Republicans vs. the middle class

Brooklyn: This tax plan is a fraud. The House says that because they are going to double the standard deduction to $24,000, the middle class pays less. This is not true. They have also decided to remove the $4,050 exemption for each person. This will cost a married couple $9,100 and brings the standard deduction gain down to $3,900, not $12,000. They are also taking away the ability of the middle class to write off their medical expenses. My family pays almost $10,000 toward its health-insurance plan. My wife works for New York City and she must pay this portion of the health plan.

Each year, medication costs me over $2,000, and I pay another $1,500 to $2,000 in additional medical costs. I will no longer be able to write any of this off.

My daughter is paying back college tuition loans in the upper five digits. She is currently able to write off the interest on these loans. This tax plan takes that away from her.

They have also taken away teachers’ ability to write off a few hundred dollars in out-of-pocket classroom expenses.

I just did a dry run on my taxes for 2017 based on what this President wants and I would owe an additional $2,200 this year. I have always received a refund. I am in the middle class. This hurts the middle class.

Larry Feigenbaum

Rot in prison

Buford, Ga.: To give Sayfullo Saipov the death penalty is not the right answer. Imprison him for life instead, and deny him the martyrdom he seeks. As a martyr, he would go directly to heaven, get his 72 virgins and live comfortably in the afterlife. Raleigh Perry

The system works

Manhattan: In this country, we confer the same legal protections on evil accused mass murderers, such as Saipov, as anyone enjoys under our criminal justice system. That is why, as a former federal prosecutor and decades-long criminal defense attorney, I find his lawyer’s grandstanding statement to the press — “I promise you that how we treat Mr. Saipov in this judicial process will say a lot more about us than it will say about him” — especially objectionable. Apart from being a backhanded and unwarranted slap at the integrity of the federal court system, it is meaningless claptrap when it comes to properly defending a client, particularly one who rejoices openly in the murders of his multiple victims. A “no comment” would have been the far wiser approach.

Ephraim Savitt

Call it what it is

Bronx: Voicer Mohammad Mahmoudi wrote “your paper reserves the term terrorist solely for Muslim suspects.” But the individual in question is a terrorist. When an individual conducts such a heinous attack, screaming what he did, wanting the terrorist organization’s flag hung in his hospital room, he is a terrorist. No, Muslims are not the only terrorists. However, at this date and time, many who commit these types of attacks, and have sworn allegiance to and are backed by terrorist organizations, unfortunately are Muslims.

Denise Kritikos

Criminalize the message

Manhattan: There is a way to put a dent in ISIS-inspired murder and maiming. The First Amendment isn’t, nor should it be, absolute. Possession of child pornography has been criminalized. I suggest a carefully crafted statute making it a Class A felony to manufacture, sell, distribute or possess this vermin-generated filth, with, perhaps, for example, exceptions for law enforcement to prosecute these bastards. Penalties must also be in place for those who do not remove this garbage from the internet as soon as they are made aware of it.

Daniel Jean Lipsman Highland Park, N.J.: Why dedicate the whole front page to this terrorist (“Devil,” Nov. 2)? Where is the photo of the NYPD officer, Ryan Nash, who shot the suspected killer? He should be on your cover and not on page 6. Come on! Grace Gasteluz

Deny them the attention

Flushing: Please don’t print the picture of a terrorist on your front page. You can tell the story without this picture. This is exactly what they want. Don’t give them that opportunity. John Weiss

Not my Islam

Pittsburgh: The attack in Manhattan on Halloween at first seemed like any other incident. But as the story developed, I kept seeing the cowardly attacker’s ties to ISIS and his supposed shouting of “Allahu Akbar.” This was no doubt a terrorist attack, which caused me to feel sick. How could anyone kill another human in the name of God and then proclaim the greatness of God? This is not the Islam I know. The Holy Koran I read speaks of God’s graciousness and mercy in every chapter. There is no room for such violence in any faith, Islam included. May the passed away rest in peace, and I pray for the injured ones a speedy recovery. I also want to extend a salute to the first responders for acting fast and bringing the culprit to swift justice. Syed Musawar Ahmad

Extreme fretting

Pembroke, Ga.: I enjoyed “Not tough, not smart: What Trump gets wrong about fighting terror,” Op-Ed, Nov. 1). If we did not know it already, it is pretty clear that President Trump does not have a clue about what “extreme vetting” is. I am still in disbelief that America was so ignorant or misled when it came to selecting a leader. Robert Hattaway

How not to stop a terrorist

Brooklyn: Immediately after the horrendous terrorist attack in NYC, President Trump tweeted how we need a much tougher justice system and that Sayfullo Saipov should get the death penalty. He suggested that would act as a deterrent. This is patently absurd. After his murderous rampage, Saipov walked the streets waving two fake guns and yelling “Allahu Akbar.” Clearly, he was just asking for “suicide by cop,” no doubt seeking to become a jihadist martyr. Many if not most, of the terrorists around the world have been suicide bombers, so the idea of capital punishment as a deterrent is absurd. Equally nonsensical is the idea that ending the immigration lottery is an appropriate response. When Saipov came to this country, the most extreme vetting would not have prevented him from getting a green card. He was no threat to the U.S. at that time. Someone who knew him when he first arrived here said he was happy and liked the U.S. Clearly, he was radicalized by ISIS over the internet in the past year or so.

Elizabeth Bacharach

Sauce for the goose

Kew Gardens: President Trump is using the Manhattan terrorist attack to justify ending the Diversity Visa Lottery program. This program has been in effect for approximately 30 years, allowing 50,000 immigrants to enter annually, or, in total, over 1.5 million people. Most Americans are unfamiliar with this program, since the people who have entered under it have been overwhelmingly law-abiding. The President has every right to call for the end of the immigration program after the attack this week, but, shouldn’t he also adamantly support outlawing the sale of bump-stock attachments, since that item allowed the Las Vegas shooter to kill 58 people and injure hundreds?

Glenn Hayes

Buck the profiteers

Fort Davis, Tex.: “Congress targets our wild horses” (Op-Ed, Nov. 1) says it all. Our country is being controlled by the money gods. Humanity is disappearing. We are all dying a slow painful death. We need to stand up and be heard. Do anything you can to help save these horses and our country. Fonda Ghiardi

Starting gun

Manhattan: I would like to see the New York City Marathon change its format and have the elite men and women start the race together. On second thought, why can’t everyone start at the same time? If these world-class athletes are the best and so professional, why can’t they navigate themselves through the pack and eventually get up front during the event? So unfair. Yvonne Crequé

Guilty as sin

Getty Sunnyside: A recent Voicer asked the question, “How did the word ‘leniency’ appear when referencing a woman (Judith Clark) to be released on parole, one who has already done 36 years?” (“It’s time to set Judith Clark free,” Oct. 31). The reason that Clark has done 36 years is that she was the getaway driver for people who shot two police officers (Sgt. Ed O’Grady and Ptl. Waverly Brown) and a security guard (Peter Paige) to death. Therefore, no one should act as if Clark committed a misdemeanor. Whenever someone acts in concert in the assassination of a police officer or a security guard, he or she is just as guilty as the shooter, and should spent the rest of his or her life in jail.

John Francis Fox