Readers sound off on Amtrak tunnels, abortion rights and senior housing

Manhattan: Re “Amtrak’s Sandy failure” (editorial, Oct. 31): Amtrak knows all too well the fragility and importance of the century-old North and East River Tunnels. It’s why we have spent years advancing rehabilitation projects that are poised to begin construction.

In the years since Superstorm Sandy, with dedicated Amtrak employees working in the tunnels nearly every night to keep them open and safe for service, we and our partners built the first two sections of a new tunnel under Hudson Yards. We also acquired property for the new Hudson River Tunnel’s future ventilation shaft, completed an environmental impact statement, advanced engineering to 30%, confirmed geotechnical conditions along the alignment, secured permits and hired a CEO to lead the bistate Gateway Development Commission.

With the help of Sen. Chuck Schumer, Congress and the Biden administration, we’ve also unlocked unprecedented federal investment that will minimize the financial burden on our state partners. Add this to the stakeholder coalition we created that unifies the region behind these investments and we are closer than ever to renewing and expanding critical Northeast Corridor infrastructure that will make passenger rail more appealing than flying or driving. Our Northeast Corridor tubes rely on different technology than subway tunnels and demand different engineering solutions.

We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to get this right. The urgency is not lost on us. Our commitment and our progress prove it. Jaidev Sankar, vice president, infrastructure delivery, and Marie Corrado, assistant vice president, Gateway Program

Staten Island: The MTA is spending $22 million for monopoles that will stand up to 150 feet high to enhance its radio system on the Staten Island Rapid Transit. Staten Island has a two-track railroad less than 20 miles long, running north to south from Tottenville to the Staten Island Ferry and back. This is a ridiculous waste of money that doesn’t make any sense. Just use cell phones to communicate and save $22 million. Phyllis O’Callaghan

Bronx: I was assaulted on Nov. 5 at approximately 6 p.m. on the Manhattan-bound No. 6 train approaching the E. 143rd St. station. I had to go to the hospital because I suffered injuries to the face. I am legally blind. There needs to be better security on the subway. Mark Goldberg

Rockville Centre, L.I.: I am writing to publicly thank Vera Malliotakis for her Nov. 6 op-ed “Supporting secure borders doesn’t make you anti-immigrant.” It was thoughtful and well-written, and refreshing to hear from the point of view of an immigrant who came here legally. I am tired of being shouted down by people whose only response when I mention my take on illegal immigration is, “Well, where did your family come from? Unless you’re Native American, you’re from an immigrant family so you’re a hypocrite.” Yes, my family came here from Ireland. They did it legally. I am proud to be the granddaughter of immigrants and I’m also proud that they played by the rules. I believe strongly in immigration — legal immigration. It’s why so many like the Malliotakis family and my grandparents were able to come to the U.S. seeking a better life. I don’t want that taken away. The path to citizenship should not be insurmountable but there should also be consequences for those who attempt an end-run around the law. MaryEllen Davis

Old Bridge, N.J.: Would someone please build a spaceship capable of transporting Rupert Murdoch and Elon Musk to a faraway planet from which they can never return? We have enough homegrown blowhards and egomaniacs without importing more to muck up our political insane asylum. Janet Cecin

Flushing: Lee Zeldin tried to have it both ways on abortion, courting pro-life groups and praising the Dobbs decision while telling the majority of pro-choice New Yorkers that he couldn’t ban abortion in the state because the Democrats in the Legislature wouldn’t let him. Anybody whose principal campaign talking point is, “Don’t worry, my opponents in government will stop me from doing radical and terrible things,” should not be taken seriously as a candidate. Bob Heaney

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Somers, N.Y.: To correct Voicer Thomas Murawski: A zygote is defined as a diploid cell (46 chromosomes) resulting from the fusion of two haploid gametes. It is not a human being at this time. It is not a viable living organism. Michael Gold

Brookfield, Conn.: To Voicer Sam Katz: Thanks for your reply to my letter, but I think you failed to make your point. The Ninth Amendment gives you unspecified civil rights but says nothing about abortion. The 13th Amendment bans the labor of slavery and involuntary servitude, not the labor of childbirth, and the 14th Amendment doesn’t figure into it either. Also, while I’ve never had a penis enlargement, taken Viagra or been treated for Peyronie’s disease or prostate problems, I wouldn’t consider any of them constitutional rights. If they were, one wouldn’t have to pay for them. Fred Schoeneborn

Bronx: To Voicer Wayne E. Williams: Once upon a time, I had a newspaper route delivering the New York Post in the Bronx. I had a problem signing up clients because people were afraid that the Post was considered a communist newspaper. Virgilio Carballo

Brentwood, L.I.: Things are horrible for senior citizens because nothing is available. There are so many more of us now — why is this? These apartment complexes get tax credits for having so many senior and low-income units available, yet nothing is open. Seniors are homeless due to having specific criteria (health, etc.) as to where they can reside. We can’t live in shelters or boarding houses. Two-bedroom apartments start at $2,500 plus security and deposit, and that doesn’t include utilities. What senior can afford this? We have exhausted all our options but no one cares nor is investigating why it is so expensive. Where is the help they promised? Rochelle Davidson

Manhattan: Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, when discussing runaway inflation, thinks people should just eat more Chef Boyardee. Really? Is that what he and his husband Randy Florke do these days? What an insult to people who go to work every day. Add this to his support for no-cash bail and understand why so many people are exiting the Democratic Party. Patricia Clark

Scranton, Pa.: I often wonder, “Who was the first person to come up with this idea?” Take honey, for instance. Who was the first to observe a swarm of bees around a hive and declare, “I don’t know what’s in there but I bet it’s delicious! Go check it out, son. You won’t get stung.” And who was the first to observe the underside of a cow, scratch their chin and ponder, “I don’t know what’s in that thing but I think I’ll try some on my cornflakes this morning — right after I fry up some pig slices and eat them with those things coming out of those chickens”? More recently, who was the first person to think it would be a great idea for a 74-year-old former reality TV host with numerous bankruptcies and scams, including a fraudulent university along with a host of legal problems and assault allegations, to run for president? I’ll ponder that one over my bowl of cornflakes. Vin Morabito

San Mateo, Calif.: “Only dialogue and diplomacy can end the devastating war in Ukraine.” This was the pronouncement by a group called The Elders, an international collection of retired state leaders dedicated to peaceful solutions around the world. Former Irish President Mary Robinson heads the group. Luckily, no one has asked the group to withdraw its statement on the subject, much as the progressive wing of the Democratic Party felt obliged to do. However, things now appear to be changing here. Perhaps the statement by Henry Kissinger may have finally struck a resonance in the otherwise tone-deaf towers of Washington: “We are at the edge of war with Russia and China on issues which we partly created, without any concept of how this is going to end or what it’s supposed to lead to.” Maybe we ought to consider this 99-year-old’s words more seriously. Mike Caggiano