Readers sound off on new energy mandates, cheating tolls and covering cryptocurrencies

Going green isn’t punitive building regulations

Annapolis, Md.: Kudos to Councilmember Justin Brannan (“Albany must ease the shift to greener buildings,” op-ed, March 19) for suggesting ways to ease the ability of building owners to comply with the ambitious mandates of Local Law 97, which requires billions of dollars of conversions and retrofits of their buildings to meet emission standards in a few short years.

We all want to see a clean energy transition that addresses climate change, but like many other recent climate mandates, the city’s law is another cart-pulling-the-horse solution. Too much attention has been focused on a “ban plan” instead of an energy plan, and too little thought has been given to the real cost and time this transition will take. That’s not to mention the availability of materials and labor needed to complete the upgrades in time.

Brannan’s push for state legislation offering a 10-year tax break for building owners making such investments is a good one. But more time should also be given to property owners so they can explore alternative clean energy options like thermal energy, which can provide heat and cooling sources from the ground.

As he says, fining building owners for not complying with new energy mandates might raise government revenue but does nothing for the environment. John Murphy, international representative, United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry

Deficient digital

Bronx: We live in amazing times. A document, photo or even an entire newspaper can be scanned and digitized, and within seconds can be transmitted and received almost anywhere in the world. Yet somehow, whoever is responsible for the Daily News app can only manage to get the Metro Final uploaded? Is it any wonder the newspaper industry is in trouble? Chuck Shannon

Stealth plates

Punta Gorda, Fla.: The ill-advised congestion pricing plans for Manhattan are easily defeated. The plan calls for elevated traffic cameras to read the license plates of vehicles and send owners a bill. Simple Fresnel lens covers over the license plates stop the camera from reading the plate numbers. A police officer can easily read the numbers from directly behind a vehicle, but a Fresnel lens will not allow a camera taking pictures from above or from a side angle to do this. Such covers are easily available online and are inexpensive. No one I know using them has ever received a bill from states that use these cameras, including New York’s toll roads and Florida’s, among many others. Perhaps the proponents of this bad idea need to go back to school and learn some basic optical physics! Harvey Goldstein

Who said it first?

White Plains, N.Y.: In 2002, Fran Drescher, a cancer survivor, wrote the book “Cancer Schmancer,” and is the founder of the Cancer Schmancer movement. If Gilda Radner used this phrase first, as Voicer Sharon Cesario wrote, then “never mind.” Randi Bernstein Feigenbaum

Ringing the alarm

Edison, N.J.: Jews and Israel are in deep trouble, believe it. The entire world is against us. Those Jews who do not believe it will soon discover how rampant antisemitism is. I have been warning our people day and night. I pray history does not repeat itself. Many Jews are deaf and blind. They do not hear the warning bells and refuse to see into the future. Bernhard Rosenberg

Licensed to kill

Lackawaxen, Pa.: Voicer James Hyland believes my earlier letter describes Bibi Netanyahu’s policies “as tantamount to genocide.” My opinion is simply that Israel has been killing Palestinian civilians for three-quarters of a century, and used a relatively minor terrorist attack as an excuse to double the Arab casualties. Our current acceptance of probability warfare (kill enough people and some will be enemy combatants) likely allows the killers to avoid war crime prosecution. The Voicer awards the Zionists a trophy for being “the most persecuted people in world history,” a prize now being tarnished. African-Americans and American Indians might challenge the “victim for the ages” designation. John A. MacKinnon

Impotent power

Whitestone: Benjamin Netanyahu has said the ground operation in Rafah, where 1.4 million Palestinians are trapped, is inevitable. President Biden said he believes Israel has slowed its bombardment of Rafah. He said Israel has made a commitment to him to save innocent Palestinian lives. Few people who have followed Biden’s strong support of Israel throughout this war believe he will ever stand up to Netanyahu for the killing of Palestinians, estimated to be more than 30,000, mostly women and children. Saying Israel’s military action is “over the top” is Biden’s way of blaming without doing anything. It is clear Netanyahu will escalate his murderous rampage unless Biden threatens to cut off military aid to Israel. Netanyahu is a war criminal. The “uncommitted” voters in Michigan delivered a warning that Biden ignores at his own political peril. I believe he will lose the presidency over his commitment to a ruthless murderer and his henchmen in Israel. Michael J. Gorman

Posthumous endorsement

Bronx: Notice that Billy Mays seems to have come back from the dead? He is on TV commercials advertising a cloth-mending product. His estate must have allowed it. Nice to see him back. Marc Sawyer

Act vs. statute

East Meadow, L.I.: To Voicer Phil Serpico: The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) is a federal law targeting organized criminal activity and racketeering, enhancing existing criminal punishments and creating new causes of action for crimes and acts done as a part of an organized criminal enterprise. It is not a crime itself. Prior to RICO, different mobsters perpetrated different crimes, and the government could only prosecute individual criminals instead of shutting down an entire criminal organization. RICO itself is not a crime, but different categories of crime fall under RICO, such as financial, property, statutory and inchoate crimes. So instead of criticizing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for calling RICO a category, you should be criticizing businessman Tony Bobulinski for calling RICO itself a crime. Richard Skibins

Orange suits him

Staten Island: There are no legal obstacles to running for president as a convicted felon or even from behind bars. The Constitution does not explicitly prohibit a presidential candidate from running for office while under indictment, or even while serving time after having been convicted. What a lucky man Donald Trump is. I just hope his prison-issued orange jumpsuit doesn’t clash with his hair. Myra Goodman

OPM

Staten Island: At a September 2016 rally in Kenansville, N.C., former President Donald Trump said: “There’s nothing like doing things with other people’s money. It’s called OPM. I do that all the time in business. It’s called other people’s money. There’s nothing like doing things with other people’s money because it takes the risk, you get a good chunk of it and it takes the risk. OPM: other people’s money.” At the time, it was reported that he used more than a quarter-million dollars from his charitable foundation to settle business lawsuits. And then Trump had to pay a $25 million settlement to those who attended Trump University. And at least six bankruptcies. How many people have suffered losses because of him!? RNC Committeeman Solomon Yue believes more than a majority of members are in favor of helping offset his recent bills; RNC committee member Henry Barbour said, “The resolution is dead.” Michele Corelli

Crypto coverage

Bronx: Coverage of Bitcoin and the crypto industry is too focused on bad actors rather than the diversity of New Yorkers who are enthusiastic about blockchain. Where are the voices of the real people and the homegrown innovators? When used properly, the technology is a ticket to financial freedom and access to the American dream for communities that have been shut out. With crypto, women are escaping abusive situations, small business owners are reducing costs, and Black and Brown people are building generational wealth. But the coverage is focused on crooks and regulators. Politicians and the media must stop letting negative headlines dictate their understanding of this transformative technology. Rep. Ritchie Torres and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand are leading pro-crypto lawmakers. But we need all hands on deck. Regulations should stop bad actors without scaring away innovators — and without squashing access to economic opportunity for New York’s communities that haven’t had it. Julio Barrios