Letters to the Editor: Food rescue

Cutchogue

Food rescue

I have been a volunteer for Food Rescue USA for almost two years. I bring between 70 and 150pounds of food to small food banks on the East End, as do many volunteers. These small food banks are located in churches, libraries and a variety of places where people in need can pick up the food.Local businesses and farms donate all this food, yet we never have enough to fill the growing need of our residents.

Two weeks ago, $2.6 million in grant money was cut from the two largest food banks in our area. This is very frightening as the number of people who can’t afford food keeps increasing. A hungry population is not a healthy population, and the ripple effect from being hungry is large. Cutting these services is not a solution to getting rid of waste in our government. I am certain people did not envision this horror when they voted, but everyone now needs to be vocal to Rep. Nick LaLota and other elected officials before this becomes an emergency we cannot control.

Cookie Slade 

Southold

The Butterfly Effect Project

Driving through Jamesport on Route 25, there’s a lovely house on a little hill on the north side of the road. It houses The Butterfly Effect Project, a nonprofit designed to lift the spirits and skill sets of girls and young women in our community. Thank you, Suffolk Times, for featuring an article about how it was recently targeted online by comments exhibiting racist, violent and misogynistic thinking. I applaud you for exposing this issue. Although it appears that most of the vitriol was not from local people, comments like these echo and embolden those in our community who still promote hatred and racism. Please support executive director Tijuana Fulford and the project’s staff and volunteers. Help them in any way you can to mentor the young women in our community!

Colette Kern 

Peconic

History erased

It is said that history repeats itself. Well, at Arlington National Cemetery, as of March 14, it will not. Historians, in writing book after book, often waver on the exact truths to present a point of view. But the present administration has hasn’t wavered in its erasure of the truth. That’s because they erased all presence of black, women and Hispanic veterans who have received the nation’s highest military recognition, the Medal of Honor, from the Arlington National Cemetery website.That’s according to the military news site Task & Purpose.

Therefore, March 14 will be, as Winston Churchill said, “a day that lives in infamy.”

Because they scrubbed the website clean of people like Colin Powell, the Tuskegee Airmen and many Medal of Honor veterans, the administration shows its bigotry toward people who differ from them. This is not one of  those exhaustive list of things, like ending the war in the Ukraine, that Trump said he would do on day one.

This is bigotry and racism, among other offensives, that are in the crosshairs of our executive branch of government. A disgrace to the veterans the presidents says he loves. I agree with Rep. Adam Smith (D-Washington) that this deeply concerning. If they can do this, what historical fact will they erase next, Jan. 6? 

Joel Reitman 

Southold

A card of thanks

This is certainly a wonderful community we live in. A food drive took place at the IGA Supermarket in Southold March 15. At the end of the day, it was amazing to see the amount of food and donations that were collected and distributed to North Fork food pantries. The response was truly overwhelming. Thanks go to the Reichert family and management at the IGA, to Southold Pharmacy, to Southold High School Interact advisor Allison Salmaggi and club members and to Bogey’s Bottled Goods for their assistance, which was greatly appreciated. Our motto of “Service Above Self” made this such a special day. 

Linda Sweeney, Walter Krupski and fellow Southold Rotary Club members

Southold

It’s how we choose to react 

I was on Main Street in Greenport near St. Agnes RC church to attend an Ecumenical Lenten worship services. Across the street there was a group of I assumed,students returning to Greenport High School after lunch. They were loud and as I looked over, one young man waved at me and asked me how I was doing. When I waved back, all of them laughed. I don’t know what they were laughing at but my initial reaction was that I didn’t like it. They certainly were not laughing with me because I wasn’t laughing. Sitting in my pew worshiping with people known and unknown, but brought together with a common purpose and desire, it occurred to me that it really doesn’t matter what the laughter was about. What mattered was the negative time I was spending on it when I have other issues. It took me a while but I came around to reframing this situation into a blessing and that those joyful laughing people chose to share their happiness and say hi to a friend. Since I don’t know the reason for the laughter was less generous, I will pray for them and hope that they don’t miss the next opportunity to help another person have a positive experience,

Jay Batterman 

Southold

The sinking ship of our economy

Captains have to go down with the ship. It’s the only way to ensure accountability.

It’s not a matter of if — it’s a matter of when our local economy grinds to a halt. Shuttered storefronts, struggling town services and neglected infrastructure will be the inevitable result of poor decision-making at the hands of those who were never truly qualified to make them in the first place. The unfortunate reality is that the people steering this ship don’t need a license, experience or any real qualifications — just electability and likability. That’s not enough.

