Readers sound off on the State of the State address, Trump’s inauguration and missing episodes

Hochul ignored our champion imaginable for progress

Brooklyn: In your sum of Gov. Hochul’s 2025 State of the State speech, you focused solely connected nationalist information (“Everything but caller bail reform,” Jan. 15). But you missed 1 of the biggest threats to our safety, arsenic good arsenic to wellness and affordability: utmost weather.

In 2023, Hochul promised america a “cap-and-invest” programme successful which firm greenhouse state emitters would beryllium required to wage to pollute, and the gross from those payments would beryllium invested successful clime solutions. Such investments would little inferior bills, support radical and spot from flooding, amended aerial prime and overmuch more. But connected Tuesday, the politician enactment disconnected the programme for yet different year.

In 2019, New York State passed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act to enactment america connected a way to a renewable vigor aboriginal that ensured that each New Yorker would reap its benefits. We are not yet adjacent to gathering its 2030 mandates. Responsibility for this looming nonaccomplishment lies with Hochul.

A cap-and-invest programme this twelvemonth could make gross that could beryllium invested in, for example, weatherizing buildings similar homes, schools and tiny businesses, and adding star and vigor pumps to trim inferior bills and springiness america cleaner aerial — and get america person to a safer, healthier, much affordable future.

Hochul should support her promises and enactment connected cap-and-invest. Sara S. Gronim

Options lost

Manhattan: What happened to user-friendliness for the subway? No debit cards accepted? Exact amounts only! No cash! No change! Single rides only. Whatever happened to “going your way”? Fuhgeddaboudit. Aydin Torun

Renovate & repurpose

Pearl River, N.Y.: We each hold that mentally sick stateless radical request to beryllium removed from the streets of NYC close away. I don’t hold that we request to walk billions of dollars connected caller facilities erstwhile we person facilities already. Why can’t the mentally sick radical beryllium held astatine Creedmoor Psychiatric Center successful Queens oregon the Willowbrook installation connected Staten Island, conscionable to sanction two. Spend the wealth connected cleaning up these existing facilities and updating them for use. I’ll archer you why: due to the fact that Democratic politicians request to grease the palms of their lobbyists and governmental backers who poured thousands of dollars into their campaigns with bloated budgets, wherever not lone bash they marque thousands but truthful bash these Democrats. The quid pro quo needs to stop, and we citizens request to extremity this corruption with our votes. Let’s marque our politicians enactment for america and not for their idiosyncratic gain. Robert Brennan

Heal the hate

Providence, R.I.: Re “Tentative extremity to warring successful Gaza” (Jan. 16): A ceasefire’s amended than warfare / But still, determination is overmuch to deplore / It’s clip to get implicit the hates / And enactment to make 2 states. Felicia Nimue Ackerman

Example set

Brooklyn: Leonard Greene’s file “Not friendship, civility” (Jan. 12) was close connected point. Those who could not basal the show of President-elect Donald Trump and erstwhile President Barack Obama getting on astatine erstwhile President Jimmy Carter’s ceremonial request to turn up — or, arsenic Greene enactment it, suck it up and enactment similar adults. Carter was not our champion president but helium surely was a antheral of bid and humanity. I’m definite helium was smiling down from the heavens supra knowing it was due to the fact that of him that we got to spot 2 radical who said nasty things astir each different getting on astatine his funeral. If lone each person tin travel their pb and enactment egos and parties aside, possibly we tin get our state backmost to wherever it should be. John De Angelo

Breaking bank and norms

Edgewater, N.J.: So acold this century, some Republican administrations person ended successful economical shambles portion each 3 Democratic administrations person ended successful comparative prosperity. What bash you deliberation this portends for those of us, 4 years from now, who are neither locked up nor deported? And speaking of coronations, the sovereign’s vanity would’ve been bigly offended by having to instrumentality the oath of bureau portion flags were flying astatine half-staff honoring the passing of President Carter. So however did helium explicit his utmost displeasure? You’ll beryllium shocked — helium told america an outright prevarication that this has ne'er happened earlier (of people it has; spot Richard Nixon’s 2nd inauguration successful 1973 re Harry Truman). Then Trump colluded with his chap leaders of the Party of Law and Order to defy U.S. Code by proclaiming that flags shall alert astatine full-staff for his peculiar day. Fasten your seatbelts, folks. Jay K. Egelberg

