As I listen to all the news stories about the disaster that is Lahaina, Hawaii, I am hearing more and more from the victims there who feel they are entitled to compensation for living through that event. They are upset that the government isn’t giving them more to help them recover from the disaster. Isn’t that what fire insurance is all about? Did people living there neglect to purchase fire insurance and now they think that I should pick up the tab? I live in an area prone to earthquakes, and, therefore, I purchased earthquake insurance on my house. When that big one happens, I will not be running to people living in Hawaii and asking them to pick up the tab to rebuild my house.

I believe that we, the People, should be helping them get through this awful horror — help them to survive until they can stand on their own two feet. I also think we should help them rebuild their publicly owned and operated infrastructure — hospitals, fire stations, libraries, schools. But I feel no compulsion to help them rebuild their homes, condos, apartments, marinas, boats, yachts and business establishments that they chose not to insure. If people know that the government will jump in and cover their losses from such cataclysmic events, then why would anyone purchase insurance?

Dave McNeill

South Jordan