Our town officials make critical economic decisions that impact local businesses, homeowners and residents alike, yet they lack the firsthand experience needed to understand the long-term consequences of their actions. The business community — the very people who generate jobs, drive commerce,and pay a majority of the tax burden — has little voice in these matters. Why? Because the business owners who do have the knowledge and experience to lead don’t have time to play politics.

Running a business requires constant adaptation to changing economic conditions, regulations and consumer behaviors. Business owners understand these factors because they have to. Their livelihood depends on it. Yet, the people making the rules — the ones shaping zoning laws, imposing regulations and deciding the future of our towns — are often making decisions based on personal interests, political agendas or the concerns of a vocal few, rather than what’s best for the broader community.

It’s time to start holding our elected officials accountable for the economic consequences of their decisions. They may not be the ones losing their livelihoods when businesses close, but the entire community will feel the effects: higher taxes, fewer services and a diminished quality of life. If our local leaders aren’t willing to listen to the people who do understand the economy, then they should be ready to go down with the ship when it sinks.

Vincent Guastamacchia 

Southold

What will we choose?

As the daughter of a World War ll veteran and the product of Catholic schools, I learned two very important things. Patriotism is civic responsibility and serving one’s country for the greater good. Patriotism is not nationalism. I also learned that we should love our neighbor as ourselves.

What makes Southold Town and Shelter Island special is the compassionate care for community, which I believe stems from these two principles. We cannot control the uncertainty and decisions being made at the federal level that are negatively impacting so many people in our country and our local towns — including children, veterans, older adults, working families, people living with disabilities and farmers. [But] we can choose how we live in our local community. We can choose love over hate. We can choose care over neglect. We can choose respect over contempt. We can choose courage over fear. We can choose community over division. We can be an example for what truly makes America great: diversity, fairness, liberty and unity. What will we choose?

Cathy Demeroto

Southold

Danger ahead 

Our former congressman Lee Zeldin, in what he called “the most monumental day of deregulation in American history,” announced a series of actions last week as head of the Environmental Protection Agency to roll back landmark regulations, including rules on pollution from coal-fired power plants, climate change and electric vehicles.

“We are driving a dagger through the heart of climate-change religion and ushering in America’s Golden Age,” Mr. Zeldin wrote in The Wall Street Journal. Golden Age? I think not. For a lark, look at pictures of cities before the Clean Air Act and compare to now. Who remembers the rivers of New York looking disgusting? And then there was Love Canal, a hotbed of cancer cases. I think he really is thinking The Gilded Age.

During the Gilded Age, living conditions for many, especially immigrants and the working class, were characterized by overcrowding, unsanitary housing and environments, while the wealthy enjoyed extravagant lifestyles.

My mother and grandmother used to say “Cheap is dear in the long run.” Cancer, asthma and emphysema are just some of the offspring of pollution.

These very dangerous changes will cost the coming generations, not only financially, but physically. Call and write Mr. Zeldin and our congressman. We cannot be complacent.

Rosellen Storm 

Wading River

Where is Congress?

In the past two months the stock market has fallen, Federal agencies such as NOAA, CDC, FDA, SSA, VA, EPA and many more have seen thousands of employees fired, with many of them rehired when it was discovered that they were essential. Meanwhile, so-called “savings” posted by DOGE have been proven to be inaccurate or completely false as soon as they were posted. In addition,, there has been a massive data breach with unvetted people having access to the private information of virtually ALL Americans. Vital medical research has been defunded, including for cancer and infectious disease. This assault on government function puts the future of our country at risk. If this concerns you, now is the time to contact our senators, Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer, as well as our representative, Nick Lalota and tell them that they need to use all of their congressional powers to protect our government and constitutional processes.

Alan Daters 

Southold

Market mayhem

 I have been keeping a close and wary eye on the stock market and our retirement portfolio. I’m concerned by the recent extreme correction and the excessive roller coaster patterns that have emerged since Jan. 20. It has been chilling to say the least.

A recent letter from our investment firm painted all this mayhem as just routine, expected market performance. Clearly they are trying to calm investors, but there is nothing routine about this! The actions of one person are putting us all through the wringer. Tariffs, no tariffs; our friends are enemies and our enemies are friends; fire everyone, oops rehire all the people we shouldn’t have fired. I have wondered from the beginning if this was deliberate manipulation of the markets. It’s not hard to imagine that it is.

Some blame the media, but that is shooting the messenger. They are merely reporting the intemperate behavior of POTUS and his administration. The dollar is down, consumer confidence is low, discretionary spending is down, CEOs can’t plan because they don’t know what to expect next. Inflation is predicted to rise here and overseas because of this. 

In the big scheme of things, most of us are small investors. But our investments represent hard work and sacrifice. That is our old age and our legacy for our family. To make matters even worse, our Social Security is under attack.

