Readers sound off on thoughtful disagreement, city budget cuts and health care liability

Don’t agree? Then let’s have us a conversation

Rockville Centre, L.I.: Someone who doesn’t agree with your viewpoint should be invited to debate, not subjected to ridicule, hate or cancel culture. Genuine and educated passion for an issue is not only welcomed but encouraged by the First Amendment and is essential to a thriving democracy, rather than indifference to social and political issues.

However, it is easy to tout free speech when the speech is agreeable to you. The true intent of the Founding Fathers was to uphold the right of those whose speech does not align with your own views. Debate has been, and should be, the venue for differing opinions on which our nation was founded. The idea was to resort to intellectual combat instead of violence.

But to obtrude one’s beliefs upon another and, if not accepted, call them a bigot or racist is not the invidious concept that was put forward by the Founding Fathers. And to foment hatred and derogatorily label those whose ideological and political beliefs may be opposed to your own creates a divisiveness that will eventually lead our country to a point of no return.

Law and freedom are necessary to one another, since the latter does not exist without the former, but society must also imbue a religious belief, whether Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish or otherwise, to teach people to do good to one another whenever possible. Indiscriminate denunciation does not unite a country; the divide only widens. There’s something wrong with the world today, the light bulb’s gettin’ dim! Jason Randazzo

Failure to fail

Brooklyn: Instead of spending campaign funds on get-out-the-vote efforts, George Santos used the cash for things like Botox, Hermes accessories and porn websites. Like Max Bialystock in “The Producers,” who hoped to abscond with investor money on a Broadway flop, Santos expected to lose the race and that no one would look too carefully to see where the money went. Of course, this begs the question, how did the Democrats lose that race? Ira Cure

Say what?

Bay Shore, L.I.: With all these foreign athletes scoring multi-million dollar contracts, do you think they could invest in ESL courses? John O’Connell

Not funny

Brooklyn: As a lifelong animal lover who is always entertained by your comic “Mutts,” I am greatly disturbed by your recent cartoon depicting a bull dog chained to a post and left alone by his owner. I thought comics were supposed to bring a smile to my face, lift my spirits or exude a chuckle. This recent version of “Mutts” is appalling, dark and disturbing. Where are you going with this? Especially around the holidays? Valerie Costa

Sad strip

Bronx: With all the sadness and destruction in the world today, why would the creator of “Mutts” want to show such a cruel and heartless storyline? I know I’m not the only one feeling this way and I can’t tell you how I cry each and every day after reading it. I know that there are many people out there who treat animals horribly, but who in their right mind would leave their dog behind like that? When I saw him staring at the moon on Friday, I sobbed like a baby. Please let this be a happy ending. Debra Maddalena

Foreign influence

Cincinnati: The targeted slaughter of Jewish civilians in Israel has been cheered not only by Muslim countries like Pakistan, Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and Qatar, but also by Muslim communities in Great Britain, Australia and the U.S. So much for the influence of Western enlightenment to modify ethnic and religious rage. Dangerous misinformation in our colleges and graduate schools is funded by sources in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, all designed to foster Jew-hatred. It is ironic that some of the most rabid propaganda is propagated on our most elite campuses, where these destructive messages are facilitated by craven college presidents, administrators and faculty. Irony further abounds in the recognition that one of our most valuable rights, free expression, is utilized not to advance our society but rather to cripple it. We must defend the targets of this propaganda by calling out the bigots on the public square loudly, relentlessly and forthrightly. Paul Bloustein

Act like adults

Glendale: In her recent column, S.E. Cupp blames former President Donald Trump for violence in Washington, D.C. (“Blame Trump for the fist fights on Capitol Hill,” Nov. 16) in Buffalo and even in New Zealand. S.E., I think you omitted the Holocaust as well as the Civil War! Give me a break! Our politicians and others accused of violence are supposed to be adults, plain and simple. They should know how to behave. As a conservative, I believe in personal responsibility. I don’t blame others for my mistakes. I heard a saying years ago, a modification of the old saying “to err is human, to forgive is divine.” These days it’s “to err is human, to blame it on someone else is even more human”! Thomas Murawski

Misallocated

Brooklyn: In order for NYC to pay for the influx of migrants coming into our city, Mayor Adams has proposed cutting Department of Sanitation trash pick-up, even though he has us putting out trash later because we have a rat problem (and getting fined if we don’t); not hiring any more police (even though we have a major crime problem); cutting overtime for the FDNY (even though there have been a lot of fires lately, especially where the batteries are kept, as well as inspections for where migrants are sent; and cutting library and education budgets. Do we really want to cut back on public safety and education issues? Yet, I read that we will spend $8 million on a study to see whether the Outerbridge Crossing needs more lanes or a new bridge altogether! Living in New York is like living in Bizarro World! The more people who leave, the less people there are to contribute to taxes and the economy in general! Lori Rudolph

Guard duty

Bronx: So, Mayor Adams wants to have parents guard the schools instead of police. Does this mean the parents are allowed to carry guns? Mary Caggiano

Public sanctuaries

Manhattan: Closing all public libraries every Sunday will be a big mistake. You will find in any library people sitting around reading some book or a magazine. Their minds are focused and more mentally sharp. The rising crime wave in New York is a good reason to keep them open — places to go that are free and a learning experience should be available to all who wish to be there, any day. A place to relax, avoid crowds and be yourself. Alan D. Lehrer

Flushed fund

Rochdale Village: The article detailing how deep budget cuts would affect us all is deeply troubling. But the Behavioral Health Emergency Assistance Response Division pairing mental health professionals with paramedics responding to those with mental distress will now be on hold indefinitely, saving $1.9 million yearly. So what happened to Chirlane McCray’s $1 billion for mental health help? Has anything been accounted for? It seems to me this should be a much bigger story! Saul Rothenberg

Unbalanced bill

Westbury, L.I.: Re “Don’t delay justice for N.Y. families” (op-ed, Nov. 15): Physicians in New York have great sympathy for the grieving families Assemblymember Helene Weinstein’s legislation seeks to help. But any legislation to expand costly lawsuits must also help prevent the enormous adverse impact this bill would have on our health care system. The bill would enable the awards of new categories of damages that multiple actuarial studies show will lead to a 40% growth in liability costs, which would be on top of the already exorbitant and unaffordable costs facing physicians and hospitals. We thank Gov. Hochul for vetoing a nearly identical bill in January and urge her to do so again. The staggering increases in the cost of delivering care would almost certainly drive many physicians to leave the state or retire early, leaving many patients without the care they need, especially in underserved areas. Dr. Paul A. Pipia, president, Medical Society of the State of New York