By Dee Richard
We hope everyone had a happy and safe Fourth of July. We attended two barbecues on the Fourth. The first was at 10 a.m. in Bowne Park in Flushing. It was billed as a post “Tea Party 4th of July Freedom Rally” to celebrate the birth of our nation. They had petitions to be signed protesting taxation without representation. The signed petitions were to be sent to both Albany and Washington. They were also protesting the mortgaging of their own as well as their children’s future.
We are in serious financial trouble and no one wants to discuss it. Washington is trying to sweep everything under the rug. Printing lots more money, giving stimulus packages and bailing out failing industries is not the answer. It’s like putting a Band-Aid on a man’s leg that requires an amputation. There must be someone or some group with the knowledge or expertise to help us out of this critical dilemma. Otherwise, it will get worse. There is, after all, only a finite amount of money out there.
Most people think the Federal Reserve banks are government banks, but they aren’t. They’re all private banks. They make their money by lending our government money, which we have to pay for. Former President Woodrow Wilson passed the Federal Reserve Act in 1913, which is still in effect today. John Procida spoke on the subject at the rally and apparently is quite knowledgeable on the topic.
Dan Halloran, one of the candidates for City Councilman Tony Avella’s seat, also spoke at the rally. His topic of choice was the U.S. Constitution. He certainly seemed well-versed on the subject.
There were other speakers on other subjects, but I personally found the above-mentioned the most interesting.
There was an interesting proliferation of signs at the rally, including, “From Little Acorns, Big Marxist Grow,” “Stop Eminent Domain Abuse,” “Atlas Will Shrug,” “Don’t Tread On Me,” and “Don’t Let Them Destroy Our Country, Defeat Cap and Tax,” just to name a few.
Halloran supplied free hot dogs, soda and water — a traditional way to celebrate the Fourth of July. In spite of the fact it was early on a Saturday morning and a holiday weekend at that, it was well-attended.
The second barbecue started at 3 p.m. at the annual July Fourth party of Barbara and Ralph Barba’s Douglaston home. It was its usual fun party, with pretty much the same group of regulars. This year, there were also a lot of new guests. The surprise guest was state Sen. Frank Padavan late in the day.
Although he was invited, we didn’t really expect him, as we thought he’d have been stuck in Albany. The senator didn’t seem inclined to discuss the Albany fiasco, so everyone let him relax and enjoy the holiday. The evening ended with the Macy’s fireworks display on the Hudson River. This year’s display seemed to be the biggest and best ever.
Halloran tells us he wishes to thank everyone for their help in securing petition signatures. There are only two weeks left to go and he’d appreciate all the additional help he can get. I guess that’s true of all the other candidates as well. So be a good guy and go to the headquarters of your personal candidate choice and volunteer some of your time. They’ll love you for it.
Steve Behar tells us he has received the endorsement of “Democracy For America” and that he’s the only endorsement given by them for the Avella seat race. Good luck, Steve.
Now for a rather sad note, Mimi Burnham informed us Jim Wyrnn’s mother-in-law passed away. My condolences to the Wyrnn family. They are a great example of what a loving family should be.
Apologies to Paul Vallone. Last week’s Focus on Queens page listed his fund-raiser as his brother Peter’s, rather than his. Sorry about that, Paul.
That’s it for this week.
I look forward to hearing from you with information on people, parties and politics or gossip.
I like to receive your voice mails at 718-767-6484, faxes at 718-746-0066 and e-mails at deerrichard@aol.com.
Don’t forget to check out the Focus on Queens page.
Till next week, Dee.
