Latest hurricane is a wake-up call, abortion cutbacks

Latest hurricane is a second wake-up call

Who would have expected so much devastation on Long Island and in New York City  from the remnants of a hurricane that first made landfall over Louisiana ["Plan better for future storms," Editorial, Sept. 3]?

I was prepared a week earlier when Tropical Storm Henri took aim at Long Island but was shocked when I woke up to reports of unprecedented flooding from Hurricane Ida.

As Gov. Kathy Hochul investigates whether there was adequate warning for this particular storm, we should all ask ourselves if, on some level, we knew this could happen.

Like superstorm Sandy, this is another wake-up call.

In the years since Sandy, New York has become a leader on climate action. Former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, New York City passed the Climate Mobilization Act, and several New York members of Congress support the single most effective climate mitigation policy — carbon pricing.

We should ask members of Congress  for carbon pricing to be included in the budget reconciliation.

— Todd Levy, Dix Hills

I was heartened to see President Joe Biden emphasizing that the recent catastrophic flooding in our area was due to the climate crisis ["Biden sounds climate warning," News, Sept. 8].

However, talk is cheap and our leaders need to act immediately to prevent worst-case outcomes for our planet. Biden and the Environmental Protection Agency need to implement the strongest possible vehicle pollution limits and fuel economy standards.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has an opportunity for New York to lead the way in electrifying cars and trucks and quickly transition us to renewable energy. With the number of smoggy air quality alert days this summer, reduced vehicle pollution will literally be a breath of fresh air.

Our leaders must stop pandering to fossil fuel lobbyists and do what’s right for both the people and the planet.

— Bridget Nixdorf, Islip Terrace

I love dogs, and I strongly believe that we have an ethical obligation to care for all animals. However, I found the Sept. 7 front-page headline and page 5 story on dog adoptions affected by Hurricane Ida to be misplaced ["So ruff: Rescued dogs arrive on LI," News].

Where was the cover story about the humans left without electricity, food or a safe place to live? Yes, the story of displaced animals is heartwarming as we could all use some good news, but I expect Newsday to prioritize the day’s important stories, and the amount of space devoted to dogs versus the tragic impact on humans demonstrates, to me, a lack of compassion for the real victims of Hurricane Ida.  

— Rebecca Katz-White, Roslyn Heights

How to cut back on need for abortions

Imagine a woman faces an unplanned, unwanted pregnancy and could sue the man who impregnated her ["Texas abortion law latest in reverse acts," Letters, Sept. 8]. I’ll bet half of the abortions would not take place if every mother were given a sperm-baby "dowry," funded by the men responsible for the pregnancies, in addition to them paying the requisite child support.

Let’s use Texas’ recent $10,000 lawsuit figure as an example. If that sum were given to an expectant mother, she wouldn’t have to worry as much about how she would shelter, feed and care for a baby, especially with no support system.

Single mothers must work to support themselves, but paying for childcare hinders a mother’s opportunity to work. A dowry would help offset that. It seems peculiar that it takes two to create a pregnancy, but the woman is the one who faces the consequences.

If men were fined or sued for $10,000 for every unwanted pregnancy they caused, they might be more careful. At least the mother would get more funding to help care for her child.

If Texas indeed cared about the life of a child, then it would build a better support system for women in this predicament.

— Debbie Sturgess, Stony Brook

A major justification for government’s police power is to eliminate the need for those seeing themselves as wronged to take the law into their own hands. No more vendettas, blood feuds or duels. Instead, the police and government are responsible for enforcing the law. In fact, it is a crime to interfere with the government’s enforcement of the law.

Now, Texas has abdicated its law enforcement responsibility to vigilantes. What is wrong with this picture?

— Carl Grasso, Huntington