Readers sound off on the President, the city budget, Jane Fonda and much more
Cathedral City, Calif.: Dear World community, On behalf of the majority of Americans who do not support the atrocious behavior and policies of Donald Trump, I wish to apologize. To those who don’t know, he did not receive the most votes in the presidential election, proving yet again that we really do not have a true democracy in the U.S. There was a time when most Americans actually respected the highest office in our land and were able to put country before party at least some of the time.
Most of us know that our President is supposed to set a good example for our children. Most of us know that kids today are instead witnessing a “leader” who has been proven to have lied over 3,000 times in a little over a year. This is a fact, not fake news.
The party that formerly called itself the “law and order” party, the party of “family values” and the party of accountability seems to now ignore these habitual transgressions like a soccer fan who religiously supports his or her team no matter how they perform or behave off the field.
They witness a grown man who mocks a disabled reporter, has committed adultery multiple times, has multiple credible sexual harassment accusations against him, who has verbally bashed women he doesn’t like based on their appearance, who tried to defame a former President for years claiming he wasn’t born in the U.S. but then backtracked, who never admits he was lying or wrong or is sorry.
He calls for repressing our freedom of the press, privatizing as much of America as he can to benefit his contributors, gives huge tax breaks to the wealthy and has encouraged his followers at political rallies to act violently towards dissidents.
Like many of you, we have had some tremendous almost scandalfree, educated leaders who promote equal opportunity for all, who prefer diplomacy over bullying, who possess empathy and humility.
I beg of you, please forgive us for our sins. We hope to make amends for this temporary embarrassment to the world. Please stay tuned and don’t give up, as the majority of us do support accountability and believe no man or woman is above the law no matter how much money they have. Paul Harris
Trump tower
Great Neck, L.I.: During the 2016 election campaign, Donald Trump portrayed himself as a tower of strength. Now that the election is over, he appears to be a tower of insecurity and poor judgment. Fred Feingold
Credit where due
Glendale: Three American hostages are released from North Korea and the Daily News writes a little article about it and puts it on page 8. Give the President some credit for this happening. If this happened in the Obama era it would have been all over the news.
Arthur Betsch Columbia, Pa.: Where was Donald Trump when Otto Warmbier came home from North Korea? Sharon Lintner Howard Beach: Glad to see you have your priorities in order. The Mets get a full front cover, Hanoi Jane Fonda gets almost half of page 3, and the three American hostages released from North Korea get a blurb on page 8 along with a small “attaboy” for President Trump on the editorial page. I guess we have to be thankful you even acknowledged that Trump had something to do with their release. Paul DeTberiis Delray Beach, Fla.: I’d like to reply to Voicer Raymond P. Moran’s challenge to the Daily News daring it to print a positive article about Donald Trump. Here are my three positive articles about Trump that you’re welcome to print: I’m positive he’s ignorant. I’m positive he’s an egomaniac. I’m positive he’s a liar. Barry Rudd
Don’t be best
Bronx: Aside from the exquisite irony of the First Lady, the wife of a supreme bully, promoting an end to bullying among children, and the creepy vagueness of her goals, the name given to her just-announced initiative, “Be Best,” is totally ill-advised. Are children to believe that they are all in a fierce competition to be best? Best at everything? Must all children believe that they must be best at everything or anything? Far preferable, in my opinion, would be “Be Kind,” or “Be All That You Can Be.”
Miriam Levine Helbok
Public service announcement
Flushing: I applaud the City Council for working to ensure that people fleeing an apartment fire will not leave their door open, allowing the blaze to spread to the hallway and to other apartments. However, the Council’s bill requiring all apartments to have a self-closing device attached to the door may cause unintended consequences. Apartment door locks usually include buttons which will set them in unlocked or locked mode, depending upon which button has been pressed; not all residents are even aware of this feature. An apartment door with a lock set to locked mode, and an automatic door closer, will cause anyone leaving the apartment without door keys to be locked out. A short trip within the building — to dispose of garbage, check the mail, or visit a neighbor — could have this result. As long as people are informed about the settings on their apartment door locks, and take the proper precautions not to lock themselves out — or put themselves at risk with an unlocked door — self-closing devices could serve as a practical means of preventing the spread of fire and smoke within the building. Jessica Wolff
The bill comes due
Queens Village: I agree with everything in Maria Doulis’ critique of the Council’s budget duty (“Forcing budget discipline on big spender Bill,” Op-Ed, May 2). What I find disturbing is that New York City has strong revenues, particularly from property taxes. There are five boroughs in this city. I can only speak on the county I reside in, Queens. Luxury buildings have been given tax abatements over the last decade in staggering numbers. Our property taxes have gone up drastically over that time. It seems that the outer boroughs’ property taxes are subsidizing this loss of revenue in this area. With a large increase in population this city needs more services such as police, firefighters, sanitation and infrastructure maintenance and repair. The property taxes will continue to go up to furnish these services while the fat cat developers walk away with large profits. I have lived in and have loved Queens for almost 65 years. It was like the country, and now it is an overcrowded, filthy place. I say goodbye, as Paddy Reilly sang, to “the town that I loved so well.” And God help those that remain. May the politicians all rot in a non partisan hell. Len Basile
It’s a theory
Brooklyn: Has anyone in law enforcement looked at the shenanigans of Eliot Spitzer with his ropes and dog chains, Anthony Weiner with his Carlos Danger screen name, Eric Schneiderman with his sadistic sex role-playing as possible suspects in the Gilgo Beach serial killer case? Am I the only one who thinks there might be a connection? Mary Zanfini
Scraping the bottom
San Diego: On May 9, you reported: “Jane Fonda has officially retired from dating: ‘I’ve closed up shop down there’ ” And we need to know this why? How much did the Hanoi Jane’s publicist pay media to publish this nonsensical drivel? Ted Tomasz
In praise of Obama
Schenectady, N.Y.: Voicer Tom Ascher, President Obama saved our entire country from the Republican crashing our economy. 15 million Americans had to go on food stamps as a result of the GOP “trickle down” that did not work from 2000-2009! Republicans added trillions to our national debt starting the Iraq war. Due to the Iran Deal, nuclear material is not being developed that could have knocked you off the face of this earth. That is all that deal was supposed to do and that is working, per inspections by the folks who are nuclear inspectors, the UN and even the folks in Trump’s cabinet said the same in a congressional hearing this year! ISIS was very much created, by bumbling Dick Cheney's Iraq lies. Over 50% of Americans thanked Obama for getting us out of the mess BushCheney created by re-electing him in 2012. Facts are hard for Republicans. ACA worked just fine in states where governors had brains. Our NY state exchange had at least 10-15 health insurance companies folks could choose from based on their income and benefit need.
Diane Hombach
Do-nothing public advocate
Manhattan: If anyone has any doubts about whether our Public Advocate Letitia James is a crook, all they have to do is call her office with any complaint about government to see how James’ office never ever does the job we pay them to do. Kalan Wood-Vincent