Despite walking and travel conditions that were hazardous, and weather that was clearly treacherous, the Department of Education, to feed its public relations spin as a caring agency serious about its duty to educate children, put those same children, most of an age in single digits like the wind-chill, at clear and severe risk.
Ron Isaac
Fresh Meadows
About Access-A-Ride
I am an Access-A-Ride activist as well as an Access-A-Ride rider and a member of the Access-A-Ride advisory committee. Access-A-Ride does have many problems but it does not help the situation to give them problems they do not have.
Yes, Access-A-Ride had a computer crash on Friday, January 26. It was the first one in years, and they were still open for business, still answering the phones, still giving rides, still taking information for reservations manually. Then they called the people back with their pick-up times once the computers were functioning again. People were not stranded because of the computer crash.
Access-A-Ride always takes reservations 7-days-a-week from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Transit control is always open 24-hours-a-day for questions and help with rides.
Rides are given 24-hours-a-day.
Carrier dispatchers know more or less where their vans are. When riders want to know where their van is, transit control agents call carrier dispatchers to find out where the vans are and they were doing that on January 26, but often there is no way to tell exactly where the vans are.
Jean Ryan, VP for Public Affairs
Disabled in Action
Not Happy Democrat
Recently, my Congressmember, Joe Crowley, sent me a constituent email telling me all the things the new, Democrat-controlled Congress is going to do to benefit the middle class. Among them, a huge reduction in the already low interest rates on subsidized student loans. Gee Congressmember, thanks for using my hard-earned tax dollars for what are now free student loans. How in the world does that make my middle class life easier? To me, it is all the same smoke and mirrors we get from today’s out-of-touch Democratic party.
John LaPorte
Whitestone
China Critic
When I go shopping, I get upset when I see so many products made in mainland China. We are told that China is being more westernized and they are following fewer of the Marxist principles. I do not agree because I believe the following is true:
In recent years, China has stepped up brutal persecution, torture, imprisonment and execution of all religious believers, especially Christians, Falun Gong practitioners and Muslims. It has stepped up censorship of all news media and policing of the Internet.
They have engaged in “harvesting” the organs of religious and political prisoners as well as common criminals.
It continues its repressive one-child policy and the practice of forcing abortion on those who get pregnant “out of turn.”
In the past few years, it has stepped up its espionage efforts against the United States and has even sent its thugs into the U.S. to terrorize Chinese and American citizens who oppose its policies.
China is a threat to the West and they are still faithful to the Marxist-Leninist party line.
Janet McCarthy
On Custodial Cuts
The Department of Education (DOE) has announced that it will be making cuts to custodial budgets at all New York City schools to help fund Empowerment Schools. These are schools where the principal has chosen to accept greater authority and be held accountable for school performance.
CDEC26 has heard from Larry Johnson, the plant manager for Region 3 and members of the custodians’ union on this issue. Based upon these discussions, the CDEC has resolved that the budget cuts are an inappropriate method to fund the Empowerment Schools.
Custodial budgets have been cut several times since 1996 due to financial needs of the entire school system and the City. To take money needed for maintaining all of our schools to provide extra money for a small number of schools is not fair. Our schools in District 26 are maintained by dedicated custodians and staff members who work very hard during their shifts. To expect the schools to be maintained as they have been with less staff and less working time defies reasonable management practice.
This is especially so since even without the current round of cuts, our custodians do not receive enough money to provide needed supplies and labor. Neither of these expenses has seen a budget increase in over thirty years, which is why many of our students must bring in soap, towels and other basic supplies.
It is important to note that the DOE claims that under the Empowerment structure, there will be cost savings due to less bureaucracy. If these cost savings are real, there is no need for custodial budget cuts. CDEC26 has urged the Chancellor and the Mayor to not only rescind the announced custodial budget cuts, but to provide additional funding so school custodians can provide the needed service our students deserve.
Robert Caloras
CDEC26, President, Little Neck
