Honoring veterans, cleaning up election signs

Honor vets, respect the flag

Nov. 11 is Veterans Day, a time to honor all who have served our country. Americans should pause to honor the brave men and women who have served in the military. For more than 250 years, many have fought and died for the freedoms we hold dear.

We should also salute those serving in the most dangerous parts of the world, such as the Middle East “How do you honor veterans?,” OnFaith, act2, Nov. 8]. Those who have served have done so at great personal sacrifice, often leaving family, friends and jobs behind.

As a Navy veteran, I hope that on this Veterans Day, many Long Islanders will fly the American flag in their honor. If you can, call a veteran and thank that person for their service and a job well done.

— Frederick Robert Bedell Jr., Bellerose

I was disappointed by Steve Breen’s cartoon depicting the American flag upside down beside the words “I repudiated,” a play on “I voted” [Cartoon roundup, Opinion, Nov. 7]. Yes, political cartoons have long played an important role in challenging opinions.

Under the U.S. Flag Code, though, the American flag should be displayed upside down only as a signal of “dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.” That guidance does not describe a routine symbol of political dissatisfaction or disagreement. To many Americans, regardless of their political views, the flag represents the nation itself, the sacrifices of those who served under it and the republic it symbolizes.

Reasonable people can and should debate the direction of the country, public policy and elected leaders. Those discussions are essential to a healthy democracy. However, when the national flag is portrayed upside down, I see a suggestion that the republic faces an existential crisis so severe that the nation’s very survival is at stake. That is an extraordinary claim and one that should not be made lightly.

Political discourse benefits from vigorous criticism, but it should also preserve respect for the symbols that unite us as Americans. The flag deserves that respect.

— Eugene Murray, New Hyde Park

I appreciated the article “Suffolk honors Vietnam vets” Long Island, Nov. 3], but the county could do more. Suffolk County should accept the New York State Lifetime Liberty Pass for free access to county-operated parks. Suffolk resident veterans can buy a $15 Green Key card, good for three years of county discounts.

In April 2024, though, New York State began offering all New York resident veterans free daily vehicle entry to most state parks and free greens fees at state-operated golf courses. Nassau County allows New York veterans with the Liberty Pass, which is free, to enjoy free county golf. I do not understand why Suffolk won’t accept the pass as well.

— Rich Sundermier, Rockville Centre

Curb town expenses before raising taxes

The fury over piercing the tax cap in Huntington, Smithtown and Babylon towns is justified “Huntington residents decry 18% tax hike,” News, Nov. 7]. Generous health benefits are a major expense, with much of the cost borne by taxpayers.

In 2025, Huntington Town approved lowering the number of years of service required for certain elected and appointed officials to qualify for retirement health coverage from 12 years to six years. Why not require higher employee contributions toward health care coverage?

Nassau and Suffolk counties also have substantial retiree healthcare liabilities. At the end of 2021, those obligations totaled about $6.6 billion in Nassau and $6.5 billion in Suffolk. If all affected parties don’t share the burden, taxpayers could face further tax increases or cuts to staffing and services.

Taxpayers should not have to shoulder every increase.

— Joe Campbell, Port Washington

Pols should pick up their own sign mess

Must every election turn Long Island’s roadsides into a wall of campaign signs?

We are already inundated with political mailers, television ads, emails, and cellphone text messages, too many of which rely on inflammatory rhetoric and questionable claims [“Midterm mud, money and noise,” Letters, Oct. 30]. Now, seemingly every intersection and stretch of roadside is crowded with candidates’ names, often repeated just feet apart. The result is visual pollution that detracts from our communities and adds nothing meaningful to voters’ understanding of the issues.

Worse, Election Day comes and goes, but too many signs remain, becoming litter for someone else to clean up.

Local governments should enforce existing roadside sign restrictions and, where needed, establish clear, legally enforceable cleanup deadlines for temporary signs. Those responsible for violations should face meaningful fines and bear the cost of removing signs they leave behind. Taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for campaign litter.

Candidates ask us to trust them to serve our communities. Taking responsibility for the clutter their campaigns create would be a good place to start.

— Laurie Lynn-Claps, Greenvale