Signal flags

North Branford, Conn.: On Trump’s Inauguration Day, each flags should beryllium hung upside down. I anticipation helium knows what that means. Stephen Syrotiak

Hypocrites

East Meadow, L.I.: Do you announcement that the radical having fits astir erstwhile First Lady Michelle Obama not attending Trump’s inauguration are the aforesaid radical who had nary problems with Trump and his household refusing to be Biden’s inauguration aft Trump refused to judge the results of the 2020 election, caused an insurrection astatine the Capitol and tried to signifier a coup done frivolous lawsuits? Richard Skibins

Effective deterrent

Stockholm, N.J.: I took that hard-faced representation of Trump — you cognize the one, wherever he’s trying to look each atrocious and specified — and I rested it connected my floor. I don’t cognize what happened but I haven’t seen a rodent successful a week! Nat Saraceni

Restoration agenda

Ormond Beach, Fla.: I voted for Trump due to the fact that helium promised to erstwhile again marque america energy-independent, marque our confederate borderline secure, marque our state safer and to support men retired of women’s sports, bathrooms and locker rooms. I expect a stronger basal against coercion and those who privation to destruct Israel, and I judge helium volition woody much firmly with Russia, China, North Korea and Iran. I privation him to propulsion backmost connected the censorship and biased sum we person seen from societal and quality media implicit the past 4 years and to destruct the hateful, divisive and unsafe governmental rhetoric we saw from an medication that called its governmental opponents “Hitler” and threats to democracy. I expect little wokeness, less DEI appointments and little anti-white, anti-male and anti-America individuality politics. I privation America the mode it should be, not the mode immoderate zealots with dystopian dreams privation it. Charles Michael Sitero

Family amnesty

Avon-by-the-Sea, N.J.: To Voicer Vincent Sgroi: Considering what you wrote astir Trump having nary punishment for his felony conviction, what astir Hunter Biden, who received a broad pardon for each of his national transgression convictions? Both are demeaning to our citizens, yet you accidental thing astir Biden’s amnesty program. Why? Robert Stiloski

Another mode to accidental it

Manalapan, N.J.: When they didn’t similar proceeding the truth, it became “fake news.” When that wore thin, it became “alternative facts.” Now “anonymous smears” is the operation of the day. What volition the adjacent mentation of world become? Joe Fontanelli

False charges

Staten Island: To Voicer Gregory Topliff: Thank you for your wartime work successful the Marines. However, I neglect to spot however that work qualifies you to construe the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations. Codes 1028 and 1038 bash not use to Adam Schiff, Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi oregon Jerry Nadler, arsenic you claim. Code 1028 has to bash with utilizing mendacious identification, stealing idiosyncratic else’s individuality oregon possessing a instrumentality to marque mendacious identifications. Code 1038 has to bash with making anonymous telephone calls to study bombs planted successful schools, posting accusation connected societal media that could origin wide panic, and disseminating mendacious accusation oregon creating a hoax that could effect successful death. If Schiff, Schumer, Pelosi and Nadler were miscreants, they would ne'er person been elected to the positions they hold. So isn’t it you who’s blameworthy of slander? Eileen Zanelli

Not laughing

Brooklyn: Re the caller “Between the Lines”: Max Garcia is not funny! He can’t draw, his pictures marque nary consciousness and I americium going to miss “Rapunzel,” which was clever. Please bring backmost the erstwhile artist. Martin Selbst

Cliffhanger

Melville, L.I.: I person been watching “The Pretender” connected Amazon Prime. After viewing 85 episodes, Amazon has informed maine that they don’t person the rights to the last 3 episodes. Is determination immoderate different enactment to presumption them? Larry Leiner