GOP response is off-base in socialism claims

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina is smart and, it would seem, has a bright future in Republican politics, but he was way off the mark in measuring the wants and needs of the American people ["Scott says U.S. not racists, hails previous GOP administration," News, April 29].

He describes the legislation proposed by President Joe Biden as a step toward socialism, the terror that his buddies in the Senate pull up every time the Democrats suggest help for the middle class, as opposed to that favorite GOP giveaway to the wealthy.

Ask Americans how they’d like to give up Social Security or Medicare, which have been fought against by the Republicans for years, insisting that would push the United States into socialism. It didn’t, and neither will efforts to provide Americans with the programs enjoyed by most developed countries in the world.

Did you ever wonder why the richest country in the world doesn’t have universal health care, child care, parental leave, or free basic education, and has so many hungry families and homeless people?

We have a ruling, wealthy class at the top, and too many poor people at the bottom. Maybe it’s time for the rich to pay a little more.

Joan Nelson, Ridge

Sen. Tim Scott’s statements that race is not a political weapon to settle every issue evoke a different perspective that it is not a Black versus blue matter. People need to look beneath the Black and blue.

What defines a person is not whether on the surface they are Black, blue, Hispanic, Asian or something else.

It is behavior — cooperation or lack of cooperation with police, excessive force by police, etc. — that defines people. All sides need to be responsible and do what they can to own the situation. Whether you defy police or police defy the law, that is the issue.

A situation will not escalate if the cycle is interrupted. It is time to step away from simplistic characterizations and look beneath the colors. We can begin to look at the color blame game for what it is and grow beyond racial simplifications.

We need to examine our own behaviors toward others before we can begin to make true progress.

Michael Sullivan, Garden City

Packing the court is just like Big Brother

The Supreme Court has had its current membership of nine justices since 1869. A Democrat contingent wants to add four more seats for a total of 13, which would assure them of gaining the majority ["Dems propose bill to add to Supreme Court," Nation, April 16]. What happens if the Republicans win back the Senate in 2024? Does the GOP then add six seats so the Republicans have the majority? Where does this end?

Let’s not politicize the Supreme Court. The late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a liberal, was against this. The Democrats want to make Washington, D.C., a state to add two more Democratic senators, which would break the 50-50 balance. This appears like legalized cheating. What’s next, federalize the voting rules of the states, the police departments, remove the filibuster? This appears more akin to socialism as opposed to the desires of our Founding Fathers, who wanted greater decision-making power at the state level.

It is said that history repeats itself, and this appears to be the first step of Big Brother moving in that direction. Is the United States moving more toward a dictatorship rather than rule by the people?

Robert McDonough, Cold Spring Harbor

Study on cop actions might shed new light

President Joe Biden is forming a think tank to see the effects of adding Supreme Court justices ["Dems propose bill to add to Supreme Court," Nation, April 16].

How about a think tank to analyze police shootings?

Every year millions of interactions occur between the police and the public. Anything from a traffic stop, domestic dispute, arrest for shoplifting, or filing an accident report, up to police responding to an active shooter. I believe the number of horrible tragedies are relatively minimal. One is too many, as in the case of George Floyd.

To me, though, the media would have you believe that police officers are intentionally getting into altercations that lead to the loss of life to members of minority communities.

If you were in Antarctica, isolated from the world for the past 20 years and came home and turned on the television, you might think these horrible incidents were happening multiple times every week.

Perhaps a study would prove the media is putting out a false narrative. That would help calm this country, not more judges.

Michael Byrne, Nesconset

Editor’s note: The writer is a retired Nassau County police officer.