Schenectady parking app is too difficult

My wife and I had a morning appointment in Schenectady and decided to get lunch before we drove home.

We headed to a restaurant near the Amtrak station. While parking the car, I noticed a small blue sign, about 10 cars away, reminding me that I need to pay for parking. I am familiar with the Passport parking app used previously to pay for parking in Schenectady, but this was something new: LAZ.

I could not see the parking signs from my car, so I stood in the parking lot trying to provide all the information that LAZ demanded. I finally gave up when the system made it far too difficult to access my Google Pay information.

We got back in the car and drove across Freemans Bridge to a nice restaurant with free parking in Glenville. Schenectady lost my $1.25 parking fee and the restaurant lost our business, all because someone decided to make paying for parking more difficult.

I remember when I could pay for parking by simply putting coins in a meter, or giving money to an attendant, or purchasing a paper ticket at a machine to display on my dash. I didn’t even have any issues with the Passport app or any of the other hundreds of apps on my phone.

But now to park in Schenectady I need to read and understand a Privacy Policy with 6,045 words and a separate License Plate Recognition Policy with 3,155 words.

There must be a better way.

Victor Roberts

Burnt Hills

Protest against Trump’s anti-democratic policies

Our Trump-GOP nightmare continues. That is why we need everyone to join the nationwide anti-Trump protest on Oct. 18 to demonstrate our total displeasure with this fascist, white Christian Nationalist administration.

Whether your issue is daily living affordability, healthcare coverage and premiums, environmental stewardship, education, jobs, and/or immigration enforcement, there are multiple reasons to show your displeasure.

You don’t need to wait until the mass protest either. Boycott any business supporting Trump and particularly those companies that capitulate to Trump’s pressure campaign to conform to his liking and not resist and push back.

Identify Republicans at all levels that vote the way Trump tells them to or supports his cruel, anti-democratic policies and actions. Trump said he became a Republican because, “Republicans are stupid and will vote for me.” Post Oct. 18, pay attention to how your representatives respond to the protests. Do they continue to say nothing and hide from their constituents?

Don’t be intimidated by ICE agents, National Guard or even U.S. military troops who may show up. They may attempt to cause incidents that Trump will use as justification for more enforcement.

The world is watching and wondering what happened to our democracy and failure to abide by the rule of law and our unique Constitution.

Even the partisan Republican Supreme Court is cowering and giving Trump too much authority.

If you know someone, a relative, friend, colleague or neighbor who doesn’t follow the news, take the time to educate them and invite them to the protest.

Raymond Harris

Glenville

MAGA rhetoric inspires hatred and violence

I’m not impressed with MAGA’s concern for rhetoric after the latest rounds of gun violence it’s trying to pin on the left and others they hate.

There isn’t enough room in The Gazette Sunday edition to describe the violence and hate inspired by MAGA.

Donald Trump spews more hatred daily than any........

© The Leader Herald