To the editor,
You refer to raccoons as “pesky rodents,” but likening raccoons to rodents reinforces the inaccurate stigma surrounding these mammals (“Distempered tantrum” by Julianne Cuba, July 22).
Raccoons are not rodents; they are in the family procyonidae, along with ring-tails and coatis. The bear family and raccoon family are closely related. Red pandas (often called lesser pandas) were previously thought to be bears, but are now known to be part of the raccoon family.
Raccoons will purr like cats when they are feeling warm and fuzzy, and they can be gentle and loving companions.Mike Furlender
Bay Ridge
‘Amazing’ Jo
To the editor,
I just can’t thank Joanna DelBuono enough for the wonderful story about our St. Ephrem’s School 50th Anniversary Reunion (“That ol’ gang of mine,” Standing O, July 22).
Thank you for including the picture of all the classmates who attended the reunion. Everyone was so happy and excited to see this in the Courier. I am sending copies out to our classmates in Alaska, Florida, and New Jersey, as they would love to see this and can’t obtain the paper where they live.
Joanna, I love your “Standing O” column and read it every week, and I always look forward to your “Not For Nuthin’ ” column, too. I’m always interested to see what you are going to come up with every week. I think your ideas are awesome, and this week you “plagiarizing” Michele Obama and Melania Trump was so funny (“Jo: Who cares about Melania’s speech?” And you are absolutely right, in January there isn’t going to be anyone capable in the White House. I think America has a sad state of affairs right now.
Thanks for being such an amazing writer, and thank you again for being so kind and doing that wonderful story for our class. As you know, I am a singer and guitarist for two area churches, but I also sing at restaurants, and parties, etc., and if you ever need music for any event, it’s always free for my friends, so don’t hesitate to call on me.
Have a great summer!
Kathie Bistreich
Brooklyn
‘Correct’ Stan
To the editor,
Stanley Gershbein is correct when he states that almost all of the authorities believe that the Turkey airport attack was caused by Barack Obama’s “junior varsity” Islamic State (“Secure the border — for our kids’ sakes,” It’s Only My Opinion, July 22).
Terrorists have had an almost eight-year field-day. Obama pulled troops out of Iraq too early and against the advice of his military advisors, giving rise to the Islamic State, an offshoot of al Qaeda, which Obama claimed was decimated. By announcing the date of the pullout, he gave terrorists a timetable to plan and resume their activities in the region.
Obama has emboldened our enemies, shunned our allies, and made the U.S. the laughingstock of the world. He drew the now infamous red line, promising to oust Syria’s Bashar al-Assad if Assad used weapons of mass destruction. Assad’s W.M.D.s were formally Saddam Hussein’s arsenal that was transported to Syria by retired Iraqi Air-Marshal Georges Sada after former president George W. Bush announced his plan to send U.S. troops to Iraq. That is the reason that our military did not find W.M.D.s in Iraq.
Well, Assad used them, and Obama, as expected, crumbled. Perhaps that is the reason that retired Army Lt. Col. Ralph Peters labeled Obama “as tough as an éclair.” In the meantime John Kerry, the ultimate incompetent, gave Assad a way out by inadvertently allowing Russia’s Vladimir Putin to intervene.
The result is that Russia now controls the Middle East and Assad still has weapons of mass destruction. The Islamic State has evolved into a full-scale, varsity terrorist organization, killing thousands who do not adhere to its way of life, destroying historical monuments and artifacts, and attracting the losers of the world.
Obama, Kerry, and Secretary of Defense Ash Carter are befuddled. They strongly object, call the Islamic State names, have meetings, and then more meetings. How scary, I’m sure the terrorists are trembling in their black pajamas.
Obama can begin by properly classifying Islamic terrorists and fight terrorism with the objective of winning, but he doesn’t want to. He and Kerry gave Iran, the predominant supporter of terrorism, $150 billion to support terrorism, along with the capability to produce and deliver nuclear weapons.
In the war on terror there is no unconditional surrender like there was with Japan and Germany in World War II. Victory must begin with the destruction of the enablers, and which presidential candidate will do that? The candidate who says he will do so or the undecided and unindicted crook?Elio Valenti
Brooklyn
‘Buffoon’ Shav
To the editor,
This rebuttal is directed to the “British buffoon” who called Americans “idiots” (“American idiots! Anarchy in the USA,” A Britisher’s View by Shavana Abruzzo, July 22). If you read between the lines of her false truths, Shavana is directing her true hatred upon a community she is not brave enough to name. The two mentally ill men murdered the brave souls of our eight police officers, and wounded 10 others who are still in our prayers, but Shavana, you are attempting to corral the sickness of the two upon the many.
