Readers sound off on nursing home fraud, spring’s advent and Trump on Jews

To keep nursing homes honest, open their books

Mineola, L.I.: On March 4, New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced an $8.6 million settlement with Fulton Commons Nursing Home and its owner, Moshe Kalter, resulting from years of financial fraud and blatant violations of the New York State Public Health Law.

This case is another example of why the state Legislature must pass broad financial transparency statutes that require nursing homes to make public all spending that the facility engages in. Most if not all funding for nursing homes in the state comes from Medicaid and Medicare. Many facilities misappropriate funds to line the pockets of the owners and their families. This has been going on for as long as I have been suing nursing homes. I have confirmed it during the discovery process on numerous occasions.

The Fulton Commons owner set up no-show jobs for his children as well as paid exorbitant rent to a related entity also owned by the nursing home owners. Why wasn’t he charged criminally for this fraud? Nursing home lobby groups like LeadingAge and the Medical Society of the State of New York are big political donors to both Democrats and Republicans. They are constantly opposing regulations that would make nursing homes safer — in this writer’s opinion, to protect the owners and their investments, not for the betterment of residents.

In addition to paying related entities outrageous rents, nursing home owners also set up “management” and “consulting” entities that they own and control to skim more money out of facilities. Until there is true financial transparency, the fraud will continue and residents will continue to suffer. John Dalli

Revolving door

Yonkers: To Robert J. SanFilippo: Although I appreciate your sentiment on preventing subway crime, all the police in NYC can’t help as long as we have district attorneys who don’t prosecute. The majority of crime is committed by repeat offenders who keep getting released. Until there is a drastic policy change, these crimes will continue. Tony Forlenza

Club man

White Plains, N.Y.: Doesn’t Joe Torre work as an assistant to the MLB commissioner? Then why was he in a Yankee uniform the other day? Not only in uniform, but he went to the mound to remove a starting pitcher during a spring training game. He still bleeds Yankees blue. How can he be impartial to any issue that comes across his desk in his job with MLB? Talk about a conflict of interest. Jeff Gold

Seasonal liberation

Brooklyn: You can feel it in the air. The headstrong pull of winter is beginning to loosen. The winds are calming down, as if apologizing for their indignation during the past three months and the sense of oblivion they ushered in. The birds, no longer sleepy, twitter endlessly with deep gladness and primal longing, anticipating the charm and freedom of spring about to break on our world. The land is filled with creatures, unlike us, living harmoniously with one another, respecting nature and a sensible code of conduct. While we are wrapped in petulant anger, spring rounds out pain and suffering and slowly turns it into sunshiny promises of hope, ready to share them with us if only we would listen. Vasilios Vasilounis

Corrections

Bronx: Your Feb. 4 biographic stated that Nicki Minaj was the first act to simultaneously have seven songs on the Hot 100. Just one earlier example of this is the week ending April 4, 1964. That’s when The Beatles had 11 songs on the Hot 100, including the entire top five. Also, the Isley Brothers “Twist and Shout” did not spend 11 weeks at number one on the Hot 100. It peaked at No. 17 and No. 2 on the R&B charts. Richard Warren

Sovereign state

Manhattan: Your Editorial Board (“Chuck vs. Bibi,” editorial, March 16) can put on as much lipstick on him as you want, but Chuck Schumer is still what he is, a White House shill. He was not a lone senator speaking his mind on the Senate floor; he was the majority leader, the man behind the president’s agenda — both foreign and domestic — advocating regime change. Well, someone should tell Chuck, Kamala Harris and the rest of the world that Israel is a democracy. It holds elections only when terms end or when Knessets fall. Israel will not hold elections at the beckoning call of President Biden or the preaching American media. Louie Russo

Antisemitic antics

Flushing: The exalted and distinguished Donald Trump has told Jews who support Democrats that they hate Israel and their religion. Does that mean they should support his party, which contains neo-Nazi sewer rats? I suggest he join them in the hole where they reside. Lester Simon

Rogue regime

Arverne: I am a Navy vet from the war in Vietnam, a proud American and a proud Jew. I am old enough to remember the liberal democracy that Israel achieved through war in 1948 and the subsequent wars to keep it that way. As such, I am once again appalled at the comments of the criminal who tried to end America’s democracy by stealing a valid election. I love America. I love Israel. I am a secular Jew involved with Reform Judaism. What I hate is not Israel or being Jewish. I hate what Israel has become under its far-right-wing government and leadership, just as I hate the right-wing government that Donald Trump wants to bring to America. Bibi Netanyahu has done away with Israeli democracy. Trump wants to do away with American democracy. Any American Jew who votes for Trump or supports Bibi and his right-wing government is destroying their birthright and their religious beliefs. Howard Schwach

Won’t be manipulated

Howard Beach: Trump said that American Jews who vote for Democrats “hate Israel” and “hate their religion.” Trump’s attempt to bait Jews to vote for him by using this rhetoric won’t work. If Trump had any self-awareness, he would realize that it is his actions and words that have turned off everyone except his MAGA supporters. Trump’s character overrides any reason to vote for him. Barbara Berg

Reject the rhetoric

Bronx: Individuals who want to use you for their own ends believe that telling you their lies are good enough. Running for office on lies and deceit is a platform we see all too often. Let us stand up and refuse to buy their chaos. Mark Benveniste

Roiled resting place

Scranton, Pa.: If Donald Trump has to sell his New Jersey golf course where his first wife is interred, will she be included in the deal or will she be buried in a fun park to be named later? Vin Morabito

Time to pay

Whitestone: For all of the subcontractors and vendors who got screwed out of payments over the years by The Donald: Karma, Mr. Trump. Jack O’Connell

Public threat

Pine Plains, N.Y.: The shameless personal attack on Donald Trump by New York State Attorney General Letitia James should be a warning to every New Yorker that no one is safe from predatory prosecution by out-of-control prosecutors if they set their sights on you. They will create fictitious prosecutions based on convoluted interpretations of obscure laws cherry-picked to fit whatever supposed crime they have searched out. These become personal vendettas designed to bankrupt their victims. Anyone just living their life as best they are able can find it destroyed if the likes of James gets you in her targeting scope. Joseph McCluskey

Freedom of choice

Manhattan: To Voicer Steven Fromewick: Yes, we get choices on Election Day — just two, basically, but as a truly democratic society, why can’t we choose our choices? We should be able to vote in both primaries in each election cycle or do it open primaries. Nowhere in the Constitution are parties even mentioned, so how did they get to be kingmakers? Why should a citizen have to be a member of the party to vote in a primary? Why would you deny people a choice? I have started to look at parties similarly to religious groups. I’m not a member, but they’re trying to dictate societal norms on all of us based on their beliefs. We have a right to choose our choices. Sean Allison