I am relieved that Gov. David Ige is upholding our state mask mandate, despite the unexpected Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance on removing mask requirements for fully vaccinated people (“Gov. David Ige keeps Hawaii mask rules unchanged despite change by CDC,” Star-Advertiser, May 14).

While myself and my adult family members are fully vaccinated, and I trust in the efficacy and safety of the COVID-19 vaccines, not enough of our population is protected.

The CDC’s latest guidance may be premature at a time when we are just opening up vaccination to our adolescents. It is also too difficult to differentiate who is fully vaccinated and who is not; continued mask wearing in public provides reassurance and additional safety until more of our community has a chance to be vaccinated.

As a pediatrician and a parent, I am very concerned that removal of mask requirements exposes the vulnerable who are not yet able to be vaccinated, particularly children under 12 years old. Ige’s decision may not be popular, but I thank our community for continuing to do what is right for Hawaii.

Malia Shimokawa

Nuuanu

Ige should not ignore CDC’s latest guidance

When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention comes out with guidance that is restrictive, Gov. David Ige adopts the policies immediately. When the CDC comes out with less restrictive guidelines, the governor seems to ignore them.

Case in point: The CDC said that masks did not need to be worn outside and yet Ige hasn’t changed the no-masks-outside rule for Hawaii. My guess is the governor will not adapt this policy for months to come.

Carl Bergantz

Kaneohe

Seek federal funding to clean up streams

A recent letter pleaded for someone to step up to the plate and have the Paukauila Stream dredged before hurricane season (“Clean debris choking stream flow to ocean,” Star-Advertiser, May 14).

This could be a matter of life or death, as a North Shore resident told me during the March storm, when his yard flooded to chest-high in less than 10 minutes.

We all realize funding is a major hurdle. But a recent edition also had a solution (“Federal government announces disaster assistance for March flooding, landslides,” Star-Advertiser, Top News, May 13).

Our North Shore political and community leaders should jump on this guaranteed money to expedite the removal of the debris blocking the stream. The time is now to finally get on with this life-saving project.

Roger H. Williams

Mililani

Republicans remain party of Donald Trump

U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy seems oblivious to reality. He said that the Republicans do not question the validity of the 2020 election results, yet they force U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney out of her position within the party for refusing to agree with former president Donald Trump, who insists repeatedly that the election was stolen.

Then there are those Republicans who insist on recounting votes in Arizona, looking for proof of fraud — nonexistent proof of nonexistent fraud.

All this, presumably, to kowtow to Trump because, for now, he is their best bet for getting back into the White House and ruling over Congress. All they have to do is convince the American voters to repeat the mistake they made in 2016.

Given that almost half of the voters in 2020 did just that, their task is depressingly easy.

Thomas Luna

McCully

We must take care of one another to thrive

It is amazing to me that some people (Republicans?), who see much-needed relief being distributed, immediately judge others to be lazy. In reality, there are a small number in any demographic, liberal or conservative alike, who will take advantage of the system, but they are not the majority.

In reality, we should be taking care of each other, in small ways and in big ways. If people have hope and are not fearful of their fellow man, they can reach their full potential. History and study after study have corroborated this.

Why would you judge others so harshly? Are you reflecting your own tendencies? It might be really helpful to take a good look at yourself.

Carol Williams

Captain Cook, Hawaii island

Kahikina must take care when talking about rail

“Betterment” is a legal term of art in construction contracts. Lori Kahikina seems to be a talented leader who admirably wants to bring transparency to the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation. But she needs to be prepared for litigation stemming from the quarter-inch wheel fiasco.

Accepting some “blame” for the mess while praising the potential defendants as “smart people” (“Problems piling up for the Honolulu rail project,” Star-Advertiser, May 13) who will provide “betterment” (“Search continues to fix Oahu rail’s too-narrow wheels and too-wide tracks,” Star-Advertiser, May 16), likely will increase the burden on HART lawyers when they seek damages. Words matter.

Those lawyers should be helping Kahikina be candid without making thoughtless concessions.

John Keiser

Makiki

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