People of all colors — yes, non-Hispanic whites, too — protested all injustices on behalf of humanity. Americans for all Americans, people for all people living in these United States. Your so-called statistics are incorrect also. Naturally, if the overall population is less than most, and the number of occurring deaths is considered greater than most, the ratio and percentages will be higher.
Ask yourself, Shavana, why is this so? It’s due to a lack of jobs, unequal salaries, poor dwellings, poor educational resources in comparison to middle-class and affluent neighborhoods, lack of businesses, broken families due to the circumstances shown, drug usage to escape, and drug selling to feed the family and keep a roof over their heads.
Things you have because you have a good, salaried job or a supportive family, and are able to come and go and do as you wish legally without regard. Now imagine you did not have any of it.
It’s not guilt-shaming or self-revulsion as you stated, it’s the life your percentages has placed some into, and what we as Americans must claim as a failure, and solve and reduce the numbers for all concerned parties.
Yes, our president is half black, but you are probably wondering why his other half could not aid him more, with the biased Congress that should have helped the people of America to do well, instead of seeing the color of the man elected fairly to office. Help America first and foremost.
Shavana you also stated, “disgruntleds need to knock it off to begin the healing or move to lesser shores.” First, one can only heal by facing all facts, acknowledging them, and seeking the resolution to move forward positively. You should remember how the pilgrims came to these shores in the first place. If you are disgruntled with the U.S.A., please return across the pond and fix your own country’s problems at hand.
God Save The Queen, and God Bless America, my home sweet home.D. Justin
Canarsie
Being mindful
To the editor,
It looks like Piper Theatre’s “psycho beach party” will be a laugh riot (“Hack and splash” by Alexandra Simon, July 8).
It’s the story of someone who has multiple personality disorder. She thinks one of her personalities might be responsible for the dead bodies mounting on the beach. Sounds funny, doesn’t it?
No matter how funny it seems, mental illnesses cause a lot of suffering, wreck lives, and cause many deaths by suicide or accidents. That doesn’t sound so funny, does it?
These illnesses have been found to be physically based brain disorders caused by abnormal brain structures or chemical imbalances.
The play gives the impression that mentally ill people are violent. This isn’t correct. Many great people have had mental illnesses: Virginia Woolf, Patty Duke, Sylvia Plath, Abe Lincoln, Jackson Pollack, Judy Garland, and Sir Edwin Landseer, who made the lions at the base of Nelson’s monument in England, to name a few.
One in five American gets a mental illness. Most mentally ill people live in ordinary buildings, shop in supermarkets, ride the subway, go to the movies, and do other ordinary things like anyone else. They may see a psychiatrist, take medication or go to a program. Many have jobs.
Unfortunately the stigma gets in the way of their progress. Many, however, don’t give up, and have made great progress.Jerome Frank
The writer is a member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Diner-vore
To the editor,
I have enjoyed many excellent meals at local diners for decades, but also seen the demise of too many of them over the years (“Dine and dashed: Brooklyn’s diners are toast, insiders say” by Max Jagger, online July 21).
Diners have been part of my life from teenage years to today. Eating out is a periodic ritual with either friends or family. Portions are generous. Who never took a doggie bag home with leftovers to eat the next day? Between the customary soup, salad, rolls, coleslaw, and pickles — along with the main course — dinner could satisfy the heartiest appetite. Many time, we bagged our desserts to go.
Neighborhoods all over Brooklyn have seen changes over time. Many new immigrant groups sometimes favor their own ethnic foods and restaurants. Diners have also lost customers over time to numerous fast food restaurants. Many of their menus have expanded to also include breakfast items and a greater variety of items to select from for lunch or dinner.
Remember these people are our neighbors. Our local entrepreneurs who own and operate diners have continued to invest in our community creating new employment opportunities without the assistance of federally-funded taxpayers’ stimulus dollars. They work long hours, pay taxes, and provide local employment. If we don’t patronize our local restaurants, they don’t eat either.
Why not honor the fond memories we had at diners which have come and gone by continuing to patronize the ones still our remaining. Here’s hoping that the Vegas, Mirage, Floridian, and the handful of others still in business, don’t go the way of the dinosaurs into permanent extinction.
