LIRR's 20-ticket discount, U.S. women's soccer team, and a Hawaii cartoon

Dumping 20-ticket discount is foolish

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said the Long Island Rail Road’s 20-trip ticket discount cost the authority $6.7 million a year [“Restore 20-trip ticket discount,” Editorial, Aug. 8].

Compare that with the MTA recently receiving an extra $1 billion in annual state aid from taxes, expecting another $1 billion next year from new congestion pricing tolls, and raising fares and tolls next month, generating an additional $305 million annually in revenue.

Now, add to this that MTA overtime surged to $1.3 billion, and that it is estimating that the $200 million increase in overtime costs “will eat up over half” of the fare and toll increase.

So billions of extra dollars are flowing into the MTA, while more than a billion dollars is flowing out in overtime. And the MTA thinks it’s a good idea to save $6.7 million a year, or about 0.5% of the overtime costs, by eliminating this ticket option?

It looks like the riders are once again on the hook for the inefficiency of MTA management. When will this end?

— Mark Ryder, Garden City

If an audit is done, I believe more money mismanagement likely would be found [“MTA: Workers held two jobs,” News, Aug. 10].

Yes, the MTA has law-abiding employees, but others should be held accountable for their actions, then terminated and forced to pay back the money they owe. This may not bring millions of dollars back to the MTA, but it would show they are working on a solution and willing to admit mistakes and would restore riders’ confidence.

These days, people just roll their eyes at the MTA as an organization that wastes money. The new construction, schedules and ticket options don’t mean a thing if Penn Station is still filled with the homeless, trains aren’t on time or convenient, and new ticket options are more expensive.

They keep raising ticket fares and receive money from the state, and they’re still in the red. Do an audit.

— Josephine Budway, West Babylon

U.S. women’s team shows no patriotism

The U.S. women’s soccer team did not lose because of parity [“No longer world power, U.S. has lost dominance,” Sports, Aug. 8].

Maybe it was a lack of patriotism. Several players stayed silent or did not hold their hand over their heart when our national anthem was played at the Women’s World Cup in Melbourne, Australia. Star Megan Rapinoe even kneeled in the first games until ordered to stand. What a disgrace the world watched.

Rapinoe fought for more money for women’s soccer, and that was good.

I’m not watching political soccer anymore, though. If you’re not proud to be an American, don’t play on the U.S. team.

— Frank Damis, Holbrook

The U.S. women’s soccer team took its national anthem protests into its game against Sweden, and after its loss, the women had to head home. I couldn’t be happier.

As an American, I found this team to be unwatchable, and for the first time in my 51 years, I found myself rooting for whoever was playing against them — against my own country!

When are these spoiled, entitled athletes going to learn that many don’t care what they think, and we only tune in to see them play a sport. So just kick the darn ball.

What makes someone who can kick a soccer ball an expert in politics and social justice anyway?

Athletes and Hollywood elites need to understand that just because they are coordinated enough to play a game or can sing or memorize script lines, many of us don’t care what their views are, and it doesn’t make you an expert smarter than the rest of us. These athletes did not deserve to wear the U.S. uniform.

If they have it so bad here, they should ask athletes from countries such as China, Russia or North Korea what would happen if they protested during their national anthems.

— Scott Tirone, Westbury

Hawaii postcard cartoon in bad taste

I found Tom Stiglich’s political cartoon to be rude and insensitive [Cartoon Roundup, Opinion, Aug. 12].

The devastation from Maui’s fires is unbelievable. People had seconds, not hours or days, to try to escape with their lives. Not only were there at least dozens of deaths, but those who survived lost everything they own as far as homes and businesses.

To trivialize Maui with a charred postcard-style cartoon about Hawaii — usually a beautiful place to visit and/or live —  is disgusting.

— Thomas Csajko, Ridge