Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show' cancellation, NYS budget cuts, vaccines

Stephen Colbert, a voice of humor, honesty, and truth, has been silenced by Paramount Global and CBS over money and presumably upsetting President Donald Trump, even after CBS capitulated on his “60 Minutes” lawsuit and paid $16 million to Trump [“Takeaways on demise of CBS’ ‘Late Show,’ ” News, July 19].

Paramount/CBS should hold their heads in shame. Comedians are not the enemy. Trump and his supporters are.

The administration is “whitewashing” this nation by trying to control its history, education, and differences. It is closing and reducing government programs that help the poor, the sick, and the elderly. It is trying to silence voices that disagree with the regime through retribution, firing, deportation, lying, fear and cruelty. That is how our democracy is dying. It’s dying because corporations capitulate, valuing money over morals and truth.

Trump’s rallying cry of “fight, fight, fight” is really “sue, sue, sue” and tie them up in court for years.

The pendulum has swung. The United States is no longer the country our forefathers fought and died for.

— Susan Scharf, Flushing, Queens

It should be noted that all three major networks’ late-night shows have become overly politicized, anti-Republican, and lack any sense of humor.

Many late-night viewers who simply want to relax and have fun watching these shows have been submitted to constant, seemingly never-ending assaults on those the hosts deem to be against their own personal beliefs, and, as a viewer, it isn’t funny, it’s annoying.

Johnny Carson, who set the standard with “The Tonight Show,” also took political punches, but he went after both sides with equal vigor, and in doing so, he didn’t alienate his viewership.

Today’s other late-night hosts should take a page out of Carson’s playbook and learn to play it more down the middle. If they don’t, they too, in time, will find their own platforms gone.

— Lawrence Lapka, Farmingdale

An important factor in the cancellation is that most younger viewers eschew commercial television on the whole, opting for media where they can watch their shows of choice, unbadgered by endless ads, promotions, and sponsored comments. Network TV is not really “free TV,” and in an era when our youth is already overburdened with more expenses than it can handle — basically astronomical rents, inflated food prices and the ever-essential cellphone and internet costs — most have no desire to be hawked at about sponsor-promoted products that don’t interest them.

They’ll catch Stephen Colbert — or the shows of their choosing — ad-less on a streaming service for which they’re already paying.

— Robert Shepard, Lynbrook

I normally don’t watch late-night talk shows. Recently, I came across Stephen Colbert’s show and watched his opening monologue. The entire diatribe was focused on bashing Donald Trump. I didn’t find it funny; I found it distasteful.

Both Colbert and CBS should be ashamed for being so disrespectful to the office of the president. I am glad CBS is canceling that show.

— Janice Muskaloon, Franklin Square

State budget headline misses the big picture

Newsday’s large, bold cover headline with color — $750M in cuts to NYS budget” [News, July 18] — stoked outrage and fear about budget cuts that Gov. Kathy Hochul attributes to federal aid reduction. Why that headline?

As the article explains, the current state budget is $254 billion, so the cut amounts to less than 0.3% of the total budget. And with the state and local tax (SALT) cap quadrupling, most state residents will benefit because we live in such a high-tax state. That big headline is as shameful as Hochul’s warnings about fiscal pain.

— Joe DiPrisco, Garden City

So, vaccines are a no, psychedelics a yes?

I was dumbstruck after reading “Psychedelics as medications get OK from RFK Jr.” [Nation, July 17]. So the secretary of health and human services is pushing for psychedelics to be legal for those suffering from depression, trauma, and other conditions he deems hard to treat.

Yet researched, studied and proven vaccines, which can save the lives of millions of children, other family members, and society, are now somehow the enemy?

I am a pediatric registered nurse who vaccinated children my entire career and has seen the benefit of healthy children grow.

It makes me wonder: Has Robert F. Kennedy Jr. himself possibly participated in his own research regarding this?

— Vicki Appel, Massapequa Park