Waikiki gotten noisier over the past two years

Double ditto to the gentleman from Denmark whose letter enumerated and clearly described the enormous increase of noise in Waikiki over the past two years (“Waikiki noise levels becoming unbearable,” Star-Advertiser, March 3).

We have lived here for many years and, sadly, it is not the same place. And most distressing of all, nothing appears to have been done about it through any form of regulation or law enforcement. Examples:

>> Unregulated super-loud cars and motorcycles. I think there are laws regarding the decibel level of motorized vehicles but police enforcement appears to be nonexistent here.

>> People screaming on the street at all hours of the night. Where are the police at 2 a.m., 3 a.m. and 4 a.m.?

Hawaii has been known for lax regulation and oversight, but this laissez-faire approach has gone way too far and, as Jette Jakobsen noted, is causing a noticeable downgrade in the quality of life here.

William E. Conti

Waikiki

Financial literacy should be taught in high school

The cost of living is still rising; long-term residents can only find affordable housing on the mainland and more and more people are getting crushed under student loans and debt. Schools don’t teach our children how to budget, save, invest or how to deal with debt. Why do we then expect them to survive in one of the highest cost-of-living states when we don’t teach them ourselves?

The student government at Leeward Community College has started to help by creating an educational podcast about financial literacy. But it’s just a drop in the bucket.

Not all people go to college, but everyone needs to know how to manage their money. It would be best if we have financial education as a graduation requirement at the high school level, alongside mathematics and English. We should require more real-world skills and knowledge to be taught for the 21st century.

Eric Sarrafian

Waipahu

Confusion over vaccine card requirements

At the aquarium last week, we were the first in line, with two women and a child behind us, and many more tourists and locals waiting patiently for it to open.

There was an altercation at the next window with the women and child and the cashier. The women were very disappointed. They said they didn’t see anything on the aquarium website about a requirement for vaccination cards. The sign outside said just said to wear masks, and nothing about vaccine cards.

I felt bad for the family and how they were treated. This is also at a time when a lot of restaurants have stopped asking for vaccine cards.

This is a scenario that may have happened to others also. I wish the aloha spirit was displayed for people who are caught in the confusion of rules.

Bonnie Matsumoto

Moiliili

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