Our airlines are putting profits before safety
Bronx: So, two more fully-loaded planes come close to being destroyed due to lack of attention from the control tower — one landing while the other was taking off, both on the same runway. The Federal Aviation Administration keeps calling these close calls. I call it greed on the part of the airlines.
In the past 10 years, as a frequent flyer, I’ve noticed how the time between a plane landing and takeoff has become shorter and shorter. We used to wait at the gate until all passengers deplaned and the aircraft was cleaned and food-loaded. Now the plane lands, passengers get off and 10 minutes later we’re asked to board. At times, the cleaning crews are still picking up garbage, newspapers, etc. from the seats and aisles while the flight attendants are filling up the various food compartments and checking the lavatories for fresh toilet paper, towels, etc. We can only imagine what the air traffic controllers in the tower are going through.
It’s time the FAA stops playing with the lives of paying passengers, force the airlines to take a breath and stop this hurry-up-and-go. That’s why planes lose doors, tires, landing gear, wingtips, etc. and end up with engines on fire. Pilots, flight attendants, air traffic controllers and the planes themselves need a rest between flights. The airlines may make a bit less money than the record profits they are making now, but the public will be much safer! Or is the FAA waiting for hundreds of passengers to lose their lives before putting new regulations into effect? Jose R. Roldan
Funny phrase
Bronx: Why do we say “you know” in our conversations? When did “you know” start? Mary Caggiano
Delayed action
Irvine, Calif.: Re “U.S.-Mexico border would effectively shut down under new Biden order” (June 3): It is odd to read that President Biden “was reportedly waiting for Mexico to hold its presidential ballot” before deciding to issue this new executive order. Citizens have been demanding for years that Biden address the border issue, and the number of illegal crossings (while still high) has been dropping for the past few months. If Biden really does feel there is a border crisis, then surely he should have addressed it before now. Steven James Peterson
Choke city
Brooklyn: Now that the Knicks and Rangers have once again fallen short in their quests for championships, it may be an appropriate time to remind New York sports fans of the following sad facts regarding their home teams: The Jets have not won a Super Bowl since 1969 (their only one); the Knicks have not won an NBA championship since 1973; the Islanders have not won a Stanley Cup since 1983; the Mets have not won a World Series since 1986; the Rangers have not won a Stanley Cup since 1994; the Yankees have not won a World Series since 2009; and the Giants have not won a Super Bowl since 2012. The Brooklyn Nets have never won an NBA championship. However, when it comes to teams known for post-season chokes, no other city can hold a candle to New York! Dennis Middlebrooks
Peaceful parade
Brooklyn: The Israel Day on Fifth parade was a more serious event than in past years, yet highly spirited and meaningful. The many marchers and spectators voiced their pleas to free the hostages taken from Israel by Hamas terrorists. But notice that the parade participants and watchers were well-behaved, eschewing vandalism and violence — unlike so many of the pro-Hamas crowd who have resorted to defacing public property, assaulting people and making threats of various types. This reveals a great difference in morals between those who support Hamas and those who want the hostages brought home. Ellen Levitt
Says who?
Brooklyn: Donald Trump has called Michael Cohen a sleazebag. Well, convicted felon, it takes one to know one. Clare Butts
A little off
Poughkeepsie, N.Y.: Re “Crime and punishment” (editorial, June 3): Regarding Trump’s sentencing, that “incarnation would not serve any purpose” — since incarnation is defined as the embodiment of a deity, I believe “incarceration” would be a more suitable choice of word. John Trela
Wise guy
Brooklyn: I thoroughly enjoyed Robert De Niro’s appearance at the Trump Witch Hunt. He countered all of the elected, look-alike Trump supplicants who shamelessly paraded outside the courthouse in support of Trump during the trial. Get a grip! This is NYC, and there is nothing more New York than Tribeca resident De Niro warning against the Trump threat. De Niro has earned his podium, not just as an accomplished actor but as a tireless promoter of NYC post-911. “Repulsed” readers tear down De Niro, but say nothing in defense of Trump. Maybe they can’t handle the truth. Anne Slamka
Impolitic schadenfreude
Bronx: To watch the celebrating and hysterical jubilation, listen to the hyperbolic and frenzied reaction and read the vindictive and petty comments in the Voice of the People on the guilty verdict in former President Trump’s hush money trial brings to mind the words of Anton Chekhov in his book of notes: “Love, friendship, respect will never unite people as much as a common hatred for something” (or someone). It took Democrats, their supporters, the left, the media and the rest of the Trump-haters eight years of unrelenting, ruthless, unapologetic harassment of the former president to realize their hopes and dreams. But be careful, sometimes a dream can turn into a nightmare. Bob Pascarella
Betrayal of values
Staten Island: How ironic is it that the party of law and order is complaining that a criminal got punished? Michael Rosenkrtantz
Inexplicable
Howard Beach: To Voicer Maureen King Cassidy: So because Trump’s family is from Germany, you should not elect him president. You would rather have someone who the world disrespects and has created inflation at unheard-of proportions and considers himself a king, telling other countries what to do? Are you independently wealthy? Because I am not. Grace De Stefano
Opportune addict
Middle Village: If Hunter Biden is found guilty, he should get what he deserves. However, I am certain we will be hearing all about his drug use from the Fox News crowd. Funny, they never mention that a former top Trump economic adviser was arguably one of the biggest drug users in the history of Wall Street. John Puglisi
Legacy loophole
Manhattan: There are just days left in the state legislative session, but there’s still time for lawmakers to finally bring fairness to college admissions. For nearly a century, some colleges have given applicants with longstanding family ties to schools preferential treatment through legacy admissions. The history of legacy admissions is explicitly racist and antisemitic. Studies show legacy applicants are three times as likely to be admitted as peers with comparable academic credentials. There’s a way to end this practice at the 68 New York colleges that still use it. As the Daily News has reported, the Fair College Admissions Act would level the playing field and reward students for their own academic achievement, not the wealth of their relatives. The NAACP New York, New York Civil Liberties Union and Education Reform Now New York urge our state lawmakers to pass this bill in the remaining days of the legislative session. Jacquelyn Martell, executive director, Education Reform Now New York
Free citizens
Sunnyside: I don’t think Harry Siegel should be complaining about Mayor Adams “praising his top cops for using their official social media accounts and TV appearances to attack politicians and journalists” (“Do NYPD car chases make NYC more safe or less?” column, June 2). Someone needs to remind Siegel that Adams, Chief of Patrol John Chell and all other former and current police officers have the same free speech rights as he and everyone else. John Francis Fox
Officer safety
Staten Island: As a lifelong New Yorker and retired member of the NYPD, I am appalled and disgusted at how this city allows illegal migrants sanctuary status, resulting in cops getting shot and/or beaten by them. It’s too common. And we can thank the progressive City Council creatures who could care less for NYPD officers, as evidenced by their anti-police policies. And yet when these councilmembers need a cop, they know in their hearts that our hard-working cops will be the first to respond. Joseph Valente
