Letters to the Editor Wednesday, Dec. 9

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Protect healthcare system from spikes

“Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it.”
Many are familiar with this quote with the exception of Gov. Cuomo. He was very slow to react early in the pandemic in New Rochelle, but improved through sound policies enacted during the summer. But once again, he is reacting too slowly.
As of this writing we have more people hospitalized in our region than during early April with a peak of 205, including nearly 100 transferred from New York City all while the state was on pause.
The triggers for yellow, orange and red zones now are based on hospital capacity and not on percentages or total active cases.
Gov. Cuomo has asked hospitals to increase capacity by 50%, which he also did in the spring.
We are on a trajectory to overwhelm the healthcare system unless shutdowns are enacted in appropriate areas.
Tracing rarely finds a smoking gun of late to explain the surge, meaning the public has been mostly compliant. Temporary shutdowns work and are appropriate given mass vaccinations on the horizon.
It is unethical and irresponsible to place a growing burden on the healthcare system while the public can spend unlimited time in restaurants, gyms and stores.
Lastly, who will staff the additional 50% of hospital space? As the numbers rise, so do the odds of community exposure to healthcare workers, who will then need to quarantine. Economic costs are high during a shutdown, but our current practice is not free either.
Paul Reo
Schenectady

Biden will lift us out of Trump’s swamp

In his Dec. 3 letter Richard DiCristofaro laments that, “Biden will take us back to the swamp.”
Of course, he failed to provide even one single fact to support this delusional claim.
Donald Trump was the most corrupt, least competent, most self-serving, dangerous president in American history. His four-year reign of chaos was a mirror image of his grotesque soul, i.e. cruelty, narcissism, deceit, greed, and corruption.
Under Trump, the “swamp” became a putrid cesspool of hand-picked, corrupt sycophants, featuring convicted felons. Trump’s sole guiding principle in every decision and action was, “What’s in it for me.” He cared nothing about the American people, harboring only contempt for his duped, pathetic cult members.
Trump’s legacy of caged children, impeachment, coddling dictators, pathological lies, incompetence and narcissism will forever stain America. Joe Biden will bring character, compassion, decency and statesmanship to heal us.
Vince Dacquisto
Niskayuna

Covid response is about protecting all

Julie Costello, in her Dec. 2 letter (“Let us decide covid response ourselves”), indicated she lives out of state and came to Saratoga with her husband: “to stay at our favorite inn then wander up and down Broadway shopping and dining local.” She added, “I would like to decide for myself what is safe and what isn’t. If I want to enjoy dinner and dancing with my husband, that is a risk I am willing to take. I respect the opinion of people who are afraid and prefer to stay home.”
Hopefully Mrs. Costello, as well as other “risk takers” with similar mindset, will realize the repercussions from their actions may have devastating consequences for others they “respect.”
It’s not about her alone coming down with COVID-19, but who she may infect after contracting COVID-19. And who may die as a result of the disease because of her risk taking. It’s about the overwhelmed and overworked healthcare workers’ lives and their mental breaking points and other essential workers who are literally putting their lives and health at risk on a daily basis, making sure that there is food and emergency services available to all of us, including Mrs. Costello.
Stop thinking this is just about you and what you believe are your rights. It’s about your mother, your brother, your neighbor.
It’s about all of us.
Wear a mask, stay at least 6 feet from others, wash your hands, avoid crowds and take other steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Lou Restifo Sr.
Burnt Hills

Cops should be ‘Person of the Year’

In his Dec. 3 letter (“George Floyd was the most influential”) Pete Pidgeon suggested that George Floyd should be the Person of the Year for Time Magazine.
He also suggested that BLM is a peaceful organization who only tore down a few statues and painted streets. Evidently, he missed the pictures of cities being set on fire and people being hurt and murdered. Maybe he canceled that from his memory.
I’d like to suggest that the picture of every police officer shot in the line of duty last year should be honored, even if it’s on the Time Magazine cover.
All those officers, Black, white, Latino, men, women, mothers and fathers who were just doing their jobs.
Some were simply sitting in the cars in neighborhoods most wouldn’t venture into and were ambushed. They’re the ones who deserve to be acknowledged for putting their lives on the line every day, not a career criminal like George Floyd.
These men and women run toward danger and get paid practically nothing for it. Do Black lives matter? Sure. But so do the men and women in blue who are only doing their jobs.
Regarding the bridge on Glenridge Road, The Gazette should plaster two giant pictures on the front of that bridge of the trucks driven by drivers who can’t read English and strike it. Put in the middle a picture of Clint Eastwood asking, “You feeling lucky punk?” If they can’t read numbers, they can figure out a picture.
Denise Crisci
Scotia

Grateful for care at Ellis, Glenville Health

Once again, I want to thank the entire staff at Ellis Hospital, from the front desk ER, to the nursing staff and doctors in the ER for their professional and superior care. I would also like to thank all of the doctors and nurses who took superior care of me. Nothing but the best care and kindness was given to me during my stay in the cardiac care unit.
Also thank you Dr. Khan and the Glenville Health Care Center for their excellent care and guidance. Thank you thank you thank you!
Mary Cater
Schenectady

Add reader views to balance the bias

It is nice of you to publish many of the stream of readers’ comments concerning the biased content of The Gazette’s “news” articles. Even some of the sports reports are tainted by favoritism.
Your recent addition of AP and other sources to the mix hasn’t solved the problem. Rather, the result has been that we have even more opinions to read than before.
Thus, what is needed is a vast expansion of your comments section to make space for the biased articles.
This request has nothing to do with whether or not I happen to agree with any of the opinions expressed — as I am always interested in hearing all sides of the issues being discussed.
Rather, when facts are blended in with opinions, and no effort is made by the author (or your paper) to clearly state which is which, then the reader is put at risk of not knowing if what is being reported is true or not.
Richard Felak
Niskayuna

Glenville should connect sidewalks

I would like to commend the town’s efforts to make Glenville more pedestrian friendly.
I would urge the town to consider connecting the thousands of residents and the vast sidewalk network of the village of Scotia to Maalwyck Park. Having grown up on Mohawk Avenue near the park, I have watched residents, bikers and families with strollers traveling down the shoulder of Mohawk Avenue to get to the park.
Currently the park is regularly overwhelmed with cars at events.
As the park expands, more residents will have to drive there or take the risky walk down Mohawk Avenue. Please consider including this connection in the town’s plans.
Greg Blick
Scotia

Online letters

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To report inappropriate online comments, email Editorial Page Editor Mark Mahoney at [email protected].

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Categories: Letters to the Editor, Opinion