Readers sound off on U.S. jingoism, crossing guard cuts and the NYC speed limit

Los Altos, Calif.: I write to express my deep concern about the staggering national debt and the factors contributing to its alarming rise. I believe it is essential to question the excessive spending on unnecessary wars that not only drain our resources but also exacerbate global hostility and instability.

For example, I find it disheartening that our unwavering support for apartheid Israel seems contradictory to our professed commitment to human rights, especially considering the dire situation faced by the Palestinian people. Another tragic blunder was faulty intelligence that led to the invasion of Iraq, resulting in the death of millions of Iraqis and the birth of ISIS. There was the catastrophic mistake in Afghanistan on Dec. 5, 2001, when President George W. Bush refused to accept the Taliban’s offer of surrender that still haunts us today. This mistake was compounded by freezing Afghan assets, which led to mass starvation and condemned girls to suffocating isolation imposed by the Taliban.

Trillions of dollars have been expended in conflicts that lacked clear goals, long-term strategies or direct threats to our national security. This reckless expenditure has burdened future generations with a monumental debt that hinders our ability to invest in crucial domestic needs, such as education, health care, infrastructure and sustainable energy solutions.

It is high time we reevaluate our approach to international conflicts and prioritize diplomacy, dialogue and peaceful resolutions, which can help prevent unnecessary expenditure and foster a more stable world. Jagjit Singh

Medford, L.I.: The thought of octogenarian President Biden seeking a second term after taking another fall at the Air Force Academy commencement ceremony is the biggest political joke since “defund the police.” And that one had me rolling on the floor, uncontrollably laughing. Even if he was 100% healthy and in the absolute prime of his life, how could this president, whose economic record is reminiscent of Jimmy Carter’s misery index of the 1970s, not get wiped out in the 2024 election, similar to what Ronald Reagan administered to Carter in 1980? Eugene R. Dunn

Mount Vernon, N.Y.: I just watched President Biden’s Oval Office address. His eyes never left the teleprompter. He wasn’t addressing the American people (looking into the camera), he was addressing the teleprompter. America deserves better leadership! Tedd Smith

Bay Shore, L.I.: Are we going overboard with analytics when a fly-ball out in a Mets game generates a Newsday headline? John T. O’Connell

Forest Hills: I was beyond happy for your detailed coverage of the lawsuit brought by the grassroots NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees (“Retirees fight ‘dirty’ med plan,” June 1). The so-called “advantage” of Medicare Advantage plans are nonexistent when none of your plethora of doctors accept it. I can’t help but wonder why the city pointblank refused to meet with us to discuss a possible solution. Instead, that bullheaded refusal forced us to take legal action. I’m thinking perhaps our mayor has no clothes. J.M. Culley

Rockaway Park: As to the man who shot the mugger who, it turned out, only had a pen (“Man, 65, kills mugger,” June 1), remember: “The pen is mightier than the sword” — but not mightier than a bullet. Steven Vaiselberg

Manhattan: Re “Axing crossing guard jobs” (May 26): The timing couldn’t be worse. According to Transportation Alternatives, 2022 was the deadliest year for children on our streets since 2014, when the city declared its Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic deaths. The savings of $7.5 million is a paltry sum compared to the NYPD’s yearly spending of $11 billion. City Comptroller Brad Lander reported in March that the NYPD had already exceeded its overtime budget for this fiscal year by $100 million, even though Mayor Adams pledged to cut overtime spending in half. On May 24, I attended the City Council hearing on the upcoming budget, where city managers pled for cost-of-living adjustments and pay parity to fill empty positions and retain valued employees being lost to the private sector. The NYPD should be required to stick to its overtime budget so that millions can be reallocated to people trying to make a living. Wendy Brandes

Cedarhurst, L.I.: Álvaro González and Luis Jiménez (“End harassment of immigrants in New York State,” op-ed, June 2) want Albany to pass a law to protect people who violate immigration laws from being arrested and deported for violation of immigration laws. There is not a country on this planet that does not have immigration laws or does not protect its borders, but some people want America to be the sole exception. This is wrong. Adam L. Moskowitz

Manhattan: Now our lovely mayor of NYC wants to place migrants in NYC apartment houses. The buck stops here. People have got to earn it, and people have waited for years on end for their apartments. To give these folks everything under the sun is not fair to us who were born over here. We come first. It’s the right thing to do here. Why not just give them the key to the city and get it over with? Helen Murphy

Manhattan: “The drive below 25″ (editorial, May 29) fulminates about New York City being blocked from lowering speed limits below 25 because of “red lights in Albany, where we are at the mercy of [suburban and upstate] legislators.” You urge legislators to allow lower speed limits. Just make everyone aware that any speed over the posted limit will earn the driver a ticket, and then enforce that. The current reality is that hardly anyone is ticketed for speeding unless they are 10 mph over the posted limit. I wonder how much money New York City wasted changing 30 mph speed limit signs to 25 mph all over the city. I’m not taking a position on what speed limits should be, but it’s ridiculous to fight with Albany and spend large amounts of money posting signs that don’t mean what they say. John Guinan

Branford, Conn.: Perhaps there should be special subway trains and special stations for the homeless and mentally ill. They congregate on subway platforms and trains. Have special trains and station areas for them. These trains and areas could be staffed by trained medical personnel, counselors and such, and the areas can have cots, portable toilets, etc. Jonathan Mix

Chester, N.J.: Back at you, Voicer Robert J. Katz: I was born in the Bronx (Lebanon Hospital), grew up in Queens (Woodside) and lived in Brooklyn (Dyker Heights) for the first 40 years of my life. I did sales across the city, in every neighborhood, good and bad, in the five boroughs in the 1980s through the mid ‘90s. Before that, I took three trains to high school and three trains to college in NYC (the Woodlawn express, also called the muggers express), during the highest crime period for NYC in my lifetime. Spare me the lectures on being a suburbanite (I moved for a job). Bringing up other injuries or deaths of straphangers doesn’t justify Jordan Neely’s death. We don’t need vigilante justice or individuals meting out death penalties for perceived threats. The one thing we can agree on is that Daniel Penny will “deal with a trial,” whatever that is supposed to mean. David J. Melvin

Huntington, L.I.: When the Chevy electric car is in the charging station, is that revolting? Leonard Stevenson

Merion Station, Pa.: A man visited the U.S. for a wedding and racked up a $42,000 hospital bill. The expensive bill that Jay Comfort incurred when he had an emergency appendectomy while he was on a visit from Switzerland should be a warning to all travelers to know their insurance coverage before visiting a foreign country. This warning applies not only to foreigners traveling to the United States, but to Americans traveling outside our borders. Paul L. Newman