Don't punish China during pandemic

I understand there is an effort by the administration to punish China for being less than forthcoming about the COVID-19 outbreak. Is it too much to ask that our current leaders put all their time and effort into finding a cure for this pandemic that threatens our lives, our economy and our future? President Donald Trump says that perhaps China will tell us what they know about the outbreak. Do you really think our chances of that are better once we pile on some punitive measures against Beijing? And an idea is being floated that we, with the stroke of a pen, can wipe out the massive U.S. debt that the Chinese hold over us. Is that what America has come to? Can I wipe out my mortgage because I am angry with my bank? And what country, in its right mind, would offer us any type of credit were we to renege on such an obligation? Can’t we worry about China some other time and concentrate on finding a vaccine — now?

Charles Benkov,

Flanders

Trump has done a lot quite quickly

Responding to the letter “Trump should visit NY hospitals” [May 1], where does the letter writer get his information that hospitals are still short of supplies and that heath care workers are begging for equipment? What President Donald Trump has done in less than three months is nothing short of a miracle. He produced millions of needed medical supplies. The president says that if supplies are needed, they only have to ask.

Right now, there seems to be a surplus of everything — just ask Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. New York does not need as many ventilators; it is sending them out of state. The ship USNS Comfort has left New York Harbor because it is not needed. And, by the way, the president says he does not think that the thousands of people who have died is OK. To me, he works 24/7 on helping the American people.

Grace Caputo,

Bayville

Don’t forget what Trump said and did

It’s interesting how a letter writer [“Democrats’ behavior portends disaster,” April 28] chides the Democratic governors’ slow response to the pandemic and praises “how quickly and ably President Donald Trump has stanched the wound of the bicoastal Dems crying ...”

How conveniently he forgets that the president knew in January about the virus but did not act and at first called it a hoax, then said it was well under control, then said there were ample tests available, then finally started to act in March while proclaiming that “he knew it was a pandemic long before anyone else did.” Furthermore, he rated his response a 10 but said, “I take no responsibility” while promoting untested drugs and suggesting people ingest disinfectants. This is great management of the crisis?

Ann Weiss,

Merrick

Citizens, government should unite to win

For weeks now, we have heard our officials refer to the “war on COVID-19.” Is it really a war? No, it isn’t. War requires a concerted effort on the part of all our citizens and industries led by the federal government, not individual states.

Why must people scrounge for masks, overpay, or make their own that are not effective? Why have hospitals been short of ventilators? During World War II, we produced war materiel in astounding amounts. Tanks, planes, ships — all rolled off assembly lines 24 hours a day until we had enough to go forward to win the war. Is an N95 mask more complex than an M1 rifle? Is a ventilator more difficult to produce than a B-17?

Federalize our industries, which are capable of retooling and making what we need. If and when there is a surge in infection, let every man, woman and child in our country have easy access to an N95 mask, and all hospitals properly supplied with ventilators. Waiting is not an option.

Martin Farber,

Port Washington

Tough problems have no simple answers

In his column “There’s no easy way out for Trump” [Opinion, April 29], Lane Filler hit the nail on the head: President Donald Trump’s appeal is in championing easy solutions to intractable problems. Who doesn’t wish that bleach could eradicate COVID-19 in those infected? Or hope that Kim Jong Un’s “love letters” to Trump represent a real diplomatic breakthrough with North Korea? On the other hand, to paraphrase the writer H.L. Mencken, for every complex problem, there is a simple answer — and it’s wrong.

Brian Kell,

Sayville

Op-ed writer shows her bravery, too

Kate E. Lee is as much a hero as any working the front lines of the coronavirus war, for she has the courage to highlight the terrible xenophobia some Americans seem to have against Asians in blaming a race for a freak virus [“Attacking Asians won’t kill the virus,” Opinion, May 1].

Lee is not a virus nor the cause of it. She is an American who aspires to be a doctor so she can help others. As an American of Irish decent, I am proud to be her fellow American. Our country is better for having her among us.

Brian Madden,

Greenlawn