NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Saturday, March 11, 2017, 3:00 AM

Manhattan: Its tempting to be snarky about the ludicrous statement made by Ben Carson when he equated immigration in search of a better life to the forced removal from their homelands and transport under horrifying conditions of millions of human beings who then would be sold into slavery and held captive the rest of their lives (They came in chains, Ben, March 7).

Instead, I am going to be earnest and suggest that Carson might have been onto something if he had compared immigration to migration , in this case, of the millions of African Americans who, in the last century, came north to escape the horrifying prejudice of the Jim Crow South.

But heres the rub: Its unlikely that anyone in the Trump administration would utter out loud those last three words. The white South was influential in electing Trump, and a good slice of that cohort has, for more than 150 years, continued to think of itself, and not African Americans, as the true victims of history. One piece of evidence: many whites in the South still call the Civil War the War of Northern Aggression. Judy L. Richheimer

Salt Lake City: Im sure by now Leonard Greene has learned that President Obama said basically the same thing, making this article quite lame (Ben Carsons a disgrace for calling slaves immigrants, column, March 7). If you just want to attack Dr. Carson, why don't you accuse him of plagiarism? Harley Griffith

Bronx: To Voicer Rosemary E. Kennedy: Surely you cannot be defining action to mean not the action of the persons concerned? Isnt the use of language colored by custom? Calling a slave an immigrant is a stretch. Robert G. Gallimore

Nyack, N.Y.: In his takedown of Ben Carson, Leonard Greene got a lot of things right, but got one thing wrong: We are not, the sons and daughters of slaves. We are sons and daughters of the enslaved. A slave is a kind of being. Enslavement is a state of being. R.K. Byers

Valley Stream, L.I.: The article about the CIA's eavesdropping doesnt surprise me in the least (They hee-ear!! March 8). Years ago when we were first introduced to cable TV programming, I watched the little green light on the cable box go on and off; with that I thought to myself, If we all have account numbers assigned to us, and the cable companies transmit video and sound to the box, Im sure they can in some way extract the same video and sound from the same place just by entering an account number. Well, it seems like they did it! John Esposito

Manhattan: Obviously, Republican politicians havent got a clue about health insurance: Thats because they have excellent insurance that were paying for. We should demand that they share the same insurance that the rest of us have, and repeal and replace the politicians who refuse. Carol Robinson

Brooklyn: I think they must make it mandatory that you have to disclose your taxes when running for President or you cant run at all. This will tell, in addition to ones income, what business interests they have, as in President Trumps case that he was doing business in Russia. Perhaps if they had this law prior to the past election, it would have saved us from having this unhinged individual in the White House! Dave Silverblatt

Brooklyn: Much thanks to the Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark for putting her time, effort and love behind the beaten and left-for-dead dog, Peanut Butter (formerly known as Hennessy). Its law enforcers and politicians like her that put the scum of the earth in jail (hopefully in general population ) for their horrific deeds. This human piece of garbage beat this puppy and left her for dead in a snowbank. Thanks for making our laws work and for making Raul Cruz, Peanut Butters abuser, pay for it! Kelly Starr

Perth Amboy, N.J.: Raising the minimum wage is a good idea but it would only apply to a portion of wage earners. There is another solution that would apply to most people: raise the standard income tax deduction to $40,000 or more. This would benefit more people than an increased minimum wage alone. While the federal budget isn't balanced now, limiting capital gains deductions could adjust for lower revenues. Everyone who buys a domestic product or service pays for someones income tax, which is built into the price or cost. Imported goods and services should pay a tariff of 35% to adjust for their non-payment of income taxes, Social Security and Medicare. While the laws cant and shouldn't prevent sending jobs offshore, they can adjust for these losses. Ronald A. Sobieraj

Forest Hills: To pay for his wall, Trump plans to cut funding for the Coast Guard and the TSA by 14% and 11%, respectively, thus making life easier for drug smugglers and terrorists. But to look at the bright side, the wall will thwart any attacks by Gen. Santa Anas army. Alan Hirschberg

Brooklyn: As a New York State resident and a volunteer for the American Heart Association, I am extremely excited at the prospect of the Empire State Trail, a 750-mile hiking and biking trail that would run north from New York City to the Canadian border, and west from Albany to Buffalo. The trail which Gov. Cuomo proposed in this years budget would provide a new opportunity for millions of New Yorkers to engage in physical activity in a safe, community space. Exercise is a great way to prevent heart disease and stroke, the nation's No. 1 and No. 5 killers. New York State currently spends more than $11.8 billion dollars annually on obesity-related health care costs. Every $1 spent on biking trails and walking paths could save approximately $3 in medical expenses. I strongly urge the state Legislature to approve the Empire State Trail. Yuki Courtland

Manhattan: Following International Womens Day, the cover choice of Jennifer Lopez and A-Rod was incredibly poor. The Daily News decrees that who J-Lo. is dating is more important than the scores of women around the world making a statement on their second-class treatment, more important than the travesty to our democracy thats going on in Washington. Step it up; your readers deserve better from you. Laurie Jakobsen

Lawrence, L.I.: The question here is not whether women are capable of coaching men (Hey Mike Francesa, stop spewing sexist garbage that women cannot coach men and just shut up, March 6). The question is whether the players can bring themselves to respect a woman coach; the players are the ones who need rise above generations of convention. Most of us have a weak ego that prevents us from rising above our basic nature and ideally one would hope that we are capable of doing this. Being successful as a coach is a two-way street that requires every player and staff member to be on board. Its not just sexism; its male biology and psychology at play. So maybe a select few with exceptional character can rise above, but expecting every team member to rise above is not a reasonable expectation. Michael Weiss

Hawthorne, N.Y.: I understand that WFANs Mike Francesa is retiring at years end. He has really been phoning it in for a long while. It is obvious to any knowledgeable sports fan that Mike does no homework and is poorly prepared for his show and his interviews. He is always the last to know what is going on in the sports world, relying on tired cliches and picking heavy favorites to mask his incompetence. And now he feels women cannot coach? Lazy men like him should not be on the radio. Mitch Green

Island Park, L.I.: To Voicer Sonia Valentin: Sonia, Sonia, Sonia no, actually I dont care. You dont get it. The only reason I actually know who won and why I chose to write in about it is because of the news created last year by the crybabies who that did not win. Otherwise, any award show is a non-event for me. My point is, in case you missed it, that I am against people receiving awards, promotions, trophies, etc. because they think they deserve them for some unjust action perpetrated years before this generation was born just to even a score. It is not who won the Oscar. As far as watching the PBS show, its not necessary. I've heard that story before; its time to move on. Rose Johnson

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Readers sound off on slavery, the CIA and Mike Francesa - New York Daily News