History teaches us valuable lessons

Kudos to Scott D. Reich for "A unity message Biden must deliver" [Opinion, Nov. 30]. Reich’s examples from divisive elections of 1800 and 1860 show the enormous value of learning from past experiences. President-elect Joe Biden can apply even more historical lessons if some on his staff are assigned to read Alan Jacobs’ "Breaking Bread With the Dead."

Michael D’Innocenzo,

Mineola

Editor’s note: The writer is distinguished professor emeritus of history at Hofstra University.

Difficult position for the MTA

While it is difficult to feel much sympathy for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority given the mismanagement that has been rampant for years, I believe it is in a horrendous position now through no fault of its own ["MTA fare hike debated," News, Dec. 3]. One can certainly understand riders not wanting a fare increase now. Making matters worse, relief from Washington does not appear to be on the horizon. Given that stay-at-home rules will certainly remain in place for the foreseeable future, ridership will continue at a fraction of normal levels. Given reduced ridership, it would seem that service cuts would make more sense than a rate increase. Yes, that will mean layoffs, but, hopefully, with vaccinations coming soon, they will only be temporary and ridership will begin to return to more normal levels.

Arthur M. Shatz,

Oakland Gardens

It’s true: ‘Better safe than sorry’

What a tragedy that the United States surpassed the quarter-million mark of COVID-19 deaths last month — one dead American for every five deaths in the world while the morbidity count continues unabated with federal response at its tepid worst ["CDC boss issues virus warnings, guidelines," News, Dec. 3]. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top expert on infectious diseases, has been the leading voice of evidence-based science and reasoning since the pandemic’s start. Unfortunately, his ongoing pleas and professional advice of caution have fallen on deaf ears of millions of Americans reluctant to acknowledge the ongoing reality and severity of the pandemic. It would be reasonable to embrace an abundance of caution during the upcoming holidays. This can be easily done by avoiding unnecessary travel and restricting celebrations to only household members. This would certainly ensure that we have plenty of opportunities to enjoy more holidays in the coming years by staying safe and healthy now. What can be more forceful, insightful and easily practiced than invoking the time-tested mantra "better safe than sorry" in these unprecedented times?

Atul M. Karnik,

Woodside

Trails, active transit part of LI’s future

We agree enthusiastically with the editorial board’s recent call for mixed use redevelopment to make Long Island more equitable and livable for generations to come ["Building blocks of LI’s future," Editorial, Nov. 30]. Implicit in this vision for interesting, compact downtowns is a need for walking and biking infrastructure. In fact, the caption on your picture cites proximity of the Long Island Innovation Park in Hauppauge to the historic Motor Parkway. Readers might be interested to know that The Trust for Public Land plans a trail along that parkway called the Long Island Greenway, running 175 miles from Manhattan to Montauk. The trail will be an integral part of Long Island’s future, connecting downtowns, redevelopment areas such as the Innovation Park and the Nassau Hub, 26 parks and 46 train stations. The Long Island Greenway will make biking and walking safe for people on Long Island and will be a real option for getting exercise, visiting friends, even picking up groceries. It will also bring people to local businesses and attract visitors from across the state and region while promoting physical and mental health, reducing carbon emissions, and cleaning the air. Active transportation is a vital part of Long Island’s live/work/plan communities and a key to attracting and retaining residents.

Carter Strickland,

Brooklyn

Editor’s note: The writer is New York State director of The Trust for Public Land.

I rely on Newsday for coverage of development updates on Long Island, including the millions of dollars spent recently on industrial development agency tax breaks for developments regardless of the consensus of taxpaying residents. And while I appreciate the reporting of the rezoning at the Long Island Innovation Park as an important resource for the community, I believe the editorial board shows an awkward bias. In my view, many are tired of hearing about the so-called need to build as the only way to increase our tax base. To me, developers continue building without consideration of community or quality of life. We have traffic snarls, and our taxes are some of the country’s highest. If building made us richer, we would be sitting on a pile of gold right now. Conversely, Suffolk County’s budget is hemorrhaging. One contributing factor has been major tax abatements in the form of IDA giveaways. Builders will continue to ask for millions of dollars to build megadevelopments that will further strain our tax base with increased demand for fire safety, police, schools, road maintenance and more.

Amy Plympton Fortunato,

Smithtown

Nassau giving union a raise is a bad idea

What are the legislators and Nassau County Executive Laura Curran thinking? Facing a huge budget deficit and possible worker layoffs, where do they get off giving the Superior Officers Association a 15% raise through 2026 ["Nassau legislators OK raises for superior officers totaling 15%," News, Nov. 24]? Nassau is expecting a federal bailout to help balance its budget, and if it doesn’t come, there will be more pain as sales tax revenues slowly come back. When one is in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging. I believe raising taxes is a bad idea. To me, giving these raises when others are facing layoffs is a mean-spirited idea. The remaining unions likely will look for a similar deal. I can’t believe the Republican-controlled legislature ("Republicans in name only") passed this legislation. No wonder Nassau County is in a hole. I feel there is no hope for the county, and all is lost.

Darryl Dowers,

Syosset