Keep L.I. drug task force funded

West Babylon, L.I.: As a Long Islander and a graduate student in social work, I am disappointed to hear about the Trump administration’s proposal to cut the budget that is funding Long Island’s drug task force. It was only less than a year ago that Sen. Chuck Schumer helped in obtaining a budget to fight Long Island’s drug epidemic. With this budget, teams were created to investigate heroin and fentanyl trafficking. Since this task force was enacted, many lives have been saved. Not only has Long Island’s drug epidemic increased significantly over the past few years, it has reached individuals who are younger than ever before.

The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program has provided funding for Long Island’s drug investigations over the years. The Trump administration is planning to move the funding from HIDTA to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, creating more difficulties for the Long Island drug task force — just as it began to make improvements on Long Island, so why move backwards when we just started to see progress? Erika Montemurro

Blame Democrats

Seaford, L.I.: The FBI just released a study showing the 40 cities with populations over 100,000 where the crime rate is the highest in their state. Only 40 places are listed because some states did not report stats or do not have a city with a population over 100,000, e.g. Wyoming. What’s interesting about these 40 cities are that 36 have Democratic mayors; four are run by Republicans. Baltimore leads the list with a violent crime rate of 98.6 per 10,000 residents.

George Lozynski

Measured madness

South Farmingdale, L.I.: While perusing the latest Home Depot circular, I noticed when it comes to buying fertilizer, grass seed, garden soil and potting mix, you are walloped with an array of different measuring scales. Miracle-Gro has potting mix measured in quarts and potting soil measured in cubic feet. Scotts has fertilizer in square-foot bags and grass seed measured in pound bags. What’s the point? You actually have to see the size of the bag in person or work out the math at home, which is not a logical choice. It can make you choose the wrong size and make bad purchases on the actual amounts. More simple things made purposely harder for no good reason, except to cause confusion and to waste money.

Mike Pedano Brooklyn: Re “Councilman Rory Lancman blasts NYPD on failure to produce fare-beating arrest reports” (column, April 19): There is a easy solution to this, and that is just don’t arrest anyone, period. This is simple economics. If everyone hops the turnstiles and no one is paying, then the fare will have to be raised up to a ridiculous amount of money. The MTA loves to raise the fare on the taxpayer, and for them this would be the perfect reason. Let’s put the burden on the honest, paying, hardworking citizens of New York City so some clueless councilman can point out some nonsense racial disparities. Give it a break. Elect these jerks! What a joke. The honest people who pay their fare at a subway station and have these idiots represent them should be insulted and outraged. There cannot be lawlessness, or you will have a hard time getting civility back. Especially in the NYC transit system. Daniel DeWitt

Sims’ sins

Holbrook, L.I.: To Voicer Nancy Brenner: Studies on anesthesia began long before Dr. J. Marion Sims (1813-83) was born. The first successful surgical procedure performed with anesthesia was at Massachusetts General Hospital by Dr. John Collins Warren on Oct. 16, 1846. It was discovered that nitrous oxide could be inhaled by humans in 1799. Painfree surgeries were performed throughout the 19th century using chloroform and cocaine, as well as ether and nitrous oxide. Sims’ experiments were performed on slaves and not white patients. His statue was removed to the cemetery where he is buried; you can visit both there.

Judith Cunningham

Smokers have rights, too

Bronx: I don’t understand why the city would want to ban smoking in NYCHA units. If you are on medical marijuana, what happens? I believe that they are taking our rights as humans away from us. Smoking is a choice and in some cases it is necessary. I do not smoke cigarettes, hookah or anything else. But people have rights and the government is trying to take away those rights. We are not in prison because we reside in public housing. Just because we live under a low-income guideline does not mean our rights as humans should be taken away. Tamishia Crooms

Tribeca betrayed

Forest Hills: The Tribeca Film Festival was started to bring people back to the area after 9/11. The last few years, the entire area has changed (not in a good way) due to the greed of landlords who have cast out small-business owners and instead are building “work in progress — residential” spaces. Also, why isn’t the city’s worst landlord (itself) being given fines for broken sidewalks, streets and intersections? If a business or homeowner’s property were in that condition, they would be fined and have to pay for the repairs themselves. Sherri Rosen

Back to the future

Flushing: Regarding President Trump’s recent rants against Amazon, one thing is obvious: Don the Con, aka the Unenlightened One, is a dinosaur who refuses to adapt to the new world of automation and technology while denying principles of science and all manner of decency. He and his cabal of cretins are trying to drag us backward instead of marching boldly forward, leading the way, as America has always done. Liz Nacinovich

Heights of hypocrisy

Locust Valley, L.I.: I think I have finally realized what President Trump hates most about former FBI Director James Comey — his height! People probably don’t realize that James Comey is 6-feet-8. That makes him at least 5 inches taller than Trump. And from what I know about Trump’s huge yet fragile ego, he must hate having to look up to get eye contact with someone. No wonder he fired Comey.

Keith Franceschiello

Congressional clowns

Ozone Park: What a joke. Politicians from the Senate and House of Representatives try to tell Mark Zuckerberg how to run Facebook when Congress is a mess and can’t get anything done. Clean up your own house before you try to tell someone else how to run theirs.

Mike Colasanti

Leave Mark alone

Edinburgh: The best defense against Facebook and other nonsense on the internet is a well-informed, highly educated population. So leave the nerd alone and get rid of Betsy DeVos, pay teachers properly and fund schools so they can afford up-todate texts and decent facilities.

Amanda Baker Kearny, N.J.: I just heard that former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s official portrait will cost Jersey taxpayers $85,000! That’s much more than taxpayers shelled out for the previous three MARCUS SANTOS/DAILY NEWS predecessors combined. The reason? Many more gallons of paint needed to cover all that girth! Kevin Dale

Ungrateful fans

Brooklyn: I really don’t understand Yankee fans. They have been booing Giancarlo Stanton since Opening Day. They had a big lead in the home opener and yet they booed him every time he struck out. What a classy way to welcome a superstar who wanted to be traded to the Yankees. Now because of the boos, he is really struggling (hitting .323 on the road). I guess fans are jealous of his huge contract and that he is not a homegrown player. He should have accepted a trade to the Cardinals; their fans have much more class. Dennis Burge

All rise — for the other guy

Brooklyn: To Yankees fans who want Giancarlo Stanton to succeed, use reverse psychology. Instead of booing him, why not give a standing ovation every time he comes up? I assure you he will start hitting at the Stadium.

Steve Yanowsky

Grateful fans

Manhattan: Thanks a million for the Yankees tickets! It was cold, but we loved our seats, and felt so lucky to see all the players in person. A big thank you to Aaron Judge for throwing a ball to the little girl in Section 207. You made her so happy!

Kathleen Wallace