It is so outrageous that 100 million dollars has to be cut from the city public school system! Education funding should never be cut. Our children all deserve the very best, and cutting this money is a prelude to an educational disaster.
I am a NY City Title 1 Bureau of Nonpublic Schools reading specialist, and I can tell you that we, as teachers all are working very hard to achieve instructional success for our students. When are those windbag politicians in Albany going to fight for the needs of every student and teacher in this city and this state? Everyone talks about how hard teachers work, but unless they are actually in a classroom, they really do not really understand this. People talk so much that after a while they don’t know what they are talking about!
John Amato
Fresh Meadows
One voter’s thoughts
Therefore, we have:
1: A female Senator for the Presidency!
2: An Afro-American Senator for the Presidency!
3: An older Senator for the Presidency!
Do the American people REALLY want change? Or does the thought of a “different” leader with perhaps “different” ideas re: policy issues, both foreign and domestic, frighten people into “staying home, and not voting at all?”
This would indeed be a tragic situation!
I would like to think that U.S. citizens could welcome REAL change, and vote for whomever they consider the most qualified candidate to keep their country both safe and prosperous!
Leonore Brooks
Whitestone
In support of Padavan
I take issue with The Queens Courier’s endorsement of the New York Daily News’ editorial awarding Senator Frank Padavan and Assemblymember Ann Margaret Carrozza “knucklehead awards” because they are supporting constituents who have concerns over the proposed expansion at St. Mary’s Hospital for Children in Bayside. That is the job of these elected officials to speak up for those that they represent.
In the editorial, those residents that have raised issues with the project are referred as “nut cases.” This is needlessly insulting and not constructive.
Everyone agrees that St. Mary’s does an outstanding job for the children that they treat. The issue here is that the facility is part of a neighborhood, and whatever changes are done at the facility affect the surrounding community. The St. Mary’s facility should not be issued carte blanche to do as they please.
They need to work with and consult with the community at large to minimize any negative impact that their project may have on the residents. I believe that Padavan and Carrozza are trying to facilitate a dialogue between the community and St. Mary’s, a goal that is desirable and commendable.
Henry Euler
Bayside
Conflict of interest
As a retired police officer, and Member of Community Board 11 representing Bayside, I write to express my indignation over Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s ongoing relationship with New York’s largest personal injury law firm, Weitz & Luxemburg. Silver, a founder of the firm, has remained “of counsel” throughout his time in the Assembly, refusing to disclose how much he is paid or who his clients are, according to the New York Post.
Silver has consistently opposed efforts to implement tort reform so that plaintiffs’ lawyers do not abuse the court system, tie up the dockets and use the legal system as if it were a lottery system or slot machine. Silver has constantly passed laws making it easier to sue and blocked reforms to rein in excesses.
Queens Assemblymembers have been strangely silent as to Silver’s obvious conflict of interest. This is unacceptable, for as we teeter on the brink of a recession, tort-law abuse is putting even more financial pressure on employers and government.
Furthermore, Silver, with the acquiescence of Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith, picked a partner in Silver’s own law firm, Arthur Luxemburg, to serve on a 13-member judicial-screening commission that recommends judicial candidates for the Appellate Division, Court of Claims and State Supreme Court. Clearly, this is yet another conflict of interest perpetrated by Silver upon our state.
I urgently call on our Queens Assemblymembers to speak out against this outrageous and self-evident conflict of interest. They may see Silver as their legislative boss, but they need to remember that they are still answerable to the voters and taxpayers right here in Queens.
Rob Speranza
Bayside
Member Community Board 11
111th Precinct Community Council
Retired Police Officer
Teachers deserve parking permits
I am writing in response to a letter from Mr. Nat Weiner of the Bronx in which he states that teachers should not be issued parking permits. Weiner said that the only people who should be issued parking permits are those whose jobs include protecting public safety and for whom public transportation is dangerous or impractical.
Who do you think taught them the skills in order to do these jobs? Am I annoyed? You bet I am since I am a New York City teacher and I resent your attitude since it seems that you don’t think we deserve to have something that we need to do our work. In my school alone, we have approximately 96 teachers and my school is in a residential neighborhood, where parking is at a premium. Without parking permits, many of my coworkers would have to pay to rent a driveway, if one was available, or park many blocks away from the school. Mr. Weiner, please examine your priorities.
Mimi Weitz
Little Neck
Letters To The Editor
Email us your letters to editorial@ queenscourier.com for publication in The Queens Courier or send them to The Queens Courier, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361, attention: Editorial Department. Please include name and contact information.
