To the editor:
About “Hey, Joe, Don’t Give It a Go” by Maureen Dowd (column, August 7):
I disagree with Dowd that President Biden should declare himself a lame duck to protect his legacy. I can’t think of anything better than his character. he doesn’t do things for himself. The well-being of the country, not his legacy, is his central concern.
Dowd first spoke of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who “missed the moment to leave the stage,” suggesting it was time for Biden to leave. He hasn’t been in office for two years yet. He has a job to do, a country to serve and a country to defend. Imagine how unlucky he would be if he tried to do it as a lame duck.
It’s time for him to leave, but he’s not. He may run in the primary, he may not.
Roger Karlstrom
Yakima, wash.
To the editor:
Biden’s interim president will be well remembered for restoring decency and sanity to the Oval Office. He became “a force to calm a country in dire need of calm”. But his candidacy for a second term at 81 defies age’s debilitation.
Even if he chooses not to run again, he will not become irrelevant. He is a respected veteran politician who lived out his final hurray on his own terms, with renewed dedication and admirable resilience, as evidenced by his long career in public service. will be It reminds me of Orson Welles once.
Precise timing begins with recognizing your own story arc, gracefully heeding the warning signs, and knowing acceptance.
Barbara Allen Kenny
Paso Robles, California
To the editor:
Pushing President Biden to announce that he will not be running for a second term in 2024 because he is too old is plain ageism.
If, as Maureen Dowd puts it, “the old man of aviators has shown that he can get things done, often with bipartisan support,” why not let him keep up the challenge ?
Even if Mr. Biden is having second thoughts about re-election, why should he declare himself a lame-duck president before he has to? Do you seriously believe that you can get yourself out of the run by saying, ‘I can get more of and get out of it’?
Biden has shown patience and perseverance. He comes with age and experience. Let’s not push the old man aside because the cry calls for “new blood.”
Let Biden decide if and when he will announce his candidacy.
Eleanor M. Imperato
manhassett, new york
To the editor:
Thank you Maureen Dowd for saying what had to be said. President Biden, I am a longtime supporter and fan. There is no greater opportunity to prove that you are driven by principle and not by ego. You still have a lot to accomplish. Make the most of this time. Show the American people a president untainted by political ambitions and making decisions based solely on what is best for the country.
Diane Love
New York
To the editor:
OK, for the sake of argument, let’s just say Maureen Dowd is right and Joe Biden shouldn’t be running again. So who are the Democrats? We need someone who is not only competent and visionary, but also a selectable person. That’s why I voted for Biden in 2020.
Republicans are clearly defending Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis a bit. I don’t think either of them have a problem with energizing the base.
So if not Joe, who is?
Dylan Taylor
Philadelphia
To the editor:
Maureen Dowd writes what has to be said. Joe Biden should not be running again and he now has the perfect excuse to step down.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a great example of an over-welcome. Had she retired when she had the best excuse in the world: her failing health, she might not be living with this dystopian Supreme Court today. Dear President Biden: With this in mind, think of the dire consequences of losing you in 2024.
It’s time for a young candidate to take the reins of the Democratic Party. But it will be years before he or she gets his message across.In other words, Mr. Biden now He’s going to be president for a one-time term.
I love you Joe, but you gave it your all for the party.
Claire Christiansen
Oak Harbor, Washington
Solving New York City’s Housing Shortage
To the editor:
About “Rent Rise, and No Cure on the Horizon” (Business, Aug. 2):
Your excellent story correctly diagnoses the great crisis facing cities, the decades-long failure to build enough housing to meet demand, but some local We underestimate the responsibility that elected officials and anti-development activists bear.
As previously mentioned, the city put a record $22 billion into housing. That’s a lot more money than any other city in the country. But if local elected officials continue to block zoning changes that increase district density, and if the NIMBY Group files frivolous lawsuits and delays new construction every year, all the money in the world will make us You can’t build as many houses as you need.
The city council should work with the mayor to implement common sense zoning changes and embrace the opportunity to build new homes in the neighborhood. Post-survey surveys show that a majority of New Yorkers crave more affordable housing where they and their children can stay in the city, and the talented and diverse population that makes the city the best it can be. We guarantee that we can maintain our workforce. world. The time has come to fulfill their wishes.
Karl Weissbrod
New York
The author is the former chairman of the New York City Planning Commission.
To the editor:
Elected officials are fighting all out to rezoning neighborhoods, but New York City has thousands of vacant homes and stable rents. Once the Rent Stabilization Unit becomes vacant, the landlord does not have to rent out the vacant Stabilization Unit to new tenants. Landlords are often encouraged to warehouse empty rooms with rent stabilization, reducing the availability of affordable housing in New York City.
In the current housing market, applicants are entering a rent bidding war for market-priced units, while rent stabilization units on vacant lots scattered across five boroughs are gathering dust.
To the editor:
On “The Joys of Swimming While Fat” by Phoebe Wahl (Op-Art, August 13):
Thank you for publishing a graphic depiction of a fat mom ‘endangering’ her body, her ‘redness and chafing and sweat’ on the beach. . Her struggle with internalized shame surfaces. No small feat!
I can’t wait to share this with my Life Issues group for women who overeat as a survival skill. As women, we always have to contend with the “patriarchy and the judgmental burden of society”!
Arden Greenspan Goldberg
New York
I am a licensed clinical social worker and a licensed eating disorder specialist.