Childhood Vaccination Is Essential to Public Health

To the Editor, 

Parents worry when their children are sick. Fortunately, most childhood illnesses are not serious. Children rarely experience the severe diseases that were communion the past such as whooping cough, diphtheria, polio, measles, and rubella (German measles). These infections were often dangerous and sometimes deadly. Although people today have lived through the COVID pandemic, most have never encountered individuals sick from any of these communicable diseases. Thanks to vaccines, we don’t see these diseases or their consequences or know how frightening they can be.

I am a retired pediatrician born at the end of the 1940s. In my lifetime, before many vaccines were available, I saw people affected, and sometimes devastated, by various viruses and bacteria. I myself have had chicken pox, measles, mumps, and rubella. They were not minor illnesses. 

My college roommate had a brother who is deaf because their mother got Rubella when she was pregnant with him. During my medical residency, in the 1970s, we often had to do spinal taps on babies and young children to determine whether their high fevers were due to meningitis with Pneumococcus, Haemophilus, or other causes. Meningitis can be a complication of many childhood infections. I stayed overnight in the hospital with a friend and her 18 month old child who had Haemophilus meningitis. The vigil seemed forever. She made it without any of the often-seen side effects such as brain damage and hearing loss. Vaccines against Pneumococcus and Haemophilus are now available and have substantially decreased the occurrence of this infection.

In the 1950s there was a nation-wide polio scare. My parents didn’t let us swim in local lakes and rejoiced when polio vaccine became available. They marched us right up to the line to receive ours. My mother-in-law contracted polio before the vaccine was available. She didn’t end up in an iron lung, used to assist many polio victims when their breathing muscles were weak, but she did spend the rest of her life with one leg smaller and weaker than the other.

Sadly a decline in vaccination rates in the US has contributed to an increase in some vaccine-preventable illnesses. For example, there have been 355 measles cases in the US this year with at least one death of a child. Most of the affected children were not vaccinated. Now, health officials are concerned that this trend could lead to outbreaks of other vaccine-preventable diseases, such as polio, rubella and mumps. The risk of adverse events from vaccines is minuscule compared to the serious complications and possible death that can come from unimmunized children getting the disease or from spreading the disease to others.

Vaccines, developed over the past seven decades to give protection against many childhood diseases, have been hailed as one of the greatest public health achievements of our times. When an unimmunized child contracts one of these diseases, even if the child escapes the most serious complications, the well-being and peace of mind of others in the community, especially the medically vulnerable, are adversely effected.

I urge parents to get their children vaccinated according to the schedule published by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Talk to your child’s doctor about any concerns you might have and protect your own children and all the children in our community.

Claire Cifaloglio, MD
Croton-on-Hudson

False Charges of Voting Fraud Are Themselves Fraudulent

To the Editor,

Mike Lawler is taking away our voting rights!

In 2024 there were 343,000,000 people in America and 153,000,000 of them voted. Surprisingly, Donald Trump didn’t claim or discover any voter fraud in 2024. Whereas in 2020 Trump claimed he had lost because of voter fraud, but he couldn’t prove any existed. 

So the Trump right-wing think tank The Heritage Foundation, which spearheaded the now infamous Project 2025, created the “Election Fraud Database” for which a grand total of 20 cases were brought in 2024, with charges ranging from ineligible voting to false registrations, duplicate voting, and ineligible voting.”

20 CASES OUT OF 153,000,000 VOTES DOES NOT CONSTITUTE FRAUD!

Mike Lawler’s claim (“safeguarding our elections from potential foreign interference is a good thing”)  is misdirection. Foreigners may be promoting candidates but they’re not voting. 

And the consequences of his SAVE Act is foisting a real fraud against all Americans. 

Lawler’s Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act requires all American citizens registering to vote or updating their registration information to appear in person and present proof of citizenship.

Proof would be a birth certificate, or a US passport (which requires a birth certificate). Government-issued driver’s licenses including REAL IDs or military or tribal IDs do not qualify as proof. Fewer than half of all Americans have a valid passport.

It’s worse for married women who changed their last name to be their married name, which does not match their birth name. It’s estimated that 69,000,000 women are in this situation, and their voting rights are being attacked. 

