Republican National Convention, Secret Service security, inflation, government salaries, face mask ban 

Readers' takes on the GOP convention

Like most Americans, I am grateful that former President Donald Trump was not seriously hurt or killed during the recent assassination attempt. That being said, I find the Republicans’ recent request for unity rather hypocritical [“Will the GOP’s new push for unity endure?”, Opinion, July 17]. Trump is, without question, the most divisive president in the history of this country. Where were their pleas for solidarity when he divided the nation by claiming the 2020 election was stolen by the Democrats despite findings to the contrary by dozens of Republican judges and his own attorney general?

I also couldn’t hear their calls for unification when Trump asked former Vice President Mike Pence to subvert democracy by declining to certify the results of the 2020 election. Trump’s lies, deceit and hateful diatribes have polarized this nation. Unfortunately, the party’s appeal for unity may be too little too late. They should have started during the campaign preceding the election of 2016, not after an assassination attempt on the life of their presidential candidate. Although, admittedly, I remain skeptical, I hope all of us can find some common ground following this tragic event.

— Michael Cooney, Massapequa Park

During the 1980 presidential election campaign, then-candidate Ronald Reagan never made a blatant public threat to the Iranian regime about releasing our 53 hostages at the American embassy who were held captive for a total of 444 days until being released just after his Jan. 20, 1981 inauguration.

But at his convention acceptance speech [“Trump accepts GOP nomination,” News, July 19], Donald Trump did indeed send out an unmistaken strong message to the Iranian-backed terrorist group, Hamas, by saying, “We want our hostages back and they’d better be back before I assume office or you will be paying a very big price.”

I couldn’t help but notice that throughout the convention, the overarching theme wasn’t so much about unity, but rather one of “survival” until the next presidential Inauguration Day of Jan. 20, 2025. That’s the message Trump was sending not only about the American hostages in Gaza, but to the millions of beleaguered American middle-class families suffering from “Bidenflation” as well.

— Eugene R. Dunn, Medford

Secret Service security breakdowns

There were obviously security breakdowns on a massive scale at last Saturday’s Trump rally [“Abysmal failure by Secret Service in protecting Trump now emerging,” Editorial, July 18].

The questions I want answered are: What gave a kid the idea he could just drive up to within 150 yards of a well-protected rally, walk to a building with a ladder and rifle, and not be detected? A trained assassin would think this was the dumbest plan ever thought of. Yet this kid preplanned, went and bought a ladder that morning, and did exactly that. Why? How did he know in advance it would work? Was it a cry for help, hoping he would be stopped before reaching the roof? How could people in the building not see him walking up, or hear him putting up a ladder and walking on the roof? Why wasn’t the building parking lot secured? Things that make you go “ummm.”

— Tim Gallagher, Seaford

Concerns about finances abound

The article stating that “the worst price spike in four decades is steadily fading” reflects positive news for many consumers’ expenses [“U.S. inflation cooling,” LI Business, July 12]. Oddly enough, the very same day that I read that article I received a letter from Macy’s saying that my credit card interest rate was being raised to 34.49%. I was shocked! I have been a loyal Macy’s shopper for decades, but this is outrageous. When I was young, any interest rate over 20% was considered loan-sharking. Earlier in the week, I received a similar notice from Kohl’s; its card’s interest rate is now higher than 30%.

I pay my bills on time and have decent credit scores and this is how I’m acknowledged? Where are the consumer advocates? How is this legal?

Sadly, my best recourse is to close the accounts.

— Joan Dickinson, Lake Grove

As a retired state employee, I found your article on Suffolk’s double dippers interesting “Gov’t workers ‘double dip’ in Suffolk,” News, July 19]. When I retired, I told my friends that it was time, but also that I was leaving so someone else who never worked in the state system would be given a chance to work as well. Perhaps the theory is that if you can afford to retire on a government pension, then you shouldn’t need to go back to work, it’s that simple.

Now, I don’t know if those who are double dipping are still paying into the retirement system. But perhaps the law should be changed to say that if you are retired and are collecting a pension, then you go back to work in a government job, your pension should be paused since the new paycheck should provide for your needs. In many cases as mentioned in your article, these individuals are making more than their retirement income.

— Frank Knight, Mastic

Many problems with face mask ban

Nassau County Legis. Mazi Melesa Pilip’s proposal on wearing face masks boggles the mind [“Legislation to ban face masks in public,” News, July 11]. Who’s to decide what usage is a violation of the law? There are enough exceptions to drive a truck through. Anyone can claim it runs counter to their beliefs, even nonbelievers. Who decides who is sick? Do we need to get a doctor’s note to walk the streets? Who determines violations? Shall we call Ms. Pilip at 2 a.m. for her input? I could understand if it applied to persons wearing a mask while committing a crime, but that’s not what this law proposes. Just because other municipalities have passed similar laws is no justification for Nassau boarding the stupid train.

County Executive Bruce Blakeman got into office promising to fix our broken assessment system. What’s happening there? The silence is deafening.

— Rudy Rosenberg, Carle Place