Readers sound off on capital’s control, Flavio Bolsonaro and Bob Woodward

A government-finance pact always prevails

Bronx: To Voicer Ed Temple: The roots of the “stagnant economy that causes the poverty of American young people” actually emanate from the government’s response to the Great Recession of 2008. Under President Barack Obama, the Federal Reserve employed “quantitative easing,” essentially a scheme where the middle and working class bailed out the big banks and wealthy elitists who caused the crisis to the tune of about $4 trillion.

None of them were ever held accountable. It’s the very definition of crony capitalism, the primary driver of the income inequality that plagues the nation. While the Federal Reserve is an independent entity, Obama publicly defended the policy and reappointed Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke to a second term in 2010 so he could continue and expand the program.

Ten million families lost their homes to foreclosure, but Wall Street bankers continued to receive their lucrative bonuses and wealthy investors got richer as the policies boosted the stock market. Now young people can’t afford to buy homes. This gave rise to the Tea Party, Occupy Wall Street and the populist movement that brought President Trump to power. Joe Biden’s disastrous policies only made things worse, creating the conditions that paved the way for Trump’s return. It’s not what Trump’s been feeding pundits like Bill Maher, but what the bankers and wealthy elitists who own both parties have been feeding the rest of us.

Charles T. Compton

Illegal immigrant

Garwood, N.J.: I just discovered I have a new neighbor who moved in during the middle of the night, the fugitive ex-presidential candidate from Brazil, Flavio Bolsonaro. Though, for how long I’m not sure. The MAGA guy across the street dropped a dime on him to ICE since Bolsonaro has no proper papers, much less a passport. Good riddance anyway. He looks like the type who’d steal a dead fly from a blind spider. What I’d like to know is just who abetted this wanted criminal’s entry into America. Whoever it is, he oughta be locked up. It wouldn’t surprise me if this joker had 34 felony convictions and a cheesy wig made from second-hand orangutan hair.

Mike Gordeuk

Open border?

Manhattan: According to Trump, his brutal immigration campaign is designed to keep criminal aliens out of our country. So how has Flavio Bolsonaro, a Brazilian immigrant who has been accused of corruption and money laundering and who violated a court order to surrender his passport, been welcomed to America? Shouldn’t ICE slap on handcuffs and deport him to some distant country?

Robert Laird

Defund int’l aggression

Jersey City: As Trump not only refuses to end his illegal war on Iran but considers new strikes, Congress must act. Thousands of innocent Iranian civilians have been killed, including children, and 21 U.S. service members. Congress must show up and speak for their constituents who roundly oppose Trump’s war by rejecting every Pentagon funding bill, including the annual National Defense Authorization Act, Defense Appropriations Act, or standalone legislation that could be used to fund further violence and suffering. American households have already spent roughly $2,000 in extra economic costs. Our bills could get even higher amid cuts to healthcare, SNAP and other vital programs. Congress must vote no on authorizing one more dime for illegal war.

Franklyn Perez

Election anxiety

Camas, Wash.: Like so many Americans, the upcoming election is a source of worry and fear. I can’t recall another campaign since my first vote for George McGovern in 1972 when the claim that the stakes are too high was so real and profoundly resonated. I also vividly recall the LBJ ad in his 1964 race against Barry Goldwater, when the campaign mantra was “the stakes are too high to stay home.” I’m trying my best to avoid drilling down on polls and closely monitoring the speculations of political pundits. None of this information predicts who’ll win. I can’t continue to watch with anger the incessant lying by Trump and JD Vance — and how they aren’t held accountable. I hope the Democrats win, but understand that we may not know the outcome of the election until days after all ballots have been cast.

Richard Cherwitz

Worth a visit

Saugerties, N.Y.: There’s a stunning Day of the Dead exhibit at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. Take a look.

Terry Lanigan

Driver violence

Glendale: Retired Det. Victor Romero should not be out on bail for the cold-blooded killing of Koran Irvine during a road rage incident. I’m curious what the retired detective’s defense will be. It in no way sounds like self-defense since he was the aggressor. There’s a lesson to be learned from this incident: There are some drivers who experience road rage when they think they’ve been disrespected — do not confront them. If you do, you could end up like the apparent victim Koran Irvine.

Thomas Murawski

Not another term

Brooklyn: Please, New York voters, please use your brains and don’t reelect Gov. Hochul. If she’s reelected, she will raise your taxes. Don’t we pay enough already? She has done absolutely nothing! In her last campaign, she said she would take a bite out of crime but has done absolutely nothing! Wake up, New York.

Maureen Deman

Cascading climate effects

Manhattan: Re “More flooding possible in Four Corners region after several days of heavy rain” (Oct. 26): Flooding in the Southwest? I thought their problem was drought, not flooding. Turns out drought was their problem, all summer and into the fall. So the drought made the flooding worse! Besides holding more water vapor, increased heat parches and hardens the earth, making it impenetrable. Cooked plants’ roots also stop opening up the earth. So when it does rain, as it just did for several days where Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado meet, very little gets absorbed. The rain rushed on top of the soil, accumulating quickly into floodwaters. The increasing frequency and severity of combinations like drought and flooding are what climate breakdown is all about. Climate protection? That’s what initiatives like our state’s (unimplemented) CLCPA and (unsigned) SUNNY Act hope to provide.

Rachel Makleff

No solution

Nutley, N.J.: Will the Baker Street Puzzle solution be published in the digital Sunday paper? This is a game I play every Sunday. So far, it has been a consistent no. The streak continues.

Gary Allan

Mediocre muckraker

Bronx: Before your readers purchase a copy of “Secrets: A Reporter’s Memoir” by Bob Woodward, I suggest they read Joan Didion’s 1996 critique of Woodward’s work and methods in The New York Review of Books. The essay convinced me that Woodward stopped being a journalist after his great work with Carl Bernstein during the Watergate fiasco. Most of his work since then has been stenography and he-said/she-said reporting for the high, mighty and powerful in government. Didion provided the evidence for this argument. How about this alternative title for his memoir: “Much Ado About Nothing.”

Gene Roman

©2026 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.