Readers sound off on recycling pennies, Mamdani’s critics and remembering Sinatra
Our abundance of pennies could save the penny
Manhattan: Get ready, America! Our country is on the verge of a seismic shift in its currency. The penny is now an endangered species. Our Commander in Chief, President Trump, has ordered a halt to the minting of our trusted coin. Reports indicate that it costs the U.S. Treasury 3.69 cents to mint a penny.
New Yorkers over 55 like me still use cash and coins to make financial transactions. I must be old fashioned because I like to shop in person – I don’t use Amazon. The penny has been a centuries-old tradition since 1793. It is almost as old as the birth of our nation. Coins like the penny are worth money and are part of our American heritage. Why are we so quick to get rid of this precious currency?
I have a proposal: a decree mandating the recycling of all coins: pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters must be removed from all desk drawers and piggy banks. Look in closets and old clothes and bring those precious coins back into our monetary system for national reinvestment. The U.S. Mint would then no longer need to produce as many new coins. I understand that the Treasury still mints over 5 billion coins each year. If we made recycling mandatory, we could give new meaning to the phrase “less is more.”
We can conserve our natural resources by using less copper to make coins and less copper-nickel to make nickels, dimes and pennies. If we don’t recycle, we will be forced to adopt mobile payments and contactless credit cards. Is it really worth it? Brian Jordan
Untenable position
Purchase, NY: As a Republican, I have always been a big fan of Rep. Elise Stefanik. I’ve also always liked Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, so when I heard he was running in the GOP nomination for governor of New York, I thought it might be difficult to choose who to vote for. But then I heard that Blakeman was a “pro-choice Republican” and he took the decision very easily. A stupid man. Being a pro-choice Republican is like being a meat-eating vegetarian. I will now make all of my Republican friends aware of Blakeman’s hypocrisy and will do everything in my power to ensure his defeat. Marlene Danoff
Inappropriate branding
Sanford, Florida: Reading the December 9 article “Woman, 60, Fatally Hit by Cadillac,” I am unsure of the journalistic principle used to identify the type of vehicle that collided with this poor woman. The story clearly shows that the driver remained at the scene of the accident. Therefore, the model of the car was not a relevant fact, such as when trying to identify a vehicle that has left. The inclusion of this fact may imply that the type of vehicle or the owner of such a vehicle was a factor or cause of the incident. When it is reported that a victim was shot by an attacker, we do not see a headline that includes “Victim Shot by Smith & Wesson .38 Special.” The victim’s death is the heart of the story, not the instrument used to achieve the outcome. Bruce McMenemy
Return to receiver
Whitestone: This time of year is particularly busy with extra mail and packages. Unfortunately, some of them will end up at the wrong address. Please, if you receive mail or a package that does not belong to you, try to deliver it to the correct recipient. Maybe you just need to walk to the next street. If it really doesn’t suit you, return it to UPS, FedEx, USPS or Amazon and let them re-deliver it to you. Sometimes the contents of that letter or package cannot be replaced. Spread a little kindness. Karin Spiezia
An infamous fear campaign
Flushing: In the voice of Marion Friedman: You are so terrified of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani! Have you read his concepts for improving New York City? Have you checked out his views on affordability, housing, transportation and other issues? You want to “impeach” someone who just won in a landslide (and label them a “deep state”) when they haven’t even taken office yet? Your panicked speech was good for laughs at first, but it stopped being funny when you revealed your wish to “send him and his radical wife to Uganda.” The only “radical and dangerous” thoughts are the ones you expressed, which were at best unfathomably misinformed and at worst completely repugnant. Robert Smith
Unity is local
Manhattan: Rather than placing another responsibility on the new mayor, Bradley Tusk (“Making New York a Global Model of Jewish-Muslim Cooperation,” Dec. 9 op-ed) may want to delegate improving group relations to New York residents, because they are the ones who ultimately must be held accountable. Regardless, Jewish-Muslim relations depend on what happens more than 5,000 miles away. Tusk suggests a common initiative that all New Yorkers could cooperatively participate in, and Mamdani’s affordability program immediately comes to mind. The traditional economy of manufacturing and agriculture has gradually benefited from the increase in demand; Today’s economy is growing exponentially due to artificially created demand, without substantial gains in productivity – a daunting challenge even for 8 million minds, many of whom are not succeeding in today’s urban economy. If they can return New York to what it once was for most of its residents, Arabs walking hand in hand with Jews shouldn’t be so difficult. Michele P. Brown
Knows how to choose them
Staten Island: I have to give credit to former Mayor Disaster – I mean de Blasio. He found all three women on the planet willing to go out with him. By the way, could you ask Chirlane McCray where that billion dollars is? Thomas Fraumeni Jr.
Indoctrination Initiative
Hartsdale, New York: Remember when so-called conservative parents objected to then-President Barack Obama speaking to American students in 2009 because he was criticized for possibly having them “brainwashed” before parents even knew what he was going to say? Remember his message was basically to stay in school? Well, guess what? Linda McMahon, the person appointed to destroy the Department of Education (which she runs) is touring our country with a tour called “History Rocks!” The initiative is part of the America 250 Civics Education Coalition under the Trump administration — a partnership that includes Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA, Moms for Liberty, the America First Policy Institute, conservative Christian Hillsdale College and other right-wing groups. Gee, I wonder if there will be any “indoctrination” involved. Or can we be sure that a diversity of opinions will be available as we “rock” the story as these groups see it? Yeah, let’s go. Norman E. Gaines Jr.
Embrace the evil
Brooklyn: We now live in an America where pedophilia and murder are normalized and accepted by the Republican Party. For my part, I must now propose that for the Bone Spurs, GI Joke (Pete Hegseth) and the rest of the subhuman Nazis who run the White House clown show, there is no bottom. Their low-level creed is now our official national religion. I hope a higher power will keep this special place in hell warm for these cesspool dwellers. Gary Butler
Birthday tribute
Seaside Heights, NJ: Frank Sinatra was born on December 12, 1915 and today marks his 110th birthday. Decades after his voice was first broadcast on the radio, Ol’ Blue Eyes remains a defining American icon. The kid from Hoboken has sold more than 150 million records, won 11 Grammys and won an Oscar and several Golden Globes. Few artists have reached this level of brilliance. But Sinatra’s real magic was in the feeling he brought to each song. He could make listeners believe they were there with him – the sorrow, the hope, the quiet courage, the joy. Each track was its own little story, delivered with unrivaled warmth and style. A rarely mentioned footnote: Sinatra recorded a special single for Ringo Starr’s wife on Apple Records, purported to be “APPLE 1”, although it was never released. Happy 110th birthday in heaven, Frank. We still miss you. Igor La Manne
Lose programming
Brooklyn: first Brandon Nimmo, then Edwin Diaz, now Pete Alonso. Who’s next, Mr. Met? Irwin Cohen
Don’t go
Brick, New Jersey: Say it ain’t so, Pete! Leo J. Smith
