Trump & Crime

It’s fine for Howie Carr to say, as he does in his Aug. 27 column, “please come to Boston, Mr. President.”  He is speaking, of course, of our crime problem.

But hasn’t Mr. Carr ever read the U. S. Constitution? Law enforcement is a power reserved to the states. Trump is able to take over law enforcement in Washington, D.C., because it is a federal enclave. However, since the Declaration of Independence, written quite a while ago, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state, not a federal enclave.

True —  we have a crime problem. But it’s a problem for us, not the feds, to solve.

Harvey A. Silverglate

Cambridge

High speed rail

Governor Newsom of California is considered the top prospect to run for president. The Bullet Train is one of the many reasons why his run for office is doomed to failure. The rail service was supposed to be completed by 2020 at a cost of $33 billion.  Its projected cost has ballooned to $135 billion, and not one mile of track has been laid.  The Bullet Train fiasco is a shining example of Governor Newsom’s leadership even while Biden was in office for four years.

Donald Houghton

Quincy

Energy supply

Terry Jarrett’s article “Energy supply dukes it out with demand” leaves out one fact that is not convenient to his argument – as the cost of renewable energy continues to come down, firing back up old coal plants will actually cost more per kilowatt hour than building new, clean renewable sources with battery back-up.

Our current administration and its supporters, like Mr. Jarrett, have one goal in mind – to help the fossil fuel industry squeeze every last dollar from the American consumer. Just like the tobacco industry before them, they want to hide the truth that fossil fuels harm our lungs and our planet, and keep us hooked on them as long as possible.

Energy “consultants” like Mr. Jarrett work to mislead the American public so we will reject less expensive, less polluting renewable energy in favor of their fossil fuel funders. Even with increasing demand, there is no reason to keep coal plants on our power grid in 2025.

Mary Memmott

Framingham

Safety protocols

There appears to be a consistent lack of a safety protocol in most houses of worship and this needs to be addressed now.

From 2012 to 2022 there have been 59 incidents of active shooters in houses of worship resulting in 79 deaths and 83 injured.

I suggest to prepare a safety plan by developing exit strategies, training staff and volunteers to assist.

Paramount is to have all worshippers publicly informed of the location of all emergency exits. Also identify a location for assembly outside away from the perimeter of the building as that area is needed for first responders to stage their apparatus.

There is more, like locking all doors after service begins and having surveillance cameras mounted on all four sides and monitored while service is ongoing.

For a true safety plan consult with police, fire, medical and insurance professionals.

Bob Sweeney

Warwick, RI