Readers sound off on American values, Trump's parade and a closing musical

Yahoo

13 hours ago

Lakewood, N.J.: 'My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty… let freedom ring.' Remember when these words represented the values of our once-great country? Remember when the United States was united? Does liberty even exist today? Does freedom? Do the words 'with liberty and justice for all' still apply, or are they reserved for the rich friends of this so-called president? It's like he's playing a board game with our lives and no one challenges him. He has no idea what the Constitution represents, nor does he care or respect it.
Instead of being a positive influence on our beloved country and the rest of the world, we have an imbecile in charge who is putting our country in the toilet and seems happy to flush it. We are now the laughingstock of the globe thanks to this incompetent, vindictive and clueless individual. Aiding and abetting his damaging behavior and policies is a spineless congressional GOP, most of whom appear to have been castrated once he took office. I would like to see those government officials grow a spine and start standing up to this poor excuse for a president. The Democrats should do the same. Protect our country and stop worrying about pleasing this imaginary king. Stop thinking of your party and instead think of the people of the United States — the people you vowed to protect. You promised to uphold the Constitution. Do your job.
We want our flag and what it stands for back. We want pride in America back. We don't want a divided nation. Shouldn't you feel the same? What are you afraid of? What are you waiting for? Frank Mongiello
Manhattan: Trump is one unpredictable fellow. Maybe he ought to ramp up the uncertainty by volunteering to be the honorary chairman of the Pride March. Then he can credibly claim he put his bid in early in good faith, but through no fault of his own, the radical faction of the LGBTQ community commandeered the leadership and turned him down for no good reason. It will be interesting to find out whether the gay community is willing to take the high road at an unprecedented time in the nation's history. Aydin Torun
Brewster, N.Y.: Trump is following Hitler's playbook to the letter. The crackdown in L.A. is our Reichstag moment. Create chaos, respond with unnecessary force, blame it on others, then use the chaos to take absolute power. American voters made a colossal mistake on Nov. 5, and there is no going back to change it. Nazi America is coming to life before our eyes. I never thought this would happen in the U.S.A. But not enough people seem to care. Larry Maslak
Kew Gardens: The old adage, 'If you don't learn the lessons of history, you are doomed to repeat them' has once again reared its ugly head. Trump is not the first president to send National Guard troops to quell demonstrations. In 1970, Richard Nixon sent the National Guard to Kent State University to break up a student demonstration against the Vietnam War, which resulted in the shooting deaths of four American college students. Trump calls protesters 'outside agitators.' Nixon called the Kent State demonstrators communist agitators. If you didn't agree with the government, you must have been a communist. Today, if you disagree with Trump, you are an outside agitator. The words are different, but the sentiment is the same. Every time a Republican is elected to the presidency, you get an administration that solely exists for the wealthy and will crush any resistance or mere disagreement from the working classes. Jeff Pullen
Floral Park, L.I.: Spending tens of millions of dollars for the military parade raises serious questions about priorities given the unmet needs of active-duty personnel and veterans. A moderate-sized parade could be equally meaningful and avoid the immense, unnecessary financial burden. Spending millions of dollars to transport 60-ton tanks and repair the streets after the parade is just an example of the Department of Defense's budget mismanagement. Consider the impact if these funds were invested wisely. Increased pay, improved housing, better retention benefits and state-of-the-art training would support our troops and enhance our national security. Even a small portion of this parade's budget could ease our veterans' suffering from homelessness, inadequate health care and insufficient mental health services. The most powerful tribute we can offer our armed forces and veterans is a commitment to deliver the resources they deserve. Irene Caniano
Manhattan: Zohran Mamdani says he will institute a $30/hour minimum wage (an 81.8% increase). Such an increase would destroy small businesses that provide entry-level jobs, including bodegas, supermarkets, drug stores and restaurants. And who but the very wealthy would be able to afford nursing care as wages rise dramatically? Businesses that survive would reduce employees as well as raise prices dramatically, while those presently earning above $30/hour will seek salary increases of their own as the dominoes fall up the salary ladder. The wage gap between employed and unemployed would increase. City inflation would run out of control. Rents would increase as the employed have more to spend, while the unemployed, due to fewer entry-level jobs, would seek assistance from the city even as tax revenues decline dramatically. But who would want to live in a ghost town filled with shuttered businesses? Paul Weissman
Brooklyn: To Voicer Andrew Ross: I wish I was speaking up for millionaires based on my own income bracket! The saying goes, 'If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere,' because it costs more to get by here than anywhere else. An NYC household with a $1 million income is already heavily taxed on those earnings, and spending perhaps $100,000 a year on rent plus many more thousands for child care. These families are hardly one-percenters, so why should they be saddled with a heavier tax burden when the many finance and tech billionaires who reside here could easily take a bigger tax hit to fund public services without denting their personal fortunes? Ironically, Mr. Ross, you have one thing in common with Mamdani: a lack of understanding of the reality of wealth disparity among NYC residents. Katherine Raymond
Bronx: Re 'Biz PAC blasts Zohran' (June 11): I'm an 85-year-old democratic socialist and free thinker who will vote for Mamdani with the same enthusiasm as when I voted for the late Mario Cuomo. No regrets. Virgilio Carballo
Bronx: On Friday, at Webb Ave. and Reservoir Ave., the street was renamed Rev. Father Thomas A. Lynch Way for my brother, who was pastor at Our Lady of Angels Roman Catholic Church for 12 years. Thomas passed away in April 2022 at the age of 55 after a long illness. Thomas was bilingual and was a well-respected priest in the Archdiocese of New York. Thomas impacted the lives of anyone he came in contact with, as is shown by the community in having the street in front of the rectory renamed after him. June 13 was also Thomas's birthday. Kevin Lynch
Greenburgh, N.Y.: I don't understand why the delivery driver takes a picture of the drop but never rings the doorbell to let us know when the delivery is done (porch thieves). They used to knock on the door. You are already there, please knock. Rick Tilson
Lindenhurst, L.I.: In April, my family and I saw one of the best musicals we've seen in years, 'Smash.' The cast, lead by Brooks Ashmanskas and Robyn Hurder, was amazing, as they presented characters that were well-developed and engaging. The writing was sharp and clever, and the score included songs that had the audience totally enraptured. We were planning on seeing it again during the summer until it became a Tony Awards show casualty. It was nominated for two awards but there were no performances from 'Smash' during the show, so there was no publicity for this creative, unique and highly enjoyable take on the TV show. It's a shame that this great piece of musical theater will close. Hopefully, the producers will take 'Smash' on the road, but if you haven't seen it, go before it closes. Larry D'Angelo