Readers sound off on Jesus ads, more casinos and disabled inspectors

Raritan, N.J.: In case you haven’t figured it out yet, the wealthy corporate business interests of this country have been using right-wing cable news outlets as their bully pulpit to mold the way we think and brainwash us. They funnel millions into think tanks to come up with narratives to cover up their sins. They use dark money to fuel campaigns of politicians who write legislation to tilt the scales in their favor. They use millions to kneecap and keep out labor unionization efforts. As the late, great George Carlin put it, it’s all to achieve one goal: to have more for themselves and less for everyone else.

They now have a new way to get to us, and that effort is through our Sunday sermons in our churches. Perhaps you’ve seen the TV ads promoting Jesus that end with “He gets us.” These ads throw out the narrative of inclusion for all. No matter who or what you are, he gets us. Recently, it came to light that the group behind the ads purchased $100 million in airtime for the Super Bowl game. Well, that information raised the antennas of some investigative reporters. It was uncovered that the cash being funneled for these ads came from none other than the corporate right, including David Green, the founder of Hobby Lobby.

The latest attempt is to bring us back to church, where the religious right will attempt to further manipulate our thinking into seeing things the way they do. So much for the separation of church and state! William Brites

Plainview, L.I.: If President Biden winds up in a nursing home, is the nursing home then considered the White House? Frank Mauceri

Ossining, N.Y.: Voicer Ron Goldman complained about S.E. Cupp’s skewering of the embarrassing antics of Marjorie Taylor Greene and others of her ilk during the State of the Union address. Goldman went on to list things he says President Biden never addressed the “atrocious economy, surging gas prices” and his “son’s scandals” and, of course, ended by making unsupported claims of “eroding cognitive skills.” Goldman apparently lives in a dark Fox News bubble. Days before the address, the nation was told we added an astounding 500,000 jobs in January. We are enjoying the lowest unemployment in 50 years, with 12 million jobs added in the past two years. Manufacturing has soared. Gas prices have dropped, the supply chain has been repaired and inflation is slowing. We still have historically low crime rates. Compare all this with the state of the nation Biden was handed when he took office. Robert Rundbaken

Manhattan: So Trump ex-press secretary/sycophant/fellow bald-faced liar Sarah H. Sanders said, “The dividing line in this country is no longer a choice between right and left, but between normal and crazy.” Truer words were never spoken. Too bad Sanders got it exactly backwards. Michael Udolf

Bronx: I’m not quite understanding why so much attention is being given to George Santos for his habitual lying when for years now there’s been this orange-colored politician who once occupied the White House, and virtually nobody calls him out for his lies, deceit and subversion. The media needs to have the same balls with Donald Trump and others as it has for Santos. Stephen Markbreit

Brooklyn: It seems that nobody can define “woke,” so maybe somebody can tell me what the opposite of woke is? Braindead? Anne Slamka

Astoria: Headline on CNN: “Biden and Trudeau order unidentified cylindrical object shot down.” Me: “My God, they’re triggering an intergalactic war.” Bradley Morris

Ridgewood: I wholeheartedly agree with state Sen. Nathalia Fernandez in calling for the passage of the All-Electric Buildings Act (“New York needs to make a smart energy future,” Feb. 9). Regarding the dumping of dirty sites in communities of color, not even counting, say, the Cross Bronx Expressway, isn’t it interesting that when luxury housing rises, polluting gas peaker plants close? Gov. Hochul backs the act banning gas hookups in new buildings. It’s only being held up by recalcitrant Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie. The bill, similar to the policy already followed in New York City, plus the governor’s selection of the maximum number of viable offshore wind farms for New York’s next round of clean energy projects, will give all New Yorkers cleaner air and a better climate future. In my neighborhood, flooding killed people in 2021, including a 2-year-old trapped in a basement apartment with his grandparents. As a mother, I fear for our future if we can’t pass sensible policies like this. Chandra Bocci

Kent, N.Y.: My wife likes the slots. That used to mean a four-hour drive to Atlantic City, so we would go two or three times a year. Then came Mohegan Sun, a two-hour drive. We would go there more frequently. The Yonkers Raceway casino was next, a one-hour drive. We went there quite a bit. Resorts World casino in the Catskills — we make it there in 50 minutes, a beautiful drive. Now there is a brand new casino in Newburgh, a 30-minute ride! They are closing in on me. Help! But like I said, my wife loves the slots, and I love her, so we go. Bet wisely. Rob Callen

Astoria: Keechant Sewell had 25 years of policing under her belt when she was appointed NYC’s first female police commissioner. Laura Kavanagh had zero years of firefighting but was appointed as NYC’s first female fire commissioner. Kavanagh’s chaotic demotions of the department’s top brass will lead to low morale in every firehouse in NYC. Sewell’s calm presence has slowly rebuilt her department’s confidence. The difference between the two appointees is experience. Their genders don’t matter. Aris Sakellaridis

Manhattan: So, Mayor Adams’ friend, Desmond Blackburn, got a high-level Department of Education job that Adams created for him at a salary of $265,000. Now, you report, he has quit after a year (“School official quits after one year, turns to anti-hate efforts,” Feb. 12). In that short time, he hired a senior advisor, Adams’ long-term girlfriend — the woman with the Jersey pad, if I remember correctly — also at a salary of more than $200,000. Our mayor seems to be growing his very own community while the city’s myriad problems worsen. There’s no doubt that Adams is richer and the city is poorer as he cheerleads but fails to lead. Francesca Turchiano

Bronx: Re ”An MTA seat for someone in a chair” (editorial, Feb. 12): Why was a bill created without the term “all” but that used the term “except”? It tells me the MTA had an upper hand in being exempt from creating accessible transportation. However, a disabled voting board member probably won’t get to a majority on accessibility. A better option is having a wheelchair-bound individual working as an inspector for the city. This person can provide or decline a permit. Imagine the inspector not being able to inspect a site because it isn’t accessible — permit pending until accommodation is made. Mark Walter

Tobyhanna, Pa.: To Voicer Joe Ewansky: Much has been written by great minds on the complex question of why an all-loving God permits suffering. Here’s a very simple answer: God is playing the long game, which is our salvation — to put it another way, where we will choose to spend eternity. He permits suffering because it is an opportunity for us to show virtue and an opportunity for our salvation. Joseph Matarazzo

Syracuse: Of the making of Israel-Palestine peace plans, there is no end. Though Voicer Sorrell Chesin tries hard, his is yet another non-starter. After stalling for nine and a half months, Palestinian representatives walked out of a brief 2014 meeting, never returned and still refuse to do so. While Israel has long conceptually accepted a Palestinian state, the Palestinians have never accepted the legitimacy of the Jewish state of Israel. That is the alpha and omega of the conflict. Richard D. Wilkins