I would like to thank The Queens Courier for its endorsement of my candidacy for re-election as the District Attorney of Queens County. I greatly appreciate your support. I am grateful also for the recognition of our office's accomplishments and look forward to building upon those successes in the years to come. However, I must point out that your endorsement is somewhat premature, as my current term of office does not expire until December 2007.
I look forward to serving the people of Queens in 2007 and into the future and hope that I will have your support next year when I am up for re-election.
Richard A. Brown
Editor's note: We were the first newspaper to endorse Michael Bloomberg for mayor and more recently for President, if he should choose to run. Please consider our endorsement good through 2007 and every election beyond.
Buyers Beware!
New York consumers are bombarded with ads on radio, television and in print about automobile and homeowners' insurance, and the promise of huge “savings.” In this state, there are literally hundreds of insurance companies offering automobile and homeowners' policies at affordable and competitive rates. And, the job of finding out which company best fits a consumer's insurance needs and pocketbook is not the job of a Web site, or an �” toll-free phone number; it's the job of local, professional independent insurance agents.
Professional independent insurance agents live and work in New York communities, representing multiple insurance companies. They have the experience to help consumers choose the right coverages and options, and select from a range of rates that fit their budget and needs. Independent agents are just as easy to reach as that �” toll-free phone number, and they can provide more options - that is their job.
The most expensive insurance coverage is cheap coverage that doesn't address the specific needs of the consumer. As president-elect of the Professional Insurance Agents of New York State Inc., I believe that independent agents represent the best solution for New Yorkers who want to find the insurance options that fit their needs best.
Martin Koles
President-elect, Professional
Insurance Agents of
New York State Inc.
Principal, M. Koles & Associates Inc., Forest Hills, N.Y.
Dining Out Column Idea
I'm a big fan of the “Dining Out” column, one of many great columns, by the way. I have an idea to add to the “Restaurant Information” box that runs with the column. How about putting a dress code in? And, just for fun, is it first or second date worthy? I cut them out and staple them into my address book so I always have a place to try when in the neighborhood or want to try something new. This information can help when planning a date with family, friends and potential loved ones.
Ray
Douglaston
Hevesi Was Caught
If Alan Hevesi did not think he deserved special privileges he could have hired a private chauffeur or used Access-a-ride to transport his wife. I am sure he is not the only politician taking these advantages but unfortunately for him he the one who was caught.
Evelyn Zorovich
Flushing
Global Warming Paradox
We seem to hear a lot about the dangers of global warming. Dr. Richard Lindzen is perhaps the nation's most prominent authority in the field of atmospheric science. A professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he refuses to go along with the many who insist that human beings are causing global warming.
He will admit the existence of some evidence that the Earth is warming, but he says very empathetically, “We don't know why.”
Unlike Al Gore and many other non-scientists who pose as highly qualified authorities on the topic, Dr. Lindzen calmly states, “We don't understand the natural internal variability of climate change.”
To buttress his opinion and to discount Gore's recent book and movie, Professor Lindzen notes that the Arctic was as warm or warmer in 1940, that the Greenland ice sheet is actually growing, and that some of the Alpine glaciers are now advancing again.
The testimony of this world-class meteorological expert isn't welcomed by those who seek draconian government controls over industry and private auto use in order to combat a problem that, if indeed it does exist naturally, will disappear just as naturally.
Janet McCarthy
Flushing
Just Another Headache
Why, please, do we need a Public Advocate? We have so many overlaps in this city. We have so many elected officials to turn to, when we require information or guidance to steer through the red tape of a bureaucracy - we really do not need another bureau. And we have 3-1-1!
Sylvia & Ira Bailen
Bayside
