Readers sound off on tree danger, N.Y. sports teams and political violence

Make tree maintenance a public safety priority
Bellerose: The tree problems in NYC are rampant and the Parks Department does nothing to cure them. They do not respond to requests for help and the trees have not been trimmed in years.
One massive tree in front of my house fell in the hurricane a few years ago and the sidewalk remained upended and dangerous for more than a year. Five of the sidewalk flags were damaged as well. It was a dangerous situation. It also ruined my sprinkler system and the city refused to pay for the repair.
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A large section of a tree fell across the western sidewalk and roadway on Buffalo Avenue between Eastern Parkway and East New York Avenue in Brooklyn on Sunday May 12, 2019. (Theodore Parisienne/for New York Daily News)
The roots of another massive tree are now raising the sidewalk in another area outside my house. The branches, when in full bloom, hang over and touch my roof. I have called 311 once a month to inform them about the danger of the tree. I have contacted every politician in Queens about the situation, yet nothing has been done about it. I contacted the Parks Department online and gave the cross streets of the tree’s location. They actually responded — I have a copy — and said they could not find the location. The department has been quite lax in addressing these issues.
The city needs to do something before someone gets seriously hurt or killed. These large trees are dangerous and lives can be lost. Kudos to Voicers Karen Sabatini and Shirley Jordan for bringing this issue to the attention of everyone. Kathy Parent
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Admission denied
Manhattan: In an op-ed (”Consider class, not race, in college admissions,” Oct. 31), Richard Kahlenberg proves the adage that those who don’t learn the lessons of history are condemned to repeat the same mistakes. Kahlenberg falsely asserted that Justice William O. Douglas “in the 1970s supported consideration of economic obstacles rather than racial affirmative action.” In Lipsman v. Giardino, I argued that CUNY had no right to create a socioeconomic elite at taxpayer expense in violation of the 14th Amendment’s equal protection provision. On June 29, 1975, Justice Douglas ruled “motion for stay denied.” Denied admission to a public social work doctoral program, I went on to earn a law degree. Facts matter and history should not be bastardized. Daniel Jean Lipsman
Rank rant
Chester, N.J.: Kanye West, or whatever he is calling himself these days, needs to get help. Clearly, his mental illness is lifting the filters that allow him to live in civil society. Reading the article in The News (”Kanye pays the price,” Oct. 30) that West once wanted to name an album after Hitler to express his admiration indicates that the opinions he has of Jews are not a recent development. Much like Mel Gibson, a vile individual whose entrenched anti-Semitism was revealed mostly when under the influence, West is telling us his truth and who he is. We should believe him. David J. Melvin
Sloppy season
Staten Island: Sure, the Jets started off with a 5-2 record and the Giants were 6-1 before the weekend. In fact, the Mets had the second-best record in the National League up until there were three weeks left in the season and the Yankees had the second-best American League record at the end of the season. Oh yeah, let’s not forget the Nets, Knicks and Rangers. Does anyone really expect any of these teams to bring home a championship to New York? Based on past experience, I never did, nor will I ever. New York sports teams have the consistency of some of my worst bowel movements. Dennis Pascale
Dead weight
St. Petersburg, Fla.: It’s certainly clear that Hal Steinbrenner is not like his father or Aaron Boone would’ve been fired two years ago. To hear Steinbrenner praise this bubble gum-blowing, peanut-shell-spitting moron is a joke to all Yankee fans. Boone’s mismanagement of the relief pitching staff along with his tactics in close games makes you sick. As he blows bubbles along with games, the Yankees will never bring that 28th championship home! Please, Hal, open your eyes and ears and hear the fans’ pleas. Bill Barrett
Step back from this
Staten Island: People, when are we going to wake up to the violence and hatred spewed by the MAGA Republican extremists? The vicious attack on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul is unconscionable and should be condemned by all Americans. Do we want to live in this current environment? For me, that is a resounding no. Lest we forget, they led a coup to overthrow our government. Please think about this when casting your vote. Helene Desiderio
Shifted attention
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Spotswood, N.J.: Only after Paul Pelosi got attacked have Democrats mentioned the spike in violent crime in Democratic cities across America. I wish him a speedy recovery. I hope his attacker is not let out on bail by a liberal judge. Tom Scott
Climate of callousness
Brooklyn: Voicers JoAnn Lee Frank and Sue McCormack couldn’t miss an opportunity to “own the libs,” could they? Ms. Frank thinks that President Biden doesn’t send ”thoughts and prayers” to Republicans. Of course, he does. He’s a decent, compassionate man. McCormack snarks that Nancy Pelosi is rich enough to have private security. Really? Is she? Does each of us have to have a private army to live safely in this country? Why is that, Ms. McCormack? Could it be because your party believes in arming everyone to the teeth? Could it be because your party has no solutions to the problems facing our country, so you insult and deflect instead? Ilsa Ruthen
Assault on democracy
Greenburgh, N.Y.: The assault on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband could create a chilling effect on members of Congress that might cause some public officials to be afraid to speak out on issues they believe in for fear of violent attacks. I believe that members of Congress and their families should be provided with the ability to request and receive additional federal police protection if they receive any threats against their lives or the lives of their family members. Our democracy depends on change through the ballot, not bullets. We need to keep every Democratic and Republican member of Congress and their families safe, whether we like them or not. Paul Feiner
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Deplatform
Whiting, N.J.: Just spitballing here, but if the intelligent readers were to stop taking the bait and responding to letters from Voicer Bob Pascarella (who joyfully trolls us with garbage from the Fox News playbook), perhaps the Daily News would stop printing his slop? Oh wait, I just failed to heed my own advice! Bill McConnell
Silenced campaign
Brooklyn: So, I voted early. Much to my amazement, I learned that Sen. Chuck Schumer has a Republican opponent named Joe Pinion. Not that I voted for him, but given the total media silence regarding the Pinion campaign, I was surprised that there was a race at all. Ira Cure
Same old game
Manhattan: I am a bleeding-heart liberal Democrat, but my heart bleeds for the victims of violent repeat offenders. Gov. Hochul and Mayor Adams’s anti-violence actions have not been aggressive enough but they are our best hope. We have a mayor and governor who are actually working together. Lee Zeldin says that he will stop the violence but I don’t buy it. The Republicans’ playbook has been to do whatever they can to make Democrats look bad so they can replace them with more Republicans. I have no doubt Zeldin will cut taxes for the rich and deep-six Adams and other Dem mayors throughout the state. He will use NYC taxes as a cash cow for his own agendas and leave us high and dry. Zeldin is a Donald Trump lackey and cannot be trusted. He will devastate the hard-fought-for rights of women, labor and LGTBQ people. Don’t be fooled again, vote Democrat. Vincent Novak
Taking the high road
Howard Beach: Barack Obama is back out on the campaign trail and no one can get a crowd going the way he does without having to resort to nasty comments and language about someone else. Listening to Obama makes it obvious how public discourse has been dumbed down from the time Trump took the escalator in Trump Tower. That was the beginning of the end of public decency. Barbara Berg