Lawler’s disenfranchisement act doesn’t state what to do if one’s married name doesn’t match one’s birth name. If you get a chance you should ask him. 

Next time he takes a break from voting against Medicaid, the 911 Victims Fund, education, cancer research, funding for projects in his district which he touts as having secured, and so much more, ask him why he continues to perpetuate a lie about voter fraud, and why he wants to take away your voting rights. 

Mark A. Lieberman
Yorktown Heights

Defunding Will Be the Downfall of Us

To the Editor,

I have followed government and politics since the Vietnam War era (and especially since Watergate). As an exercise to “get my arms around” the raft of rapid, profound and highly impactful actions that President Trump and his administration have implemented in only 3 months, I needed to set them down in writing. I also felt that sharing them would help since I know that I’m going to be missing so many of them.

I know that this will inevitably be construed as a political statement, however, everything below is  factual and I present it without hyperbole, therefore, I honestly don’t feel that it is political.  I’m simply restating what has transpired without embellishment.

In relative chronological order, here’s what I came up with…

The pardoning and release of both convicted cop beaters and those who entered (many of whom vandalized) our Capitol building (and while doing so, some of whom threatened to harm or kill members of Congress and Vice President Pence) on January 6, 2021 

Defunding of billions of dollars in U.S. foreign aid, historically, a tool of America’s “soft power” abroad, including; Defunding PEPFAR’s HIV treatments in Africa (which are credited with saving 25 million lives) and TB treatments (which are credited with saving over 58 million lives)

Defunding malaria vaccines for children (credited with saving over 20 million lives) as well as (among many other programs) a project in Nigeria providing treatment for severe and acute malnutrition. 77 health facilities have completely stopped treating children with severe acute malnutrition, putting 60,000 children under the age of 5 at immediate risk of death.

Defunding of America’s primary news source (broadcast in 40 languages) for millions of people under repressive regimes who are fed only propaganda by their autocratic and repressive governments

Defunding research at universities for studies about finding treatments and/or cures for:  Cancer, ALS, Kidney Disease, Diabetes, COPD, Dementia, Alzheimer’s, Psoriasis, Arthritis, PTSD, AIDS, Drug Addiction, (too many here to list but I’ll add research into my own family’s genetic disease has also been ended) 

Defunding veteran mental health services, cancelation of VA contracts for chemical waste disposal and monitoring of VA hospital air quality, systems providing secure storage of veterans’ private records, clinical recruitment efforts, and firing 80,000 staff at the VA.

Defunding public schools and allowing private school use of taxpayer funds

Banning of news organizations from briefings and Air Force One and at the White House

Banning of more than 250 words or phrases from use by the government, or any private or public entity working with the government in any way.

Banning of hundreds of book titles from government libraries – including those at our military institutions of higher learning.

Removal of security protection from members of prior administrations including the past Secretary of State as well as a top General

Repeal of the Clean Water Rule and rewriting of the EPA’s pollution-control policies (including policies on chemicals known to be serious health risks to adults and children)

Defunding and de-staffing the FDA, TSA, Air Traffic Control, National Weather Service, NIH, PBS, NPR, FBI, NSA

Defunding NOAA – the government entity producing weather forecasts, severe storm warnings, climate monitoring, fisheries management, coastal restoration and supporting marine commerce, 

Defying and challenging federal court decisions and precedent about due process

Revocation of a variety of visa types which historically have allowed the world’s brightest minds to study, research and ultimately work, live and establish businesses in the U.S.A.

As of this writing, there have been 130 executive orders, 36 memoranda, and 35 proclamations compared with 5 bills signed into law by the President

Both Americans and foreigners entering the U.S. from abroad have had their cell phones confiscated upon entry for inspection by Homeland Security

The above list is (as noted) only partial. To me it is breathtaking. Many applaud it, many decry it.  

Having not only studied U.S. and foreign policy but having read extensively about different periods of world history, I can only say that the swiftness of the above outlined actions have happened in other periods, and, in other countries.  None of the historical parallels I can come up with have ended well.   Whether via severe economic shocks (ending in recessions and depressions), or in conflicts (both homegrown and via external actors). 

