‘Feingold Versus the Law’

When you go to a job interview, you don’t have the option of choosing which questions you want to answer. Likewise, it is the regular practice of the Senate Judiciary Committee to wait until a nominee answers the questions posed by Committee members before the nominee receives a vote. Roslynn Mauskopf has not answered all the questions she was asked [“Feingold Versus the Law,” May 14, 2007].

The number of death penalty prosecutions in Ms. Mauskopf’s district has gone up substantially in recent years. Accordingly, I asked Ms. Mauskopf how often she recommended pursuing the death penalty in the more than 100 death-eligible cases her office has handled during her tenure, and how often the Attorney General, who makes the final decisions whether to seek death, agreed with her analysis. She has not yet answered those questions, yet pointed to her “record and reputation” in death-eligible cases as proof of her careful approach to capital punishment. I cannot assess her record without those basic facts.

I take seriously my responsibility to evaluate nominees to lifetime appointments to the federal bench. I agree with the Sun that reasonable people may disagree on the death penalty, but I hope we can all agree that weighing whether to seek the death penalty is one of the most important decisions that a U.S. Attorney must make. Ms. Mauskopf has not yet answered reasonable questions about her record, so the only one holding up her nomination is Ms. Mauskopf herself.

RUSSELL FEINGOLD
United States Senate

‘Residential Parking Permits May Accompany Congestion Tax’

While the mayor’s proposal to reduce traffic through congestion pricing is interesting, ultimately congestion pricing is a tax, which will be an onerous burden on those who can least afford it.

As stated in the article, the mayor could easily solve traffic congestion tomorrow, with zero cost to the general public, by yanking all the free parking permits that government employees use to park their commuter vehicles [“Residential Parking Permits May Accompany Congestion Tax,” May 7, 2007].

Candidate Bloomberg, campaigning for his first term, had pledged to move government offices out of Manhattan – a campaign pledge he never fulfilled. That is unfortunate, as our Lower Manhattan neighborhoods are saturated with commuter vehicles at fire hydrants, bus stops, curb cuts, crosswalks, on top of sidewalks and even in the bushes, all falsely displaying placards stating the vehicle is “on official city business.”

Likewise, if the mayor were really concerned with solving Lower Manhattan’s traffic congestion and air pollution, he would come out in support of changing the one-way toll system on the Verrazano Bridge back to two-way tolls, as proposed by Congressman Nadler. Presently trucks can save as much as $70 by diverting through Manhattan and skirting the Verrazano toll on their way into New Jersey.

JOHN OST
New York, N. Y.

‘Ruling Lowers the Boom on City Island’

I am sorry to read that the neighbors of the Harlem Yacht Club on City Island are protesting the canon salute at the lowering of the flag, a centuries-old nautical tradition. In our club, all activities stop and we stand at attention [“Ruling Lowers the Boom on City Island Cannon,” May 11, 2007].

The neighbors must be used to the sound and know its meaning. The event could be peacefully used as a moment of prayer for our country as well as to thank God for our blessings.

PATRICIA FLINT
Mamaroneck, N. Y.