Owners of scrap metal facility vilified

The state and the county have the commission of the crime exactly backwards. The real criminals are hiding behind elected and appointed positions who talk the environmental talk but conspicuously fail to walk the walk. They all took oaths of office to uphold the constitution by working "of the people, by the people, for the people," only to succumb to bribery-induced campaign contributions, selling out our community while doing the bidding of the wealthy.

By fining Maui's only metal scrap facility over $200,000 for providing a necessary service to the community instead of funding the shipping costs (The Maui News, May 21), the authorities have become the criminals in cahoots with the corporations. We taxpayers will have to pay many times over the true costs when the dumping of cars, appliances, etc. becomes rampant due to the lack of legitimate facilities. The tourists will stop coming to an islandwide garbage dump. That would please many shortsighted isolationists, but their children and grand-children will never be able to find jobs to finance a home or a car or the education of their own kids.

The truth screamed to us all on the front page of The Maui News when the Apana family was viciously attacked by authorities framing them as the problem with phony permit violations in an obvious attempt to pass the buck and cover their own deceitful behinds. The Apanas provide a vital service while being ignored financially and unfairly vilified for many years. They (and other recyclers) should be heralded for their commitment to us all.

Paul Brandt

Kihei