Are Trump voters getting what they hoped for?
Fishkill, N.Y.: Who elected Elon Musk to anything? If you voted for President Trump, you probably voted to bring down egg prices. Maybe you voted to track down the “violent” criminals who “poured across the southern border” determined to commit terrorist acts here. Did you really vote for tariffs to protect American jobs from all those illegal immigrants?
Boy, have you been deluded! Check out those egg prices since the inauguration! Check out the price of gas! As to the violent criminal terrorist crew, follow the trail of immigrant-hunters as they arrest and detain American citizens, military veterans and a whole bunch of nonviolent taxpayers who roof our homes, prepare our food and take care of our elderly, among other things. Occasionally, a violent criminal is rounded up, but occasionally is the operative word. For real terrorists, just ask Trump where they are! He just let hundreds of cop-beaters out of prison! As for tariffs, historically they raise prices, aggravate friendly nations and usually backfire — think the Great Depression!
Did MAGAs vote to purge the FBI, remove its counter-terrorism expertise and offer buyouts to CIA operatives? Do they really want Vladimir Putin and China to gain more influence in the world by denying food and medical care to the world’s poorest children by destroying USAID because Musk does not like it? Who the hell is he anyway? He’s a conspiracy theorist and nutcase, the world’s richest man who seems to enjoy hurting the world’s poorest and neediest children! Gerald Browne
Elevated transportation
Brooklyn: Modern elevated trains are extremely quiet compared to the outdated and thunderous F, G, D, Q and 7 “Els” in the outer boroughs. Subways are expensive to build; Els aren’t. If congestion taxing remains, quiet and clean alternatives should be built throughout the city as a reasonable, clean and safe option to travel around NYC. P.S.: I teach social studies at Leon Goldstein High School. I had my students send a bunch of opinions to Voice of the People. Thanks so much for reading them. Stephen Ryan
Constant chiding
Brooklyn: Our parents always preach that education is important. Yet, they tell us to go to sleep when we stay up until 2 a.m. to study to maintain our good grades. When we don’t study, they tell us we are lazy and to go study. When we do study, we are told to go outside because staying at home all day isn’t good for our health. So what do you want us to do? Jessica Salvacruz, age 17
Free rides
Rosedale: Respectfully, why is the MTA coming down on kids going through the gates at subway stations? We already get OMNY cards from school, so the government is paying either way. What’s the big deal? We’re just trying to get home. Kennedy J. Parker, 17
Elder’s abuse
Brooklyn: I was walking home with a friend when a man bumped into her and started yelling at us. I just don’t get why some adults feel the need to disrespect teenagers. Respect and kindness goes both ways. If you want to receive respect, you should give it first. T. Abraham, 18
Learnin’ on a prayer
Brooklyn: When a teacher teaches a topic I don’t understand, it’s like watching a foreign film without subtitles. Usually, I just nod and hope to get lucky on the exam. Albina Asylbekova, 18
Circadian rhythm
Brooklyn: Daylight saving time is a fight against nature, forcing the biological clock to chase the sun instead of syncing with it. In my home country of Georgia we don’t have time changes, so our biological cycles stay in sync with the sun, not stupid government decisions. Elisabedi Kusrashvili, 17
War on our workforce
Brooklyn: Trump has signed off on allowing mass deportation of immigrants. Now that immigrants are leaving, no one will be there to pick the crops and vegetables, therefore prices for them will increase drastically! What are we doing to do? Trump supporters, do you regret your decision now? Shaylanie D. Ming, 17
Custom schedules
Brooklyn: Most schools have days where students start later or end earlier. Mine doesn’t. If I were an employee, I could work out a better schedule and be a better employee. Why can’t all schools in NYC do this? Marie Sirunyan, 17
Bodily function
Brooklyn: Hallway/bathroom passes never made sense to me because even though they are meant to keep students from wandering in the hallways or from skipping classes, they do nothing to stop students from skipping class, and they often end up unfairly restricting those who genuinely need to use the bathroom. Using the bathroom is a basic need, not a privilege that should be controlled by a pass. Kelly Ng, 17
Cost of change
Brooklyn: I lived in Sunset Park when the streets were full of Latin restaurants and the tacos were $2 each. Now there is a café on every corner and the tacos are almost $5 each. Samantha Diaz, 17
Futile cramming
Brooklyn: What’s the purpose of school? We don’t need to know about history for our jobs. Calculus isn’t necessary for everyday lives. Just what is the purpose of school if we only come and let our mental health deteriorate as the days fly past us in a blur? Jack Lin, 17
Do the work
Brooklyn: A common thing I notice with high school students who don’t do their work is they act so shocked when they fail. How are you upset that you failed when you didn’t do your work? I have friends who don’t go to class and don’t do their work, but once they get their report card and see they failed, they’re in disbelief. I have a class with a friend that isn’t the easiest, but it’s not the hardest as long as you do the work. She asked if I passed. I told her yes. She told me she failed. I asked her if she did the work. She said no. She asked why the teacher failed her — I think we know why. I don’t agree with teachers sometimes but I definitely do here. You can’t expect to pass when you don’t do the work. The least you can do is take accountability. Justice Worrell, 17
Eloquence is dead
Far Rockaway: I don’t believe people know how to communicate their thoughts. Kids nowadays sound dumb. I hear so much slow and slurred speech that my attention is often lost before they can get to the point. I’ll zone out when they present, or cringe at how they talk to professionals. The sad thing is I want to listen, but if all I hear is improper grammar and a vocabulary not fitting the person’s age, then the work of understanding them is on me. If you want to say something, put the work in and say it properly. Ayden Page, 16
Forgotten font
Manhattan: Why don’t we learn cursive in school anymore? Is the government trying to hide something? A lot of America’s founding documents, old letters and important records are written in cursive, but if we can’t read or write it, we have to rely on others’ perception of it. Sounds very sketchy, right? Nayaa Addai, 17
One-size-fits-all gall
Staten Island: Standardized testing values conformity over creativity, ignoring the different ways students learn. It pressures them to memorize, not to truly understand or grow. Education should nurture curiosity, not force everyone into the same mold. Grace Luo, 17
Dicing the slice
Brooklyn: Inflation in NYC is getting real. Dollar slices are declining in quality and increasing in price. We are known to have the best pizza, so I’d like to ask: Is NYC pizza still deserving of its legendary status? Kayla Dasilva, 17
Riding the gauntlet
Brooklyn: Congestion pricing is $13.44 during peak hours, basically forcing me to take public transportation. But every day, I hear about people getting attacked or even killed on the trains. It feels like I have to choose between paying a working-class fortune to drive or risking my safety just to get around. Darya Magidova, 17
Check your priorities
Howard Beach: California is burning to a crisp, people are getting pushed onto train tracks every day and your main concern is TikTok getting banned? Angelina Schimmenti, 17
