Suffolk County clean water plan, forgiving college loans, and Supreme Court gay rights ruling
Wisdom Cole, NAACP National Youth and College director, speaks as student loan debt activists rally outside the White House after President Biden announced his student loan debt plan in 2022 in Washington 2022. (Photo by for The Washington Post via Getty Images) Credit: The Washington Post via Getty Images/Craig Hudson
Water plan inaction steaming residents
What is it about us humans that the awareness of a crisis doesn’t compel us to take positive action to confront it? Whether we’re talking about climate change, gun violence or a pandemic, we often do little until irreparable harm has been done. I’m afraid that the Suffolk County Legislature’s Republican and Conservative majority is continuing this destructive behavior.
Your editorial “Send clean water plan to voters” [Opinion, July 14] rightly asserts that “Recognition of the problem (nitrogen pollution of Suffolk’s ground and surface waters) is near-universal.” The editorial details a crass political motivation — November’s elections — for the majority’s endangering our water.
I’m aware, of course, that Republicans and Conservatives are not unique in acting — or not acting — because of crass political motives. Witness last year’s state Democrats’ redistricting plan overreach. But when it comes to the vital issue of clean water, shouldn’t we expect better?
— Jim Morgo, Bayport
While I commend the editorial, it fails to point out a critical point: the more time our Suffolk County legislators delay the rollout of this plan and deny the voters the right to decide, the greater the likelihood that the county loses out on accessing once-in-a-generation federal and state grant dollars for sewers.
We need a local funding source, the proposed clean water plan, to access these grants. Funds from the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and $4.2 billion state environmental bond act won’t be around forever.
Suffolk legislators need to allow this to move forward on July 25, then let the voters decide in November and secure these dollars. This is our only shot. This should not be a political issue; it is what is best for the people of Suffolk County.
— Jennifer Casey, Huntington Station
The writer chairs the Suffolk County Planning Commission.
The editorial does not mention that Suffolk County is sitting on $700 million in reserves from COVID-19-related federal grants, which can be used for sewers. Also, the county diverted nearly $200 million from the sewer fund while promising to repay it, only to renege.
Why should county officials be able to siphon this money for sewers that was already there and then turn around and raise our taxes 0.125% to replenish it, especially when $700 million exists right now in the budget for sewers?
— Thomas Eagan, Blue Point
Investigate those who took out the loans
Before taxpayers have to pay off college loans for over 800,000 people who have made payments over 20 to 25 years, will anyone investigate these people to determine if they struggled, or did they buy new cars, take expensive vacations and enjoy life while neglecting their responsibility regarding the loans they agreed to [“$39B in loan forgiveness,” News, July 15]? Meanwhile, the responsible people already paid off their loans.
— Gary Maksym, Massapequa
How about requiring community service for a specified time in order to have a loan forgiven?
— Marc Rogovin, Manorville
Why does the media, or anyone for that matter, continue to label President Joe Biden’s plan as “loan forgiveness” or “loan cancellation” “Loan forgiveness ‘Plan B’ to take time to unfold,” News, July 17]? The correct terminology is debt transfer. The debt is not being forgiven or canceled. The loan is still being paid back. The debt is merely being transferred to people who did not take the loan.
— Dan McCally, East Islip
High court’s artist ruling irks reader
If Supreme Court justices want to be thought of as originalists, they should take a serious look at the First Amendment, especially the part where it says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion” “Artist ruling seen as defeat for gay rights,” News, July 1]. It’s the very thing that Thomas Jefferson referred to as “a wall of separation between the church and state.”
The state will not tax any religion so as not to inhibit it in any way. Conversely, the state will provide no funding for any religion whether they be popular, powerful, wealthy and/or influential. Stop funding them, their schools and providing transportation and books. Stop advocating for prayer in publicly funded schools. Stop looking the other way.
No religion should have to pay a penny in taxes to the government, and not one taxpayer penny should be paid to any religion. Amen.
— Bruce Stasiuk, Setauket
I had to laugh at “The Sopranos” and “White Lotus” star Michael Imperioli’s response to a Supreme Court ruling by “forbidding bigots and homophobes” from watching his shows [“ ‘Sopranos’ star wants to ‘forbid bigots’ from watching his work,” flash!, July 4].
Who is he to label anyone a bigot? He has lived in a fake world. Is he going to get a fake gun and go all tough guy on some poor viewer?
Is George Takei going to beam himself into someone’s living room and laser that viewer’s TV to smithereens? Actors are not that important.
— Kevin Mullen, Holtsville
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