State Police

The latest scandal engulfing the Massachusetts State Police (“Staties Respond to Secret Recording Disclosure,” Boston Herald, 7/17/24) demonstrates the wisdom of my long-time suggestion that the MSP should be abolished and replaced by a new state-wide investigative agency – with a new name, new leadership, and new personnel. As with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, once a governmental agency is afflicted with a long-time culture of corruption, incompetence, lawlessness or whatever, reform is virtually impossible. It must be ripped out root-and-branch, so to speak. And then the government has to start from scratch.

Harvey A. Silverglate

Cambridge

Vance for VP

I love the J.D. Vance pick, this is a political moment to go full MAGA. Real MAGA – America first, strong economy, strong deterrence abroad, less power in Washington more in the states, not imaginary, left-wing  MAGA demagoguery.  And “conservatives” can put their wagging fingers away and get on board, because following Beltway conservative orthodoxy got us the Inflation Reduction Act, failure to impeach Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, zero accountability for the Black Lives Matter riots, Mitt Romney, John McCain, Adam Kinzinger, Susan Collins, and Liz Cheney. Oh, and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where I served, thanks for that!

Nope, time to move the GOP where it belongs, in the hands of the people. As for the concerns that Vance is “too Trumpy” and having 2 political pugilists on the ticket, I see a different tack. With Vance as the VP, Trump can now be “less Trumpy,” and more of the unifying, cool and collected Trump we’ve seen this cycle. The pick works great, perfect for THIS election cycle and also cements the MAGA GOP beyond 2028 much to the chagrin of the country club “conservatives” that have ruled Washington with Biden, Pelosi and Schumer.

Nick McNulty

WIndham, N.H.

Bridge Billion

One billion dollars towards replacing the Sagamore and Bourne Bridges is too late and a dollar short. The estimated cost is supposed to be $4.2 billion.  But, if you remember the Big Dig fiasco, that ran 190% over budget so cost estimates by the federal government were nowhere near the final price tag.  One billion dollars for the bridges was enough to secure a Biden for President endorsement by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey. Warren said Biden is an excellent president who works hard on behalf of working families every day.  That endorsement is what $1B buys you on the Biden campaign trail.  Liz Warren should remember President Lincoln’s quote, “It’s better to be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.”

Donald Houghton

Quincy