A clean future doesn’t revert to nuclear
Kingston, N.Y.: Gov. Hochul wants our utility bills and taxes to subsidize a “nuclear reliability backbone” for New York. In the words of the immortal Yogi Berra: “It’s like déja vu all over again.”
In the 1970s, we decided that nuclear power was a bad idea. “No nukes!” we cried. Well, nothing has changed in 50 years. It’s the same technology. If they build little “mini-me” reactors, we have 10 times as many versions of the same problems at 10 times as many vulnerable sites. It’s still catastrophically dangerous and still not “clean.” What happens to that nuclear waste? We didn’t have an answer then and we don’t have one now. What we didn’t have in the ’70s were safe, proven means of sustainable energy generation and back-up storage. Solar, wind and batteries cost a fraction of nuclear energy. The power they generate costs utility customers a fraction of the price, and what’s a terrorist going to do with a solar panel?
With political will and real leadership, renewables can be brought online in a year or two. Nuclear takes 10 to 15 years. And does anyone believe these projects will be built at anywhere near budget? Those fossil fuel and nuclear industry lobbyists must be giving away a lot of money in Albany! The rest of us can’t afford any part of new nukes.
David Case
Risk indifference
Madisonville, Pa.: The creators behind AI development are becoming nervous about their creations. They’re worried that if that genie escapes the bottle, the results could be catastrophic for humanity. Even China’s President Xi Jinping has voiced reservations. Yet, our president is dismissing all of the concerns as a hoax. Is it because the greediest man to ever hold the office holds a large amount of stock in companies involved in AI development? Or is it because the least intelligent man to ever hold the office is incapable of understanding the risks involved? Either or both apply. It’s sad that decades ago, another Republican president was able to negotiate reduction in nuclear weapons with the Soviet Union, and the one we have now is incapable of negotiating or understanding anything. “The Terminator” might become life imitating art. I pray that those involved ignore President Trump and take steps to protect us.
Tom Mielczarek
Just trust?
Brooklyn: Congratulations to the president for the paper tiger of an agreement with the developers of AI to slow down and make it safe. When was the last time a major corporation made people’s safety their No. 1 priority? I would love to see that list, if it ever existed.
Greg Ahl
Straight pitch
Stratford, Conn.: Honest posits we’d like to see — the ultimate honorable, left-handed self-compliment by a given candidate: “As your this year’s election cycle candidate for (fill in the blank), moving forward, if duly elected, I hereby pledge to you that I will be the choice who will decidedly screw things up the least.”
James McHale
Legal low blows
Manhattan: The despicable Lindsay Clancy lawyer, using a repulsive alternative defense, shows the egregious chutzpah some shysters resort to to get a client off. His argument is: A) My client didn’t do it but, if she did, B) she is not guilty by reason of insanity. Counsel was enraged that his gambit was foiled by one jury holdout on the insanity argument. He civilly sued doctors over medications provided to his client and seeks to jail the holdout who thwarted him. He also implies that the father murdered the kids and is letting her take the rap. Since he first played the insanity card, he should be estopped from his current specious move. The attorney’s desperation can be seen from his bid to have Trump pardon her and his defaming the holdout to the media. Is there no limit, under legal ethics, to put a stop to this?
Daniel Jean Lipsman
Dealt with
Brooklyn: To Voicer Paul DeGregorio: You failed to indicate that Israel jailed the soldier who smashed the statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer and immediately provided a new statue. I hope that the omission was not deliberate, but a result of a lack of knowledge about the incident.
Lawrence Freedland
Not so fast
Manhattan: To Voicer Michael Grisanti: Do you know that it can take up to three months or more to see a specialist, or even a primary care doctor, right here in the good ole U.S.A.? It used to be that you called a doctor’s office, spoke to a receptionist and made an appointment. The medical system in America has become a nightmare. There are basically no more independent doctors. They’re all associated with hospitals. Forget about individualized attention. You might even be scheduled by AI. Our system definitely does not offer immediate and quick care, as you imply. Good luck seeing a specialist in a month, as you claim a family member did in Italy. A month is nothing here. By then, your symptoms might be gone. I don’t know of anyone who hasn’t been totally disillusioned or even harmed by our system.
Marcia Epstein
Hand it in
Bayonne: To Voicer Ed Greenspan: As the power of attorney for my 93-year-old parent, I speak from experience. The Teacher’s Retirement System sends out all mail by email, and USPS if you so indicate on your TRS profile page. The TRS gives 60 days past the due date before they terminate funds. They send out at least two letters stating that you’ve missed the due date (one week and three weeks later). The last gives you another 30 days. If you pass between annual proof of life documentation and there’s no one to inform the TRS or receive survivor benefits, TRS stops payment the next month. The link is in place, though I’m not sure if it’s with Social Security. Documentation can be submitted by USPS regular mail, e-mail or walk-in drop off. I strongly suggest walking it in. You can get a “received by” date on your copies.
Ardella Viola
Myriad mailers
Brooklyn: I appreciated ” ‘Pet charity paradox’ hurts stray cats & dogs” (op-ed, Sept. 30) by Ed Sayres (had to Google his first name based on his bio, since there was no byline in the print edition). After adopting my beloved cat Mandy at an ASPCA pop-up seven years ago, I began donating money to them. Next thing I know, I’m on the mailing list of every other major pet/wildlife charity, including the SPCA, Humane Society and National Wildlife Federation, and they constantly send me “gifts” like mailing labels, calendars, holiday cards and note pads — often accompanied by tear-jerker photos and stories about abused animals that distress an animal lover like me. Surely, the money these “charities” spend on mailers would be better spent on actually helping animals, not on manipulative tactics to get donations. It’s 2026, and if I lived to be 100, there’s no way I could use all the mailing labels I’ve received!
Katherine Raymond
