It shows a man being quiet in a vacation rental booked by a host, implying that this is a bad thing. Then it shows a man dancing in his underwear in the garden, implying that if you rent a vacation rental through Vrbo, you can keep partying and dancing in your underwear in the garden – who cares what the neighbors think?

Unhosted vacation rentals are a huge problem here in Hawaii. When we complain about the noise in the unhosted vacation rental next door, we are complaining to uncaring, money-hungry people in San Francisco who probably have their phones turned off because of the time difference.

I am sure many others have had similar experiences. If the County Council wants to do something then they should start by making a law that states that holiday homes must be rented by the owners and not by some bogus managers.

This way, the owners can hear what the neighbors are doing.

David Miller

Captain Cook

A name change worth considering

The phrase “Kiss Okole” is a familiar term to locals when telling stories. We have heard others use the phrase, perhaps even used it in conversation ourselves, and even participated in “Kissing Okole” ourselves from time to time with varying degrees of intensity.

But the “Kissing Okole” reaches a completely different and unprecedented level when the MAGA people intervene to appease their cult leader Donald Trump.

We have a cabal of Republicans in the House of Representatives who have proposed a bill to rename Dulles International Airport to Donald J. Trump International. Just like that: You throw out the name Dulles, who was Secretary of State in the Eisenhower administration during the Cold War, and replace him with a convicted felon of a president, Donald.

The subservience continues with another cabal of House Republicans seeking to award Donald the Congressional Gold Medal for his “foreign policy positions.” But wait, there’s more.

In June, Representative Paul Gosar proposed a bill that would have the U.S. Treasury Department issue $500 bills with Trump’s face on them for the first time in 79 years. Maybe his mugshot will be released? My goodness, that’s a “kissing the okole!”

Now, I have nothing against a former president’s name, image and likeness being on inanimate objects, but the aforementioned “NIL” should accurately reflect the character and accomplishments of any former president. Although, as a convicted felon, Donald should be immediately disqualified from such an honor.

But Braddah Kerry is taking heart, and I’m going to make an exception with this suggestion: I propose that a certain plant in Hilo be renamed the Donald J. Trump Wastewater Treatment Plant. This renaming will be permanent.

With a name like that, you can be sure that the plant will make wastewater treatment great again.

Kerry E. Meyer

Hilo