We don’t need more violent TV shows

“NCIS: Hawaii”? Really?

Hawaii does not need another violent police procedural with too many guns, portrayals of our local cops as ignorant doofuses, and our gentle people as crazed drug dealers of color (“‘NCIS: Hawaii’ appears bound for the isles,” Star-Advertiser, Feb. 18).

Recently a construction worker saw a tourist being pulled out to sea by a current, jumped in, rescued her, then put his work boots back on and finished his shift. That’s what we want to see on television about Hawaii.

How much of the current methamphetamine-fueled crime, catalytic converter theft, baby- killing, even murder is influenced by television shows depicting Hawaii as full of guns and drugs? Most of us are gentle and kind. We rescue starving monk seals, fettered whales and other unfortunate animals. We don’t need television shows that teach the opposite of that.

Mary Macmillan

Mililani

Don’t raid tobacco prevention fund

Despite Hawaii’s youth e-cigarette epidemic, lawmakers want to raid tobacco prevention funding.

E-cigarettes are Big Tobacco’s newest weapon to hook our keiki and we need strong intervention.

In 20 years, Hawaii’s youth smoking rate dropped roughly 81% partly because of our tobacco control program. As more kids become addicted to e-cigarettes, overall youth tobacco use has increased. We cannot stop now.

Hawaii spends roughly 58% of what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends for tobacco prevention. Tobacco companies spend three times that amount marketing deadly products to our youth. We need a well-funded, evidence- based tobacco control program to counter these efforts. Eliminating funding will increase youth smoking rates, costing us lives and money.

I know budgets are tight, but defunding our tobacco prevention program is the wrong move — especially at a time when lung health is critical.

I urge Hawaii’s lawmakers to preserve our investment in saving lives from tobacco use.

Jenny Hausler

American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network volunteer

Treat e-cigarettes like tobacco products

It was recently reported that roughly 1 in 3 Hawaii high school students are vaping on a regular basis (“Youth vaping rates keep rising in Hawaii,” Star-Advertiser, Feb. 17).

A report from the surgeon general projects that 21,000 Hawaii youth alive today will die prematurely from smoking. Youth who vape were five times more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19. The Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaii Youth Council and I can’t wait to address the youth vaping epidemic; the time is now to treat e-cigarettes like other tobacco products. They should be regulated, taxed and not offered online where youth can easily acquire them.

We also need to end the sale of flavored e-cigarettes, which lure kids into trying these devices and hook them on nicotine, possibly for a lifetime. We shouldn’t let the industry continue to target and profit from our keiki. The 21,000 premature youth deaths can be prevented.

Noah Chang

Aina Haina

Disabilities division helped daughter

The state Department of Health’s Developmental Disabilities Division did something really good for the disabled in our state. The division sent two very capable and nice nurses to our home to vaccinate our disabled daughter and everyone in the household.

What a relief and what a blessing. Mahalo.

Pauline D. Arellano

Mililani

Less-fortunate pay for loan forgiveness

“Forgive Student Loans” is becoming a common cry, but who have the loans and who will pay? Research shows that many student loans are for graduate degrees for subjects likely taught on campuses where the privileged liberals study.

If you are a member of a middle- or lower-income family, much of your undergraduate costs can be covered by Pell Grants, scholarships and other grants aimed at your family income levels. Graduate degrees are optional, more expensive and require many to take loans, especially if they failed to work or save for this education.

These are all loans from the federal government — that’s you, the taxpayer. So if you are part of the vast majority of families on Hawaii that do not have college-bound kids, you will not receive a cent, but rather pay the taxes to fund for these student loans. And you will be the taxpaying lender who forgives these loans.

You work hard and save so they can spend. And don’t wait for the “Thank you” card.

Joel Brilliant

Hawaii Kai

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