Biden running for reelection, road toll evasion, AI used in hiring

The discussion about President Joe Biden being too old or incapable of leading the country for the next four years misses an important point: appointments to the Supreme Court [“Dems still divided on Biden,” News, July 10].

The previous president appointed three justices, resulting in a court that has given the president almost unfettered power, denied a woman’s right to make her own medical decisions, crippled government agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and Federal Aviation Administration — Boeing should appreciate that — overturned affirmative action, and criminalized homelessness.

The implications of four more years of former President Donald Trump and conservative Republican rule are frightening, even if Biden is not the ideal Democratic candidate.

— Jeffrey Rothburd, Dix Hills

Newsday’s negative coverage of Joe Biden is infuriating. This isn’t news anymore. The July 6 coverage, especially, was over the top in covering his debate performance [“ ‘I have a cognitive test’ daily,” News].

There’s hardly a mention of the performance by “the other guy.” Donald Trump lied continuously and did not answer the questions. Is it because he has no plan and no vision for the future?

Trump’s unfitness for office should be covered as well as his intention to take revenge on his enemies and opponents. He has shown himself to be corrupt and unlawful. He has shown little desire to govern and has said he wants to be a dictator, which the Supreme Court, in effect, has now given him permission to be.

— Julianne Virga, Lindenhurst

I am so happy and grateful that Joe Biden is feeling better after his debate. He said he had a cold and jet lag, leading to a bad night at the debate, saying, “I screwed up. I made a mistake.”

We now know that if the president’s schedule does not start before 10 a.m. and ends by 8 p.m., he will be great [“Biden heads into crucial stretch,” News, July 5]. Now, our enemies also know that, meaning anything could happen between 8 p.m. and 10 a.m. and good luck to all of us!

Will his answer be “Sorry, I screwed up” when an enemy — God forbid — attacks us?

This is certainly not the way the commander in chief should run this great nation while being responsible for all of us.

— Enrica Bilello, Bellmore

There has been much conversation about Joe Biden’s performance at the debate, and rightly so. He did not convey his thoughts clearly and often seemed disconnected. There has not, however, been much said by the Republicans about the performance of Donald Trump.

He lied at least 30 times, rambled on and did not answer questions directly. Why isn’t his Republican base questioning his performance? It seems that both parties should do some soul-searching.

Where has America gone if these two men are the best we can offer to lead the greatest country in the world?

— Mark Bernstein, Roslyn Heights

I am an average person with a deep love for this country. I am the same age as Joe Biden, and I’m amazed at how I’ve changed over the past year. Still healthy, but not what I used to be. Biden should give the ultimate gift to Americans and step aside from his 2024 campaign.

I love and respect everything he has done, but unfortunately, the country needs new, strong, younger leadership.

— Carole Nussbaum, Syosset

Go back to collecting road tolls in advance

So, more than 1,500 vehicles were impounded for more than $12.5 million in dodged tolls [“Toll evasion crackdown,” News, July 10]. The problem seems similar to the Long Island Rail Road trying to collect some fares by mail after passengers claimed to have no ticket or cash, leading to lost revenue.

To prevent this on roadways, the logical solution is to return to collection by toll booth workers before drivers use bridges or highways, as was done for years.

When a driver pays a toll before entry onto a bridge or highway, all revenue stays with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority or Port Authority without being split with a collection agency. That would boost road collections to 100%.

Also, toll booth workers were helpful when drivers needed directions or were in trouble. Since tolls have increased after replacing staffed booths, the personnel costs should already be baked into the system.

As far as collecting all tolls, new technology has been a failed experiment, but it should have been obvious collections would decrease.

The MTA and Port Authority should return to collecting tolls without E-ZPass, and LIRR tickets should be collected before boarding to avoid further financial problems.

— Edward Stroh, Rockville Centre

I commuted for 31 years, then retired early — 33 years ago. Back then, if the train was not too crowded, people would hide in the bathrooms from time to time. Maybe one conductor in 10 would try the door, knock and maybe catch somebody not paying a fare.

So many times when the cars were sardine cities, the conductors would not even try to walk through to check.

Addressing a problem that is over 64 years old is not exactly rocket science, brain surgery or a new management theory.

— Dick Cardozo, Westbury

Hiring: Personal touch also needed with AI

As a retired manager with decades of experience in the computer field interviewing hundreds of candidates, the article “Robots reading resumes” [LI Business, July 7] caught my attention.

One area included artificial intelligence. But in my experience, a face-to-face interview is one of the best ways to determine whether a candidate qualifies for a position.

You can’t imagine how many applicants applying for a job are “frauds.”

Many of us used headhunters, also known as search firms. In many cases, it was obvious that the search firm wrote the resume for the candidate, knowing what we were looking for.

In some cases, a candidate did not have the background but was willing to learn the latest technology.

Any candidate must have the personality to fit into your organization. AI can’t help with that.

— Brian Keane, Patchogue