Bad health choices of others, vaccines, masks, obstacles of Tesla drivers 

Should we consider people's other bad health choices?

If we are to ask the question "Should society pay for unvaccinated?" [Letters, May 17], surely we should also ask the same of those who choose to continue to smoke and consume food and drink that science has proven to lead to costly chronic conditions and surgeries. These are actually paid for by society through high health insurance premiums and governmental programs funded by taxpayers. The same with other free choices, such as drug use, not exercising, riding a bicycle without a helmet — the list can go on and on. I am all for more personal responsibility, but can we hold one group of people responsible and not the rest?

Karen Loughlin, Massapequa

I’m vaccinated - where’s my chance at $5M?

Where is our chance for $5 million ["Lotto, libations for shots," News, May 21]? Our gracious governor is now offering a chance for $5 million to all the laggards who did not get vaccinated. That means the more responsible citizens who were vaccinated can’t win anything. Private institutions offer incentives to new customers. This is OK because the cost is borne by the institution, not taxpayers. It is not my choice to give money to people who showed little consideration for the safety of others. A better plan would be to offer a chance at the $5 million to anyone who has been vaccinated by a certain date. This would allow the inclusion of those who already have been vaccinated.

James Christiano Jr., Massapequa

No masks doesn’t mean they got shots

It has been a hard 14 months of lockdowns and separations. I am excited that vaccinated people can get back to normal and shop without masks in many stores ["State’s new normal," News, May 20]. It is a great step forward. There is an issue, however, to be addressed: the unvaccinated people taking liberties with the new rules and not wearing masks. We will never get back to what passes as normal if the unvaccinated do not follow the rules. I am leery of them and will still wear a mask in most situations because only about half of Suffolk residents are fully vaccinated. That number leaves the other unvaccinated people without protection. How do we know who has gotten the shot and who hasn’t? The reasons to get vaccinated are many, but the best reason is for the public good. The unvaccinated can still contract and transmit COVID-19 to others, and it’s likelier more variants will appear. We need people to get their shots and stop thinking about politics or their fears.

Brian Zimmerman, Massapequa

I have to disagree about opening up the way we are doing it. How are we going to monitor which people have received their required number of vaccinations or whether they have even been vaccinated at all? Is this going to be a trust-me approach? We have all worked too hard to try to control this pandemic only to allow vaccination nonbelievers and liars to screw this up. We are opening to this "all in" situation way too soon. I feel we need to get to a point of herd immunity before we advance this far.

Howard Litwak, Melville

Trump should get credit for vaccine

Former President Donald Trump definitely deserves credit for the COVID-19 vaccines ["Trump shouldn’t get credit for vaccines," Letters, May 17]. One week after the first confirmed case was reported in the United States, he stopped travel from China. He began Operation Warp Speed to get the vaccines quickly. His administration worked with the big pharmaceutical companies, and he eliminated many regulations to get vaccines available in months instead of years; he got the job done. I believe that if President Joe Biden had been in charge, the vaccines would have taken much longer to develop. I’m tired of the Trump Derangement Syndrome — people who cannot see things objectively because of their hatred of the former president. I hope that changes at least a little bit.

Robert A. Chalmers, Floral Park

Consider obstacles Tesla drivers face

My son owns a Tesla 3 ["More direct electric car sales urged," State & Nation, May 13]. It is convenient because he installed a garage charging unit. Every morning, his car battery is ready to go. For those rare instances when he must drive more than 210 miles, he must plan carefully. Why? It takes about 45 minutes to recharge the battery at a charging station. He could not get home without a recharge. Since electric cars are now scarce, getting a recharge at stations has not been an obstacle. But what if 50% of drivers had electric cars and two drivers were ahead of him getting a charge? That’s 90 minutes before getting his turn. Are American drivers ready for that type of wait? Yes, my son has a garage with space for a charging unit. If he lived in an apartment, no Tesla. Before Congress provides billions of tax dollars in Tesla subsidies, it should consider the obstacles.

Dan Martin, Babylon