Changes such as the ones you and I are witnessing (and which are often made in the name of one or more group depicted as downtrodden) are often followed by economic dislocation, unemployment and inflation, which can occur rapidly and lead to loss of buying power and jobs

Time will reveal how President Trump and his actions (including his trade and tariff “war” ) will be viewed historically.  I for one feel that the standing of the U.S. in world affairs will never be the same. I wonder how countries we have worked with and relied on as allies post-World War II will respond to our future requests for support in conflicts, for intelligence as well as military and economic assistance.

And, domestically, will Trump’s determination that unilateral action via executive orders instead of legislation be a model for future presidents?  I don’t believe it will.  Ultimately, an executive order can be (and is) undone with a stroke of the next president’s pen.  Laws are much harder to change. My sincere hope for us (all of us) is that we go back to being what John Adams said was a “government of laws, not men”  (and not to one where laws are flouted by (any) president, but respected, followed and honored by them.

Chuck Newman
Yorktown 

Postscript to the Life of a Pataki

To the Editor,

Concerning the passing of my younger sister, Elizabeth Emily Pataki (Peekskill Herald, 20 February 2025), I would like to note that after finishing Peekskill High School (as we all did, a group of nine Pataki and Pataki-related cousins), she attended Keuka College in upstate New York where she graduated with a B.S. in Nursing and was close to Elmira and our maternal relatives of Schweizer Aircraft Corporation soaring renown; she was helped by a Dr. Bernhard R. Loewy scholarship from the estate of that well-known and respected Peekskill general practitioner (he saved our father from the so-called Spanish Flu and she subsequently wrote a book about him). She attended the University of Hawaii where she obtained an M.A. in psychology and counseling and met her husband, Dennis Hubbard. Like her late paternal grandmother Erzsébet Pataki (Mrs. John J. Pataki Sr.) of Frost Lane, Elizabeth was endlessly active: she never stopped. She was a matriarch of sorts for much of the family after our parents’ passing, and will be strongly remembered and even more strongly missed.

Dr. Kerry Josef Pataki
Portland, Oregon 

Keying in on ‘Mohegan’s Finest’ to the Rescue 

To the Editor,

On 2/12/ 2025, I drove my wife to work at NY Presbyterian Hospital in Cortlandt Manor. 

I then did some local shopping with my final stop at Trader Joe’s in Mt. Kisco. 

All the parking spaces appeared taken, but I did find one to back into. Behind my car was a large industrial cast iron drain. I checked my trunk to assure that I brought the cooler. Habitually, I hook my keys from my front pants pocket. As I lifted the trunk, my sleeve caught the keys, causing them to drop through the grate of the drain. 

Seriously concerned, I consulted the Trader Joe’s staff within the store requesting their help or advice. 

Diana, a Trader Joe’s employee, was quick to assist. She and a fellow employee quickly came outside to the drain and tried their best to submerge a long-bent wire deep into the drain attempting to hook them. Unfortunately, the keys had fallen too far deep to see or hook. 

Diana advised consulting AAA across from the store, as well as providing the numbers of the Mt. Kisco Police and Fire Department. Unfortunately, AAA was unequipped to help. 

The Police Department, also unequipped to help, suggested the Fire Department. The Fire Department stated being out of district but gave me the Highway Department’s contact. The Highway Department expressed being unjustified to touch the drain due to private property. I remained stuck. 

I re-entered Trader Joe’s and explained to Diana what had transpired. Not giving up, she suggested to try the Mohegan Fire Department, stating that they are close by. She felt confident that they would assist in solving the problem. 

Keeping the faith, I called the Mohegan Fire Department. As Captain Bergamini picked up the phone, I explained the issue. Captain Bergamini immediately said “We can help you! Give us about 15 minutes.” 

Within 15 minutes, two fire trucks came to the scene with Lieutenant Guida, and Fire Fighters Ali Lisella, Charlie Hall, and Gabe Rivera. All smiles, they quickly assessed the problem. 

They propped up the heavy drain and began to trudge through the muck deep within the drain. Diana, leaving at 1 p.m., checked the progress, and kindly offered me a ride home. I said thanks, I will be OK. Firefighter Ali with a long prodding pole, relentlessly fished through the muck, trying so hard to hook those keys. One firefighter suggested to pump the mud and sludge out, but still no sign of the keys. Another firefighter then went to Lowe’s behind Trader Joe’s & came back with two rakes. He said Lowe’s kindly let them borrow the rakes. 

