Open primaries provide freedom of choice

Little Neck: Here’s a proposal to reform the primaries, which becomes more important in the age of gerrymandering: Do what Alaska does — make it relatively easy to get on the ballot in the primary and allow all registered voters, regardless of party, to vote using ranked ballots where the top four get onto the November ballot. Voting for four allows you to express a protest vote, such as The Rent Is Too Damn High Party, which allows an opinion to be expressed without totally throwing away your vote. You’ll have candidates who have to appeal to a broader swath of voters by perhaps being more moderate. And finally, this would allow independents to vote.

As most so-called independents lean one way or another, why not declare for a party? It costs nothing, and you’re not obligated to vote for the party’s choice. I’m a frequent small donor to the Democratic Party, yet I’ve voted for a Republican on occasion. I vote for the Democrat 95% of the time, but the republic still stands after my voting for the R.

It’s annoying to listen to them whine about being shut out of the primaries, but it’s their choice to forgo that vote. In a closed primary state, stop mewling and join a party or keep quiet. Enough of this feigned righteousness.

Tony Smolenski

Imprisonment racket

Manhattan: The Republicans in Congress just voted to burden us with another $70 billion in debt. We’ll be paying interest on this for the rest of our lives. And what is this $70 billion for? Republican-donor, profiteering private prison companies separating nonviolent people from their families, keeping them locked up for countless months. Why? Ka-ching! By no stretch of the imagination are these prisoners a flight risk. The billions that the Republicans just forced us to borrow will also send more masked agents to snatch and jail people in violation of the Bill of Rights. Right now it may be “them,” but since the government is snatching anyone it wants, who else will they plot to lock up after they build more of these private prisons?

Lynn Caporale

Obstructed justice

Boynton Beach, Fla.: To Voicer Tom Saracco’s question as to why the Department of Justice under Joe Biden did not release the Epstein files: In spite of the fact that President Trump was well known as Jeffrey Epstein’s friend and confidant for more than a decade (and mentioned more than anyone else in the Epstein files), as well as Biden’s primary political challenger for reelection, it may have had something to do with the Biden DOJ’s operating capacity being overwhelmed by the need to prosecute thousands of Trump-orchestrated and -incited criminal terrorists who attacked and violently assaulted our Capitol and the police protecting it on Jan. 6.

William T. Bredin

Change the channel

Barnegat, N.J.: To Voicer Cindy O’Connor: To begin with, what did you expect from the new owners of Paramount’s CBS News? Additionally, why would you even tune in?

James Brower

Getting annoying

Middle Village: Is anyone getting tired of constantly seeing those Omega XL commercials?

Robert Chirieleison

Delightful discovery

Yonkers: My NYC dad made me smile. He enlisted in the Marines after the Pearl Harbor attack and landed in Okinawa. He was careful and meticulous in all he did, with a sense of humor that would spark from out of the blue. My late dad made me smile again. He kept tins of tools and bric-a-brac precisely labeled by hand at great length, so I was bemused to find a tin nestled in a back corner, Rumpelstiltskin-like: “Old Time Things.” Oh boy. The contents brought him back to life, a glimpse of my dad as a child, as a young man, as a dad. Semper Fi.

Susan A. Stark

Silent treatment

Manhattan: So, Hakeem Jeffries thinks Trump should stay away from the playoffs (“Hakeem to Don: Stay away,” June 6). Trump thrives on conflict. Being told to stay away, or coming and getting boos from a crowd that mostly hates him, will only let him play the martyr and show his followers what a brave man he is. I have an idea: Don’t boo him, cheer him or give him any special attention. Just treat him like some anonymous tourist and ignore him. He would hate that, which would be the best way to irritate him. Don’t give him the satisfaction of confrontation.

Alec Pruchnicki

Like a moth to flame

Valley Stream, L.I.: Now that Hakeem Jeffries has recommended that Trump not attend game 3 of the NBA Finals in NYC, the petulant brat will most certainly attend. He needs to put the focus on himself, as all narcissists do. Hey Don, stay in D.C. and look for another landmark to defecate on. Let the Knicks and their fans enjoy a moment in the sun without any appearances by you.

Vince Sgroi

Shared celebration

Manhattan: Knicks fever is increasingly present in NYC (good coverage in the Daily News). I witness it when I’m wearing my Knicks hat in public and folks I’ve never met shout, “Go Knicks!” It’s a wonderful feeling seeing the city come together. History shows that sports can bring people together. I remember as a kid going to Ebbets Field and experiencing Blacks and whites together on the field and in the stands. My suggestion: Let’s increase the number of Knicks watch parties. Have your building host one in its lobby or rooftop. Have your workplace, school or gym do likewise. Let all New Yorkers participate in perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime experience being part of the Knicks winning the NBA championship. Go Knicks!

Norman Siegel

Pitch to play

Terre Haute, Ind.: Baseball is a great game by playing it, not walking it! Walks obnoxiously continue to be the order of the day. These mound hurlers had six-weeks of spring training to work out their issues and pitching difficulties. Yet, these so-called major league pitchers are not pitchers, they’re just throwers! The majority overthrow their 95 mph pitches, attempting to strike out each batter, instead of pitching to contact at lower velocities, allowing the ball to be put into play. Of course, the result is these insufferable, time-consuming, deep pitch counts and boring walks, given the throwers are unable to hit the strike zone! On-field management allows these throwers to throw, not pitch. Management shouldn’t only teach but demand that these multi-million-dollar throwers pitch. Put the ball into play. Let baseball be itself. Create action on the field. Stop these incessant numbers of walks per game.

Earl Beal

No mention?

Monroe Township, N.J.: I know everyone is excited about the Knicks, but there was a major tennis tournament also going on and you couldn’t find anything about the French Open in the Daily News, even in your recap section. Do we really need to publish the playoff schedule starting in April?

Marilyn Sliva