This man in this position puts us all at risk
San Francisco: During his testimony before the Senate Finance Committee on Sept. 4, RFK Jr., secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, came under harsh bipartisan criticism for reneging on promises he made during his Senate confirmation hearings and for his clearly anti-vaccine rhetoric.
Kennedy had stated that he would do nothing to make it difficult or discourage people from taking vaccines. He had promised Sen. Bill Cassidy, Republican from Louisiana, medical doctor and chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, that he would not interfere with existing vaccine policy. Kennedy has indeed restricted access to the COVID-19 vaccine, taking it away from healthy pregnant women, healthy adults under 65 and healthy children. He had stated in Louisiana on Dec. 6, 2021, that it’s the “deadliest vaccine ever made.” This claim would be disputed by the medical journal The Lancet, which estimated that in 2022, the COVID vaccines prevented about 19.8 million deaths worldwide.
Kennedy has brought his anti-vaccine crusade to the ultimate leadership position in charge of America’s health. Apparently beholden to his politics instead of rigorous science, he fired all 17 members of the CDC Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, replacing them with new members, several of whom are known critics of established vaccine policy.
It would appear that Kennedy is not interested in the overwhelming evidence compiled through rigorous scientific methodology that vaccines, including the COVID vaccine, are essential for public health. I believe his ignorance of science is an existential and dangerous threat to America’s health. Bruce Farrell Rosen
Poise over poison
Itasca, Ill.: Gov. Gavin Newsom’s trolling of President Trump isn’t working, but Democrats still need to think outside the box. In 2025, common sense would literally be thinking outside the box. The Democrats’ messaging deficit with Republicans began on Aug. 1, 1988, when Rush Limbaugh’s radio show went national. Limbaugh still owns the libs, and he’s been dead for four years. Commentator Keith Olbermann has praised Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker for standing up to Trump “concisely and with controlled rage.” Some might deem conciseness and control as presidential. Newsom falls short there. Jim Newton
No-show
Indian Harbour Beach, Fla.: Trump likes sports so much, like the U.S. Open, so how come he didn’t show at the NFL Bears/Vikings game in Chicago? John T. O’Connell
Each according to ability
Tamarac, Fla.: It’s only a matter of time before the veins in Sen. Bernie Sanders’ neck burst wide open as he continues his malevolent rhetoric against the president and the Republican mindset. Bernie is OK with illegal immigration, soft-on-crime judges, socialism and the backing of socialists who detest any form of capitalism. Of course, he lives a comfortable capitalist lifestyle, but that’s for another time. Every normal person desires peace, happiness and the chance to achieve, regardless of what political party they prefer. Instead, the left liberal leadership has created a distortion about how individual achievement can be attained. Neither they nor anyone else has the power to gift you with success or peace of mind. It is only you who hold that power, not the hateful rantings and ravings of radicals who need you for their own power and control. Roberta Chaleff
Reckless electing
Manhattan: Voicer Angelo Vivilo delivers an urgent message in his recent letter. In short, too much is at stake in our upcoming mayoral election to vote for Zohran Mamdani. His winning would be like handing the car keys to the kid you love but who has never driven. Frankie Turchiano
From the mouths of babes
Whitestone: I’d like to hear what today’s kids think about the politics of the day. How about we have one day each week when all the letters to the editor be from people 16 or younger? Steve Huron
Armed and safer
Brooklyn: The terrorists who killed six people in Israel on Monday were killed by a policeman and a civilian with a gun. No one in Israel is calling for gun control, as is the case in the U.S. every time there’s a mass shooting. The unfortunate attack in Israel shows that level-headed, responsible civilians can cut down on casualties in mass shootings. With all the school shootings we’ve seen in recent years, isn’t it time that teachers and principals are allowed to carry firearms? Anybody can be trained to handle one properly. A strict policy of no guns only helps criminals. They’ll get guns regardless of laws. It’s the law-abiding citizens who suffer from not being allowed to protect themselves. Of course, some discretion would be in order as to who should or should not be allowed to carry a weapon. Josh Greenberger
Human error
Congers, N.Y.: Bring on the robo-umps! I watch baseball to admire and enjoy the skills of players, not to be infuriated by the errors of umpires. No more “framing,” which elevates deliberate deception into a desirable accomplishment, an echo of these dismal times in our public life. Jeff Kluewer
Bad behavior
Yorktown Heights, N.Y.: A Philly fan was acting poorly at a sporting event (” ‘Phillies Karen’ who demanded ball from youngster misidentified; boy meets Bader,” Sept. 7). Shocking beyond belief. Anthony Vegliante
No Knicks?
Poughkeepsie, N.Y.: There’s an NBA team here in New York. There hasn’t been a single article from my “Hometown Paper” about this billion-dollar franchise located in the heart of the greatest city in the world in almost three weeks. Why is that? Albert White
Long-promised
Bronx: Regarding the EMS union asking that Mayor Adams make EMS workers’ salaries at parity with firefighters (“Eric’s fail on EMT pay,” Sept. 7), the story is lacking historical depth. When the city’s EMS workers were folded into the FDNY, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani stated that EMS workers (primarily Black and Latino) would be given priority to train and become firefighters and would get pay parity and help to gain educational opportunities. So why lay it at Adams’ doorstep? Check your own reporting back then and it becomes clear that the promise has not been kept. The FDNY is still lagging in being truly reflective of NYC neighborhoods. Instead, the dedicated workers still wait for the city to keep its promise made when the EMS service was switched from NYC Health & Hospitals to the FDNY. Just another dream deferred. Now is the time to make it right. Barbara Jones
Hard numbers
Chester, N.J.: To Voicer Dave Kalin: We still differ on key issues. On “defunding the police” (2022 data), we still have more officers per capita than any city except maybe D.C., Chicago, Baltimore or Philadelphia. On “figures lie and liars figure,” numbers don’t lie, people do. This is why I used murder and shooting numbers, figures that can’t be fudged. Your example of “figures lie” used percentages to show exaggerated crime reductions. My counter example demonstrates that when statistics are used, expect exaggeration. Did you know that murders went up 65% from 2018 to 2021? Did you know murders went down 83% from 1990 to 2024? The actual increase from 2018-21 was 193. The reduction from 1990-2024 is 1,757. The increase and decrease are not even close, but the percentages are. Crime is down over the last decade, and it was down the decade before that, too. David J. Melvin
It’s Howard’s house
Brooklyn: I hate to say I told you so. Like my Aug. 20 letter stated, the only person I want to hear from about Howard Stern’s contract is him (“Stern punks listeners,” Sept. 9). Once again, Howard proves all the media gossip wrong. If you know anything about him and his show, he never lets anything about his contract out until the bitter end of the next renewal. It’s funny — as Howard is broadcasting live, the media is still broadcasting false information. Makes you wonder about true journalism. Howard is a brilliant mind. He knows how to go with the flow and does it by making us laugh. In my own Howard heart and mind, I see a Sirius future with him. I’m looking forward to cheers for a few more Howard years, but that won’t happen until December. Stay tuned to Howard 100 for all things truth. Long live the King of all Media. Mariann Tepedino
