NY Health Act again overlooked, solar panels, more

NY Health Act again overlooked by state

In 2018, Democratic activists were told, if you want the New York Health Act, you need to get the Democrats as a majority in the State Senate. In November 2018, we elected enough Democrats to get the majority back. In 2019, it did not pass the NYHA. In 2020, it did not pass the NYHA.

After the legislative session ended in June 2020, we were told it needed a veto-proof super majority in the State Senate to go with the super majority in the Assembly, to get the NYHA passed. In November of 2020, we elected enough Democrats to get a super majority.

In 2021, again, the NYHA was not passed ["Gender Recognition Act passed," News, June 12]. But in the last days of the session, it managed to pass a bill naming September as Onion Appreciation Month.

I guess it’s more important to support onions, than to ensure that nobody dies from lack of health insurance in New York. Every year, my out-of-pocket, unreimbursed medical expenses (not including premiums) are more than $11,000. That would buy a lot of onions. Too bad it didn’t buy me any politicians.

Eric Gemunder, Huntington Station

Many have paid price in war on terror

The letter "Recall WWII heroes? Today, it’s different" [June 9] burned me up. I don’t see how fighting in a war can be compared with the decision to get a newly developed vaccine. Talk about apples and oranges.

To question whether yesterday’s Americans were as self-centered as today’s, and to ask would we all be speaking German or Japanese? Well, that is completely dismissive of the thousands of Americans who have died or been wounded in the Mideast war on terror.

As a registered dietitian at the Northport VA Medical Center, I have seen young veterans who have lost their limbs. I have seen the suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries. Self-centered? All these brave Americans volunteered to put their lives on the line and sorely paid the price.

Terry Feldman, Central Islip

We must preserve Holocaust’s lessons

William F.B. O’Reilly made several errors both in fact and judgment in his recent column "Holocaust teaching bill too political" [Opinion, June 8]. First, there was no proven fiscal implication of the legislature bill. It passed through the State Assembly’s Ways and Means Committee with one vote against, by Assemb. Michael Benedetto (D-Bronx).

Also, there was no test involved in the proposed bill. The bill simply was designed to better understand how the state’s schools are filling the mandate to teach the Holocaust. The other three mandated topics, slavery, immigration, and the Irish Potato Famine, should also be surveyed in subsequent legislation. Members of the Jewish community and all New Yorkers have a right to know whether our schools are living up to their mandates. As survivors perish and the Holocaust becomes more difficult to teach, we need all hands on deck in our schools, religious institutions and in civil society as a whole to preserve the memory and lessons of the Holocaust and make sure that "never again" is not an empty promise.

Eric Post, West Hempstead

The writer is regional director of the American Jewish Committee Long Island Region.

Beware of side effects of advertised medicines

A new controversial drug for those with Alzheimer’s has an exorbitant cost and it "failed to show it helps patients much" ["Too high a cost for too iffy a drug," Opinion, June 10]. It seems as if medicines are the only tool used to alleviate disease.

Health food stores have other options to stay healthy. I believe not enough research is done on healthy living without dangerous chemicals or carcinogenic ingredients. These chemicals are in our everyday products with warning labels. Instead of more medicines, people should take a different route and "go more natural." Some medicines, of course, are necessary.

The food and drug industry, medical professionals and health insurance companies would be in upheaval if natural products prevented illness and diseases.

Julie L. Newman, West Babylon

Use school buildings for solar power

Recent talk about wind and solar power overlooks available sites for renewable power that exist throughout Long Island: school buildings ["Solar array lights up school district," Our Towns, June 9]. With broad, flat roofs, these structures are generally free from shade, and panels would not be visible from the ground. The power could cut costs during the school year and supplant the grid during summer vacation time.

Donald E. Simon, East Meadow