Due to decisions like these, don’t rank Cuomo
Whitestone: Some political, religious and union leaders have announced their support for Andrew Cuomo for mayor. Having these leaders side with a confessed sexual harasser is deplorable. He admitted as much and resigned, but is now reneging on that confession to run for mayor, countersuing his victims into submission. His scandals cost taxpayers millions in court and settlement fees.
During Cuomo’s tenure, state rents rose 33%. In NYC, 50% of tenants became rent-burdened, spiking homelessness while enriching real estate developers. He underfunded NYC schools, then ignored a court order to provide the $2 billion owed. When he resigned, that debt had increased to $4 billion, placing New York shamefully at #48 in the U.S., with the biggest gap between rich and poor districts.
He created the disastrous Tier 6 retirement plan, treating new hires as second-class citizens, increasing service years, contributions and penalties while decreasing benefits. This caused mounting vacancies and the inability to attract new workers to replace Tier 4 retirees. This self-professed “car guy” syphoned $465 million from the MTA while subways fell further into disrepair. He refused to re-fund, instead proposing using $216 million to create light and music shows at NYC bridges.
But most unforgivable was his order placing COVID-19 patients in nursing homes, exposing residents to the virus and leading to 15,000 deaths. He’s now accused of lying to Congress, with this case referred to the Department of Justice for prosecution. Do we want another mayor beholden to Trump for a pardon for misdeeds? Please do not rank this immensely corrupt, self-serving and possibly criminal politician in the primaries. Rebeca Pagan-Rodriguez
Chipping away
Manhattan: Bravo for the op-ed underscoring the continuing diminution of the city’s Landmarks Law (“After 60 years, Landmarks agency must refocus,” April 25). The real estate industry has gotten rich on the buildings the preservation community wouldn’t let it tear down. It never stops undermining the law, but in recent years, the commission has openly been its willing partner. Roberta Brandes Gratz
Good one gone
Melbourne, Australia: President Trump described Pope Francis as a “good man” who “worked hard and loved the world.” This is a minimalist view of a person who devoted his life to making the world a better place, as opposed to Trump’s effort to make his own world a better place. Francis was beloved by billions of people, respected by those from other beliefs and a person who led the way to a more accepting church. Those who didn’t agree with him, or even openly opposed his changes, were still welcome in his house, not exiled to a prison in El Salvador. We all need great people to set examples for us to follow. Sadly, we just lost one. Dennis Fitzgerald
Hitler he is not
Tamarac, Fla.: We have a president pressing for peace plans to end the war in Ukraine and in active trade talks with China to secure the growth of manufacturing in our country. He’s keeping us out of harm’s way by deporting and keeping illegal criminals out of our country so you or your family will not be kidnapped, raped, tortured or killed. His to-do list goes on! Everything this president is doing is for the benefit of all Americans, yet Democratic progressives disagree with him on all counts and call him Hitler! Someone ought to tell them Trump doesn’t go around killing, torturing, starving and disposing of innocent Jews. Somewhere along the line, a band of progressive-thinking activists decided to call themselves politicians and chose to instigate against everything and anything related to their president, his party and the country he is trying to protect. Roberta Chaleff
Selective opposition
Trumbull, Conn.: Since seeing Bernie Sanders and AOC touting their “Fighting Oligarchy Tour,” I had to look up the correct meaning of oligarchy to make sure it was what I thought it was. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, “Oligarchy is government by the few, especially despotic power exercised by a small and privileged group for corrupt or selfish purposes.” So, as we now know about Joe Biden’s declining mental acuity for the last two years of his presidency, who was running the country? Most likely, a small and privileged group for corrupt or selfish purposes? Maybe Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton? We’ll never really know. Where were Bernie, AOC and all the others when America was being run by an oligarchy? No one on the left seemed to care then, did they? The hypocrisy is overwhelming. Arthur Braun
Can’t move on
Rockaway Park: This pertains to the puppeteer in charge of the nation. In my lifetime, every new president would roll up his sleeves, say “this is my term” and get to work, rarely if ever mentioning his predecessor. This is the first president in history to drag around the body of the last president with him wherever he goes, like a child with a rag doll. Strange. Maureen McNelis
Applicable condemnation
Brooklyn: “He is irretrievably depraved, permanently incorrigible, irreparably corrupt and beyond any rehabilitation,” Judge Victoria Rossetti stated at the sentencing of mass killer Robert Crimo III (“ ‘Depraved’ mass killer gets 7 life sentences,” April 25). For a second, it sounded as if she was talking about Trump. Herman Kolender
Assault on intellect
Brooklyn: I believe in libraries and museums as places for people to access information and learn. Any changes this administration wants to make are against our intellectual freedoms. Susan Louer
Strength above all
Hammonton, N.J.: S.E. Cupp sounds like she prefers wokeism in the military as opposed to warrior culture (“Hegseth ‘reform’ has the Pentagon in shambles,” column, April 24). Not everyone has the ability to be in the military, and the military is and needs to be discriminating in who enlists. Professional sports teams don’t hire players based on diversity and wokeism, they hire the players who give them the best chance to win. Winning makes sports teams more profitable, and in the military, winning is everything. The military absolutely needs to go back to being a meritocracy. This isn’t an organization for the everybody-gets-a-trophy mentality. It was refreshing to read an article by Cupp that only mentioned Trump once. Usually, he is her obsession in her columns. William Cook
Don’t be derailed
Ithaca, N.Y.: Re “Cut red tape and lower N.Y.ers’ energy costs” (op-ed, April 23): Rooftop solar can save homeowners huge bucks on their electric bills, but it’s not easily available to all, especially apartment renters (a tax credit may be in the works for co-ops and condos). What matters to all of us is large-scale solar, mostly located upstate. What would have mattered is offshore wind cancelled by the Trump regime, hobbling our efforts to create a renewable electric grid. That shortsighted overreach will rob ratepayers of money they’re owed. Gov. Hochul is standing up to Trump’s decision to pull the plug on offshore wind — state’s business, not his. She deserves a hearty thanks. Hopefully, the Propel transmission line meant to deliver offshore wind power upstate will still be built over irrational local opposition. We can hope the end of this regime is in sight and offshore wind will resume construction. Lorraine Cooper
Test stress
White Plains, N.Y.: Bramhall’s Monday cartoon about ICE agents on campus brought back memories of my college days and those dreaded blue books. Now all exams are electronic, I believe. Oh, how I miss my abacus. Randi Bernstein Feigenbaum
Bring it back?
Poconos, Pa: Scott Adams was totally wrong for his vile, racist comments, and the Daily News was right to suspend publication of his daily comic strip. But I’m wondering if he hasn’t been punished enough. I’m being selfish here. “Dilbert” was my favorite comic, and I miss it. Buz Whelan
Simpler sandwiches
Brooklyn: I just read that Katz’s Deli is selling its pastrami sandwich for $30. I love Katz’s, but I do think that may be a little expensive. This reminds me of when I was a kid in Bensonhurst in the ’50s, when 25 cents got you a pickled eggplant and pastrami sandwich on a half-loaf of Italian bread from Cangiano’s Pork Store on 14th Ave. We ate it sitting on the curb after playing stickball all day. Oh, and for no extra, you got Frankie’s thumbprint he left while making the sandwich from the spices left on his fingers from the pastrami. Those were the days. Louie Scarcella
