Letters

these proposed alterations to the government he helped to preserve? Or on the character of some of those he served with? Or on the unusual tactics of Tommy Tuberville, Marjorie Taylor Greene or Jim Jordan? Mr. King must feel something about marionettes like George Santos replacing serious public servants like himself. Mr. King’s service is recent and thus still relevant, but it will become less so with time. The time to speak, to advise, is now.

BRIAN KELLY Rockville Centre

Protect chimps — and unborn babies

To the Editor:

Re Randi Kreiss’s column last week, “Chimps face N.Y. court test of personhood” (reprised from Jun 11-17, 2015): I usually don’t agree with Randi, because we have different political outlooks and worldviews, but this time I do, because cruelty is morally wrong. There are exceptions such as war, but those are rare. Her quote from Jane Goodall and reference to chimpanzees’ similar DNA were poignant. Why, then, don’t we all extend the same concern to creatures that share 100 percent of our DNA — an exact themselves to draw the new districts, contrary to the 2014 reforms. Over the express will of the people, Democrats drew the new congressional, Senate and Assembly districts. Ultimately, their action was struck down, deemed unconstitutional, and the districts were redrawn by an independent special master. match, actually? And these creatures look “just like a human baby,” because they are human, and in fact “persons,” regardless of what current laws say. But unfortunately, most people are like Randi’s dinner crowd, who “just couldn’t care about what happens to chimpanzees” — or unborn human children.

DAfter such a strong rebuke by the courts, you might think Democrats would reconsider such political overreach. Unfortunately, the exact opposite has occurred. In the last two weeks of the legislative session in Albany, the Democrats passed laws, which Gov. Kathy Hochul has indicated she will sign, that fundamentally transform the state’s election process.

One bill would move most town and county elections to even-numbered years, when Democrats typically have their highest voter turnout. But the Democratic sponsors of the bill excluded from the legislation all cities, including New York City, village and school board elections, which consistently have among the lowest voter turnout. Opponents of the bill, including me, believe that important local issues, and races for Nassau County and Town of Hempstead offices, would be overshadowed by national and state issues and races. The county and town have held elections in odd-numbered years for over 80 years, but the 18 percent higher turnout in even years may be just what Democrats need to win local legislative seats, which I believe is the true purpose of the change.

I challenge Randi to use her own logic to help defend the unborn.

And I will contribute to janegoodall.org.

JACK HOLLAND Baldwin

Some of us know what teachers go through

To the Editor:

Re Mark Nolan’s column in last week’s Herald, “You have no idea with teachers deal with”: Yep — all sad but true. My wife is a retired first-grade teacher. It’s hard to believe that so much starts there, but it does.

Yes, teachers are well paid, but most of them really earn it! Thanks to them, and God bless them.

DICK CARDOzO Westbury

Another bill passed by Democrats is the New York Early Mail Voter Act, which would allow voters to cast mail-in ballots without an excuse during the nine-day early-voting period. As things stand, the state Constitution allows voting by mail only for those with specific excuses — a disability, an illness, or an absence from their county on Election Day. In 2021, this same measure was put before state voters as a ballot amendment, and soundly rejected. As a result, the Democrats, as they did with redistricting, ignored the will of the voters will and created this legislative workaround that doesn’t need voter approval.

There will certainly be legal challenges to these bills, but the Democrats also have that covered. In the last days of the session, they passed a bill that requires a person filing a constitutional challenge to an election law to do so in one of only four jurisdictions. To no one’s surprise, those four courts are in areas that are heavily Democratic, with similar judicial profiles.

We passed coincidence in New York a long time ago.

The actions of the Democratic-led State Legislature in the past several years, and particularly this past session, would clearly lead a reasonable person to conclude that these so-called “reforms” have very little to do with restoring trust in our voting system, and instead ensure that the majority party remains in power.

But hey, as many of my Democratic colleagues said as they were passing these “reforms,” they “trust the voters.” That is, if they vote the way Democrats want them to.

Brian Curran represents the 21st Assembly District.