Larry Penner
Great Neck, N.Y.
SBS’ ‘failure’
To the editor,
After a year and a half delay, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Department of Transportation finally released its B44 Special Bus Service Progress Report which your newspaper did not feel was worthy of a mention. Had you read and understood the report, you would see how through omissions and careful selection of data, they tried to show this failure as a success.
The purpose of S.B.S. was to reverse the declining trend in bus ridership and operate service more efficiently, using longer buses making fewer stops, thereby reducing costs. The goal supposedly was to help the passengers while having little impact on traffic using exclusive bus lanes. The M.T.A. claimed success by stating ridership was up by 10 percent.
All good until you read the fine print. Only S.B.S. ridership was up by 10 percent, and only during the second year while declining the first year. And that includes B49 riders who took the B44 S.B.S. only because it arrived first on Rogers Avenue. Local bus ridership declined four percent the second year, so with approximately the same numbers of passengers on S.B.S. and the local, the real B44 gain during the second year was only six percent, not ten percent.
But wait. It’s even worse than that. They don’t tell you that during the first year of operation, B44 ridership declined by eight percent. So when you look at all the numbers, B44 ridership is lower today than before S.B.S. started. Add to that the program cost $20 million to implement and $2 to $3 million additional each year to operate. Also traffic speeds on the streets where the exclusive bus lanes were implemented declined by about four or seven percent and increased by only one percent for one segment in one direction during one time period. Traffic speeds on surrounding streets also declined and parking spaces were lost. So exactly who benefitted?
Those making very long trips when the average B44 trip length is only 2.3 mph. It was an even exchange for most everyone else who traded shorter bus trips for longer walking distances to and from the S.B.S. bus stops which are as much as a mile apart because of the M.T.A.’s refusal to add an S.B.S. bus stop at Avenue R. Those former limited stop users were hurt by now being required to take the slower local as well as anyone else who needs Kings County- Downstate Medical Centers on New York Avenue.
The report is deficient by omitting the following topics: the need for some passengers to pay an extra fare to use S.B.S. if they want to change to the local and another subway or bus; inadequate public notice; unfair fare evasion summonses; the entire topic of fare evasion and the costs to reduce it; the need for additional S.B.S. bus stops; inadequate local service; poor bus service reliability; nearly empty S.B.S. buses during the peak hour south of Avenue X while the B36 is jam packed and skipping bus stops; fare machine reliability; or the failure to survey local passengers after S.B.S. was instituted as part of their satisfaction survey; deficiencies in signage and roadway markings or any mention of passenger trip times and walking distances. Some buses operating faster because they are making fewer stops does not necessarily translate into passengers being better served, yet that what the M.T.A. is asking us to believe.
Allan Rosen
The writer is a former director of bus planning for the M.T.A.’s N.Y.C. Transit Authority.
‘No clue’
To the editor,
In all honesty, how could Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina say that the school system is better off with fewer suspensions?
Doing this will only embolden disruptive children to carry on even worse than they usually do. There is no fear now whatsoever since it appears that anything goes in our system.
The chancellor and mayor know full well that some of our schools are so bad that the military needs to be called in. We need to instill military discipline in these schools if we have any hope of salvaging them. Why is there no talk of returning to the 600-school concept for chronically unruly pupils? Are we afraid that if we did this, teachers would be able to teach and be recognized for their efforts instead of being admonished for not being able to “control” certain children?
The basic problem is that our so-called educational leaders and “experts” spent little or no time in the classroom, but are able to dictate policy. At least 10 years of teaching experience should be required before you become a supervisor. Experienced educators know the rigors of classroom teaching; others have no clue.
Ed Greenspan
Sheepshead Bay
Trump dump
To the editor,
I have had a lot of questions about Donald Trump’s qualifications to be president of our country, since he began his campaign, and his acceptance speech at the Republican Convention left me with a lot more.
First of all, how many writers did he hire to write his speech? Did he study it beforehand or just read it off a teleprompter without really knowing or caring what he was saying, as long as he got support from his listeners? How much of the speech did he really mean, besides the parts blasting Hillary Clinton?
Will Trump, if he becomes president, actually do any of the things he promised he would in his speech, other than building a wall between us and Mexico which will undoubtedly antagonize Mexico and many other countries, and not keep out terrorists or drug dealers? They will either break through the wall or tunnel under it. Will Trump send thousands of homeless immigrants, including hungry children, back to their homelands to be either assassinated or starve to death? Trump now says he wants to help all Americans, including women, minorities and L.G.B.T. citizens. Can we really believe him?
