The left’s incessant blaming of weapons and those who manufacture them for gun violence absolves those who pull the triggers and actually commit the crimes (“Moral Grandstanding,” George Will, PostOpinion, Feb. 4).
Because a large amount of gun violence is traced to gangs, that would seem a good place to start solving the problem.
President Obama’s executive orders did not address this issue. Rahm Emanuel as mayor of Chicago has also done nothing in this regard, and the murders there, especially among young minorities, continue like clockwork.
Yet liberal politicians continue to foment fear about legally licensed gun owners who live outside of urban areas.
Herb Eichen, Bayside
UMEZ’s mission
The Post’s editorial represents a new and reckless low in its campaign to discredit UMEZ (“NY’s Profitable ‘Nonprofits,’” Feb. 3).
It contains numerous inaccuracies and falsehoods, and most outrageously, hurls the baseless accusation of “graft” at an effective local-development corporation.
UMEZ has prudently invested over $230 million of public funds into the upper Manhattan economy, leveraged over $1 billion of private investment and created more than 8,000 jobs and one of the most successful urban revitalization initiatives.
Vital investments in Harlem USA, East River Plaza, Gotham Plaza, Best Yet Market, The Apollo, Studio Museum of Harlem, El Museo del Barrio, Museum of the City of New York and numerous small businesses, have helped transform Upper Manhattan.
Gov. Cuomo has modeled his regional approach to economic development based upon UMEZ’s success.
Sadly, The Post ignored these facts, and attempted to make a ridiculous categorical link between UMEZ and two former politicians outside of Manhattan.
Kenneth Knuckles, President and CEO, Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, Manhattan
Upstate waits…
Bob McManus scores a solid point about Gov. Cuomo’s poll-driven policies (“Cuomo’s Nixon Game,” PostOpinion, Feb. 8).
Cuomo does, in fact, have an upstate economic-development policy. So what if the policy is to bless the totally wretched and very sad-in-human-terms casino industry?
The governor has an environmental policy. So what if the “policy” is to study to death a job- and wealth-producing industry — natural-gas fracking — for our upstate economy?
I am convinced we can develop sound policies for leveraging our natural resources without wreaking environmental havoc and do so faster than the Egyptians built the pyramids.
John McMahon, Manhattan
Hungry for jobs
What’s so disgusting about this show is how it uses people to create entertainment, showcasing just how desperate they are to find work (“America’s Hunger Games,” Maureen Callahan, PostScript, Feb. 3).
The sadder reality is that the unemployment situation is very fixable.
Obama and most who have studied economics know this.
Our free-market economy is nothing more than people and companies making and selling products, and buyers purchasing what they want.
It’s only when government gets in the way that things go bad and the economy slows down.
D. Richardson, Bridgeport, Conn.