Jails are safer with better staff distribution
Laurelton: After reading Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association President Benny Boscio’s statement heavily contesting Manhattan Federal Judge Laura Taylor Swain’s ruling, and suggesting the Department of Correction is overstaffed and still fails to comply with its overall responsibilities to enforce care, custody and control, my question to Boscio is: How can you claim that the department is understaffed when there are more than 5,000 uniformed, active staffers, excluding captains and assistant deputy wardens? Instead of blaming outside forces for defunding the department by not hiring more staff, how about dusting off the uniform staffers who are not being properly and fully used?
In headquarters and empty borough jails, hundreds of uniformed staffers are idly taking up space, either answering phones or just staring out the window. In the Security Division, there are many officers, captains and assistant deputy wardens occupying no-inmate-contact posts that could be filled with medically monitored officers who are still recovering from their injuries. As for physical and sexual assaults inflicted on staff by inmates, the only parties to blame for that are staffers and their unions that have remained silent about these crimes, and supervisory staff that allowed and even encouraged it to go on for far too long.
Because so many staffers have been suspended, fired and even imprisoned for proactively doing their jobs, I watched the department’s workforce go from proactive to reactive and now completely uninvolved, knowing that saying or doing anything to remedy wrongdoing will only result in punitive action by their chain of command, which I have observed more times than I could count, and became a victim of. Celestino P. Monclova
Christmas smear
Ozone Park: The hedge fund grinch who suggests buying the Macy’s 34th St. store should be condemned to getting lumps of coal forever. Outside of the Rockefeller Center tree, the Macy’s store is synonymous with Christmas in NYC. The city would lose forever something that is priceless to the specter of the holiday season. Ray Hackinson
Conversation catalyst
Manhattan: Like most New Yorkers, I am saddened by the tragic shooting of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. That incident has forced me to think about health care generally. For some time now, friends and neighbors have voiced issues about poor treatment from the health care industry. Topics such as treatments denied or doctors not in network have been mentioned. The worst issue raised was treatment afforded by the “Medicare Advantage” plans now being hyped in all the media as an ideal substitute for traditional Medicare. Perhaps our elected representatives will be induced to review the quality of health care in general by the discussions of this tragedy. John Ost
Juxtaposed
Bronx: Oh, the irony of life! You published a full-page ad that wishes me a Healthy Holiday Season, paid for by the BronxCare Health system on page 9 of Sunday’s paper. It was followed by page 10, the story of Luigi Mangione’s list of state and federal raps. Thank you for the laugh. The satire and irony are priceless. BronxCare provides the worst health care outcomes for its poorest patients living in the poorest sections of the Bronx. CEO Miguel A. Fuentes’ compensation is listed at $2,291,637 (according to Crain’s). Anything wrong with this picture? No, of course not. Besides, the full-page ad gave me a great laugh. I am momentarily healthier. Sylvia Solis
Different circumstances
Fairfield, Conn.: In Voicer Richie Nagan’s letter, he suggests that The News is biased because it refers to Israeli “hostages” vs. Palestinian “prisoners.” But Nagan is not correct to conflate the two. When combatants (or terrorists) are taken, they are “captured” and become “prisoners.” When non-combatants are taken, they are “kidnapped” and become “hostages.” The editors got it exactly right. Ira Friedman
Definition-wise
Sanford, Fla.: I felt the need to come to the defense of the Daily News in regard to Voicer Richie Nagan’s complaint about subtext bias in the use of the terms “hostage” and “prisoner.” The Daily News correctly referred to those held by Hamas as hostages. A textbook definition of hostage is someone who is being held on the condition of something being granted without regard to their innocence. A prisoner is someone being held as a combatant or to be punished based on their own actions or potential transgressions. You may argue about the war, but the terminology is appropriately applied in the article. Bruce McMenemy
Crying ‘wolf’
Ridgewood, N.J.: Re “It’s a hate crime: pepper-spray vic” (Dec. 22): When it comes to Gaza, it seems to be a hate crime to support the victims of Israeli genocide. Any criticism of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians is considered antisemitic and hateful. The prejudice against the Palestinians has been long established in America. Peter J. Peirano
Too much
Rockaway Park: The City of Yes is the City of Greed. How much can be shoved into unsustainable space for the deprivation of light, hope and humanity? Here in the Rockaways, civic liars should listen to civil input. Down with realtors who don’t take care of what they own! Up with attention to abandoned property renewal, intelligent rebuilding of business and industrial properties and above all, the hiring of civil engineers and good and true civic planners. It’s not only humiliating, New Yorkers, it’s inhumane. I realize it’s the holiday season. I’m looking up, but I am fed up. Maureen McNelis
Not so sharp
Greenwood Lake, N.Y.: I would like to thank Voicer Joe Schwarz for giving me the chuckle of the week. I need to know, when you talk about Donald Trump’s declining mental acuity, weren’t you one of those who said how fit and mentally sharp as a tack President Biden was right up to the end? To avoid embarrassment, maybe you should keep your assessments to yourself. Joe Fioramonti
A Christmas spirit
Chicago: Ebeneezer Trump was recently sitting poolside at Mar-a-Lago when he was visited by the ghost of Richard Nixon. “I’ve come to save your soul!” was all the stiff could say before getting all choked up. Confused, Trump said: “I don’t understand, haven’t I always been faithful to the Republican Party’s code of ethics?” Nixon’s only response was: “My point exactly!” Bob Ory
I’ll say it again
Manhattan: To Voicers John Gelormino and D.A. Weinberg: I said what I said. That you still sit here supporting the man who just sold our government to an immigrant like Elon Musk (I thought you guys hated immigrants?) shows the absolute depths your bigotry has taken you to. Yes, you are the stupidest of our population. Yes, you voted for him out of pure bigotry. You fabricate stories about the immigration plights of your ancestors (they literally just walked in through Ellis Island, people — it’s not a secret!), and you still insist you’re not stupid? You live in an echo chamber of like-minded bigots. Of course, none of them will tell you the truth! They believe the lies too. You don’t like my letters because I’m not afraid to call you what you are: supporters of an elitist oligarchy sprinkled with a splash of bigotry, homophobia and misinformation. T.S. Fallani
Get with him
Queens Village: Improve your paper. The New York Post has become New York’s hometown paper, as the Daily News left its hometown boy Trump years ago and suffered. Change for the New Year and you can end your suffering. I wish you well. Frank Barnett
A losing bet
Flushing: The Sunday editorial concerning the explosion of sports betting using apps (“The right bet on sports gambling,” Dec. 22) was right on, except they now need to include apps that allow betting on New York State lottery games. I’ve noticed the small convenience store near me, which seemed to do a good deal of business with Lotto players, has appeared to lose a good part of this business since smartphone lotto apps have been in use. I’m more concerned at this point for the loss of small business revenue. But there could also be consequences for the addiction of those who find the ease to bet on lotteries too much to overcome. Ben Jordon