After a half an hour of determination, Ali finally caught the keys with the rake! 

I will be forever grateful for what they have done! 

I declare the Mohegan Fire Department as “Mohegan’s Finest,” 4 Heroes fulfilling unconditional reliance, dedicated to all of us in dire need. May God Bless you forever!!

Joe Savoia
Ridgefield, Connecticut 

Oh, SNAP! Food Assistance Cards Need Protection from Budget Cuts

To the Editor,

Congressional Republican Mike Lawler may be commended for partnering with a couple of Democratic colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to introduce a bill to protect citizens from SNAP card fraud (“Lawler introduces bicameral bill to return stolen SNAP benefits,” Peekskill Herald, May 5). Recipients of the federally funded food assistance program (aka “foodstamps”) should certainly be reimbursed if a high tech scammer manages to drain their SNAP card.

However, Mr. Lawler seems less inclined to protect those very benefits from cuts inspired by the radical right-wing Project 2025 agenda and included in the Republican Party’s budget proposal. 

Fighting fraud is always appropriate, but with Congress poised to reduce or eliminate crucial parts of the social safety net, Mr. Lawler needs to demonstrate that he is not marching in lockstep with those who are trying to unravel the programs that provide essential resources to families and children in need.

Rob Abbot
Croton-on-Hudson

Not Buying Mike Lawler’s Bipartisan Bona Fides

To the Editor,

Dear Mr. Lawler, I was unable to attend your Town Hall [on May 4], but I have seen a number of clips from it. Yes, you were (as always) glib, and managed to avoid answering the difficult questions while offering your tired MAGA talking points, as well as blaming everything on the previous administration.

Yet we have a President who is doing his very best to destroy our nation and pull all power into his own hands. And the principal reason he is able to do so is the rank cowardice expressed by you and all of your spineless, gutless Republican colleagues (and some Democrats as well) who are so terrified of being primaried that they will sacrifice our nation rather than, potentially, lose their seats. And please do not tell me that this is not true, for, while you are too fearful to say it, you know in your heart that it is completely accurate.

However you may try to spin it to your advantage, Mr. Lawler, President Trump has:

• Deported numerous (law-abiding) individuals, often illegally
• Impounded funds previously appropriated by Congress (that means you) if he didn’t like their purpose (as defined by the Congress)
• Refused to obey orders of various courts, if they ruled against him
• Fired thousands of government workers, not because they were guilty of waste or fraud, but simply because he was able to
• Despite this, ensured that Elon Musk maintained and enlarged all of his federal contracts and that the Trump family profited mightily from his presidency
• Initiated a disastrous foreign policy, including highly destructive tariffs, that will ensure that Russia and, especially, China, will benefit at our expense in the longer term
• Alienated almost all of our allies, so that our only “friends” in the world are Vladimir Putin (maybe),Viktor Orban, and their ilk
• Indiscriminately eliminated foreign aid programs, even when they will result in the starvation and death of the recipients
• Terminated numerous scientific and medical research programs which will benefit all Americans in the longer term
• Attempted to dictate to colleges, universities and other schools what and how they may teach students
• Sought retribution against anyone (government employees, private sector lawyers, schools, etc.) who may have taken any position that he did not agree with 
• Appointed (with the full cooperation of Republicans in the Senate) gross incompetents (even drunks) to high positions in government; their only attribute being total fealty to our glorious leader

I could go on and on, but you get the idea, Mr. Lawler.

And what exactly have you and your colleagues done about all of these abuses? When have you stood up and publicly denounced such actions and confronted the President about them?

You go on and on about your bipartisanship. But that is almost always on bills that are uncontroversial and which essentially everyone supports. When and where have you actually voted against bills promoted by the President and the Republican Congressional leadership? Not a whole lot, I would think. That would require courage, of which you seem to have little, if any. That would mean putting your constituents and your country ahead of your petty party aspirations, and we can’t have that, can we?

Mr. Lawler, despite your high-minded pronouncements and your title, you do not represent a huge fraction of your supposed constituents. You are a slave of the MAGA movement and don’t have the intestinal fortitude to rise above it.