Trump’s speech and Hillary Clinton’s supposed carelessness or dishonesty have left me wondering if there is such a person as a completely honest politician, and whether a completely honest politician could win an election. I doubt that honest Abe Lincoln could have won the presidency in today’s political environment. However, I do think that Hillary Clinton, honest or not, is far more qualified to run our country than Donald Trump. I have a few questions for Trump that he has never answered: Why haven’t you released your tax returns? Why did you create, sponsor, support, and give your name to a fraudulent so-called university that bilked thousands of students out of hundreds of thousands of dollars? How do you expect to manage our country’s budget when you couldn’t even keep your hotels and casinos in Atlantic City from going bankrupt?
Hopefully, we’ll have all the answers we need before November.
Elaine Kirsch
Gravesend
Time out
To the editor,
Patricia Smith, whose son Sean Smith was killed in the 2012 Benghazi affair, blasted Hillary Clinton at the Republican Convention as a lair.
Why didn’t she write a book in at the time about Hillary’s dereliction of duty and incompetence? Why does she have to wait until Hillary is about to secure the Democratic nomination for president?
Elliott Abosh
Brighton Beach
War and peace
To the editor,
Another senseless loss of life in Nice, France, where men, women, and children who had nothing to do with politics of the country paid the ultimate price.
Can leaders be so blind? For every loss of life, the anger of many begins to build up. Quite often we hear that war should be the last resort, but why do we continue bombing countries that never attacked our nation?
I suppose that history will not judge us in a positive way. We stoke the flame of anger with each bomb drop and drone strike that kills innocent people. Payback is what we reap.
How many times have we heard let’s have a dialogue? Have we really tried that? Or are they just a bunch of empty words?
Name withheld upon request
Err waves
To the editor,
I tried to watch the Republican National Convention only to find that regular broadcast TV — a wasteland of inane comedies, unreal reality shows, and a spattering of highly filtered and biased network convention coverage — did not have continuous coverage of this most important event. I and the millions of others who have cut the cord find that we just have to muddle through whatever limited coverage is offered.
It is only too well known across this land that the talking heads of the networks have their own slanted democratic agenda, which are only to be believed with a really big grain of salt.
After they put their spin on the events, we’ll just have to keep our eyes and ears open to get the straight story.
Robert W. Lobenstein
Marine Park
Bad sports
To the editor,
It’s baseball season again. Teams will be battling it out on baseball diamonds across the country.
I watched a game in which the Atlanta Braves were playing. It was obvious to me that Native Americans would be offended by this team being called “Braves” and having a tomahawk symbol on their uniforms. Another offensive thing is the tomahawk chop.
The equivalent of that would be to have a team called the San Francisco Soldiers, and the symbol on their uniform was a rifle, with fans doing a mock rifle shoot in the stands. I think many people in this country would be offended by that.
After the genocide we caused them, the least we can do is to treat Native Americans decently.
Jerome Frank
Coney Island
Ain’t no rest
To the editor,
I hate it when I’m trying to exercise at Dreier-Offerman Park in a quiet atmosphere, when some folk insist on turning the children’s playground next to the basketball court into their personal amphitheater.
Layfayette Park is also a total lost cause, with loud music blaring in the mornings. I tired of complaining to the city with no corrective action taken and no warnings of any kind given to the offenders.
Music should be confined to a gym or home, unless it’s played on headphones.
Joseph V. Comperchio
Bath Beach
Coney past
To the editor,
I will never call Coney Island the “People’s Playground.”
Hurricane Sandy changed the lives of people living there, and many residents are still struggling years later, but every year there is a hot-dog eating contest, the Mermaid Parade, and other festivities. Now there is the new amphitheater. But do the residents benefit from any of these events? I think not.
With more traffic congestion now, how will any emergency vehicles, such as police, fire, and ambulance, will be able to respond in time to save lives?
I remember when there was a rush to not only replace the amusement area, but also the broken Boardwalk from West 12. Street to Stillwell Avenue. Wow, how fast those new boards were replaced. Can’t say the same about the other broken and cracked wood that has not been repaired.
So, people will fall on the Boardwalk, sue the city, and collect more money. Don’t you think it would be more cost affective to fix the boards?
