Feedback 3/8 

We welcome your comments. Send them to [email protected], or post them on our website, rochestercitynewspaper.com, our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed, @roccitynews. Comments of fewer than 350 words have a greater chance of being published, and we do edit selections for publication in print. We don't publish comments sent to other media.

King Andrew's

glass-house

stone throwing

I wish to commend Jeremy Moule on his fine article on Governor Cuomo's "Blame Game" (News, February 15).

Once again, King Andrew the First is attempting to browbeat local governments. Moule rightfully pointed out the inaccuracy of King Andrew's numbers, noting that certain taxing districts for lighting, sewer, and ambulance services are required by law.

King Andrew needs to look in the mirror when he talks about wasteful spending. I cite these examples: First, the unnecessary signs at Thruway entrances, which are a duplication of other signs and are illegal by federal standards.

Second, the $50 million the state spent on advertising to create 400 jobs. Third, the scandal and waste in Cuomo's photonics initiative, resulting in the indictment of the photonics head and Cuomo's right-hand man.

Fourth, the mess created by the State Department of Taxation in servicing property tax rebates. Fifth, the state's bloated Medicaid program — the nation's most expensive, which requires local governments to pay more than any other state.

Yes, King Andrew, if you want to find waste, just clean your own house first.

JAMES BOEHLER

Trump's praise

of Vladimir Putin

is deplorable

I respect the office of the presidency; however, I cannot respect a president who proudly and arrogantly supports and praises a murderous thug named Putin.

Putin invaded Ukraine, resulting in the deaths of thousands of innocent people. Putin also ordered deliberate airstrikes on war-torn Syrian refugees under the false pretext of destroying ISIS. Trump had the audacity to state while defending Putin that "Americans aren't so innocent either." As an honorably discharged Marine who served during the Vietnam War, I find Trump's rhetoric deplorable, especially coming from someone who avoided serving in the military.

It is a sad indictment when an American president is more concerned about Putin than the American people he took an oath to serve and protect. Trump's obsession with wealth and power will ultimately be the demise of his dictatorship.

WALT SIMONI

Trump is just

shifting bloat

President Trump's most recent prescription for decline and disaster, even though it is a mere 10 percent transfer of domestic bloat to military bloat, is nonetheless peerless in its perniciousness.

The goal seems to be the elimination of inconvenient domestic agencies. But that leaves unanswered the question of why the 10 percent increase in military aid could not be achieved by cutting current bloat from the Department of Defense. As we all know, the DoD has no remotely close rival for bloat and waste. DoD is so monumentally overfunded that it is no longer possible to audit its expenses.

And this ignores what is actually worst about this latest plan: that it is no plan. If it were, it would target increased military funding to areas that could be presumed to increase public safety. How is that goal achieved by giving across the board bloat instead of targeted bloat?

As we saw in the last two administrations, bombing and droning others has helped create the population of refugees here that we have begun to round up and "export." Candidate Clinton bears a full measure of responsibility for policies that have helped create failed states. What else did all that bombing and commando raiding and killing of civil populations achieve? What was learned?

A "mere" 10 percent is more than enough to tilt our reliance on military solutions over what are actually both human and diplomatic needs. The result will be an explosive collision with reality.

MIKE CONNELLY