Letters to the Editor: Thanks for the help
Cutchogue
Thanks for the help
I was involved in a motorcycle accident Friday, Oct. 23, in Greenport. I would like to thank the good Samaritans who stopped to see if I was OK and moved my bike out of the roadway. I would like to thank them in person but don’t know who they are.
Also, thanks to Christy and Albee of the fire department and, last but not least, the Southold police officers who responded.
Many thanks to all!
Bob Clark
Sound Beach
Protect access to medicines
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has new international mail requirements taking effect Jan. 20, 2027, that could threaten Americans’ access to affordable prescription medicines. The rule, “Indefinite Suspension of the De Minimis Exemption for Mail Shipments and New Postal Informal Entry Process,” will require additional customs processing for certain mailed imports. I worry those requirements could effectively end some patients’ ability to obtain their medicines from abroad.
Lower-cost medicines from licensed international pharmacies can be a lifeline for seniors on limited incomes, people with high-deductible health plans and the uninsured. Although the Food and Drug Administration generally prohibits personal imports of unapproved drugs, it may exercise enforcement discretion in limited circumstances. Due to the much lower cost of medications in Canada and other countries, imported medicine may be the only affordable option for some patients.
Some medicines purchased abroad cost substantially less than their U.S. equivalents. These necessary medicines prevent blood clots, treat diabetes and much more. I fear that losing access to affordable prescriptions could lead to unnecessary harm and preventable deaths.
I ask readers to immediately call or write our U.S. senators and representatives and demand they protect access to affordable medicines and address the impact of these new requirements on patients who obtain personal-use prescriptions from licensed pharmacies in Canada or other countries.
Laurie DePinto
Laurel
What Jimmy said
“In our democracy, the only title higher and more powerful than that of president is the title of citizen,” wrote President Jimmy Carter in 2016.
Of course, as a lone citizen I can’t fund Medicaid or SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that helps feed needy kids. Rep. Nick LaLota voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which reduces projected federal spending on those programs while extending tax benefits to wealthy Americans. My citizen power is a vote for Chris Gallant and the well-being of the vulnerable.
I can’t bring back the days of fire drills instead of active shooter drills. But I CAN vote for a representative who will do more to protect schoolchildren and the rest of us from gun violence.
I can’t solve Long Island’s housing crisis, though I CAN vote for Gallant, who will make that issue a priority.
I can’t write a bipartisan border-security bill like the one Republican Sen. James Lankford helped negotiate in 2024, which President Donald Trump helped derail. But I CAN vote against LaLota’s support for ICE’s tactics and his refusal to support new discretionary Community Project Funding requests from East Hampton Town and Village over their immigration policies.
I can’t change the president’s approach to Iran or undo the hardship the war has caused families across the region. But I CAN vote for a representative willing to question his decisions.
LaLota has delivered on local issues. But representing our district also means standing up for due process and showing independence when a president’s decisions deserve scrutiny, even when that president leads your own party.
I’m using my citizen power to vote for Gallant because I believe he will put the needs of our communities ahead of loyalty to Trump. I encourage my fellow citizens to use their power, too.
Mary Ellen Tomaszewski
Southold
Stand against dictators
President Donald Trump and many of his Republican allies are calling many Democrats socialists, and Trump sometimes calls Democrats communists.
Democratic administrations and Congresses enacted Social Security, Medicare and a whole host of programs that provide a safety net for American citizens. Today, elected Democrats continue to fight to preserve and improve upon these social programs.
Socialism remains poorly understood and is frequently conflated, incorrectly, with communism.
Trump fawns over Vladimir Putin, who was a KGB officer and a member of the Soviet Communist Party. Putin invaded Ukraine, a sovereign nation, and seeks to take over Ukrainian territory. The U.S. has been aiding Ukraine for several years. However, Trump’s administration has temporarily eased sanctions on Russian diesel. I believe Trump is helping Putin at the expense of the people of Ukraine.
On Oct. 21, Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, who is supposed to be negotiating an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine, said Putin was a “humanitarian.”
Ronald Reagan, an idolized Republican president, called the Soviet Union the “evil empire.”
The current Republican Congress permits Trump to conduct foreign policy that favors countries with dictators like Putin and Kim Jong Un.
These Republicans need to be voted out of office on Election Day. We need elected officials who support democracy and reject dictatorships.
Dick Sheehan
Cutchogue
Time to curb spending
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli has warned of projected cumulative budget gaps of about $32 billion through fiscal 2030. Under Gov. Kathy Hochul, the state budget has expanded from the $212 billion spending plan she inherited in 2021 to an estimated $277 billion for 2026-27.
Broad legislative mandates — including clean energy transitions, expanded social safety net programs, public transit support and aid to New York City — have systematically enlarged the state’s operating baseline. DiNapoli has warned that spending is growing faster than revenue, creating a structural gap that must be addressed.
If the state economy slows or the Legislature fails to curb spending, tax increases or permanent extensions of high corporate and personal income tax rates could be the primary levers used to bridge the gap.
According to preliminary state figures for 2024, the top 200,000 taxpayers — 1.8% of filers — accounted for 51.9% of the state’s personal income tax liability.
This is a critical election for our state. Do we continue to tax and spend, or do we right-size our budget and live within our means? How you vote will determine the outcome.
Bob Bittner
Cutchogue
Only Democrats can fix it
Robert Morris, a signatory to the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the Constitution in 1787 was one of the wealthiest people in America. I doubt that even he imagined a future president turning the office into a multibillion-dollar family business.
Reuters reported in June that the Trump family had made at least $2.3 billion from four cryptocurrency ventures, while investors lost a similar amount, including paper losses.
And that’s just one place where the Framers came up short — insufficient safeguards against presidential self-enrichment. The other shortsightedness was their failure to provide term limits for public officials. In 1951, the states ratified the 22nd Amendment, limiting presidents to two elected terms. But that restriction does not apply to Congress or the Supreme Court.
If this country is ever going to right itself, only the Democrats can do it. The Republicans currently in office are Trump enablers. They put their own elections ahead of the country’s welfare. There must be an overwhelming takeover of Congress in this year’s midterm elections, as well as the election of a Democratic president in 2028 who will sign legislation outlawing every self-dealing idea that has crossed Mr. Trump’s mind — from selling red hats and gold sneakers to cryptocurrency ventures from which his family has profited while buyers have lost money.
The danger reaches beyond Trump: Future presidents of either party could follow his example of mixing public office with family business interests. Congress needs stronger safeguards against that.
And that’s why, even if I must hold my nose in some cases, I don’t care who’s running on the Democratic line. As long as it’s not a Trump enabler, I’m voting for the donkey party. I encourage everyone else who cares about saving our democracy to do the same.
Michael A. Levy