Right next to Childs Restaurant there was a beautiful community garden. African Americans, Spanish, Russians had their own plot of land to grow fruits and vegetables. Each group got along in an open and friendly manner. I felt at peace there, with only the sound of the water being used to keep the plants alive, and nourish the fruits and vegetables.
It’s a shame when the same city talks about having a clean environment and decides to destroy all the hard work of those community gardeners.
Jerry Sattler
Brighton Beach
‘Comm’ off it
To the editor,
I read Jerome Frank’s letter about how the media is not liberal, but conservative ((“Rob ‘ Jerome,” Sound off to the Editor, July 10). I want to thank you for a good laugh, but my next thought was how can an adult person be so naive?
Jerome, for you knowledge, the media is overwhelmingly liberal and bias. I emigrated from a so-called Latin-American country. I know what Communism does to people.
When I was younger my compatriots were immigrating in masses to Venezuela for a better future. Venezuela was the most prosperous country in Latin America. And now after years of Communism the Venezuelan people are looking in the garbage disposals to feed their children.
I am old enough to remember the old Soviet Union where stores were empty and people were waiting in line to buy any food available. Today if you visit Russia and the rest of the former Soviet Union, nobody is waiting in line for food, the stores are full of merchandise. So what does Venezuela today and the former Soviet Union have in common? The answer is very simple: Communism.
Is that what you want for the United States? The most corrupt politicians in the United States in recent history are the Clintons, without a doubt. They did not invent bribery, but they perfected it. Do you really think that anybody pays hundred of thousands of dollars to listen to Hillary’s words of wisdom?
Then you were parroted the Clintons’ line about Donald Trump failing several times in his businesses. That is right, he failed and he picked himself up, and he started again, that is something to admire, actually.
Hillary never failed because she never risks her own money, she is playing safe, she is always using our money.
Ana Pusar
Marine Park
Blame game
To the editor,
Everyone seems to be blaming someone else for the killings of black men, the killings of cops, the killings of people in custody, the killings of innocents — whether at war or just walking down the street minding their own business.
I’ve heard it’s the president’s fault, the mayor’s, Al Sharpton’s, the guns’, the judges who let loose career criminals, and parents who don’t give their children family values and discipline, or teach them about consequences for bad actions.
We can blame friends, gangs, the father who wasn’t around, the courts and the legal system, drugs, unemployment, the media, and the weather. Hey, what about blaming Ted Turner, who started the 24-hour cable news networks bombarding us with much of the same stuff over and over. But let’s not blame the rotten, dirty, no-good, demented scoundrel who pulls the trigger or causes the mayhem.
He’s usually just a good boy who made a mistake or is being falsely accused. Just look at his cherubic face on his first-grade graduation picture, but don’t look at the one on social media — you know the one where he is holding a gun and flashing gang signs.
Peter G. Orsi
Marine Park
Oy vey
To the editor,
Jewish people have a way of addressing trouble with two little words — oy vey — and oy vey, do we have trouble. We have a president worse than Carter or Nixon. This president lied and made a treaty with a terrorist country that calls for the death to America and Israel.
We also have the worst-ever mayor who should go to jail. We have a Congress which would rather protect pedophiles and perverts than innocent children. Oy vey! Oy vey!
What can we look forward to? Two wannabe presidents who out-lie each other. What to do? Just say oy vey and go on our way.
Jay Sonners
Coney Island
Parking hogs
To the editor,
I live on East Third Street between Avenues X and W. There are two cars, owned by brothers, that are constantly illegally parked during alternate side parking.
We have alternate side parking on the west side of the street on Tuesday and on the east side of the street on Fridays. The two cars parked illegally are left in the same parking spots for months — one of the cars has been in the same spot since January! Currently they are parked on the west side of the street which has alternate side parking rules on Tuesday. The reason why they get away with this because they have covers they put on their cars that prevent Sanitation from issuing tickets.
I understand that there are problems like this in other parts of Brooklyn — some are also worse than my street — and I was told by someone knowledgeable that these cars were slated to be towed away, but they still sit here. If the city doesn’t have enough tow trucks to handle the removal of all these illegally parked cars, then it should let towing companies in each borough bid in order to remove these cars.
I know the police have many priorities during their shifts and this maybe considered low priority and a quality of life issue, but I and my fellow car owners in this neighborhood have to drive around sometimes half an hour or more to find a legal parking spot so we don’t get ticketed. We usually have to walk several blocks to get home and go back to our cars, yet because these cars have covers — one has a beige cover and the other a blue cover — preventing Sanitation from seeing their registration stickers so they can be ticketed they get to skirt the law.
