Letters: Don’t release inmates; Not all are allowed on beach; First Amendment rights at risk

Don’t release inmates into our communities

Please do not release any prison inmates into the community.

I do respect the reasons, but in this case, the negative consequences of this action greatly outweigh its benefits. With all that is going on, it is imperative that we protect the safety of the community and not add to the stresses we already face each day. Remember the inmates are there for a reason.

Find an alternative facility to house these inmates, similar to the action of opening up a vacant building to house the infected homeless population. I applaud this action. If we can do it for the homeless, we can do it for the inmates. Dig deep and do it.

It is sad to say this, but the problem of prison overcrowding is not new, and we keep kicking the can down the road. It is so unfortunate that it takes a global pandemic to spur action, either positive or negative.

Ron Iwami

Manoa Valley

Able-bodied allowed on beach, but not others

Mayor Kirk Caldwell allows only able-bodied people to use Ala Moana beach. My blue handicap car pass is not sufficient to get me into the parking lot.

At age 75, I can only swim, and I have for most of my life. My ability to walk long distances is limited. The police cruise the park from time to time. They can monitor illegal parking. My letter to Caldwell was not answered and cars are still blocked from entering Ala Moana parking.

It’s almost two months now that I have not been able to swim in our therapeutic salt water.

Carolyn Tsukayama

Palolo

Drive-through testing safer for patient, worker

I’m glad to see that most people in our communities are taking the recommended precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Many thanks to Dr. Scott Miscovich of Premier Medical Group Hawaii and all others involved for starting up the drive-through testing sites around the state. Those two little tents outside The Queen’s Medical Center do not appear capable of handling large numbers of people with suspected infections. These drive-through testing sites are much safer and convenient for both health care personnel and people who may be ill.

On another note, it is disconcerting to see that the state is sending the Hawaii National Guard to assist in screening incoming travelers at the airports when those numbers are at an all-time low (“Hawaii National Guard to help with airport screenings as state records 3rd coronavirus death,” Star-Advertiser, April 4). It would have seemed more consistent to send them when we had high numbers of travelers coming into Hawaii.

Noella Takai

Makiki

First Amendment rights at risk from pandemic

After reading many stories about the coronavirus pandemic, I glanced at Jacob Sullum’s column (“Will COVID-19 pandemic kill constitutional freedoms?,” Star-Advertiser, April 4). This was something different, I thought.

Sullum pointed out how some politicians had already used the fear and anxiety created by COVID-19 to restrict constitutional rights and freedoms. He cited some Second Amendment examples. But they also could be used to restrict First Amendment freedoms of religion, speech and assembly.

The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.

Mark Saxon

Kahului

Stock market investment should be for long term

I am willing to bet any amount of money that a few or many people already have bailed out of their so-called investments in the stock market.

Rule No. 1: If you are going to invest in the stock market, it should be for the long term. The young investors today who are investing in their 401(k) plans should be in seventh heaven right now. They are buying shares that are dirt cheap. Load up, if you can.

The only time you will lose money in the stock market is when you sell. The market goes down, you panic and you sell. You’ve lost money and you don’t know when you are going to get back in. When the market goes up and down, it’s all paper gains and paper losses.

The best reference on why you should stay in the market is history. Since 1929, the year the Great Depression began. the market gyrated up and down. But, look at the trend of the stock market. It is always going up.

Albert Miral

Ewa Beach

Require food handlers to wear masks, gloves

As the coronavirus continues to ramp up, local government has called for stay@home and face masks.

Either the governor or the mayors must mandate that all food handlers wear face masks and gloves.

I’ve gone to a sub sandwich place, Chinese plate lunch, malasada truck and other take-out businesses, and nobody was wearing a mask. Consider the made-to-order food places: They’re talking over the food.

Requiring face masks and gloves for food handlers should be common sense.

Jeff Kino

Kaneohe

Working Americans shouldn’t just get scraps

The CARES Act is financial crumbs for the American people in an effort to keep us quiet by giving us the bare minimum. Some letters to the editor complained about the country being in debt as a result of the federal government finally doing its job helping the working class (“We need to prepare for future saddled by debt,” “$2 trillion CARES Act looks like socialism,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, April 4). I wonder how many times those same people worry about the debt America has assumed by throwing billions toward foreign intervention.

Maybe, just maybe, the working people in this country could get a bailout instead of billion-dollar corporations for once. And maybe, just maybe, the disaffected members of the working class in this country could expect better from their elected officials instead of settling for scraps.

Saundra Ramirez

Aliamanu

KINDNESS GOING VIRAL

Even in these days overshadowed by the coronavirus, bright spots exist. If you see kindness or positivity going on, share it with our readers via a 150-word letter to the editor; email it to letters@staradvertiser.com. We’ll be running some of these uplifting letters occasionally to help keep spirits up, as we hunker down. We are all in this together.

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