Dogs on beaches, LIPA, subway chokehold death, and SBU

Limit beach dog ban to summertime

I agree with all of a reader’s reasons for banning dogs in the summertime when there’s heavy beach usage [“Dogs are wonderful, but not at beaches,” Letters, May 3]. But why not limit the ban, say from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and possibly restrict the hours that dogs can be on the beach, as other states do.

I’m a 70-year-old dog owner who’s had several dogs. I remember one cold January in the 1990s, with light snow coming down and not another person in sight, I was asked to leave the beach with my dog at Robert Moses State Park because dogs weren’t allowed there. It was absurd, but of course I left.

A hefty number of Long Islanders own dogs, and having nice places to walk them is an issue. Dog owners also pay taxes and deserve enjoyable, safe places, including beaches, to enjoy with their dogs.

— Rick Hannsgen, West Islip

I am not a dog owner and I have no issues with people who own dogs. I love my kids’ dogs.

However, allowing dogs at beaches should not be an option for those of us who seek the peace and tranquility of a day at the beach. Dogs are, after all, animals, and they will bark at other dogs, the seagulls and people, which is what dogs do.

Let’s face reality. Who will patrol the beaches to make certain that the rules regarding dogs will be enforced? Taxpayers should not bear any of this burden.

Shouldn’t the rights of beachgoers take priority?

— Suzanne Germaine, Massapequa Park

I have lived on Long Island for over 60 years and revel in the many beautiful beaches, especially at our lovely state parks. I visit Florida most winters, often one particular island for its pretty, quiet beaches. I no longer go to those public beaches because of the often-overwhelming odor of dog waste. I couldn’t see it, so it must have been scooped up, but some of the gift remains “Take long look at dogs on beaches,” Editorial, May 8].

I live with two dogs and a cat. I love them. I don’t take them to beaches intended for people.

Legislators need to factor in not just the evidence all around us that many people are careless, but the evidence that just because the poop is gone does not mean that it will not remain on our sensory radar.

— Stephanie Lapasota, Huntington Station

Don’t be misled by trashing of LIPA report

Poet Carl Sandburg is among those who said, “If the facts are against you, argue the law. If the law is against you, argue the facts. If the law and the facts are against you, pound the table and yell like hell.”

A letter sent by several business groups seeking to discredit an exhaustive report by the commission studying the future of the Long Island Power Authority reminded me of this expression [“Groups calling for new LIPA review,” News, May 7].

The letter argues that the report, compiled by dozens of professionals, featuring detailed financial analysis and including several public hearings, should be tossed into the trash based on an incident with a single consultant who worked on the analysis.

The letter, written by groups that already opposed municipalizing LIPA, does not dispute the report’s conclusion that fully municipalizing LIPA could save Long Island ratepayers $50 million per year, nor does it specifically dispute any facts that led to that conclusion.

Instead, the letter is an attempt to pound the table and yell like hell in order to discredit the great work done by the commission. We deserve better. Don’t be misled by those who only seek to protect their deep-pocketed self-interests.

— Drew Biondo, Port Jefferson

The writer is a former LIPA trustee.

Don’t quickly judge fatal subway struggle

How do we know that Daniel Penny was not “triggered” by Jordan Neely’s behavior [“Debate over college triggers alerts,” News, May 7]?

Penny is a Marine veteran, trained to help and protect those around him and himself “LI man in subway video,” News, May 7]. Let’s not be too quick to judge either man.

One is a protector, and the other had an untreated mental illness [“NYC struggles to handle treatment of mentally ill,” News, May 7]. I hope people and the media are fair and forgiving to both of them. If leaders do not think there are people in need of mental assistance, stop taking taxis and ride the subway — or walk on Eighth Avenue near Penn Station.

— Julie Nicholson, Amityville

Plan to build climate lab in harbor is all wet

We have all heard that one of the greatest threats from global warming is the rising sea levels.

So why would we spend over $700 million to build a lab to study the effects and causes of climate change on an island in the middle of New York Harbor [“An ideal laboratory for climate change,” Opinion, April 27]?

— Paul Piazza, Coram