To the editor,
I love Stanley Gershbein’s column (“It’s Only My Opinion”)!
A while ago he wrote a column about his gripes — can I add a few?
Not In My Backyard, people — those who want the neighborhood kept clean, but don’t want to have a city-provided trash cans on their corners. One guy even stole a Parks Department sign warning us to clean-up after our dogs.
This neighborhood is big on stealing — lots of Con Edison cones and large barrels often go missing.
One man’s house has a “please do not block driveway” sign — he doesn’t even own a car!
Dog owners are doing the right thing by cleaning up after their dogs, but there’s nowhere to put the doggie bags!
This is a valid, good gripe — please add it to your collection, Stan.
Suzanne M.
Kensington
Bus ‘screech’
To the editor,
It’s good the MTA has decided the B64 will go to Harway Avenue (“Carmine gets our buses back,” The Brooklyn Graphic, July 26).
When it resumes, I hope it stops at Avenue Z.
Near this stop is Seamark Center, which has about 80 members. It provides needed services and support for mentally disabled people, some of whom are senior citizens.
It would be much appreciated if the B64 stops at Avenue Z in the future.
Jerome Frank
Coney Island
Cat-tastrophic
To the editor,
Why in the name of all that’s holy would someone want to beat their own cat to death (“DA: Father and son indicted for killing black cat,” July 25)?
If their attorney thinks that the cruelty charges are “unfounded,” he doesn’t seem to be playing with a full deck. How can the charges be unfounded when there was a witness, as well as physical evidence?
How could the judge be so uncaring, in regard to this brutal crime, that he allowed to case to be adjourned to January 2013?
If those cruel people escape legal penalty, it will be a grave miscarriage of justice!
Sarah Vogel
Seagate
Healthscare
To the editor,
God help me! I just received a letter from Emblem Health: Advanced Notice about Changes to my HIP Health Plan of New York (“HIP”) Premium Rate.
They will be petitioning the state Department of Financial Services for an increase of 26 percent in my current rate.
Since President Obama has pushed through his vision of government-mandated healthcare for all, the insurance companies are realizing the gravy train is now stopping at their front door.
I already pay $800 a month! Now the blood-sucking leeches want more than $1,000 a month. This is not right, not fair. I do not have a job and live off my savings. The exorbitant demand is heartless and should be criminalized.
Most workers are restricted to give-backs and pay increases of none to a few percent. Banks pay out 3 percent or less on interest bearing accounts.
Times are hard, and are getting harder all of the time, except for the wealthy.
The last line of HIP notice of the excessive increase reads as follows,” We value our relationship with you.”
Ha, ha, ha! Pull the other leg, why don’t you?
Justine Swartz
Sheepshead Bay
Un-cooperative
To the editor,
The city or state must start regulating co-op boards. I’ve lived at my building for 38 years, and the building was converted to a co-op 24 years ago.
During the last several years, a quorum has not been achieved at our yearly meetings and as a result, we are unable to vote for candidates to represent us.
Those members whose terms are expiring for the year are automatically in for another year.
To compound matters, we have had several resignations from the board within the last year or so, and the incumbent members just choose people to come onto the board.
A day after the annual meeting, I expressed interest in going on the board. A week or so later, I found out that the board, which never bothered to post that applications were being accepted, went ahead and interviewed people, and selections were then made.
Due to the fact that I’ve criticized the board on occasions, I would never be considered.
This board selects people who haven’t lived in the building for that long and will go along with their decisions, which have included paying thousands of dollars for bed bug extermination and an eight-percent increase in maintenance in January.
This spring we were notified that all residents will be paying a surcharge for the pool. Imagine, paying for something that you don’t use?
Their excuse is that the pool is part of the co-op. True.
My apartment is also part of the co-op and when I had it painted in January, would I dare to ask other co-op owners to chip in for the painting? Of course not. I could have said that my apartment is part of the co-op!
The fact remains that residents who don’t use the pool facility should not be required to pay for it. Basically, we’re subsidizing fellow residents so that the pool should be kept open. If the finances of pool continue southward, the pool should be closed.
The board has stated to others questioning this action: “So join!” Perhaps people can’t join due to medical and other reasons.
Those who use the pool should be the ones paying more for it. Obviously, if the board took this action, the pool has been failing financially. Therefore, those of us not using the pool must be made to come to the rescue of it. I am sure the surcharge for this will go up each year.
Democracy no longer exists in many of these complexes.
Ed Greenspan
Sheepshead Bay
Losing battle
To the editor,
Almost all guns that are used to kill people are illegal guns.
If Mayor “Nanny” Bloomberg thinks that gun control is the answer to stopping this epidemic, just look at how the war on drugs is working out.
It’s been over 40 years, and with the toughest drug laws in the country, the war on drugs is not working. People are dying, courts and jails are full, and drugs just keep on coming.
I’m afraid the same same will happen with gun control —the bad guys will still get them, and still use them.
Peter Finker
Morganville, N.J.
Sanit-wonders
To the editor,
While bringing in my garbage pails one recent morning, a cute little 4-year-old neighbor who was celebrating his birthday was walking by with her aunt and little sister.
When two of New York’s Strongest were told that it was her birthday, not only did they stop what they were doing to wish her a “Happy Birthday,” but they also reached into their pockets and gave her a few dollars as a gift.
These two guys should be commended, their names are Steve and Willie, and the birthday girl is Isabella. She may not appreciate what happened at her young age, but I sure did.
Peter G. Orsi
Marine Park
Small potatoes
To the editor,
I’m glad to read that people are up in arms over Nathan’s switching from Katahdins potato’s to Russert Burbanks.
This is really something that should bring New Yorker’s together.
This serious issue definitely warrants a public outcry — not the shootings and murders, not the unemployment, and homeless, not the hungry, not the poor graduation rate, not the crooked politicians, and not all of our tax money being wasted.
The end must be coming soon.
Shenequa Johnson
Crown Heights
Filthy streets
To the editor,
I have noticed lately more than ever the streets in my neighborhood of Old Mill Basin-Marine Park are filthy.
There’s garbage all over the place, in the streets, on the sidewalks, all over the park. If there are any trash cans, they are overflowing.
Pigs throw their garbage, losing lottery scratch-off tickets, empty food containers from fast food joints, and worse out their car windows.
I’m getting tired of it.
I would like to see these slobs living quarters — they must be real pig pens.
Ernesto Cavalier
Mill Basin
Reach reporter Shavana Abruzzo at sabruzzo@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-2529.
