Consider the people who are the industry

Manhattan: Bravo to the Daily News for its courageous and insightful editorial “Hold the horses on City Council’s carriage ban” (July 20). Why would the City Council want to ban such a time-honored tradition such as the horse carriage industry in Central Park? According to many veterinarians, these horses are well taken care of in the nearby stables. I agree that the stables should be transferred into Central Park for safety and proximity.

According to data obtained by the New York City Central Labor Council, many delivery riders on e-bikes have been killed on the streets in the past three years. They were struck by cars, trucks and other large vehicles. Unfortunately, some of these riders were speeding beyond the legal limit. Has the City Council ever held hearings on these accidental deaths? Where was its outrage? None — but they held a hearing on the horse carriage industry due to the sad and highly publicized death of a young tourist in Central Park.

I’m glad the Council voted to raise its salaries. I humbly request that all voting members of the Council carefully raise their consciences before they vote on the future of the industry. Many workers have jobs on the line. Also on the line is the credibility of city government when it comes to licensed jobs. New Yorkers have always upheld the dignity of human labor.

Brian Jordan

A purposeful life

Hyde Park, N.Y.: The tragic accident with the carriage horse was indeed sad, yet rare. My heart goes out to the family. I’ve been a horse owner and equine professional for more than 50 years. Horses, like people, need and enjoy having a job and a purpose. Have you ever witnessed a bored horse in a field? They start chewing on trees and fence boards, often picking on their pasture-mates out of sheer boredom. What also bothers me is the fact that a mob mentality can do away with a legitimate, licensed livelihood while ignoring the law. These operators haven’t been investigated for animal neglect or cruelty. Their animals are fed, exercised, vetted, shod and rested as appropriate for their job and environment. This proposed ban is government overreach, and a legal precedent needs to be set for this new and naive mayor.

Paula Stewart

Unacknowledged adulation

Bronx: When a pitcher gets removed from a game, the fans clap and give him a standing ovation. Why doesn’t he have the courtesy to tip his hat or just wave to thank his fans?

Ralph Canzone Sr.

Moment of levity

Manhattan: During a health club workout, in a hurry, I used the elevator to go down one flight, which I don’t usually do. When the lift doors opened, I apologized to those on there for holding them up. “Only going down one flight,” I said. A young man — prematurely bald, I suspect — said, “We’ll forgive you because you’re old.” My answer as I lifted my baseball hat: “But I have a full head of hair and you don’t.” Everyone else on the elevator laughed.

James A. Fragale

Sedentary risks

Swarthmore, Pa.: It might be said that the new smoking is chronic, sustained inactivity. Smoking kills and reduces longevity, and so does lack of movement. Long ago, I adopted a mantra to counter my annoyance at my wife’s asking me do some errand that required any effort. I dubbed it IAE — it’s all exercise. Whenever my wife needs me to run an errand, I just say to myself “IAE,” and what was an annoying burden is then OK, even welcome. One’s mindset is everything.

Ken Derow

Outmoded agreement

Deer Park, L.I.: Voicer Jack Danon left out some inconvenient facts. The nuclear deal that former President Barack Obama reached with Iran only lasted 10 years. It expired in 2025. That did not include ballistic missiles, which it should have. Iran has been a quagmire since the Jimmy Carter days. They are a state sponsor of terrorism worldwide. This has been a kick-the-can-down-the-road issue for every president since Carter. The bottom line is that they make a deal, then break it. Iran can’t be trusted to honor any agreement. President Trump has finally taken on this rogue regime, and it’s about time. Sorry, Jack, if you’re so concerned about the price of gas. Where were you when gas was $5.05 a gallon under Joe Biden?

Larry Nekola

Leveraged disadvantage

Hoffman Estates, Ill.: Trump’s latest round of baffling policies defy rationale. In talking to rabid Trump supporters, I’m amazed at their willful ignorance about the Trump administration. They answer logical questions with answers about Hunter Biden, as if that guy is relevant anymore. They seem to support Trump out of pure spite — especially at educators, economists, lawyers, computer geeks and scientists — who they call elites (full disclosure: I worked as a geek in IT for decades). They’re struggling to adapt to the Information Age. They think Trump will restore the blue-collar class as the backbone of the U.S. economy. It ain’t gonna happen. They’re still pulling horses and buggies. In the meantime, Trump is taking advantage of this delirium to enrich himself. His supporters seem to slip into one of the three categories to which Trump himself knowingly subscribes: the asinine, the uninformed and the treacherous.

Jim Arneberg

Early access

Sayville, L.I.: Regarding Trump selling faster access to his Truth Social posts, it’s an odious idea at best, but he isn’t the first. The New York Stock Exchange sells its quote prices with higher-speed access for those who pay more than others. It’s an exchange, and should be a fair exchange. But Trump only cares about Wall Street and Wall Street needs Trump, so no surprises here.

Michael Hooker

For the social good

Hyde Park, L.I.: I think people get a little too worked up over the word socialism. A lot of American programs are already socialized (run by the government) if you think about it. Education: socialized, right through college if you want. Police and fire departments, the military, mass transit — all socialized. There’s many more. These things are part of every American’s daily life. They’re all run by government entities, thereby making them socialist. Does that make them bad? I don’t think so. It’s just the way it is, and has been for quite some time. Upon some research, it seems that “the main goal of socialism is to spread wealth more evenly and provide basic needs like healthcare and education to everyone.” Sounds pretty good to me!

Jack Cregan

Casualties of capitalism

Rosedale: Voicer Dan Arthur Pryor, in his attempt to show the evil of socialism, states that socialism ruins mom-and-pop stores. Walmart has killed more mom-and-pop stores in the communities it built stores in than socialism. Add Amazon to the mix and it looks like those two companies have ruined more mom-and-pop stores than socialism in this country.

Alan Kateman