Albany must reboot New York’s green initiatives
Brooklyn: I was appalled when Gov. Hochul indicated in her State of the State address that she is backtracking on releasing the regulations for the cap-and-invest program that was approved in 2023 and is the key program for reaching our state’s legally mandated climate targets — which, according to the state’s own analysis, we are failing to reach.
In the midst of raging wildfires that are currently destroying Los Angeles, it’s impossible to believe she is unaware that climate change is happening now, and that urgent action is required right now. Our state has had its share of extreme weather lately — record heat, an intense drought, punishing storms and flooding, wildfire smoke, etc. All of these conditions are exacerbated by climate change, which is caused by humans burning fossil fuels.
Hochul acts as if climate is a separate issue than affordability, but what about our rising power bills and the increasing cost of insurance on our homes? What about the cost of repairing the infrastructure that is damaged by intense storms (did we learn nothing from Superstorm Sandy)? Delaying cap-and-invest implementation, failing to include the NY HEAT Act in the budget, and failing to build enough renewable energy as mandated by state law is a slap in the face to the children and families who live in New York and to the rule of law.
In order to fix this pathetic shortsightedness by the governor, the Assembly must step in to propose a budget that is strong on climate, health and affordability. We must fund a transition to a clean energy economy immediately. Carolyn O’Keefe
Another billion
Brooklyn: Gov. Hochul stated that she invested $1 billion to deal with mental health. I wonder why no one has ever investigated where the nearly $1 billion went that Chirlane McCray was given to deal with it for ThriveNYC. L. Veneroni
Myriad risks
Manhattan: I took the train Friday with my wife and there was a man masturbating in the car. People shoved in front of trains, people set on fire. We shouldn’t have to pay for our safety by driving our car instead of taking a train. Joseph Duffy
Foot patrols
Manhattan: In addition to overnight NYPD subway patrols, why not ground-level, rotating four-hour shifts, dawn to dusk? Haven’t seen a cop walk a beat anywhere in New York for the last 15 years apart from Times Square. Appearance makes the difference. Paul Gerrard
Put the $ to work
Bronx: Has the MTA lost its mind? They’re losing $800 million a year to fare-evaders, so they plan to spend $1 million on a study to figure out why people don’t pay. Now they’re also installing barriers to prevent fare evasion, adding even more costs. Here’s a novel idea: Use that money to pay police overtime to issue tickets to fare-evaders. The revenue from fines could be allocated to hire more transit police. This would make the subways safer, attracting more riders and increasing revenue. You’re welcome — no charge for the advice! Al D’Angelo
No vacancies?
Scarsdale, N.Y.: Mayor Adams visited Mar-a-Lago? Did Turkey run out of free rooms? John Kern
Wellspring of lies
Howard Beach: Eight years ago, the lies started — the “largest crowd to ever attend an inauguration.” Four years later they ended with “we won the election.” In between, there were some 30,000 additional “alternative facts.” Before he was reelected, he claimed he would be a dictator “for the first day.” Can we believe anything this man says? Ed Sullivan
Trojan horse for the 1%
Manhattan: I am amazed that the blue-collar MAGA supporter believes Donald Trump will help him. When Joe Biden was president, Trump opposed raising the debt ceiling. Now he wants to raise it, cut important benefits for blue-collar people (i.e. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid) and use all of that money he takes from us to give to the 1%. It reminds me of something that former President Lyndon Johnson once said: “If you assure the lowest white man that he is better off than any Black man, that man will let you pick his pocket.” Marc H. Lavietes
Simple folk
Neptune, N.J.: Whenever I listen to one of the MAGA crowd being interviewed, I can’t help but be reminded of a line from the Mel Brooks classic “Blazing Saddles.” The gunslinger Gene Wilder is describing the townspeople to the new sheriff, Cleavon Little. “You’ve got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know… morons.” Vince Nardiello
Easy ID
Staten Island: I wish that all Trump supporters would turn orange like their dear cult leader for the next four years. At least when it hits the fan and they finally wake up, there will be no denying who supported him, making them easy to identify. Ellen Settanni
Apples and oranges
Bronx: To Voicer Robert Stiloski: Are you really that dense to make a comparison between Trump, who was convicted on 34 felony counts and elected to the highest office in the land, and Hunter Biden, who never worked in the White House, is a private citizen and has no security clearance? Please tell me you’re kidding. Frank Teti
Small-time SecDef
Edison, N.J.: When Pete Hegseth is put in charge of the Department of Defense, that would be the equivalent of the Yankees putting the bat boy in right field batting clean-up. Please note that I said when, not if. Thomas Morrison
Makings of madness
Pasadena, Calif.: An Elon Musk biographer has sounded the alarm that the world’s richest man may be losing his mind, and Trump just gave him a room at the White House. The Harvard Law-educated biographer Seth Abramson speculated that Musk might be “going mad” in a setting for all to see, brought on by his growing stress, history of mental illness and self-described heavy drug use. Musk appeared to mock the trans and non-binary community with one post, which appeared to show an emoji of a pregnant man with the caption: “X spreads misinformation,” alongside his caption: “This one always gets me.” He shared another post to his timeline accusing the British government of covering up child abuse. He also claimed Trump’s winning the U.S. election has saved the world and said news outlets can no longer be trusted. Richard A. French
Seems obvious
Margate, Fla.: Voicer Jagjit Singh ignores the fact that on Oct. 7, 2023, 3,800 Hamas sociopaths and 2,200 Gazan civilians violated an existing ceasefire by murdering 1,200 innocent Israelites. Why would anyone with an IQ above 5 not expect Hamas to violate this ceasefire? Richard Sherman
False sense of security
Hoboken: Voicer Wanda Lucci believes rosary beads have stopped wars and terrorism throughout the years. Yeah, I’m sure the American Indians, African slaves and German Jews all agree with that, as do today’s Ukrainians, Palestinians and Israelis. And let’s not forget when the rosary beads miraculously stopped the airplanes from hitting the towers. Joe Ewansky
Civility standard
Brooklyn: The current vitriol, hatred, back-and-forth name-calling and hurling of insults against others who believe differently is summed up in Galatians 5:14-15, a stern warning for this generation: “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.” It needs to cease. May the Daily News take a positive, active role concerning this. It’s OK to print letters from Voicers disagreeing with others — gently, considerately, intelligently. It is not OK to print letters accusing others of being idiots, of slander, of phobia, bias and of being just short of the beast with seven heads. Please make it your duty to inform the public that you will no longer accept letters bashing “thy neighbor.” Let’s clean up the mess and promote peace. Joy E. Goldberg
Sweet victory
Manhattan: Don’t you just love it when UConn men’s basketball’s crap-spewing coach Dan Hurley loses? Creighton University’s men of character beat him again! Susan Kain
