Levittown zoning, Trump's Jan. 6 fund, National Shabbat 250

Levittown house-size limits a step forward

The Town of Hempstead’s restrictions on the building of outsized homes in Levittown mark a significant step forward in preserving suburban developmental scale [“Tighter house size limits OKd,” News, May 13].

In recent years, the issue of local governments liberally allowing oversized residences has greatly contributed to rising housing costs. In turn, these bigger homes make generational turnover in communities all that much more challenging as prices rise, while simultaneously changing the aesthetic character of Long Island’s neighborhoods.

It is important to remember that it is not a local government’s responsibility to enshrine municipal zoning as a tool whose purpose is to drive up property values for investors looking to cash in.

Rather, the power over land use is a fundamental responsibility of government that localities must responsibly leverage to target key growth initiatives in appropriate areas while maintaining both the environmental and social integrity of the residents of the community.

All of this should be done within the context of a broader comprehensive plan that was shaped with community input, not on a lot-by-lot basis by random private homeowners.

While the rights of homeowners to improve their property are a key part of a functioning free market, such actions must be done without unduly contributing to the region’s already superheated housing market.

— Richard Murdocco, Commack

The writer is an adjunct professor of planning at Stony Brook University.

Trump’s Jan. 6 fund ups ante further

Under U.S. federal tax law, all income is taxable unless specifically excluded. If Donald Trump accepts a $1.776 billion settlement in his bogus personal lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service for allegedly leaking his tax returns, then those settlement proceeds should be taxable income to him personally [“DOJ to create $1.7B fund for probes,” News, May 19].

That he chooses to later use those funds to set up a slush fund for his MAGA supporters should be of no consequence, any more than if you or I received a taxable settlement and later used part of it to make a donation to a legitimate charity. I hope the IRS tax collectors are smart enough to understand that.

— David M. Ardam, Commack

When is enough enough? Trump is stealing hardworking taxpayer money every single day. He now wants to give $1.7 billion to his acolytes.

If you thought his most egregious act was pardoning the criminals who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 to overthrow the government, he now has continued to up the ante. He will do anything to erase the events of Jan. 6 from history.

In addition, if that alone is not enough, he is reinforcing the fact that his faithful followers not only can get away with unlawful acts but might get paid for doing so. Stop for a moment and ruminate on that. These are dangerous times.

— Michael Alestra, East Quogue

Reflecting on the national Shabbat 250

Trump’s national Shabbat 250 is way off base [“Trump’s national Shabbat 250? Bring it on.”; Opinion, May 15].

Nearly 30% of the United States is reported to be nonreligious. Why should they feel pressure to participate in a religious observation? For that matter, why should Christians or Muslims feel pressure to participate in a Jewish-oriented observation?

The Constitution and several laws prohibit this sort of thing. But does Trump care about laws or the Constitution? No.

— Abbott Wool, Hewlett

Well said, rabbi. However, some of us are on a 24/7 running hamster wheel. It is hard to stop in today’s world. Maybe it is FOMO — fear of missing out — or maybe our careers don’t allow for it or we are addicted to technology or we are making excuses. As I near my 70th birthday, I hark back to the days of yore where there was very little turned on, to turn off. As Tevye would say, “on the other hand” maybe we are missing the opportunity for Shabbat rest without it being Shabbat. Maybe the answer is in front of us. We need to rethink how we use our time. Check your local library for programs, reading, find arts and crafts programs, volunteer, take an adult education class.

Most important, if you’re observing Shabbat, you don’t have to just stop from sundown to sundown on Fridays since it’s May. Summer is coming. Take a walk. Golfer Walter Hagen in his 1956 autobiography wrote, “Stop and smell the roses. Don’t hurry, don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.”

— Howard Lev, East Meadow