However searing, Gov. David Ige benefited from engaging the public on two very important issues that happened to collide (“Ige welcomes refugees,” Star-Advertiser, Nov. 17).

He admirably refused to succumb to Syrian refugee fear- mongering and hysteria. His well-placed mention of the Japanese internment camps hit home.

Concerning the terror threat, how many Americans have been slaughtered by armed, mentally unstable fellow Americans in this year alone?

On the domestic front, the governor’s comments ignited the state’s silent majority into unified political action on a level not usually seen. The 500 emails to his office clearly conveyed the public’s discontent concerning the government’s response to homelessness and the overall housing crisis in Hawaii.

The Syrian refugee crisis was a catalyst for public engagement in Hawaii and is, perhaps, a watershed moment.

If the governor didn’t hear the voters clearly on the homeless and housing crisis before, he certainly has now, and that’s the beauty of feedback.

Charlie Robinson
Makiki

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Kudos to Ige for his generous impulse

Shame on Lee Cataluna and others who have upbraided Gov. David Ige for his generous impulse in offering to take a few refugees from Syria (“Ige says refugees welcome, state track record disagrees,” Star-Advertiser, Nov. 18).

Like many of our ancestors, Syrian refugees are people with the courage, intelligence and energy to leave a war-torn home, and if history is any guide, they will work hard to become productive tax-paying members of society as rapidly as possible.

Homelessness, meanwhile, has nothing to do with refugees. It is largely a consequence of the meanness and greed that have driven wages for working people, and taxes on the rich, so low compared to 50 years ago.

Neil Frazer
Kailua

Refugee opponents hide behind veterans

The holidays have come early for Hawaii’s veterans and houseless communities.

More than 12,400 people have signed a petition to keep Syrian refugees not only out of Hawaii but also the entire U.S.

They justified this action on the basis of Hawaii’s houseless crisis and that our veterans need to receive their earned benefits.

So I take it that they all will be volunteering or donating to a houseless shelter, soup kitchen or veterans assistance nonprofit to help ease these pressing issues.

If each one of them volunteered only five hours a month or gave a monetary donation of equal value, that would mean 62,000 people-hours or $1.43 million a month. With that influx of support we could wipe out these crises in no time.

Will they all actually step up? My guess is no. But it won’t stop them from using our veterans and houseless communities as human shields against Syrian refugees who are just trying to escape a hell hole — one that America helped create.

Michael Golojuch Jr.
Kapolei

Ige should heed people on refugees

Gov. David Ige’s desire to let in Syrian refugees is laudable but not without risk. There is simply no way of catching 100 percent of all the terrorists who may be hiding among the refugees.

And it will only take one to cause havoc.

There is no way to identify new terrorists who have as yet no record and therefore do not show up on any government watch list. Since it is the people of Hawaii who must absorb this risk, I say this decision should be in the hands of the people.

Should anything happen to the people of Hawaii, it would not be adequate for the governor to apologize for his decision. But if we, the people, decided to accept the risk and something happened, then in our hearts we know the decision was ours, and there is no reason to blame.

John Post
Kakaako

Isles home to many who sought refuge

I am proud Hawaii is among the few states that have not given in to the fear and prejudice sown in the wake of the Paris attacks.

This is not putting Hawaii’s own problems — homelessness, health care challenges, rail funding, etc. — on the back burner. It is acknowledging that Hawaii offers what many dream of: relative peace, security and the chance for a better future. To deny these refugees because of safety concerns only adds to the suffering they will have experienced at the hands of our common enemy.

Hawaii today is composed of people who left to seek better futures. A non-Hawaiian, I am grateful that my ancestors were welcomed to these islands. And to the many others like me, who feel entitled to the protections and benefits our government provides, we don’t deserve these rights when we forget that once we, too, were the ones who sought refuge.

Ming Tanigawa-Lau
Aina Haina

Poor city services due to cost of rail?

Recently we are hearing about the trash not being picked up as scheduled, greenery that is not being cut along highways, newly paved roads with pot holes, businesses shutting down and traffic problems.

The city says it is short-handed because people are retiring or quitting. When people quit or retire, notice is given to the employer so that the employer has time to fill the vacancy. Could it be the city is reducing services because of the miscalculation of cost for the rail?

Also, I don’t see anything wrong with ending the rail at the Middle Street bus terminal. Whether it ends there or Ala Moana Center, people still have to catch the bus to their final destination.

What they should do is end the rail at Middle Street and improve the bus system.

2016 is an election year. People need to get out and vote.

Kenneth Ikenaga
Pearl City