Readers sound off on Hochul’s policy walkbacks, Texas Senate race and bug season

Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.: Your editorial on Gov. Hochul’s budget deal (“The governor must have the budget & policy say,” May 28) is wrong to support her weakening of New York’s climate law and further delaying its implementation. Ironically, Hochul’s own delays over the past several years — refusing to issue mandated regulations, pushing back enforcement of laws she signed — played a major role in putting the law’s goals out of reach on the original timeline.

But the negotiations are over, the votes have been taken, and the deed is done. At this point in the waning days of the legislative session, it’s up to Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie to bring to a vote several good energy and environment bills. These include the ASAP Act, Accelerate Solar for Affordable Power; the SUNNY Act, allowing balcony solar; the PRRIA, the packaging act shifting the cost of recycling plastics off municipalities and onto manufacturers; and the comprehensive PFAS ban and Beauty Justice Act, which would reduce our exposure to these “forever” chemicals.

Hochul’s successful drive to weaken the climate law feels less like good long-term policy and more like a short-term way to placate business interests and cover her political backside in an election year. With the cost of fossil fuels and their infrastructure rising, and the cost of renewables and battery storage plummeting, how is keeping New York more dependent on oil and gas a good thing?

Bronx: Our not-so-smart governor just passed a bill that says if you get caught speeding 16 times, you must get a device put in your car to regulate speeding. In essence, you have 16 chances to kill someone while driving before this bill makes you install this device. How about after being caught speeding two times, you must get it installed. That will cut down another 14 before you potentially kill someone while speeding.

Brooklyn: Re “MTA battles teen break-ins, thefts in subways amid surge in juvenile joyrides” (May 28): It would behoove the MTA to install biometrics to stop these thugs. Retinal scan, no-brainer.

Scarsdale, N.Y.: S.E. Cupp seems to believe in polls that support Democrat James Talarico for Senate in Texas (“Republicans, be careful what you wish for,” column, May 28). He has no chance. Sen. John Cornyn just got his clock cleaned by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton because Cornyn is in favor of amnesty for illegal immigrants. Cornyn even pandered to the Hispanic community, advocating for amnesty in Spanish. It did not help him. Texans aren’t stupid. They understand that “aqui se habla Inglés” means that English is spoken here. Legal immigrants do not support illegal immigration. Mass deportation of Joe Biden’s illegal aliens is the right answer for our country.

Forest Hills: Alan Dershowitz’s op-ed about Jack Kennedy Schlossberg (“Schlossberg wants to inherit a House seat,” May 29) was so hypocritical! He calls Schlossberg a nepo baby who is vulgar and nasty. Although Schlossberg graduated from Harvard Law School, Dershowitz doesn’t think he’s qualified for public office. Yet, Dershowitz is a proud President Trump supporter and defender. Trump is all of the things that Dershowitz accused Schlossberg of being. I suppose if my name were mentioned thousands of times in the Epstein files, I would stick with Trump too.

Queens Village: Our lunatic president perceives the Democratic Party as a bigger enemy than Russia, North Korea and China. In fact, he might even hate the Dems more than Iran. I would not be surprised if one day he blurts out that we have to keep the Democrats from acquiring nuclear weapons!

Hallandale Beach, Fla.: A federal judge just ordered Trump’s name removed from the Kennedy Center because the building honors JFK, not Trump. America deserves a president, not a narcissist-in-chief who treats public office as a vehicle for self-promotion and personal enrichment.

Woodside: Our president seems to want his name and picture on everything. This does not seem sane to me. A few of his past decisions have been strange to me, and his willingness or desire to send troops into harm’s way is scary. Very scary.

Just what it looks like

Philadelphia: A paraphrased quote of Groucho Marx from the great Marx Brothers movie “A Day at the Races” can appropriately be applied to Trump and members of his administration. Here goes: “They may look stupid and they may sound stupid, but don’t let them fool you, they really are stupid.”

Jacksonville, Fla.: So, the Orange-faced prez wants to allocate $1.8 billion to his cronies and Jan. 6 Capitol rioters who claim they were unjustly treated by the Biden administration’s Justice Department. In that case, am I and millions of other Americans also entitled to a slice of that pie, as we feel we’re being unjustly treated by the current White House and its harming of the normal, middle-class, hard-working, taxpaying citizens who have been stripped of their health care and many civil liberties that we were once guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution? How can we apply, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche?

Forest Hills: Does Jaxson Dart get a cut of the $1.776 billion?

Brooklyn: Why can’t we all get along as sisters and brothers? / It’s time to get a better understanding of each other / Remember the things we have fought for / That everyone in fear would be free / And that regardless of race, creed or color / We will all live in peace and liberty / No matter who you are or what’s your name / In the eyes of God, we are all the same.

Floral Park, L.I.: I really enjoyed the letters from Voicers Mark Lane and Mariann Tepidino. The most enduring examples of love really are found in your own home! Doctors probably don’t favor Anacin because of the aspirin content. Mrs. Lane should check with her doctor to be sure that there would be no adverse interactions of the Anacin with any of her other medications. Otherwise, ordering through the pharmacy might be the best answer.

Brooklyn: What is wrong with the Daily News? You printed the skipped puzzle from Thursday’s edition in Friday’s issue with an apology. The error was that the clues were for a different puzzle. If The News can’t even get publishing a crossword correctly, what else are you getting wrong? And the Crossword II is the best feature of the paper.

Manhattan: Happy summer! Let insect season begin. I’m ready for ya! Bring it on! I have repellant! How pesky and annoying! I’m scared of you but you mean beach weather!…Read more by Voice of the People