To the editor,
Today’s papers are carrying dire predictions by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman, Joe Lhota, that the MTA is in such a financial hole, not even the much touted congestion pricing would be able to bail it out. In addition he stated that there must be a massive state and city tax increase or other gargantuan flow of cash to keep the systems afloat.
Contrast this with the overly optimistic CBS “60 Minutes” interview by Transit President Andy Byford. His head is seemingly in the clouds, with grandiose New York City subway signal system and infrastructure upgrades costing almost $50 billion dollars. The black financial hole is getting deeper and of course, we New York straphangers see, hear and feel the impact daily.
Maybe these two gentlemen should get together and work to find ways of ensuring a good income stream to fix what we already have. Even though parts of the system are over a century old, the systems in place, if properly maintained, will work for decades until the financial conundrum is solved. Then, and only then, should they consider these wonderful electronic upgrades to bring the system up to snuff for another century and beyond.
I personally won’t hold my breath, and at every turn I encourage young adults to finish their education and get out of the city, before the collapse of the subway-bridges-streets and other major city infrastructure occurs.Robert W. Lobenstein
Marine Park
Let’s go (old) Postal
To the editor,
President Trump is now calling for complete privatization of the U.S. Postal Service.
While postal service was not good when President Nixon abolished the Post Office Department, and with semi-privatization more mistakes resulted in people not getting their mail on time or lost mail, complete privatization will wreak havoc when people are dependent on their Social Security checks or other vital matters.
Let us not forget that when Donald Trump was a candidate for President, he was summoned for jury duty. His jury [summons] notice went to the wrong people before it was corrected.
Also, let us not forget that in Canada every province has separate postal facilities and it has been known to take three weeks to send a letter from one province to another, which results in mass confusion.
I believe we should return to the way it was intended to be and have a U.S. Post Office Department with Cabinet status, like old times. Our postal system is worse now more than ever and we should cut down on foreign aid and tend to the business at home. Government mail is America’s business, more than what goes on in the rest of the world.
Elliott Abosh
Brighton Beach
Tolerance needed
To the editor,
As an independent thinker, it is clear that a huge reason to get out the Blue vote on November 6 is the palpable concern that it is a vote between good (D) vs. evil (R); life and death. The good is relative to the clear evil intent and actions the GOP has been taking for many years, and especially since Trumpery took office.
Overheard sometime last night: white nationalists who love Trumpery’s dog whistles are white supremacist, neo-Nazi and Ku Klux Klan groups. Scary, wow, right?
It sure feels like these groups are fear–hate based groups intent upon eradicating anything, anyone does that not act or look like them. They bring economics in the form of entitlements to condone their views, but ignore the fact that many of they themselves are recipients of entitlement programs. They bring immigration into the conversation, completely ignoring the fact that most every one of them are here because of the immigration policies of the past.
There’s more, but it seems silly to preach to the choir, knowing full well that the opposition party and supporters have the closed-minded talking points ingrained in what they call a mind and a heart.
I’m sharing the article that was put before me not long after the horrific, dark news from the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh came to see the light of newscasts.
I came to read a recent Washington Post article titled, “Trump doesn’t understand how anti-Semitism works. Neither do most Americans,” which is specific to anti-Semitism, but points out the great and concerning consistencies between the events of the past and what is going on today. Those events affect people of every nationality, every race, every religion, and so this article, this story is relevant to everyone. Intolerance affects everyone, and everyone you know.Barry Brothers
Homecrest
Teachers won’t stay
To the editor,
The new teacher contract just provides the same old nonsense. Why nonsense? It refuses to address the major problem of retaining teachers in the so-called hard to staff schools. For years, teachers continue to leave these ineffective schools in droves due to the complete lack of discipline in them. Throwing more money is not the way to solve the problem. The young, eager teacher shall soon become disillusioned with this and after a while, they will chuck it in as well.
Instead of working to improve discipline in the schools by the removal of chronically disruptive pupils, the system looks for all kinds of inane solutions that will never work because of the continuous presence of the unruly. Only the United Federation of Teachers, with Unity Caucus, would agree to these terms. Why? When was the last time that the union hierarchy was in the classroom teaching? They are so grateful to be out of the classroom that they will agree to almost anything. Anything said about the restoration of “600” schools for the unruly and more suspensions for behavioral infractions? Of course not; liberals are too afraid that the psyche of the “brat” shall be hurt. Of course, it’s alright to disrupt others from learning and the school can always say that the teacher is not motivating the recalcitrant.Ed Greenspan
Sheepshead Bay
Let there be lights
To the editor,
I travel the Belt Parkway daily. Every morning I’ve noticed that the light poles along the Belt which are made out of “aluminium” are slowing disappearing. Looks like they are being ripped down or cut or hacked off. Are they being sold for scrap metal?
One section of the Belt has had all the poles ripped down, From exit 7a to exit 6 in both directions, east and westbound. This is a safety issue for my fellow drivers and myself. No lighting along that part of the roadway can lead to more accidents.
Peter Consolo
Brooklyn
Comptroller control?
To the editor,
Republican–Conservative Party candidate Jonathan Trichter for State Comptroller makes sense. Albany has always had members of different political parties holding key statewide offices. This promotes independent checks and balances to insure honesty. Past Republican Governors Nelson Rockefeller and George Pataki had Democrats Arthur Levitt, Carl McCall and Alan Hevisi as State Comptroller. Democrat Governors Hugh Carey and Mario Cuomo had Republican Comptroller Ned Regan. GOP gubernatorial candidate Marc Molinaro’s valiant efforts swimming upstream against Albany’s Pay for Play special interests and overwhelming Democratic enrollment numbers favor Democrat Andrew Cuomo being re-elected Governor for a third term. Just look at the voter affiliations and campaign funds. Statewide voter enrollment numbers clearly favor Cuomo. There are 5,621,811 Democrats versus 2,632,341 Republican active voters. Cuomo has $11 million and will easily spend millions more over the coming weeks. Molinaro, like Cynthia Nixon in the primary, will be outspent by Cuomo 10 to one.
For taxpayers — regardless of ideology or party affiliation — Republican Jonathan Trichter is the logical choice for State Comptroller. He can hold Cuomo accountable to honest finances along with avoiding waste, fraud and abuse. Trichter will also have his hands full keeping an eye on Democrat State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and the new State Senate majority leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. It is doubtful that current Republican State Senate leader John Flanagan will maintain majority control of the State Senate. One party control of Albany by the infamous “Three Men In The Room” for both Albany executive and legislative branches of state government is a recipe for disaster.
Many, including myself, long for the days of our late State Comptroller Arthur Levitt who served from 1954 to 1978. He was a true friend of taxpayers and kept the wolves at bay!
Larry Penner
Great Neck