Joel E. Gingold
Croton-on-Hudson

Mike Lawler Should Call off the MAGA Dog Whistles

To the Editor,

I attended Congressman Mike Lawler’s May 4th Town Hall meeting in Somers. Fairly early into the evening, a 64-year-old social worker asked Mr. Lawler what it would take for him to call out President Trump’s flagrantly unconstitutional behavior. When Mr. Lawler skirted the issue, the woman repeatedly asked (off microphone) for him to answer her question. Others in the audience joined the call for him to answer the question. This resulted in the woman being physically removed from the auditorium by security officers and NYS [New York State] troopers. 

As disturbing as this was to witness, even more troubling is Mr. Lawler’s penchant for labeling those who disagree with him as “radical far-leftist activists.” This is exactly what he did the following day on his Facebook page, referring to the incident. 

Another example: two female constituents wrote a recent Op-ed in the Journal News, warning about the harmful repercussions from the likely cuts to Medicaid and other safety net programs in the budget bill proposed by the Republican majority in Congress. Lawler responded with an Op-ed of his own, calling the women (you guessed it) “extremists” and “radical leftists.” 

Maybe this is a dog whistle for the MAGA base; a short-hand way of saying “pay no attention to these crackpots.”  But it’s Mr. Lawler’s job to represent everyone in CD 17, not just those who agree with him. 

Mr. Lawler likes to portray himself as a moderate, bi-partisan Congressman, seeking common sense solutions to challenging issues. The dismissive, contemptuous, and dishonest name calling of his constituents, though, does nothing to elevate the “conversations” that he purports to want with voters, nor does it inspire trust in his leadership capability. 

Celeste Theis
Croton-on-Hudson

Paramount and the Arts Need Your Support Now More than Ever

To the Editor,

As a board member of Paramount Hudson Valley Arts (PHVA), I’m writing to share disappointing news and a call for community support.

A grant we had secured from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) was unexpectedly withdrawn. That funding was meant to support two important performances this year: Cirque Zuma Zuma in celebration of Black History Month, and a tango performance to mark Hispanic Heritage Month. Both would have brought vibrant, diverse artistry to our stage.

The NEA’s decision is part of a troubling trend. Its newly revised priorities now emphasize areas like artificial intelligence, disaster response, and “make America healthy again.” While those may be valid national objectives, they shouldn’t come at the cost of essential, community-based arts programming. Unfortunately, PHVA is not alone. Arts organizations across the country are reporting sudden grant reversals, leadership resignations at the NEA, and a shift away from funding local cultural initiatives.

So we’re turning to the people who have always sustained the arts when public institutions fall short – our community. Our neighbors. Local foundations. Local corporations. Champions of culture and the arts.

The Paramount is a tax deductible 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.  But it is even more than that – It’s a gathering place for shared stories, voices, and experiences. It’s where students take their first steps onto a stage, and where performers from around the world meet the heart of the Hudson Valley. To let politics and bureaucracy silence that would be a loss for all of us.

We need your help to keep these performances alive. If you, or someone you know, can step forward with support—financial or otherwise—please reach out to me directly or to our Executive Director, Abigail Adams, at [email protected].

Let’s show what community arts really mean and what we can achieve when we stand together.

Darren Rigger
Peekskill

Peekskill’s Taxpayers Deserve More Accountability from our Leaders

To the Editor,

It’s of great concern to me, as I’m sure it is to many Peekskill taxpayers, including our Common Council, that our city has had to pay out 1 million dollars due to a default judgment. Now, we face a potential 6 figure payment in a lawsuit against the city where a former Corporation Counsel missed repeated deadlines and a default judgment was entered. Our city had no system of oversight to prevent such a default, and there are other default judgments against our city. 

This comes at a time when we, as a municipality, are about to assume debt to meet such basic operations as ensuring the Peekskill Fire Department has adequate equipment to protect our growing city. While at the same time, we are struggling to maintain an aging and antiquated infrastructure. 

It is understood that everyone makes mistakes, but we need more accountability.  A system of oversight should have been in place. If we, as a city, are to take on additional debt, taxpayers need to know more, and we need specific information about the measures implemented to prevent this from ever happening again. 

Carla Rae Johnson
Peekskill