House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is surrounded by reporters looking for...

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is surrounded by reporters looking for updates on plans to avert a government shutdown, Friday at the Capitol. Credit: AP/J. Scott Applewhite

Our neighborhood has enough housing

I might shed some light on “LI takes small steps forward on housing” [Opinion, Sept. 20] regarding the massive housing development proposed in Sayville. I live on Lakeland Avenue on the same street.

Within 1.25 miles are five housing developments comprising several hundred units of townhomes and apartments, all this on a two-lane road that dates to the 1800s. It’s already difficult, frustrating, time-consuming and dangerous trying to enter Lakeland Avenue due to heavy traffic.

This Sayville neighborhood already has done far more than its fair share of supporting alternative housing choices. Maybe Randi F. Marshall can write a subsequent column on what she considers legitimate reasons to oppose a project like this. She lumps all proposed developments into the same bucket while lamenting “spreading misinformation until it becomes an alternate reality.”

I also resent the hypocrisy of the developer and other supporters of this monstrosity who would no doubt be up in arms over a development like this in their own neighborhoods. I dread the gridlock sure to follow if this massive or even scaled-back project goes through, with the hundreds of additional vehicles on my street, and that’s not “misinformation” or an “alternate reality.”

— Jeffrey Fass, Sayville

Menendez should be urged to resign

I am a lifelong Democrat who has watched the growing number of politicians who have been charged with violating the law or charged with ethics violations. Many make excuses, from denying the charges to blaming witch hunts or a weaponized Justice Department. Most won’t accept responsibility for their alleged acts. This now includes Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), who is surely entitled to a spirited defense but has already blamed the negative publicity on his being a “first-generation Latino American” [“NJ’s Menendez indicted on bribe charges,” News, Sept. 23]. This is nonsense.

He needs to resign at once. He is creating more division in this country. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and other leading senators such as Cory Booker (D-N.J.) need to urge him to leave.

If Menendez is guilty, then he is a disgrace. But in the interim, he can only bring dishonor to the Senate and our country and will be unable to fully do the job for which he was elected.

— Philip Paskowitz, Yaphank

Volunteer firemen do so much for so many

Matthew Hickerson’s Expressway essay, “His ‘brothers’ came through for my father” [Opinion, Sept. 17] resonated with me. My dad, John Kopitsch, was a member of the East Farmingdale Fire Department for more than 60 years. It was his lifelong passion, and he felt his duty as a community member.

Our summers were parades and tournaments every weekend, fire department open houses, and many family events throughout the year. My mother, a member of the ladies’ auxiliary, spent many late nights and hours making coffee and sandwiches for the men fighting a fire, but we gained lifelong friends and satisfaction knowing they were doing something important.

When my dad passed, even though he had moved to Florida, the department assisted us with his funeral in Farmingdale. An honor guard stood at his casket day and night, and a service was filled with firemen, many of whom never knew or served with my dad.

At the Mass at St. Kilian Roman Catholic Church, they were there as escorts, providing vehicles and accompanying us on a solemn ride past the firehouse.

It meant a lot that the department honored my dad this way. Our volunteer fire departments give so much to every community. We need to remember and thank these first responders who protect the community.

— Jacqueline Wilson, West Islip

Nice! Congress is paid even with shutdown

It’s pretty sad that Congress is heading for a government shutdown on Sunday, but Congress still gets paid for not working [“What if there’s a shutdown?”, News, Sept. 24]. How ridiculous is that? Maybe if the members didn’t get paid, they would reach an agreement sooner.

— Wayne Mortak, West Babylon

Seniors need good events with low fees

While most events involve fees, such as for Halloween, and many are for a carload of people, others are per adult [“On the fright track,” exploreLI, Sept. 19]. Either way, I am only one senior on a fixed income. Paying $25, or usually much more, for any event is about half of my week’s food budget, and so the events are out of reach.

So I’ll sit home and do nothing for the rest of my life.

I understand many events are fundraisers and others have expenses to put the activity together. Others are major shows at Long Island’s big theaters that might have reduced attendance if staged midweek. I’m not suggesting freebies, but why can’t there be greater discounts for solo seniors to get out and enjoy something once in a while?

— Barbara Diamond, Port Jefferson Station

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