Cyclists ride their bikes on the recently opened North Shore Rail...

Cyclists ride their bikes on the recently opened North Shore Rail Trail. Credit: Morgan Campbell

LIPA customers, not execs, should benefit

It’s mind boggling. With its rates rising, the Long Island Power Authority is considering salary raises in compensation for executives [“LIPA mulls boosting CEO pay,” News, Aug. 3]? What about bringing down rates for customers?

The money that’s used to inflate salaries could help ratepayers instead of executives. When companies do well and/or get better stock prices, executives are rewarded. When things go sour here, it seems that the customers’ bills go up.

Help the ratepayers, not the executives.

 — Larry Lombardo, Lynbrook

No reason for Pelosi to travel to Taiwan

While our country should not allow our actions to be dictated by threats of reprisals, we also should not be taking actions that are likely to trigger retribution.

In this respect, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan was irresponsible and grossly negligent [“Pelosi visits Taiwan, defies China warning,” News, Aug.  3].

The White House’s relative silence and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s support are similarly irresponsible. This conduct shows how little our leaders understand international dealings.

In the Chinese culture, reputation and saving face are important. Pelosi’s trip will give China an excuse to take action resulting in significant harm to Taiwan.

The timing and purpose of Pelosi’s trip is not entirely clear and not worth the punishment it will exact on Taiwan. The time to show support for Taiwan is when China takes bold aggressive military measures against it, such as when Russia began amassing troops on the Ukrainian border.

Unprovoked defiant behavior has no place on the world stage.

 — Michael Sullivan, Garden City

Bikers must take care on North Shore trail

Brookhaven Town has done an excellent job in creating the North Shore Rail Trail, as your article indicates [“Biking the North Shore Rail Trail — with all the cool stops along the way,” Aug. 2, exploreLI].

The path is well maintained and has secure and safe crossing devices. Stop signs appear in both directions. These stop signs are to alert those on the path that they are about to enter and cross a motor vehicle roadway.

It should be of interest to bicyclists that they, too, must adhere to the rules of the road just as much as motor vehicle drivers.

Since the pathway opened, I already, as a driver, have had four close calls with bicyclists ignoring stop signs, racing across an intersection.

Since it is in my neighborhood, I cautiously approach the crossing areas, but that’s me. It’s only a matter of time before a tragedy occurs on one of the many crossings.

I don’t know what the solution is except awareness by both bicyclists and motor vehicle drivers.

 — John F. Lomaga, Shoreham

Shark cartoon misses real cause of danger

Matt Davies was quite off course with his anti-Republican depiction of Long Island sharks marked with terms such  as Proud Boys and white supremacy [Cartoon, Opinion, July 31].

Doesn’t he realize that these “sharks” are Democrat-caused — crippling inflation, the rise in crime, loss of energy independence, dwindling 401(k)s, increased taxes and the immigrant explosion? That’s what’s attacking Long Island this summer.

 — Adrienne Bryant, Northport

Sharks can help cut beach fees, taxes

Experts and various readers who seem knowledgeable about sharks have told us the past few weeks that the abundance of sharks close to the beach shores is a good thing [“Education may be best protection against sharks,” News, July 31].

They also say that the oceans belong to these aggressive predators and we are lucky to share it with them on occasion.

Does that mean that the portion of our property taxes dedicated to the care and maintenance of these beaches will be refunded if we don’t want to go swimming in shark-infested waters?

Maybe the politicians can ask the sharks to make up the difference when the legislators reduce our tax bills and waive the entrance fees to the beaches.

— Richard Impagliazzo, West Babylon

Electric car owners should take a stroll

During the heat wave [“Hot weather sticking around,” News, July 24], media outlets have been telling people to minimize their electric use by not using washing machines, clothes dryers, hair dryers, ovens, etc.

But I didn’t see them saying that electric car owners should walk.

 — John Procida, Flushing

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