Adams’ bright idea of migrant lifeguards: Letters to the Editor — May 20, 2024
The Issue: Mayor Adams’ suggestion at a City Hall briefing to hire migrants as New York City lifeguards.
OK, fine, let migrants become lifeguards (“Eric: let migrants get into the swim of it,” May 15).
But: I know from personal experience that the open-water lifeguard test is no joke. And they have no time to train, as the city’s beaches open in 1ess than two weeks.
In Maryland, they train new lifeguards six months before they take the test. Even then, not all pass.
Louie Scarcella
Coney Island
Mayor Adams does not have to go through the trouble of finding and hiring migrants for jobs as lifeguards.
He already has a few hundred thousand citizens available, like me, who have gotten plenty of practice trying to stay afloat over the last three years — under the disastrous Bidenomics scam.
Brian Bendl
Wayne, NJ
Adams seems to have an extraordinary team of imaginative brainstormers. Asked at a City Hall press briefing about the shortage of city lifeguards, the mayor suggested a ridiculous solution — one based on unsubstantiated assumptions of qualifications. It’s as bad an idea as free vending machines dispensing naloxone for opioid addiction.
Ronald Frank
West Orange, NJ
So what’s it going to be?
On one hand, some people complain that migrants are lazy and live off of government benefits. But when the city wants to employ them and let them earn an honest living, suddenly this is something to be mocked and ridiculed?
I’m happy to see that migrants could earn an honest living and integrate into our workforce. In fact, I am happy to see people thrive, no matter where they come from.
Arthur Gutman
Great Neck
Mayor Adams wants migrants to be lifeguards at city pools? The only aquatics skill they’ve proven is illegally wading across the Rio Grande.
Yup, this is exactly what parents want: An unvetted non-English speaking migrant guarding their child’s safety In fact, it is very possible that some of these migrant lifeguards might be criminals.
If Adams thinks they are such great swimmers, how about he tells them to swim back to their country of origin?
J.R. Cummings
Manhattan
The Issue: Sen. Bob Menendez throwing his wife under the bus amid her breast cancer diagnosis.
To me, Sen. Bob Menendez is as corrupt and fraudulent as a $3 bill (“Nadine’s breast cancer,” May 17).
I do not doubt his wife’s breast cancer diagnosis, but playing the sympathy card with his announcement is both weak and shameful. This only comes after learning about his “intergenerational trauma” just a few days earlier, followed up by blaming his wife for the couple’s possession of gold bars.
Breast cancer is nasty and serious. I would know, as I just buried my wife a few weeks ago after a long and courageous battle with breast cancer.
Sen. Menendez, you are neither a courageous nor honorable politician.
Henry Chung
Briarcliff
So, Menendez and his wife got caught, arrested and charged with bribery schemes and being paid with cash and gold bars.
How sad to see that Menendez, who is now on trial, is trying to throw the entire blame on his wife. So much for loyalty to your spouse.
So much for the vow of “through good times and bad times.” How low can you go as a man?
Gene O’Brien
Whitestone
That’s a real man, one who throws his own wife under the bus.
Philip Vallone
Ossining
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