MTA fare evaders, NY affordable housing, actors' strike, EV sales and union jobs

City fare jumpers part of MTA hikes

The article “MTA plans fare, toll hikes” did not include vital information — that law-abiding riders are still getting stuck with paying more than they should.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, while considering physical barriers on the Long Island Rail Road with commuters needing to show tickets, allows massive fare evasion on city subways. The MTA admits that unpaid fares cost the system nearly $700 million every year.

Many times, I — and probably others — have notified the MTA about the subway fare jumpers and get the stock answer: We are aware of the issue and promise action. Talk is cheap. When? Give us a date.

The MTA puts monitors at a handful of subway stations, and they tell fare evaders they need to pay. What a joke.

The media should spend a few hours at different stations that are unattended and ask the MTA for the video footage. I know all law-abiding commuters and anyone who pays fares would appreciate it.

Use plainclothes and uniformed police officers to issue tickets. Who would jump a turnstile with an officer there? Fines would pay for police overtime.

The MTA has no right to ask people to pay increased fares while knowingly allowing others to ride free.

— Richard Trentacosta, Valley Stream

Affordable housing: Do more upstate

The article on Gov. Kathy Hochul’s latest push for more affordable housing in the New York metropolitan area specifies goals for Long Island, New York City and Westchester County [“Hurdles for Hochul on affordable housing,” News, July 23]. Why not address more areas in upstate New York, where housing and taxes are considerably less than here?

After all, Hochul awarded $850 million of taxpayer dollars to Buffalo to build a new Bills football stadium. I was born and raised on Long Island and have owned a home here for 35 years. When my wife and I bought our first home, “affordable housing” meant just that, a house you could afford. Travel on the Southern State Parkway — east or west at almost any time of day — and you will hit traffic.

Building more “affordable housing” near railroad stations is not going to create any economic growth. It will only stress our existing services on Long Island such as police, fire, sanitation, schools, water, sewer and the already stressed electric grid.

If you want more “affordable housing” on Long Island, do something about the taxes we pay, which are already the highest in the state.

— Raymond P. Moran, Massapequa Park

Big-name actors are the ones limiting pay

I chuckle when I read comments from big-name actors supporting the SAG-AFTRA strikers [“SAG-AFTRA holds rally in Times Square: ‘We ask you to hear us,’ ” flash!, July 26]. If these megastars would take only “stupid money” instead of “ridiculously stupid money” for their roles, there would be more money for those doing the less glamorous work.

To a certain degree, this has happened in professional sports, too. The Yankees signed outfielder Aaron Judge to an enormously rich, long-term contract, and the bottom-of-the-roster players maybe don’t get what they should have. In the NFL, quarterbacks sign contracts paying millions of dollars per game, and there’s less money available for the running backs.

The big difference is that professional athletes all make money that puts them in the upper echelon of income earners. I imagine this isn’t quite the case with the film industry.

— Ray Seeback, Ronkonkoma

It’s a free market for direct EV sales

A reader who’s an automotive union director claims that electric vehicle manufacturers would take union jobs, but that is not really the issue [“EV bill would put union jobs at risk,” Letters, July 25]. The question goes to our free-market capitalist system.

Laws exist that protect franchisees, like new car dealers, from infringement by the franchisor, like opening a factory-owned store to compete with its franchisee. If a manufacturer has no franchisees, then it is just a different distribution method.

Having lived in Glen Cove for years, I know that an entrepreneur looking to open a Long Island hamburger restaurant would not be denied starting one because McDonald’s has franchisees. Further, years ago, Dell personal computers were manufactured out of state and sold directly by Michael Dell’s company with no apparent arguments.

Tesla sells direct and has topped the J.D. Power customer satisfaction survey for years. And many auto manufacturers assemble their vehicles in non-union shops.

Why restrict one method of selling? Let the market — we the people — decide.

— Robert Bialer, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida