This battle to switch off is truly a matter of life and death.
Manhattan: Democrats are fighting to save our health care from the GOP chopping block. President Trump's GOP budget bill cut most of the money from the Medicaid program in its history and, less known, also cut Medicare benefits. The Republican bill would allow the Affordable Care Act tax breaks to end, causing insurance premiums to jump 75% and many to lose health care altogether.
These brutal cuts will impact every American, all in the name of tax cuts for billionaires. Even if you think you can be safe with private insurance, every hospital, even large ones in big cities, depends on Medicaid payments to provide care. Without that money, they will have to cut staff and services.
Who Receives Medicaid Benefits Directly? Children, elderly people, disabled people, people living paycheck to paycheck, none of whom Trump and the GOP care about. As someone who has worked for over four decades and is approaching the point where I will be relying on Medicare, I am personally concerned about these cuts that are designed to allow the rich to get richer!
The last time Democrats had a chance to influence a terrible budget bill, they conceded, including to New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. Now Schumer is fighting for us. He stands his ground while Republicans refuse to come to the negotiating table. A government shutdown will be painful. But if the government is open and healthcare disappears, the damage will be much, much worse. Gabriel Satan
Dirty deals
Smithtown, LI: I have not read a letter to the Voice of the People that was more accurate than the letter written in the voice of Ralph A. Manente. Letitia James did worse: her lies were lies for personal gain. The alleged overvaluation of the Trump Organization's assets should have been accepted or rejected by the bank, not James. And the 34 counts on which Alvin Bragg was convicted were in fact one count, a controversial accounting misclassification shown on successive intervals of payments, vouchers and invoices. Andrew Ross
Many precedents
Staten Island: Speaker Ralph A. Manente is entitled to his opinions about Trump, and I actually agree with some of them. However, when he calls the 2024 election an “unprecedented success,” he is wrong. Checking the results of previous elections, he will find at least five that were much more one-sided than the 2024 results. Trump's results are far from those of Franklin Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon and Lyndon Johnson. Anthony Biancoviso
Degradation of discipline
Bronx: It's time for a well-armed militia. Americans are being killed and brutalized. Or is it just for red states? Stop the madness now. This has been going on for too long, these thugs are running around and it's getting worse. These high-ranking officers (“Trump and Hegseth rally generals to demand end to 'woke' military“, October 1) no shame in returning to their commands and facing their troops. Death before dishonor. They were completely disrespected. They should be able to get out now and live comfortably – to hell with their retirement. They should all have stood up and left these two fools. To think that they could send thousands of young men to their deaths. I am a disabled Vietnam veteran who was a soldier in the 1st Cavalry Army, 1968-69. Julio E. Rivera
Start with yourself
Garwood, New Jersey: I don't live in a city or dangerous area, so I may not be qualified to give an informed opinion about gun control or the presence of the National Guard. Controlling gun violence through legislation is possible, but are we convinced that it does enough to prevent violent acts? People will be divided on whether the National Guard is an effective measure to make our cities safer. Perhaps this could be another way to curb violence. Public opinion polls are not reliable, but knowing how residents of cities (where the Guard patrols) feel may be a more accurate way to determine whether it is an effective way to improve neighborhood safety. First of all, a personal relationship with the Lord will in many cases help us achieve this love, respect and greater understanding of our fellow men. Anthony Speranza
Restore name
Bayside: It's time for someone to introduce a new line of hats reminiscent of the MAGA brand, and that brand should be MAAA, or Make America America Again. Now that more people are finally waking up to the evil, self-serving Trump and his incompetent, sycophantic minions, it will lead to MAAA taking America back to what it was before the criminal Trump and his spineless cronies almost destroyed it. Howie Horn
gloomy world
Woods Cross, Utah: Beyond the current gleeful hostage exchange, there is growing evidence that Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump are planning to expel most or all Palestinians from the Gaza Strip soon enough. The killing of innocent women and children, perhaps half of the 68,000 known dead in the Gaza Strip, is one indicator. There is also a deliberate and well-documented starvation campaign aimed at making mealtimes in the Gaza Strip unbearable for families. The destruction of most hospitals is well known. Additionally, PBS reported that virtually all of Gaza's 660,000 children lack access to in-person schooling. Now there is news, reported by Al Jazeera, that Netanyahu's IDF has destroyed 92% of residential buildings in the Gaza Strip. Added to this is the destruction of 88% of all commercial buildings in Gaza. About 62% of Gazans have lost legal documents proving their ownership. So, do they really own anything? Kimball Shinkoski
Deeper Inequalities
Brooklyn: Voice of Hane Schwartz: Forty-eight Israelis to 1,950 Palestinians. What's wrong with this equation, you ask? You didn't ask that question when the workforce was 68,172 Palestinian men, women and children and 1,983 Israelis. I'm just saying. Jim Carney
Vax's vulnerability
Brooklyn: I'm writing about how the Surgeon General and RFK Jr. don't want any vaccines for young children, not even polio, smallpox, measles, etc. Some European countries won't let you in unless you're vaccinated. People forget about the bubonic plague, the Black Death, which spread across Europe in the 12th century and killed almost half the population. What will our wonderful, stupid president expect when the next Black Death comes and kills half the Americans? Don't wait until it's too late. Fire RFK Jr. and demand the vaccines back. David Glassner
Unsafe sidewalks
Brooklyn: I don't like being a single-issue voter, but as an 81-year-old who believes walking is the healthiest and most restorative activity you can do, I have been completely alarmed by the lawlessness that is being ignored by our politicians and, by extension, the police. I'm talking about the rampant proliferation of bicycles, e-bikes and electric scooters that have made life precarious for pedestrians. Although there is no shortage of bike lanes, there are still those who ride on our sidewalks and do not pay attention to pedestrians. I don't know what candidate Zohran Mamdani's position might be on this issue, but I would like to know before I vote. Ed Temple
Is this legal?
Rochdale Village: Article by the President and CEO of the Central Park Conservancy.Wollman Rink is not made for speculators“October 14th) was very interesting. Did Mayor Adams' plan to put him up for auction pass the smell test? In the end, it doesn't – all his friends, gathered in a crowd, get high-ranking appointments. Just wondering! Saul Rothenberg
Big decision
Carl Place, LI: As things stand, the Jets will have the first pick in next year's NFL Draft. Perhaps they draft the next Peyton Manning or, more likely, the next Ryan Leaf. Rudy Rosenberg
Better then
Brooklyn: I'm 99 years old and I've been reading The News since it was a 2-cent item that came out the night before, sometimes in a 2-cent pink edition. This put the Daily Mirror out of business, but The New York Times continues to operate. I really like the comic book sections, especially Dick Tracy, Little Orphan Annie, Harold Teen, Smiling Jack, Winnie Winkle, and Gasoline Alley. Please notify Jim Scancarelli that Gasoline Alley is out of gas. Bring back Winnie Winkle and Smiling Jack and you'll sell more newspapers. It's time to bury and shut up Uncle Walt! Bill Glassman
