Bring back bake sales
As President of Glen Oaks Village, a community of 3,000 families, most of which send their kids to public schools, I understand the importance of raising money through bake sales by the PTA and various student organizations. The last time I voted at my local school, I was met by a table of volunteers selling treats to raise money for various school programs. I always enjoyed the home-baked goods that they sold, but now that process has been turned on its head and is being micro-managed by the School Chancellor.
It is truly surreal; we are no longer permitted to buy or sell Mom’s homemade brownies, but Kellogg’s POP Tarts are OK. Promoting healthy eating habits is of course, a good idea, but when we allow Pop Tarts to be sold instead of homemade brownies, we have gone too far.
Bob Friedrich
President, Glen Oaks Village
Costly repairs for council
In March 2008, it was announced that renovations of the City Council chambers would raise the original price tag from $45 to $65 million due to cost overruns.
The Department of Design and Construction in November 2009 revised the cost to $90 million, or twice the price! It was just announced the new cost is $107 million, due to greater structural deterioration than anticipated. No one really knows what the final price tag will be.
Is spending over $107 million for renovations of the City Council chamber worthwhile?
With a multibillion-dollar municipal deficit this year and more forecast for next year, perhaps there are higher priorities. Consider that Councilmembers meet in full session or committee on a part-time basis.
They are paid base salaries of $113,500 per year supplemented by Lulus from $4,000 to $28,000 all for a part-time job. They enjoy personal drivers, a private City Hall parking spot; millions in pork barrel member item projects to give out to friends; paid staff to ghost write newsletters, speeches, op-eds and letters to the editor; out of town travel reimbursement; along with free tickets to all sorts of events.
Why spend $107 million-plus to build a new “Big Top” over the Big Apple’s Greatest Circus on Earth to support their continued daily discussions of irrelevant and useless resolutions? The City Council could move in with the real circus and save the taxpayers some money. We could have two shows for the price of one admission. Now that would be a real treat!
Larry Penner
Great Neck
Do not shut firehouses
The Fire Department of New York (FDNY) clashed with City Council lawmakers the other day over the proposed closing of 62 firehouses. FDNY Commissioner Sal Cassano testified that the closings are necessary as the department faces drastic cuts in city and state funding.
Added to this, the FDNY plans to deactivate 15,000 street fire alarm boxes.
I am totally appalled and distressed that the city would do such a thing. Let us remember the response time will increase and that will further endanger lives and increase injuries of its citizens and FDNY personal. This cannot be allowed to happen. I don’t know but it seems to me that the city is saying to its citizens, “Burn baby, burn.”
Frederick R. Bedell Jr.
Glen Oaks Village
Ad send wrong message
I applaud your efforts each week to stop the scourge of graffiti in Queens.
Unfortunately, the ad the Courier Sun ran on page 32 of your March 10 issue is very disappointing and sends a different message.
The full-page Queens Library ad advertises “Hip-Hop @ Queens Library” and features graffiti on a wall – maybe it is a Queens Library wall? So, graffiti is OK in ads, and it is fine to put graffiti on a library wall?
What a terrible message to send us – and in a full-page ad from a non-profit Queens institution. How sad.
Please do not run that advertisement again – or else run it as a new "Hall of Shame".
Dennis Farley
Woodhaven
Copy the Canadian system!
Many journalists have been addressing the “problem” of health care reform! The U.S. desperately needs to become “copy-cats” on this issue!
I am referring to the “Single Payer System” which for the most part is successfully employed in most European countries and Canada! Peoples’ taxes fund this system. They need not be concerned about going “bankrupt” from long debilitating chronic illness!
Physicians are well compensated for their work.
My daughter, now residing in Bayside, was fortunate to have given birth to her two boys in the city of Vancouver, B.C. – of Olympic fame. All her medical needs were efficiently “met,” including pre-natal care, delivery of two babies, post natal care, as well as having a nurse sent to her home to assist her with both newborns.
