Readers hold forth on rat prevention, empty retail cabinets and shoplifters

Forked River, N.J.: When most of us with frequent sense heard in regards to the plans the mayor of New York Metropolis got here up with to take care of rats, New Yorkers all did a collective facepalm. Whereas the mayor is fixing NYC’s issues from his seat on the World Cup or within the sunshine of Greece, anybody who lives or works in New York already is aware of that rubbish is the issue. Until you take care of the rubbish drawback, there’ll all the time be rats and roaches irrespective of what number of suitcases of money you give the brand new “rat czar.”

For many years, I did electrical work within the flats of the wealthiest folks in addition to in a few of the poorest neighborhoods of New York Metropolis. All of them had one factor in frequent and that was the rubbish within the basements of these buildings attracted rats and roaches. Paying some man a six-figure sum to poison birds, squirrels, canines and cats whereas attempting to poison the rats is like watching a Wile E. Coyote and the Street Runner cartoon.

As an alternative of poison, utilizing a chemical that can sterilize the rats will lower their numbers vastly and in a protected method. Voicer T.C. Henry suggests we encourage can and bottle collectors to kill rats, which is one other unhealthy concept. There have been many brutal assaults on New Yorkers in addition to their canines by homeless folks with violent psychological points. The very last thing we ought to be doing is encouraging them to have interaction in much more violence. Jim Hughes

Brooklyn: With all due respect to Voicer and Manhattan Postmaster Wanda Diaz and most postal employees, after a current episode, I misplaced what little religion I had within the USPS for the upcoming vacation season. Three buddies despatched me birthday playing cards a number of weeks in the past, which I used to be alerted to and confirmed through “knowledgeable supply” on the USPS web site. Nonetheless, two of the three items by no means arrived and had been returned to my sender buddies, indicating there was no such addressee on the house constructing the place I’ve lived for greater than 40 years. The one legitimate excuse, from my perspective, for the botched deliveries is {that a} postal employee didn’t sufficiently do his or her job. Let’s hope when vacation playing cards are mailed to my neighbors and me, the identical carelessness doesn’t happen. Neil S. Friedman

Bronx: I agree with Voicer Roberta Horowitz, who visited the Mattress, Tub & Past retailer in Manhattan. I went to the shop in Yonkers. Since I haven’t been there in fairly a while and since I’m not a web based shopper, I made a decision to go to select up a number of vacation presents. And was I stunned! There have been numerous empty cabinets. There weren’t many individuals purchasing, particularly for this time of yr, and I noticed only a few gross sales folks strolling round. All of the gadgets I used to purchase there have been gone! Mattress, Tub & Past was one among my favourite shops. I used to save lots of lots with their coupons and now I’m actually unhappy. It seemed like that retailer could also be going the best way of so many different retail shops. I couldn’t assist however really feel upset and unhappy remembering the way it was crammed to the rafters with merchandise. Roberta Seidner

Brooklyn: It’s actually disgraceful {that a} group of youngsters attacked a lady as a part of a gang initiation (”Teen choked girl in gang ritual: police,” Dec. 9). They don’t deserve any sympathy or mercy and should be punished each for his or her crime and as a lesson to others. By becoming a member of a gang, you might be placing your freedom in danger. This message should be hammered house. Nonetheless, there should be a severe effort to forestall weak youth from falling beneath the spell of gangs. They should be supplied with constructive options. Alan Podhaizer

Edgewater, N.J.: Nice to examine Metro-North breaking floor to carry rail service to 4 new stations serving 500,000 within the transit-starved east Bronx. I suppose some funding for this mission is obtainable beneath the bipartisan infrastructure legislation nevertheless it seems as if half of the state’s Republican Home delegation voted towards it — together with the man from Lengthy Island who simply ran for governor (as did some members of the state’s progressive delegation — from the Bronx!). Possibly Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is true when she says the politicians are extra centered on denying the opposition a victory than they’re on bettering People’ lives, and that the individuals who lose are on a regular basis People. Jay Ok. Egelberg

Bronx: The companies that adhere to late economist Milton Friedman’s doctrine, which states that the one accountability of a company is to the stockholders, don’t even have their common staff’ wellbeing at coronary heart, a lot much less non-public contractors. I want the media would report the billionaires, overseas and home, who personal inventory in these firms so everybody is aware of why these firms act the best way they do in direction of the those who carry within the cash so the stockholders are completely satisfied. Virgilio Carballo

Center Village: We now hear that Walmart might shut shops resulting from shoplifting. Bear in mind one factor: What the shoplifters steal is nothing in comparison with what the employees steal, which is minuscule in comparison with what the house owners steal. John Puglisi

Henderson, Nev.: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle exposing all of the secrets and techniques of the royal household is tantamount to Judas’ betrayal of Jesus after which being paid 30 items of silver for his efforts. Unbelievable! David Tulanian

Brooklyn: To Voicer Harvey Kaplan: Paul Whelan has citizenship within the U.S., Britain, Eire and Canada. Bruce Mercadante

Saratoga Springs, N.Y.: Now that Brittney Griner is house, President Biden is trying to find Russian brokers he can swap for Paul Whelan, the unjustly detained Marine vet nonetheless locked up in Russia. Biden’s answer is contained in a memorable Day by day Information photograph from 2016. Within the photograph, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn and Jill Stein are pictured eating with Vladimir Putin. She was the Inexperienced Occasion presidential nominee whose voters gave Donald Trump his margin of victory in 2016. Flynn was Trump’s advisor who lied to the FBI to guard his relationship with overseas powers, and he’s nonetheless beneath investigation for the Jan. 6 coup try. A two-for-one swap. A win-win for the united statesA.! Gordon Boyd

Ozone Park: I don’t perceive all of the hating on Brittney Griner and President Biden. The discharge of any American from unjust incarceration ought to be greeted with nice aid and pleasure. Whereas the swap was not excellent, the Whelan household, not like the right-wing MAGA Republicans, has proven nice class in welcoming the discharge of Brittney. Ought to we cease praying for Whelan’s launch as a result of he was court-martialed and issued a foul conduct discharge? I don’t suppose so. He’s an American unjustly incarcerated and we will likely be joyful when he’s launched. John Landers

Bayonne: To Voicer Pete Scott: For those who don’t see that we now have an open Southern border, you should be dwelling on one other planet. Since President Biden took workplace, there have been about 5 million unlawful migrants who crossed our border, not counting those who got here within the evening and acquired away. Who do you suppose Biden is delivery in the course of the evening all around the nation? Did you not see on tv the images of planes offered by non-public contractors touchdown in Westchester County within the nighttime so nobody would see? As a result of the Border Patrol had 2,766,582 enforcement actions doesn’t imply they had been despatched again to their house nations. Some had been launched into the U.S. The Border Patrol is attempting and eager to do the job they’re paid to do, however Biden has them giving out cell telephones and airplane tickets and bus rides all around the U.S. Mike Armstrong