Harris and Walz Should Address Voters, Not Trump
Bronx: Kamala Harris should spend her remaining days of campaigning pushing her agenda for America and meeting with voters. Don’t waste your time agreeing to two more debates with a criminal who has so little respect for you that he chooses not to even learn to pronounce your name. Don’t debate a coward who is so narcissistic and selfish that he chose not to debate his fellow Republicans. Donald Trump instead chose to sit on a podium and speak to a captive audience at rallies so he can spout his mocking language without interruption.
Don’t waste your time preparing for two more debates that will have to be fact-checked every time Trump says something. You’ll be wasting valuable time away from the campaign and away from getting to know you and Tim Walz. Instead, take a page from Trump’s strategy and, after the upcoming debate, get back to the campaign and continue to use your time to meaningfully engage face-to-face with the electorate of this country at every state rally you and Walz can orchestrate.
There is no way to squeeze all the demands of a 14-month presidential campaign into the remaining 78 days. Compromises must be made, and forgoing multiple debates with an “OG” who has no substantive issues to debate is an acceptable compromise.
Send a clear message. Fulfill your commitment to hold an additional presidential debate and move on. Trump cannot stop the groundswell of support for real change. Pamela Butler
To withdraw?
Manhattan: In my view, there is nothing left to discuss and little to be gained from debating an ill-informed, ill-mannered, and rude individual (Trump advisers who abandoned ship early in his administration said he “doesn’t read” and “doesn’t ask for advice from others”). The only thing left to do, with Harris virtually the favorite, is to craft a proper concession speech and choreograph a graceful exit. But then again, given the prima donna involved, that may be asking a bit too much. Aydin Torun
Blatant sexism
Brooklyn: I’m not surprised that Donald Trump would mock Vice President Kamala Harris’ intelligence and ability to hold public office. He has a long history of contempt for politically powerful women. During the 2016 presidential campaign, he smeared Hillary Clinton, who had demonstrated competence as a senator and secretary of state, as incompetent, dishonest, and unqualified. As president, he has made little effort to disguise his disdain for British Prime Minister Theresa May and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, calling both “disasters,” despite getting along well with murderous North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un and autocrats like Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He didn’t say anything nice about South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley when she opposed him for the Republican presidential nomination, though he now welcomes her support. The highest status a woman can have in Trump’s eyes is that of one of his trophy wives. Dennis Middlebrook
Freedom of Expression Warning
East Meadow, LI: To pro-Palestinian protesters who cherish the freedom to protest: Keep in mind that if Trump and his Project 2025 friends win the election, the next place you may protest will be Gaza. Jeff Tuck
Anti-union
Western Springs, Illinois: After Elon Musk endorsed Trump, Donald Trump went from criticizing electric vehicles to praising them. In a conversation between the two on Musk’s social media platform X, Trump praised Musk for firing workers who went on strike. The United Auto Workers filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, saying it could intimidate Trump campaign and Tesla workers who might want to join a union. History shows that workers have made the biggest gains in wages and working conditions when they have strong unions. The productivity gains have then been shared with workers and the middle class has grown. President Biden, Kamala Harris, and most Democrats support unions. Trump, Musk, and most Republicans oppose them. Richard Barsanti
RIP
New Windsor, NY: Although he lived to be 98, I was saddened to learn of Peter Marshall’s passing. While John Davidson and Tom Bergeron did well in later iterations, Peter was the true master of “Hollywood Squares,” as commentator Kenny Williams called it. He did a great job playing the honest man to nine celebrities, making them laugh but staying on top of the game. A true gentleman who will be missed. Last year, we lost Bob Barker at age 99. Today, Winston “Wink” Martindale is the oldest of the old-time game show hosts; he turns 91 in December. Rest in peace, Peter, and thanks for the laughs. Todd Schuster
Depraved Delicacy
Forked River, NJ: I agree 100% with commenter Kiley Blackman about the brutality of foie gras “farms.” These farms are more like torture chambers than farms for the ducks and geese that suffer there daily. Imagine yourself in one of these places. First, your face is mutilated like those birds that have their beaks cut off. Then, a tube is shoved down your throat, pumping mush until your liver grows and explodes. The reason for this real-life horror movie is that people like to buy a food with a fancy French name to impress their equally bland friends. Foie gras was about to be banned until a spineless New York Supreme Court decided to prosecute this extreme cruelty. Maybe some of the highly paid judges and lawyers enjoy foie gras. Jim Hughes
Good news
Omaha: Excellent article, editorial, on “Police officers and woman ‘miraculously’ save dog” (August 1). Tom Dahulick
Big mess
Rego Park: A judge’s recent ruling in favor of Forest Hills Stadium concerts is just another example of how this city is turning against middle-class taxpayers in favor of the louder, far-left minority. The outdoor stadium, located in the middle of a dense neighborhood with a large Jewish population, quickly turned around and scheduled an all-day event for Yom Kippur. It’s just the latest affront to the average working-class outskirts resident whose rights no longer seem to matter—the mentally ill homeless who harass citizens; the ticket-skipping; the pedestrians who avoid e-bikes; the proposed Yes City zoning; the corner stores that are closing due to rampant shoplifting and now sit vacant; the pot shops that are popping up everywhere—the list goes on. I was born and raised in New York City and I can’t wait to leave. Oregon Tuttle
Sordid scenes
Manhattan: Please write an article with pictures about the horrible conditions on 8th Avenue. The workers here have to deal with homeless drug addicts every day. I literally walk over bodies with needles in their arms passed out in front of our office door almost every day. It is a complete disgrace for the tourist families to see this during this busy tourist season. There is no police presence on the streets here while these drunken lunatics wander around shooting up in the open, leaving their needles all over the sidewalk. What are the chances of my clients coming into our office in these conditions? The city’s business market will never bounce back until the city makes it more attractive for workers here to live! Bruce Larsen
Key content
Clifton, NJ: I like the paper for its comic strips, Voice of the People for its interesting letters, the baseball pitching statistics are also good, and when football is coming up, Hammerin’ Hank’s Honeys. He always gives good news and his thoughts on the teams he is selecting. The rest of the important information can be seen on television. Steve Farawell
Consumer Power
Pasadena, California: Protest market pricing! Buy only the items you really need and try to buy the sale items while avoiding items that manufacturers put in bigger containers with less product and charge more for! Look at the price of cereal! Do you realize that corporations and the wealthy have doubled their wealth during the pandemic? The industry giants have no intention of lowering prices. In fact, their own executives are openly bragging about how they will “expand margins.” Procter & Gamble predicted $800 million in windfall profits from lower input costs. Kimberly-Clark’s CEO said the company has “plenty of opportunities” to expand margins over time. This is not inflation, we are being ripped off by corporate greed. Richard A. French
