Student loans, electric vehicles and union jobs,  rising sea levels, and RFK Jr.

Revamp interest on student loans

So President Joe Biden is continuing to implement student loan forgiveness despite the Supreme Court’s decision [“Loan forgiveness ‘Plan B’ to take time to unfold,” News, July 17].

These loan holders made the decision to take on student debt. Did they research colleges to find the best fit or did they just apply for the one they liked, perhaps just to “go away to school”? They made their choices, not me.

Were they forced into taking a loan like I would be forced to pay for their choice? I don’t think so.

What Biden should do is revamp the college loan program and either lower the interest rate or eliminate the interest altogether.

The bottom line is that today’s student loans were taken out by choice, and it’s time they are paid back by those who took them out.

— Judy Riccuiti, Farmingdale

I do not believe taxpayers should be saddled with the burden of replacing the money that the government will not collect from the borrowers who took out college loans. Who do you think will replace this money the government was supposed to receive? The taxpayers. Unfortunately, we do not often see this way of analyzing the loan forgiveness plan in the media.

— Bob Ryan, Levittown

EV bill would put union jobs at risk

New-car dealers are critical contributors to New York’s ongoing economic growth and provide over 100,000 jobs, many of which are under a union collective bargaining agreement.

However, a bill that would allow out-of-state electric vehicle manufacturers to bypass the traditional franchise dealership model and expand direct sales capacity would put these union jobs at risk [“Lobbying effort derails EV sales,” News, July 10].

EV companies like Tesla and Rivian, funded by Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos,  want special treatment, saying climate change is why they should skirt New York’s rules that have been functioning for decades.

This is not a climate change issue: Tesla’s own lobbyist admitted to the State Assembly Transportation Committee in 2022 that Tesla would not sell cars in New York “with the business model” Tesla has. Tesla would take money and jobs out of local New York communities, accumulating more wealth for Tesla.

We support a greener economy and electric cars. We do not support legislation undermining small businesses and labor unions to make modern-day robber barons richer. Tell these billionaires to play by the rules and they will be welcomed with open arms.

— Pete Devito Jr., Brookhaven

The writer is automotive director of the United Service Workers Union.

I think one of the related points missing in the article is that it doesn’t matter whether vehicles are powered by electricity, gas, diesel, or whatever, because the condition of our roads is deteriorating rapidly.

I would like to know why four inches of fresh asphalt remains the state’s resurfacing standard. Within three or four years, the seams crack, divots form, and more extensive and more dangerous potholes result. There has to be a better way.

Why not investigate why the state Department of Transportation continues to favor using such a substandard and expensive surfacing method?

— Barry Santini, Oceanside

Melting ice could lift sea levels quickly

I would think by now most people realize global warming is a fact [“Will U.S. heat records change folks’ minds?”, Letters, July 23]. When Canada was burning and the United States was getting all the smoke, the media were showing U.S. cities, but only after several weeks did they show the Canadian fires and how they were impacting Canada.

Now, a great percentage of people living in the Northern Hemisphere are undergoing a major heat wave. The media, again, are showing what’s going on in these areas.

But — and this is key — nobody is reporting on the melting glacier/snow packs of Greenland and Antarctica. The ocean waters might increase in this century not in inches but feet if the Earth’s temperatures keep breaking historic highs.

— Tom Wingenfeld, Lynbrook

Where are our sewers? We pay taxes, too

I live in the westernmost part of Suffolk County. Towns east of us are getting sewers installed [“$27M more for Suffolk sewers,” News, July 20]. Why is the Town of Huntington being ignored? I pay my share of taxes, and I still have a septic system.

— Howard Litwak, Melville

RFK Jr. isn’t acting like a Kennedy

I never thought I would see the day when former President Donald Trump would have something in common with a Kennedy, any Kennedy, and yet Robert F. Kennedy Jr. comes along, and here it is — misinformation [“RFK Jr. defends his social media post,” Nation, July 21]. I prefer the word “lies” — let’s call it what it is.

What a strange world. I’ll bet President John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, uncle and father, respectively, are out there spinning away.

— Susan Hennings-Lowe, Huntington