This day, common folk have a voice

Kenneth Strong said it all, simple but eloquent [“I hurt for our leaderless America,” Opinion, May 18]. Oh, how the ordinary folk can drive a point home beautifully. That man speaks with the voice of an intelligent and sensitive man. He should be thanked for his compassion and thoughtfulness. I imagine he speaks for most of us common folks.

Paul McDermott,

Glen Cove

Thank you, Kenneth Strong, for eloquently putting into words what I have always felt in my heart, and much more these days. I, too, grew up on my beloved Long Island, in Wantagh, listening to what my grandparents told us about the greater good. I don’t believe that the politicians in the White House today ever met our parents nor our immigrant grandparents. What a different place our country would be today if they had.

Rena Springer,

Durham, N.C.

Heroes legislation should be fair to NY

The coronavirus has ripped through New York like a thousand natural disasters at once. With the costs of caring for victims and the economic wreckage, we’re hurting here, and federal aid is a necessity for survival [“Pelosi urges GOP to pass latest aid bill,” News, May 18].

In my view, the first two aid bills did nothing for state and local governments. The current Heroes Bill would offer support for New York’s budget gap caused by the pandemic. Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand must push for its passage. Federal aid shouldn’t end up disproportionately in states less affected by the virus, as did the previous aid package. If funding should go to states doing the best fighting COVID-19 as well as those that need it most, New York should win on both accounts.

Debra Handel,

Shoreham