This was all part of the Canadian Single Payer System.
Emulating the “good things” about other countries appears to make good sense.
Leonore Brooks
Whitestone
One vote for Peralta?
I received a leaflet at my residence with a headline that read:
SENATOR HIRAM MONSERRATE IS NOT FOR SALE!
I agree, he can be rented for a nominal fee.
As a father of four daughters, brother of four sisters, I find his past actions toward his girlfriend despicable. All recent campaign leaflets sent from his headquarters by the U.S. mail were marked “REFUSED” by me and returned to the post office.
As I view his future, I posit a most likely scenario.
After losing the March 16 special election, he will be held in contempt of court for having not served promised community service time, which reads jail time. After all his co-workers voted 53-8 against him, they are presently in the process of unearthing the question of the legality of his legal defense funds.
As those former income sources quickly dissipate, his current legal team, no longer high profile, will set in motion civil legal proceedings to recover their costs.
John J. McGuire Sr.
Rego Park
Funding MetroCards
for students
There is a simple answer to “Pols cry ‘not fare!’” over student MetroCards" (Noah Rosenberg – March 4). Both the city and state left the MTA holding the bill by not providing $159 million of the $214 million needed to fund the program.
If all five Borough Presidents and 51 City Councilmembers each allocated $1
million of their own discretionary member item spending, the city could raise $56 million. Likewise, all 24 city-based State Senators and 62 State Assemblymembers could do the same, raising another $86 million.
With proper financing, the MTA could continue providing this vital service for
550,000 school-age students. Real action rather than cheap rhetoric is needed.
Larry Penner
Great Neck
Beware of voter anger
If the never-ending stalemate and gamesmanship in Washington continues – voter anger will be a stumbling block to economic recovery. In the absence of leadership that honestly confronts and resolves issues haunting the nation like health care, bank reform, stimulus, entitlements, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan Americans will remain hotly divided.
Elected representatives are devoted to their selfish egos rather than to the nation they swore an oath to uphold. The two party system has dissolved into warring tribes each seeking victory regardless of the consequences. The scorched earth policies of the parties are undermining the tenets of our heritage. The political wars have eroded belief that our system of government can work. Confidence defines America and in its absence, the nation is in troubled waters.
Regardless of political leanings, 2009 began with the promise of a better America. The election of President Barack Obama seemed a breath of fresh air. Hope seemed reborn. That change in spirit has evaporated after one year of the worst political bickering seen in a lifetime. The absolute refusal to compromise has destroyed belief that anything will address the problems affecting daily life or get the nation back to the road of recovery and renewal.
In large part, the economic downturn continues because of the two parties refusing to work together. Abandoning the interests of citizens politicians hope to win the next election by igniting partisanship, suspicious and compelling anger. Facing the worst economic threat in generations, our politicians are a stumbling block to recovery. Our political leaders are in a depression.
Edward Horn
Baldwin
International Women’s Day
My curiosity was heightened when I began to see advertisements for several events taking place on March 8, being advertised as a celebration of International Women’s Day.
I discovered the theme behind this day is to mark the economic, political and social achievements of women. This year’s theme was equal rights, equal opportunities and progress for all.
To my surprise, I learned from Sunita Bajaj of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce that International Women’s Day has been celebrated since 1911 all around the world with an array of events varying in size from small to large. It is celebrated as an official holiday in 15 countries. The Day is traditionally marked with a message from the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
I attended some of the events on March 8, which included business conferences, networking events and theatric performances.
Oscar Motomura, founder and chief executive officer of Amana Key Group stated at one conference, “Women have not reached levels of leadership needed hierarchical yet . . . The role of women is extraordinary because of their intuition. Women entrepreneurs have a greater caring for rebuilding life and nature.”
At each event, the message was clear; women have made tremendous strides and achieved great accomplishments. However, they still have a long way to go. It was said repeatedly throughout the day that much more work needs to be done along with the emphasis to support women in their efforts.
Nancy Nearman
