Readers sound off on the MAID Act, Roger Corman’s movies and coping skills

New Yorkers should not suffer agonizing deaths

Brooklyn: Kudos to the Daily News for calling out the New York State Legislature for its inexcusable delay over several years as it relates to the pending Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) Act (“Life, death and Albany,” editorial, May 9). The sole purpose of this very compassionate legislation, contrary to numerous falsehoods irresponsibly spread by opponents of the measure, would be to allow terminally ill New Yorkers the option of a peaceful death if their end-of-life suffering becomes too great to bear. This kind of end-of-life autonomy has been very responsibly made available for years to mentally competent dying patients in 10 other progressive-minded states — including our neighbors in New Jersey and Vermont — as well as in Washington, D.C.

As a result of the procrastination and dithering in Albany, far too many New Yorkers continue to watch their terminally ill loved ones endure needlessly agonizing deaths. This points to a clear failure of leadership on this critical issue by Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (photo). Do these legislative leaders not realize (or care) that more than 70% of New Yorkers favor enactment of this truly compassionate and responsible measure?

In the handful of weeks left in this year’s legislative process, I can only hope that Albany gets off the sidelines and enacts the critically needed MAID Act. Although death is inevitable for all of us, our legislative leaders’ inaction on this issue continues to translate into far too much intolerable and unnecessary agony throughout New York. Bernard O’Brien

Industry arguments

Valhalla, N.Y.: National Grid’s Long Island, Staten Island and Brooklyn customers’ gas rates are poised to increase by nearly $65/month by 2026. This comes on the heels of recent Con Edison gas rate hikes of nearly $30/month in just one year in NYC and Westchester. Substantial portions of both these hikes are the result of wasteful investments in new gas pipes, and downstate N.Y. can expect larger hikes in the future. The NY HEAT Act will address this issue while also directly addressing energy affordability for all New Yorkers. Yet, right-wing politicians and fracked gas propagandists from upstate published a double dose of disinformation, “Don’t raise the N.Y. HEAT Act: It threatens the safety of all New Yorkers” (op-ed, May 12) and “We have to be honest about energy costs” (op-ed, May 12), in a single day. Anshul Gupta

Former phrase

Saratoga Springs, N.Y.: Since nobody else is doing it, I hereby decree that as of Monday, June 17, 2024, the phrase “X, formerly known as Twitter” will cease. Henceforth, the phrase will be merely “X.” Please notify all concerned parties. Bob English

Practice what you preach

Woodland Park, N.J.: Tom Selleck spent last week being interviewed on every available TV show promoting his new book and telling us how disappointed he is that his show “Blue Bloods” has been canceled. He said he worries that if he does not work enough, he may not be able to hold on to the 63-acre avocado farm he lives on. With the extra time he now has, perhaps he will see one of those constantly running commercials with him promoting reverse mortgages for exactly the problem he is worried about. Check it out, Tom. Problem solved. John Dent

B movie A-lister

Tivoli, N.Y.: One of the best directors of the 20th century passed away a few days ago (“Farewell ‘King of the Bs,’ ” May 13). He was 98. Roger Corman made mostly B movies but they were entertaining and brought new life and fans to actors such as Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre. He was the first director to use a new actor in his movies — Jack Nicholson! He also directed one of my all-time favorite movies, “The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.” Best Valentine’s Day movie ever! Marc Savino

Lamentable loophole

Manhattan: Voicer Louie Russo has the right idea about enforcing laws concerning e-bikes speeding on sidewalks, but he misses a point. How do you issue a ticket to an e-biker who is often an undocumented person who has no ID and might not speak English? There are no licenses to suspend or registrations to revoke — documents a cop needs to enforce the law. E-bikes are treated like any other bike except they are required to speed no more than 20 mph. But many speed past me in my car as I drive the 25 mph limit. Rewiring the lithium-ion battery cells will produce more voltage, which means more speed but also an unbalanced charging that could create a fire. The city is now considering lowering the speed limit for drivers to 20 or 10 mph. Good idea, but it won’t apply to e-bikes because it can’t be enforced. Vincent Novak

Public unsafety

Brooklyn: The tourist who was stabbed in Times Square and the famous actor randomly punched in the face (“Actor Buscemi randomly punched on Midtown street,” May 13) are alarming because it has become a trend with people walking the streets and traveling on transit every day and night in NYC. They say the attackers are mentally ill, so they are let go soon after they are arrested because of lenient district attorneys, judges and jurors who feel sorry for them. But whether the ones committing serious crimes are mentally ill or not is no excuse to let them back onto the streets with no real jail time to commit even more crimes, sometimes taking someone’s life. Joseph Comperchio

Well said

Staten Island: Kudos to Voicer Nancy Reilly for her contribution to Voice of the People re the raising of the American flag that was removed by protesters at City College of New York. She totally nailed it. Nobody could have said it better! What a patriot. Brian O’Leary

Dress to impress

Massapequa, L.I.: Thank you, Voicer John Brandenburg, regarding your letter about dressing professionally at work. When I was a young girl, I admired how classy and professional the women looked as news anchors. I learned from them how to dress professionally and feel respectable, ladylike, etc., when I wasn’t partying. Maybe Fox News wants the women to look “foxy” so more men will watch. There are other local stations that have no dress code. Two anchors on News 12 with their cleavages and tight pants; PIX11 has one who really dresses inappropriately. However, I admire Kaity Tong on PIX11, who always looks classy and casually elegant. Other women will respond that it’s “body shaming” to tell women not to show their bodies. I feel the problem is no self-respect and no respect for their coworkers or the audience. What message are they sending? Jean Marie Chiaramonte

Things change

Tarrytown, N.Y.: To Voicer Dennis Burge: It’s because of me that newsstands are going out of business? I guess you’re going to blame me for the end of VHS tapes, 8-tracks and not putting our kids in car seats. It’s called adapting, Dennis. I am 60 and continue to keep up with the times as much as I can. I understand your frustration of paying a dollar more and not receiving the latest edition. That is why my advice to you was to subscribe to the digital version. And I definitely do not subscribe to get the latest on the Lupica family. But if you’re like me, like it or not, we have grown up with them. Stephen Talenti

Fortify yourself

Warwick, R.I.: Most Americans live their lives anticipating no serious concerns as they pursue their daily activities. We usually expect that the car will start, your job is secure, your money and valuables are safe, your technology will respond normally and your personal safety is assured. But even when one negative occurrence happens, we become desperate to find an immediate solution, as time is not an option for resolution. Therefore, we should live our lives expecting sudden changes, as they surely will occur. A health crisis, loss of a job or financial concerns are just a few of the adversities we all will face someday. Preparing for the unknown is hard, therefore accepting these difficulties with composure and resolve can be a start for resiliency and recovery. One option is to live life with enthusiasm and purpose so these difficulties can be processed clearly. Time is a factor that mends. Bob Sweeney