The bottom line is we need Wall Street CEOs, who represent all of us, to speak truth to power. It has been reported that they were polled and said they wouldn’t speak out until the market dropped by 20%. That is unacceptable. The house is on fire and they need to do something about it.

Barbara Wasilausky

Greenport

Environmental concerns

I’m hoping this letter reaches the scheduler on Rep. Nick LaLota’s staff, since my phone calls are not answered and no one has answered any of the emails I have sent through his website.

I would like Mr. LaLota to have an in-person public meeting so he can address local concerns, particularly about environmental risks and the public health and safety of his District 1 constituents.

My first concern has to do with the investigation of groundwater pollution at the former Calverton Grumman/Navy site. Since Musk has slashed and burned the EPA’s head count and research programs, how will this investigation be completed so the site can be remediated under the Superfund Act ? How does Mr. LaLota plan to address this funding deficit?

My second concern has to do with ongoing investigations and research by the state department of health and the federal National Institutes of Health into our district and surrounding districts being a “cancer cluster.”

Many of us who live in Nassau and Suffolk counties have lost friends, neighbors and family to cancer. Many of us have a gut feeling we are living in a “cancer cluster.” The NYSDOH and NIH also have this suspicion and have been researching contaminants in the soil and aquifer caused by industrial waste to document the causality.

Several studies document the elevated incidence of breast cancer, colorectal cancer, leukemia and lung cancer in ED1, as compared to a national rate of incidence. These studies must continue to discover why this is so and what, if anything, can be done.

Along with the EPA, the NIH has also been gutted by Musk. Who will continue this research and give us answers? I want to know how Mr. LaLota plans to get funding from the federal government to address our pervasive environmental concerns.

Mr. LaLota, please schedule an in-person public meeting in a large enough space and address the concerns of your constituents. As I often say to my two sons: “Use your powers for good.” What are you doing with the power granted to you by the electorate for the good of D1?

Geri Amine-Klein

Cutchogue

What have you won? 

I want to congratulate Republicans on completely taking over the government. It was years in the making, but you won. What have you won?

Well, the Supreme Court has ruled that money is speech, so the rich get a lot more speech. In the last election Elon Musk got almost $3 billion worth of speech. I was able to get about $2,000 worth of speech. Doesn’t seem fair to me but I’m sure it does to Musk.

Since the Republicans took over all branches of government, we have:

• Turned our friends into enemies, i.e., Canada, Mexico, the EU, etc.
• Decided that medical research [and helping] people around the world is a waste of money.
• Illegally fired workers. It can be done legally, but that takes time and work.

Things have just started. Tariffs are taxes; check any dictionary. And they are coming to a store near you. Already, we read stories about people having trouble with their Social Security checks.

There are already knock on effects of the actions of the administration:

The industry expected a 9% increase in foreign tourism this year but now expects a 5% decrease. Countries that were going to buy American arms are looking to other suppliers because we are no longer reliable. Scientists are looking to move to other countries to do research.

The effects of the Republican administration will last much longer than the current administration. I guess this is what you call American Exceptionalism.

Gary Cormorau 

Southold

The politics of fear 

In 1933, Franklin Roosevelt told the American people they had “nothing to fear but fear itself” as he began his program to bring them out of the Great Depression. Today, we now have a new crisis, both economic and governmental, brought about by one individual — our current president.

Fear is now an overwhelming factor in how the news media, business, other governmental leaders and even the American public are reacting to the president’s actions. However, unlike FDR attempting to allay the fears of the public, the fear felt by individuals is constantly stoked by President Donald Trump’s attempts to blunt any criticism of or pushback against his policies as he marches toward completely autocratic rule.

It is no secret, going back to his destruction of the bipartisan border bill before he was elected, that virtually all Republican House and Senate members will do whatever he wants and have abdicated their standing as a co-equal branch of government out of fear — fear that he will “primary” them and they will then lose their jobs. Included in this group is, of course, our congressman, Nick Lalota. Is this lack of a backbone now spreading to Senate Democrats, as evidenced by the passage of the funding bill this past Friday?

Witness the speech that Trump gave at the Justice Department; he uses intimidation by threatening criminal prosecution of anyone who would dare to criticize his policies, be they political opponents, the press or any citizen who may attempt to get in his way! He wants to jail prosecutors who worked on the cases against him as well as Jan. 6  rioters and named hosts on news stations that he particularly dislikes.

We must not be intimidated; the politics of fear cannot succeed!

