Jewish vote in presidential election, impact of Sands casino, LIRR level crossings

Diverse views about presidential race

I am Jewish and will have no trouble voting for Vice President Kamala Harris "Where do Jewish voters go in 2024?”, Opinion, July 31]. I’m pretty sure my children and grandchildren will do the same.

I expected to vote for President Joe Biden despite his knee-jerk embrace of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu because Biden made American lives better.

Randi F. Marshall implies that support for Israel means support for Netanyahu, that Harris isn’t sufficiently pro-Netanyahu, that "moderate" American Jews thus are, and should be, willing to deliver America to former President Donald Trump.

Netanyahu intends to annex the West Bank, and that policy endangers Israel. Biden and Harris should know that only a two-state solution can lead to lasting peace and keep Israel democratic.

My mother’s brother and parents emigrated to Palestine in the 1920s and ’30s. Their generation and members of my generation have passed on, but my nephew tells me the next generation’s cousins are resolutely anti-Netanyahu.

— Arnold Wishnia, Setauket

Comparing Donald Trump with Adolf Hitler in the same sentence is insane "Jews don’t have a dilemma in ’24 vote," Letters, Aug. 2]. This shows why we should teach unbiased history in our schools.

Hitler started a war ending with more than 50 million people dead, including 6 million Jews. Trump served as president for four years and started zero wars. He has been a supporter of Israel.

Now, the current administration has not been as big a supporter of Israel and has two wars being fought under its watch.

— Kevin Mullen, Holtsville

A reader claims that being on the left in one’s political views is somewhat disgraceful [“New image of Harris would be temporary," Letters, July 30]. Maybe we should understand that the left was on the side of unions that established our standard of living and fought against using children for cheap labor.

It was the right that gave us Richard Nixon and opened the floodgates to China, helping making China wealthy and using its wealth to build a military that threatens us.

Several on the right support Russia in its attempt to destroy Ukraine. It was the right that has fought Social Security, Medicare and other beneficial programs that Americans now enjoy, and it is the right that is considering taking them from us.

— Eugene Reynolds, Ridge

The idea that former President Donald Trump questions Vice President Kamala Harris’ ethnicity is the height of chutzpah considering Trump spent much of the 1980s claiming to be Swedish "Trump questions Harris’ race at media convention," Nation, Aug. 1].

— Michael L. Wilson, Holbrook

Don’t opine about a casino near us

A reader in Suffolk County voiced an opinion about a casino that would be about 30 miles from his home [“Hofstra and Sands need to be partners," Letters, July 31]. Would he like all of the people who hang out at casinos to be in his neighborhood? Would he like the increased traffic? Would he like the negative impact on his local park and its free functions for residents?

Would he like to see what happens to his property values when a casino opens down the street from his home? We already dealt with the mess of the Cricket World Cup for a couple of weeks. Attendees weren’t supposed to park in our residential neighborhoods — but they did. That crowd was enough.

I think the reader’s answers to all of the above questions would be "no." So please don’t tell Uniondale and East Meadow residents what should be done in our neighborhoods.

— Fran Parker, East Meadow

Casinos as "economic engines" are a bad bet — except for their owners. State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli reported that casinos frequently fail to meet tax revenue expectations. Leisure- and hospitality-sector salaries rank among the lowest for college graduates, so why would any college want to be part of that? If being against an annual expensive drain on Nassau County’s economy that also offers crime, traffic and other societal burdens is NIMBY, then count me in.

— George Krug, Garden City

This might prevent LIRR gate accidents

I have a solution to cars prematurely driving around lowered gates at railroad crossings, causing accidents [“Investigators puzzled by fatal taxi collision," News, Aug. 1]. Is it so simple that it is not recognized?

Instead of two gates, have one pair on each side at each crossing. Thus, employ four gates, two on each side of the track. The two gates on the same side should interlock when lowered.

— William John Van Sickle, Brentwood