Letters to the Editor

To the Editor:

I really enjoyed Eileen O’Brien’s column this past week on the Vietnam Veterans of  America Chapter 333 and the 2 days they spent at the Felix Festa school. My brother who was a Vietnam veteran always loved going to that school and elsewhere in the county. He was looking forward to going this year but his untimely passing in January put a damper on the matter. Having to read his eulogy at his funeral I mentioned how he was proud to have served. I was only 7 when he went overseas and I was proud to say, “My brother’s a soldier.” Our family sent him some reel to reel recordings of our voices and that 7 year old boy telling him, “Don’t get kilt Paul. Don’t get kilt.” I concluded with as he traveled up the mountainside with his parents and sister and brother who passed before him and met at the gate by his friends and comrades they all said, “Welcome Paul. Now we can begin this party.”

James Mattern

To the Editor:

Like many families in Rockland County, we’re feeling the pressure of rising prices. Groceries, gas, and just about everything else costs more, and it’s getting harder to stretch a paycheck. That’s why I want to thank Congressman Mike Lawler for supporting tax cuts, including the expansion of the state and local tax deduction (SALT), that help families like mine keep more of what we earn.

Every little bit helps when you’re trying to put food on the table and save for the future. Expanding the SALT deduction is especially important here in New York, where high property taxes can put a real strain on working families. For many homeowners, this change could mean saving thousands of dollars a year; real money that stays in our pockets instead of going to Washington.

By backing this kind of tax relief, Congressman Lawler is making sure working people and small businesses aren’t being taxed into the ground. That’s something we should all appreciate, no matter our politics.

We need more leaders like Mike Lawler who understand that people work hard for their money and deserve to keep more of it.

Barry Werk

New City, NY