Philip Wasilausky 

Southold

If you mean it, live it

Re: “History tells a different story,” March 13: The writer calls for a diminished federal government in the name of liberty and efficiency — a familiar refrain. We all want to spend less and more efficiently. However, if you’re truly committed to this ideology, it’s only logical that you personally reject the myriad benefits that government provides. Government services are deeply woven into the fabric of our daily existence, often in ways we scarcely acknowledge.​

Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are lifelines for millions, ensuring that the elderly, disabled and less fortunate receive essential support. I trust you’ll abstain from these benefits, opting instead to independently secure your financial and health care needs.

Public Infrastructure: Our roads, highways, and bridges are predominantly funded and maintained by government resources.Perhaps you’ll confine your travel to privately funded toll roads — though you’ll find them few and far between.

Public amenities like beaches, parks, and libraries enrich our communities and are sustained by taxpayer dollars. A genuine commitment to reduced government would mean forgoing these, limiting your recreational and educational pursuits to private establishments.

Public education is the bedrock of an informed society, funded by public money to ensure every child has access to education. I assume you’d prefer private schooling or homeschooling for your children, shouldering the full financial burden yourself.​

Police, fire departments and emergency medical responders stand ready to protect and assist, funded by our collective contributions. In your envisioned minimal government, you’d rely on private security and emergency services, negotiating fees while crises unfold.​

National defense and public health: The government safeguards us from external threats and manages public health crises. Presumably you’d handle personal defense and disease prevention independently, irrespective of broader societal impacts.

It’s easy to champion the idea of “less government” in abstract terms, but our society’s functionality hinges on these very services. To advocate for their dissolution while continuing to benefit from them is not only hypocritical but also perilously shortsighted.​

Our collective contributions and the resulting government services are what uphold the very liberties and efficiencies you claim to cherish.​

Mark Ghuneim 

Orient

Is America still good?

Growing up, I thought of my country as good. And sometimes we were great, like when my parents’ generation fought alongside our allies in World War II to stop aggression, invasion and a Nazi dictator. We took pride in our public schools, our technological and societal progress — from moon landings to civil rights advancements. When Title IX passed, I was happy for younger girls who would now have athletic opportunities I never had.

It felt great to be the world’s oldest continuous democracy. By founding the United Nations, we worked to strengthen democracies and promote American values, where the rule of law safeguards fundamental freedoms of religion, the press, speech and voting rights. Our leadership in creating NATO with fellow democracies has bolstered global security, prosperity and the U.S. dollar’s role as the world’s dominant currency. 

A director at the National Endowment for Democracy recently noted that democracies consistently outperform autocracies in human development — leading in health, education and overall well-being. Also proven is that when democracies decline, so do prosperity and security, making the world a more dangerous place. Are we now turning our backs on our NATO allies, other democracies like Ukraine and our own national and economic security? 

In his Farewell Address, George Washington wrote that the name “American” belongs to all of us, united as one nation. Our Constitution protects citizens from arbitrary power and upholds equality, ensuring a fair and just society. Isn’t that a legacy of goodness worth passing on to future generations?

Mary Morgan 

Cutchogue

We, alone, can fix it

In slow motion, this country is following a madman off an economic cliff and alienating the entire western world. No credible economist anywhere believes that Trump tariffs will do anything other than ruin what was otherwise a solid U.S. economy that was, until Donald Trump’s election, the envy of the world.

The damage done to our country’s international reputation is shot. Even if there were a complete turnaround from the administration’s pro-Putin view, it would take decades to repair the damage to our nation’s global standing. By that time, all other western countries will have realigned their relationships among themselves to our exclusion and the price Americans will pay for this current folly may be insurmountable long after Mr. Trump is gone.

The hard question is why is he doing what he’s doing? The only logical answer seems to be to line his own pockets and the pockets of billionaires, simply for more power and more money. 

From all appearances, the courts will not have the clout to stop what’s happening to our government as it gets dismantled. Nor will they have the power to put a halt to the crazy, unwarranted and unintelligent tariffs that are being imposed on our best friends, including Britain and Canada. We’re witnessing a global disaster in plain sight.

There is only one way to put an end to this craziness, and that’s to take away Trump’s Congress — enough of the 218 Republican congressmen and the 53 Republican senators who have been giving Trump a green light to destroy our country.

Out here on the North Fork, we’ve got to ask ourselves whether it makes any sense at all to return Nick LaLota to the House in next year’s mid-term elections. He has given us every reason to believe he’s just like the rest of his Republican colleagues — scared to death of Donald Trump and afraid to buck him. He’s just one more sycophantic failure in the House.

 If you want Trump to continue destroying our country, then vote for Mr. LaLota. If you want to put a stop to this craziness, then vote for anyone other than Mr. LaLota. The bottom line is that LaLota is part of the problem if he will not stand up to Trump. And he has shown us that he won’t. It’s up to the voters. We, alone, can fix this.

Michael Levy