LETTERS: Unemployment benefits, cigarette sales and more

Benefit extension's too expensive

Your editorial regarding another extension of unemployment benefits begs for comment . First, you refer to unemployment checks as "stimulus," which flies in the face of anything resembling fact, except in accordance with liberal mind-bending.

Then you berate the House for rejecting another extension, "for want of offsetting spending cuts." What's wrong with offsetting another sure addition to the deficit with spending cuts? Haven't the American people spoken out loudly enough that this is precisely what they want? Your editorial is as dense as the Obama administration.

Lastly, you complain that without an extension, unemployment will be only 26 weeks of benefits "rather than the current 99 weeks." When did 99 weeks of unemployment become the norm? The editorial makes it sound as though it is, and that it would be almost criminal to reduce it to the 26 weeks that it had been for as long as I can remember.

Michael Biscuiti

North Massapequa

U.S. shouldn't export cigarettes

"Secondhand smoke's deadly toll" [News, Nov. 26] says that smoking kills roughly 6 million people world wide annually, a holocaust every year. While we, as Americans, are getting wise to cigarettes and secondhand smoke - increasing taxes, making it inconvenient to smoke or to smoke near others - what is our responsibility to other countries? We export this death.

Some may advocate free choice, for countries and individuals. However, smoking generally captures its customers when they are young and foolish. This is more like placing a stumbling block before the blind. And once a customer, there is no free choice in addiction. Like me, you probably know people who quit, but you probably also know those who have tried but cannot. Finally, corporations bribe governments here (through campaign donations) and elsewhere, so there is no free choice in that either, especially for the common person.

We will pay the price if we continue to profit on the suffering of others.

Joseph Mirzoeff

Port Washington

School librarians are guides to media tech

In "Steps to take now for our schools" , Valley Stream Central High School superintendent Marc Bernstein states that the Board of Regents should consider "eliminating the antiquated requirement that all high schools have at least one full-time librarian and a minimum number of books." His comment illustrates his lack of knowledge about the importance of certified school librarians.

Since 1990, there have been at least 20 different state studies from around our nation that have demonstrated the substantial benefits in terms of reading scores, literacy and academic achievement when school libraries are adequately funded and staffed with certified school librarians. The results can be found online in "School Libraries Work," published by Scholastic.

Closer to home, the Center for Digital Literacy at Syracuse University has conducted a study titled "New York State's School Libraries and Library Media Specialists." Their preliminary findings show a significant increase (almost 10 points) in the English Language Assessment test scores among fourth-grade students whose schools had certified librarians over students in schools without them.

The school library is the one place in school where our students can find experienced guidance in navigating all of the challenges of the 21st century for living and working in an information-rich technological society.

Sara Kardasz

Coram

Editor's note: The writer is the president of the Suffolk School Library Media Association.

Subject immigrants to pat-downs, too

I think we should station Transportation Security Administration agents at the most commonly used border crossings for people illegally entering our country and respectfully request that the travelers go through scanners or allow pat-downs of their body.

Attorney General Eric Holder would probably sue Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano for civil rights violations.

Peter Kelly

Medford

Road safety should be better by now

"Fewer Road Fatalities" [News, Nov. 23] is somewhat misleading. This article claims that the roads on Long Island are as safe as they were in 1961, based on the number of traffic fatalities.

Consider that the vehicles we are driving are much safer now than they were in 1961. They are equipped with seat belts and shoulder harnesses, supplemental restraint systems (air bags), better brakes (disc brakes and anti-lock systems), traction control and electronic stability control systems.

Also, our emergency services are better. First responders, police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians (nonexistent in 1961) are better trained, better equipped and with a quicker response time. Hospital emergency rooms and doctors are able to handle trauma victims quicker and more efficiently. Our roads have also been vastly improved. With all that going for us, motor vehicle fatalities are still at a level that we reached in 1961.

Some may say that there are many more drivers on the road, and that is absolutely true. Drivers are the weak link in the safety chain. We need to improve our driving capability and our attitude behind the wheel to drive down highway fatalities.

James Ellerby

Huntington