Airport expansion isn't convenient

When I was young and we visited family in Howard Beach, we often bemoaned the level of noise of the planes landing at Kennedy Airport and were grateful to return home to quiet Suffolk County.

Now, the editorial board is urging that Long Island MacArthur Airport be taken “to the next level,” that it could be so much more [“Take MacArthur to the next level,” Editorial, Sept. 19]. More of what?

I live in East Islip, and we have jets regularly flying over our homes at low altitude while coming in for a landing. The noise is unbearable. If we are in our yard, all conversation must stop since you can’t hear another person. Any enjoyment of the outdoors is shattered by the deafening noise created by the jets.

Kennedy and LaGuardia airports are by the water and can try to avoid flying jets over homes. MacArthur, though, is landlocked and surrounded by residential areas.

I understand that the airport’s location is convenient, but we need to balance that convenience against the quality of life of those living around the airport. I urge our governmental leaders in Suffolk County and the Town of Islip to do this balancing and prioritize preserving some quality of life for their residents.

Michael Cisek, East Islip

As a resident of the Town of Islip, I do not see any benefit to town residents in the expansion of the airport. I already can park in the residents’ lot, check in, go through security, and be at the gate in under an hour.

There already is a train to the plane going to Kennedy. You can connect from the Long Island Rail Road to AirTrain JFK. It’s closer for people living in Nassau and some in western Suffolk to go to Kennedy than to MacArthur.

Does anyone trust airlines to expand service if an airport is bigger? Are my taxes going to go down if revenue goes up? I think not. I see this as some politicians’ vanity project.

Take the money and fix the roads on Long Island.

Gerald O'Brien, Ronkonkoma

America's health future is frightening

As someone who has been a registered nurse for 43 years, it’s horrific and frightening to me that Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is making decisions about our future and our children’s future [“No CDC backing on shot for COVID,” News, Sept. 20].

It’s an abomination that he is making these calls. It seems like all he wants to do is bring back eradicated diseases.

Look what happened with the measles outbreak. We need someone with sound medical experience to make these decisions. Oh, right — we did have smart people, but this man is firing them or having them resign.

Elaine Miller, Riverhead

What judge gets now is a paid vacation

The Nassau County Surrogate’s Court used to enjoy a stellar reputation. The surrogate judge was highly respected and acted respectfully toward the court staff, lawyers, and public. To the dismay of many, I am not alone in believing that now-former Surrogate Judge Margaret C. Reilly changed all that. So I was pleased to learn that the Office of Court Administration removed her from that role [“Court removes Surrogate judge,” News, Sept. 20].

As a retired trusts and estates attorney, I had naively believed that her transfer to another court would be temporary. But now it looks as though she will become a state Supreme Court judge.

Why? Because her name will appear on the November ballot unopposed, due to the political parties’ deal to cross-endorse judicial candidates in order to assure one another of an equal number of judgeships.

So, despite the bad press for the moment, the OCA has apparently done Reilly a favor. The upcoming move to the state Supreme Court seems to mean only that she can enjoy a 3 1⁄2-month paid vacation before she likely starts her new job in January.

Silly me for believing that the karma police had finally arrived.

Elizabeth P. Donlon, Floral Park

Stop inhumane rodeos at UBS Arena

I am appalled that the Professional Bull Riders exploited bovines at UBS Arena on Thursday through Saturday while a bill is pending to ban these cruel rodeos in the nearby New York City Council [“Bull riding comes to LI,” Flash!, Sept. 17].

The federal Animal Welfare Act offers no protection to animals used in rodeos, and bulls often suffer deep internal organ bruising, bone fractures, and more when they fight to rid a rider from their backs. When older, they are often sent to slaughter.

Southampton has already effectively banned rodeos by prohibiting the use of electric prods, flank straps, sharpened spurs, and other weapons necessary to force bulls to buck and be forced into submission.

Nassau County legislators would be wise to stop allowing rodeos to harm animals at UBS Arena before another rider is killed like the young bull rider in Texas who was thrown off a bull and trampled this year.

Juliana Di Leonardo, Riverhead

The writer is vice president of Humane Long Island.