Our funding woes can’t be blamed on the wealthy Huntington, L.I.: Voicer John A. MacKinnon writes in response to my letter: “About half of the average American’s taxes go to support corporate welfare.” I couldn’t agree more. Tax cuts for preferred industries, subsidies and low-interest loans from the government are forms of corporate welfare. President Biden signing his Inflation Reduction Act includes hundreds of billions in corporate welfare, and it should be repealed. John also asks us to “Reflect on the facts that during the pandemic, 99% of the world’s population became poorer while the top 1% doubled their wealth and ask how that income transfer took place (Mr. T(reason) was the reason in this country.” The top 1% of earners typically pay much more in taxes than many Americans. Nationwide, this group contributes 45% of total personal income taxes collected. The top 50% of all taxpayers paid 97% of all federal individual income taxes while the bottom 50% paid the remaining 3%. John also asks: “Does the Voicer really believe that people deliberately cause their poverty in order to become eligible for public entitlements?” I didn’t mean to suggest this. I said politicians would rather throw money at those who are poor due to their own actions rather than help the truly needy. I believe that access to welfare entices some to make poor choices. Does a poor young unmarried girl choose poverty when she has a child and is added to the welfare rolls? Very often. The severely mentally ill do not have a choice. Federal and state welfare costs total more than $1.8 trillion per year. This is unsustainable. Government needs to do more to decrease the welfare burden and increase aid for the mentally ill. Tom Saracco Remember muckraking? Lindenhurst, L.I.: On my desk sits a coffee mug the Daily News once sent me. It says “Journalism Matters.” If only the paper still adhered to this principle. In Cary Goodman’s op-ed “Jimmy Carter in the South Bronx” (Jan. 5), the writer recalls when columnists like Pete Hamill and Jack Newfield would expose a problem. Arrests, indictments and trials would follow. Because an aide of Carter’s was reading Hamill’s column in a car with the president in N.Y., they accepted Hamill’s challenge to redirect the presidential limo to the South Bronx, bringing its blights to the nation’s attention. If The News would hire reporters today like Hamill, Newfield and Jimmy Breslin, the corruption in the Adams administration would have been exposed much sooner. If only The News could follow its own marketing logo. Paula Magdalena Vidal It’s tradition Brewster, N.Y.: The president-elect is peeved because flags will be at half-staff for Jimmy Carter during his inauguration. He blames the Democrats and said this has never happened before. A little history is in order: On Dec. 26, 1972, Harry Truman died. The flags were at half-staff during Richard Nixon’s inauguration on Jan 20, 1973. Two days after Nixon was sworn in, LBJ died. The flags were at half-staff for another 30 days. Five days after LBJ’s death, the Vietnam War ended. So, it was a momentous week. Flags are flown at half-staff for 30 days for every president at their passing. The president-elect will be awarded the same honor someday. Stop trying to make everything about you and know your history! Larry Maslak Not-so-hidden hand Brooklyn: To Voicer Jimmy Durda: Pot calling the kettle black. Elon Musk will run the country with Donald Trump. Musk says jump, Trump says how high. I feel sorry for the country. Carmen Lugo Sentencing date Huntington, L.I.: If Trump does not get sentenced before Jan. 20, then on Jan. 20 the citizens get sentenced to four years. Leonard Stevenson Payback time Yonkers: I enjoy the continued hilariously inept attempts at Trump-bashing by the incompetent ones in charge, namely our illustrious state attorney general, our unfit clown of a Manhattan district attorney and the judges who joined the “Laurel and Hardy” shtick in attempts to bring Trump down. In addition, an honorable, robed jurist looks to sentence Trump for the nonsensical sham trial regarding the Stormy Daniels debacle. Brings to mind an old adage: “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” Knock yourselves out, folks. I’m sure Trump has a plan — a master plan — and I await and savor those coming days. As my Sicilian grandparents told me, “Payback is best served cold. The colder it is, the more satisfying it tastes.” This will be like dining at McDonald’s — “I’m lovin’ it.” Ralph A. Manente All the president’s goons Blairstown, N.J.: When first running for the presidency in 2015 and 2016, Trumpty promised to drain the swamp in Washington, D.C. No, he filled it with grifters, including himself. Fast-forward to now — he promises to fill that same swamp with rats, snakes, Fox News, ex-cons, buffoons and the Gestapo. Ron Cristi Not his fault Sunnyside: I realize there needs to be reform in the NYPD. However, I don’t think Harry Siegel should have used that as an excuse to demonize Chief of Department John Chell (“Jessica Tisch’s very badly needed NYPD clean-up,” column, Jan. 5). Siegal should not have been so quick to accuse Chell of “feuding wildly and mindlessly with press and politicians.” Many journalists tend to convince themselves that they are as important and knowledgeable as police officers. And the politicians with whom police officials tend to disagree are the ones to subscribe to the “defund the police” insanity. It was also wrong of Siegal to accuse Chell of being “the driving force in police car chases and crashes.” When officers take part in chases, they do so because suspects refuse to comply with lawful orders. Therefore, if there are any crashes or deaths, the blame lies with the suspects. John Francis Fox Kitchen-table issue Fresh Meadows: Regardless of your climate concerns — and they should be on red alert — Gov. Hochul getting the NY HEAT Act into her executive budget is a no-brainer because it will save us money (“The Earth’s climate, New York & the path ahead,” op-ed, Jan. 6). Corporations big and bigger will be on our backs under the incoming presidency of Trump. Hochul can protect us in New York from gas companies hiking all of our bills to build their profitable but unnecessary pipelines. A huge chunk of New Yorkers will see their outrageous gas bills capped at 6% of their income. NY HEAT lowers the cost of living for New Yorkers. People need help, and our elected officials need to provide it. Sara Rebecca Storch Dumb decisions Omaha: No more flights back to New York to see the Giants. John Mara and Steve Tisch have to be the worst owners in all of professional sports. Talk about saving money! Tom Dahulick Good comeback Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.: Aaron Rodgers just got me back with one epic post-game reaction and now I will love him forever! Predictably, after the Jets’ season finale win over the Dolphins, Rodgers was asked if it was also his career finale. In the setup, the reporter did the old, “People close to him tell me” maneuver and Aaron seamlessly pulled a Tugg Speedman: “People said they were close to me?” Well played, my boy! Not well played were training camp attendance, homeopathic COVID vaccination status, brotherly love, the Jets; Olivia Munn — OK, I’ve made my point. Despite the four-time MVP’s legendary stats and career, he’s been bugging the crap out of me for a while. That all ended when I laughed out loud, unlike the dude asking the question, who clearly didn’t get it. Stephan Reynolds Actions, reactions Brooklyn: Voicer Tal Barzilai asks where I was when I heard about the events of Oct. 7. I was in Brooklyn, noticing the remarkable similarity of those attacks to the ending of the movie “Django Unchained.” Apparently, that filmmaker knew something about human nature that Barzilai doesn’t. Also, when I heard the news, I thought long and hard about my old Palestinian friend whose brother and sister were murdered by Zionist terrorists many years ago. But Barzilai doesn’t want to know about those kinds of things. I hope he stays in New York, but most likely he will go back to Israel to live in fear. To each his own. Nick Smith