The recent rise in shootings that is attributed to youth gang violence should be of concern to all of us ["Shootings rise 44% in Suffolk," News, Aug. 15].
We all want safe communities where our families can thrive. However, recent decisions by the Suffolk County Legislature call into question whether they are committed to finding proactive solutions.
The Republican-led Suffolk Legislature recently cut over $107,000 in funding for nonprofits that serve youth, including Liga De Justicia Foundation, Long Island Latino Teachers Association, the Butterfly Effect Project, SEPA Mujer, and Minority Millennials.
Anyone who has worked with young people who are vulnerable will tell you that the most effective deterrent to youth violence is community resources and programming. This is exactly what the Suffolk Legislature took away from vulnerable youth and communities.
It is more effective to fund the infrastructure that provides youth the resources and community they need to thrive than it is to over-police and incarcerate their communities. The Suffolk Legislature apparently has chosen the path of mass incarceration, possibly spending over $48 million toward building a youth jail, while cutting youth services. Budgets reflect priorities, and our youth pays the price.
-- Shoshana Hershkowitz, South Setauket
Newsday rightly questions our ability to trust future U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics labor reports ["After firing, will labor numbers be skewed?," News, Aug. 17]. It's widely known that President Donald Trump claims any news, polls or statistics he doesn't like are "fake news" or "rigged." This started with his proclaiming Sen. Ted Cruz cheated in the 2016 Iowa Caucus, continued through COVID-19 and the 2020 election results.
Now that he's in power, Trump is taking over what's taught at our schools (diversity, equity and inclusion), our health (funding for certain vaccines being cut), our news (network lawsuits), our history (Smithsonian Institution to review exhibits to meet "Trump's vision"), and even the arts (taking over The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts). And as a climate change denier, he is letting a multimillion-dollar satellite that collects carbon emissions data, which proves climate change, fall out of the sky.
These actions, combined with the unnecessary National Guard takeover of Washington, D.C., signifythat this man who praises dictators has no plans to stop. This is all straight from the authoritarian playbook.
Does anyone else feel like the frog in the pot that suddenly got too hot on the stove?
-- Rosanne Manfredi, Ridge
To do my bit, I am no longer watering my lawn this summer, but let's look at the big picture: not enough water here, too much water there ["Weaning LI off its grass habit," Editorial, Aug. 24]. The predicted effects of a warming world are coming true. The solution is imperative: Stop burning fossil fuels.
President Donald Trump has moved federal policies in exactly the opposite direction, killing or hamstringing renewable energy projects and incentives. Instead, he declared a supposed "energy emergency" to favor oil and gas production. In the absence of good sense at the federal level, we need robust state-level policies.
Gov. Kathy Hochul needs to stop claiming that we can't meet New York's 2019 climate law projections anytime soon. Then, we can start meeting our goals for clean energy. We can't afford not to. Climate catastrophes are getting worse and occur more frequently, so how bad will it be in 20 years or 50 years? Our children's and grandchildren's futures hang in the balance.
-- Stephanie Doba, Sag Harbor
Scott Kupor, new director of the federal Office of Personnel Management, is concerned that the OPM will be unable to lure young talent from Silicon Valley to work for the federal government because the government cannot compete with the private sector on compensation ["New approach to civil service," LI Business, Aug. 18].
One reason that people are willing to work for the government despite earning less is the stability that government employment offers its employees. Unfortunately, that stability has been undermined by the current administration's policies and its treatment of those employees.
The Department of Government Efficiency created chaos in the workplace and demoralized federal workers in an attempt to reduce head count. Who can blame potential employees for a lack of interest in seeking government positions given that work climate?