Independent voters, NUMC funding, NYC shelter law, young workers, GOP House dysfunction

Independent voters not disenfranchised

There is a misconception that those not registering with a party are disenfranchised [“Stop NY war on independent voters,” Opinion, Feb. 26].

When a voter selects a candidate, it is not unreasonable to be aligned with the candidate’s party affiliation.

No one is forced to vote for any candidate in an election, but if committed to a candidate in the general election, the voter probably shares most opinions of that party’s platform. It is disingenuous to claim otherwise.

Affiliated voters work hard for candidates: raising funds, putting up posters, buying advertising, informing voters and getting out the vote. Parties provide transportation to polls. Ballots are supplied to residential facilities for seniors and the homebound. These efforts are by the affiliated, not the unaffiliated.

Independents, though, are not locked out of the process. They are free to donate to candidates in primaries, and that very option gives them a voice and enables support for their person of choice.

— Robert J. Pollack, Bellmore

City’s shelter law needs to be reversed

State aid for public schools is being cut [“Seeking a better school funding plan,” News, Feb. 21] and Nassau University Medical Center has enough operating money for only days “NUMC running out of funds,” News, Feb. 23].

Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to set aside $2.4 billion to help New York City manage people who have entered the country illegally and those who will do so in the upcoming year.

The gaps in school funding and NUMC’s deficit will likely need to be made up by increasing our already high local taxes.

I suggest we allocate the $2.4 billion to schools and hospitals.

New York City’s right-to-shelter law shouldn’t be costing New York State taxpayers billions of dollars.

If the longstanding federal Roe v. Wade ruling could be reversed, the right-to-shelter law can be reversed, too, if politicians have the will to do so. Which politicians will step up to do this?

— Mary Connor, South Setauket

While we all know that NUMC has financial problems, I didn’t see the article note that a main reason is that it serves Nassau County’s uninsured and under-insured patients.

With less government funding, NUMC will constantly face an uphill battle for financial stability. I also did not read a rebuttal from any of the new executives who have taken over in the past several weeks. Not hearing from the other side or just blaming mismanagement was a missed opportunity to address NUMC’s future.

— Graig Bornn, West Babylon

The writer works for NUMC’s information technology group.

If NUMC is having financial problems, perhaps it should not have hired their new security chief for $275,000 a year.

— David Cepler, Baldwin

CEOs — give students perks, scholarships

CEOs say they are unhappy with the preparedness of today’s workforce [“Young LI workers falling short on skills,” Opinion, Jan. 31]. Maybe companies should invest more in our local school systems.

Instead of jockeying for tax breaks to increase their profit margins, perhaps they should not only invest with money but work with the districts and local BOCES to create intern programs or scholarships. Don’t just point out the problem but be a source for change and growth.

In today’s market, CEOs are getting record salaries, and companies are making record profits. Put it back into the community. Teach, invest, inspire.

— Debra Hesse, Westbury

GOP revives an old mantra: ‘Just say no’

Former first lady Nancy Reagan coined the phrase “Just say no” in her campaign against drug use. Little did she know it would become her party’s platform for not governing decades later [“Biden: We need to avoid shutdown, pass Ukraine aid,” Nation, Feb. 28].

House Speaker Mike Johnson won’t allow a vote for desperately needed aid to our allies because it doesn’t address immigration. He didn’t mention the dozens of other issues that the bill did not address. Is that because every bill doesn’t address every issue?

His rationale would be unbelievable even if he could have controlled his caucus, introduced the bill and allowed the strongest bipartisan immigration bill in history to pass. Preventing efforts to help our allies’ fights for survival and preventing our own efforts to address immigration, all for purely political reasons, is not just ignorant, it’s destructive.

And, likewise, the war on drugs continues. Sadly for America and sadly for the world, so does the Republican Party’s war on governing.

— Robert A. Cohen, Hauppauge