Readers sound off on lowering energy bills, lung cancer and big political donors
Brooklyn: Energy bills are making New York unaffordable. The NY HEAT Act can help. In the coming days, Gov. Hochul and the state Assembly will decide whether to make New York a leader in energy affordability by passing the act, which would drive down the cost of living in a state where the cost is already pushing residents out.
The populations of New York, New Jersey, California, Minnesota and other blue states are decreasing, with people searching for more affordable living in Texas, Florida and other states that tend to lean red. If this trend continues, then the total Electoral College votes of the solidly blue states will decrease and Democrats will need to win more swing states. Among the seven swing states in 2024, Kamala Harris only needed to win Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan, but after 2030, Democrats will need to reach into redder territory to win presidential elections and House of Representatives majorities.
The NY HEAT Act is a first step to remedy this problem, as it will drive down the cost of living by reducing energy bills. The New York State Senate has passed it twice, so it is up to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and concerned Democrats to put pressure on Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Hochul to stand up for their constituents and pass the bill.
It is not just about lowering energy bills — it's essential for keeping New York economically and politically strong. Josef Lazar
Manhattan: I read with interest 'Citi Field casino: Bad bet for Queens' (op-ed, March 30). My family moved to Flushing (Pomonok Houses in 1950, south of the LIE). A bus ride to downtown Flushing circa 1956 was to go to the library, Gertz department store and RKO Keith's Theater. Flushing was low-story buildings then, a tad sleepy. Long-time residents were soon chased out by landlords raising rents. By the way, if the authors are so opposed to the casino, where were they when the Golden Mall, a seven-story food court more than 32,000 square feet, was built? Does that draw traffic? The group wants more park land? Is Flushing Meadows Corona Park a park? What about Kissena Park? Missing is the issue of affordable housing units to be included in the casino plan. The real scramble will be to snap up as many of those units as possible. Robert J. Katz
Brooklyn: It is so upsetting to read about the horrible deaths in Brooklyn of two children and their mother, victims of a reckless driver with a suspended license who caused a crash ('She 'shouldn't have been on the road,' ' March 31). There are way too many selfish, entitled and undeserving drivers causing havoc with their bad behavior behind the wheels of cars. Drivers must stop running red lights and speeding. I'll bet that too many people who read this will not own up to their dangerous ways, but I hope at least a few will start to drive more safely. Think of the children's lives that are ended way too young. Ellen Levitt
Somerset, N.J.: This year, more than 226,000 Americans will die from lung cancer, the No. 1 cancer killer. I live with this knowledge every day because lung cancer touched my life. Recently, I was honored to join health care experts, people with lung cancer, caregivers and others impacted by the disease to educate Congress members about the urgent needs of the lung cancer community at GO2 for Lung Cancer's Voices Summit. New developments in lung cancer research and treatment hold promise for people like me. We requested immediate action to reverse policies that disrupt critical cancer studies and delay new treatments. Lung cancer is the least funded of the top five cancer killers, yet it's the leading cause of cancer death. Together, we can confront lung cancer. Karen Kaye
Bloomfield, N.J.: Inspired by Women's History Month in March, I offer a shout-out to Therese Deutschlander, owner of Thin Ice gift shop, who is celebrating 19 years in business this year. The Buffalo-based store, also online, sells handcrafted items created by hundreds of regional artisans. She and Gibby, her shop cat who often sports a bowtie, will host an in-store anniversary party on Saturday, April 5. A portion of the day's proceeds will benefit the Ten Lives Club, a cat adoption non-profit and Gibby's former home. Deutschlander has thrived in tough times and led with kindness, an entrepreneur to admire. Wishing her and Gibby many more retail years. Christine Sparta
Howard Beach: After seeing the photo of Randy Mastro in the Daily News ('Mastro will have two jobs,' March 28), I have one suggestion for him: Get a haircut and trim your beard. He obviously has enough money to take care of it. Lawrence Fiffer
Manhattan: Those of us with money in the stock market (including 401(k)-holders) may be wondering why President Trump keeps waffling about the economy. The reason is his neurotic need to be the center of attention. People who used to spend lots of time trying to decipher Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell now spend all this time on Trump. The president may think his waffling is canny dealmaking, but it's actually the tantrum of a spoiled child. John Stout
Bronx: Apparently, not only is Trump issuing (yet another) executive order requiring documentary proof of citizenship for voters, he also wants Elon Musk to root out voter fraud ('Trump's fraudulent voting plan,' editorial, March 31) — that elusive mythical beast that only rises from the swamp when the results are not to the White House's liking. If the states acquiesce and let DOGE run rampant through their voter records, how in God's name will we ever trust election results again? I know they're super busy these days, but federal judges have to block this access. They've got to take every step to ensure the 22nd Amendment does not get canceled. Maria Bonsanti
Palisades Park, N.J.: I just got a great idea: Why don't we take money from DOGE? That should get us some much-needed money. Gary DiMora
Orange, Conn.: History provides us with a window of past dangers. Trump is providing us with a reflection of them. He is a reincarnation of the fascist movement. Fascist organizations are controlled by a dictator who suppresses all opposition and distorts the truth. Sound familiar? His congressional sycophants allow incompetent, unqualified toadies — today's 'ship of fools' — to fill cabinet positions to do his bidding without any restraints, further driving our country into oblivion. Recent security breaches bear this out. Trump has little regard for the democratic process. His encouragement in 2021 to promote a deadly, violent overthrow of our government's electoral process is right out of the fascist playbook. People died in the process. He is clearly following the leads of Putin, Hitler, Mussolini and every other dictator du jour, and it is time to push back and stop this nonsense before it gets out of hand. Wake up and smell the smoke! Fire follows. Fred Portoff
Park Ridge, N.J.: Trump announced that he's thinking of running for a third term. When reminded that this is clearly not allowed, he said there are ways to do it. Here we go. People better pay attention. Steve Ostlund
Hubertus, Wis.: I can't understand why the liberal media is screaming about Musk's $1 million giveaway in our Wisconsin Supreme Court election. Over the past few years, George Soros has been giving away almost $1 billion to far-left-wing socialist/communist candidates, and of course, several million dollars of unreported cash has found its way into the liberal Supreme Court candidate here. I guess that is why I gave up listening to national news media for Lent — and hopefully, for the rest of the year, too. Robert W. Lobenstein
Mamaroneck, N.Y.: In Greenland, JD Vance seemed to accuse Denmark of not doing enough to prevent Greenland from being invaded, and then he added that it is because of this that his boss wants the U.S. to invade Greenland. Make America great again. Paul Matthews
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