Letters

I feel compelled to respond to a number of letters published last week by people spreading lies and propaganda. I’ll go through their claims one by one, because we need to investigate their cognitive dissonance.

Let’s start with John Porta [“Circular Firing Squad,” Letters, October 16] comparing the nomination of Merrick Garland to Robert Bork. For one, the Senate voted on Bork. His nomination was duly rejected. Garland never received a vote — for 293 days.

“Make no mistake, the blue cities of Chicago, Portland, Baltimore and Philadelphia are crime nightmares.” A common lie. When looking at the annual crime rate per 100,000 people, the top four cities are in Alabama. Number five? Anchorage. Seven of the top 10 cities by murder rate are in Republican states.

This next claim from Thomas Jones [“Clarity Needed,” Letters, October 16]: “The truth is that the Affordable Care Act is not affordable.”

Recent tax cuts for the top 20 percent of households will add an estimated $3 trillion to the deficit. Read that out loud. If the Affordable Care Act has become “unaffordable,” it’s because Republicans have eroded our tax base and have made it so. Like any social program, the ACA requires participation. If states and Congress balk at their responsibilities, the system will suffer.

Another one: “[The Democrats] want other various pork added to cuts regarding PBS.”

Mischaracterizing public broadcasting as some wasteful, fraudulent program is propaganda. There are hundreds of PBS member stations around the country that operate in all 50 states. They deliver coverage of local people, news, culture, the arts to millions of Americans. And they do so without editorial disruptions and oversight of private stations. For decades, they enjoyed universal bipartisan support, until about five months ago. Do yourself a favor: Watch a station sometime.

And this one: “This administration has successfully obtained peace in the Middle East, tamed inflation, lowered interest rates, and raised GDP.”

1. “Peace in the Middle East” has not been achieved. Israel broke the ceasefire 24 hours after it was signed. It’s especially meaningless when considering the thousands of women and children who have died since Donald Trump took office. And the fact that he’s positioning himself to profit from Gaza’s reconstruction.

2. Inflation has increased through 2025. Deloitte forecasts it will hit 3.2 percent by the start of 2026. It was trending downward until Trump initiated tariffs.

3. Jerome Powell cut interests rates because Trump’s erratic fiscal policies are disrupting the economy. There have been more farm bankruptcies in nine months than in the entirety of 2024.

4. The only driving force of GDP growth in 2025 has been AI-focused investments in software and data centers. Hardly indicative of anything.

Check these people when they share false information. Truth is a rare commodity.

Michael Pintauro

Sag Harbor