LETTERS: 'Activist' Supreme Court, Peter Schmitt's raise...

'Activist' court ruling

only benefits the rich

So much for the Republican cry that conservative judges are not activist judges ["Campaign caps lifted," News, Jan. 22].

By overturning 20 years of precedent of court acceptance of the campaign finance laws, the Roberts court has shown once again that conservative judges are indeed activist judges, but their activism is not for the general population, we the people. Conservative activism almost always benefits corporations and the rich.

So much for a level playing field in the United States.

Joshua Lamhut

North BellmoreSchmitt's raise

is outrageous

You're fooling, right?

The economy is in the garbage ["Lawmakers' big raises," News, Jan. 26]. Unemployment is at 10 percent. Families in Nassau are losing their homes. Our children are leaving the Island, because they cannot afford to live here. And the Nassau Legislature votes Peter Schmitt a 47 percent raise?

I don't care what other county legislatures make; I don't live there. The legislators knew what the salary was when they ran for office. Schmitt even ran for re-election numerous times! How dare you!

Geo Parisi

East RockawayPush should stay on

for universal care

In this country, the wealthy receive state-of-the-art medical treatment for a chronic disease, while some Americans die from the same disease for a lack of treatment.

In the richest country on Earth, there are children who go to bed at night with a toothache, an asthma attack, an earache or some kind of infection that leaves them gasping for the next breath because their parents can't afford a doctor bill. In other developed countries, those sick children would be able to see a doctor and receive the medicine they need regardless of the family income.

When the World Health Organization rated health care in 191 countries in terms of fairness, the United States ranked 54th. Isn't it about time our country adopted universal health care?

Julian Saltz

JerichoWhich language

is really 'ours'?I find it hard to completely agree with a recent letter writer ["10-year resident should learn English," Letters, Jan. 25].

We have been in North America only since 1607, while the indigenous people ("Native Americans"), the Abenaki, Algonquin, Cherokee, Choctaw, Zuni, Hopi and many others, have been here for 12,000 years. Perhaps we should speak their languages.

Kevin J. Kretz

Amityville