Letters to the Editor — May 3, 2023
The Issue: The Legislature’s passage of a budget bill that bans gas hookups in new buildings.
China is building up to two coal-fired power plants per week (“A Budget To Bust New York,” Editorial, May 3).
New York state just banned new gas stoves and refuses to allow fracking in the very rich deposits in the western part of the state.
Couple this with the soft-on-crime laws and very costly failing schools, and one can more easily understand why residents are fleeing to other, better-run states. When will the voters end this insanity?
Larry Hootnick
Water Mill
Banning natural-gas hookups is another step towards disaster for energy security in New York state.
Redundancy is a recipe for dependability. An electrical grid powered only by wind and solar in a northeast environment is delusional.
I’m now a Florida resident, but I remember being without electrical power on Long Island for 2 ½ weeks in 2012 after Hurricane Sandy.
After that experience, we installed a natural-gas-powered generator for protection in the future, but soon that will no longer be an option to other homeowners in New York. Good luck.
Roger Halvorsen
Jupiter Island, Fla,
New Yorkers can’t blame Hochul for the gas-stove ban, crime, illegal immigrants, taxes or anything else.
Blame the real cause of the problems — yourselves. You voted her in. It’s all on you. She is only doing what all tyrants do. And guess what? It’s working.
There’s already talk of banning air conditioners in the near future. Keep voting your beloved Democrats in. They love your stupidity.
Storm Destro
Bayonne, NJ
Count me in on Hochul’s natural-gas ban. Burning natural gas creates nitrogen dioxide, which causes emphysema and heart issues.
While my Republican brethren don’t mind these proven heath challenges, I’ll put my money on the electricity alternative as a way to address climate change and deliver a livable planet to my grandchildren.
Ron Spurga
Manhattan
The Issue: The Bronx district attorney, who has the worst conviction and dismissal rates in New York City.
Regarding “Murders She Wrote Off” (April 30), there can be no dispute that the no-bail, discovery and Raise the Age criminal-justice “reforms” are wreaking bloody havoc in New York.
Despite the denials by woke prosecutors and legislators, the facts are that violent crime in our city has increased enormously since these laws were adopted, with criminals emboldened by the likelihood they will not be prosecuted for shedding an innocent victim’s blood. If they are prosecuted, the penalty will not involve substantial — if any — jail time.
The only question is why Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins continue to refuse to roll back or meaningfully amend those laws.
These progressive leaders’ refusal to acknowledge reality is undermining government’s basic function — to keep its citizens safe. It is long past time for them to step down.
Marc E. Kasowitz
Manhattan
Criminals in New York feared and respected real prosecutors such as Thomas Dewey, Frank Hogan and Rudolph Giuliani. They must be laughing at clowns such as Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark and Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg.
In the military, these bozos would have been court-martialed for dereliction of duty.
Incompetence and mediocrity are no obstacles to being a prosecutor in New York City.
Joe Zeloof
Hamilton, NJ
Want to weigh in on today’s stories? Send your thoughts (along with your full name and city of residence) to letters@nypost.com. Letters are subject to editing for clarity, length, accuracy and style.