Car covers are illegal on city streets. You can use them for a car parked on your driveway or in your garage, but not on a city street. This is not fair and something has to be done to ticket them and make sure they don’t park these cars for weeks and months at a time, abusing the alternate side parking regulations.
Name withheld upon request
•••
To the editor,
I am not one to wrote to newspapers, but the letter from Charles K. Barra — regarding his mother getting a summons for double parking her car — made my blood boil (“Law and marauder! City’s ‘unfair’ ticket blitz,” Sound off to the Editor, June 2).
Does Charles and his mother know that to double park a car is against the law? It causes lots of accidents. Alternate side street parking means that the Sanitation Department sweeper can sweep that particular street. When the sweeper driver sees cars double parked, it is difficult to get through, and many times skips the street. Therefore that street has litter, and along comes the Sanitation inspector and gives the homeowner a summons (the 18-inch law).
How dare Charles and his mother think they were not performing a criminal act by double parking a car. If she is elderly, as he says, and does not know the law about double parking, she should not be driving a car. If any councilman is helping them, he is enabling them to break the law.
Thank God for the diligent meter-enforcement agents. I hope there are hundreds more like that because double parking is against the law.
Name withheld upon request
Tech-NO-logy
To the editor,
There are not too many jobs around, as technology seems to have taken over. At my local Chase Bank, there are the usual ATM machines at the entrance, but now they are in the lobby itself — two machines have taken the place of two tellers.
When will the two remaining teller windows be replaced by machines? I find it very disturbing.
I like to do my banking with a human, one who smiles and wishes me a good day, not a machine that spits out receipts and currency.
Etta Dorf
Sheepshead Bay
Brexit and USA
To the editor,
British exit and America’s future choice!
The vote taken in Great Britain to extract them from the European Union is a direct result of government ignoring the will of the people. Citizens ultimately get frustrated, angry, and then decide that; they must take matters into their own hands.
This scenario has unfolded over many millennia when the people, fed up, rise against their existing ruling establishment and yet another change of government is executed. For better or worse.
What happened in England, now expanding to Germany and other European Union member states, should be a clarion call to the entire American government. Your people are sick and tired of the same bull, year after year. Your people are frustrated at the severe lack of representation this republic was founded upon. Your people are disgusted with city, state, and federal elected officials ignoring the will of the constituents and, going on a tangent, doing the exact opposite of what they were voted in to do. Your people see the deteriorating conditions when it comes to foreign policy, finances, and immigration, and their calls for help and change fall on deaf politician’s ears.
I know in my heart that there will be no change from now until November where the citizens will be given a stark choice. Then and only then will the people make it known at the ballot box the direction they want to take. Do they want to continue being “sheeple” led down a road to third-world status or will they grow a pair and say enough is enough, and force a major change.
It’s in your hands now my friends — your hands!
Robert W. Lobenstein
Marine Park
Dems’ hissy fit
To the editor,
So now the Democrats in the Congress and Senate are throwing a hissy fit because they didn’t have the votes to pass a Second Amendment-compromising, anti-gun bill. Since they couldn’t get their way, they staged a takeover of the house, fostering demonstrations and sit-in protests.
It is funny to note that the gentlemen and women Republicans have never done anything as despicable as this, and cause such uproar in the sacred halls of government. When we lost a vote, we grumbled a bit, licked our wounds and continued forward. I guess the old adage is true where Democrats are seen as low-life street people where the Republicans show a touch of class in their dealings.
Hopefully, this fall, Democrats do not retake the house, senate and presidency where mob rule applies!
Robert W. Lobenstein
Marine Park
Off-track
To the editor,
Problems with New York City Transit subway and buses may be attributed to less funding provided by both Albany and City Hall, not Washington.
Federal support for transportation has remained consistent and growing over past decades. When a crises occurred, be it 9-11 in 2001 or Hurricane Sandy in 2012, Washington was there for us. Additional billions in assistance above and beyond yearly formula allocations from the United States Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration were provided. In 2009 the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided billions more.
Most federal transportation grants require a 20 percent hard-cash local share. In many cases, the feds accepted toll credits instead of hard cash for the local share. This saved the Metropolitan Transportation Authority $1 billion in the previous 2010-2014 five-year capital program. The same will be true with the 2015-2019 five-year capital program.
Washington has made available over $1 billion in 2016 for the M.T.A., and funds 35 percent of its capital program. There are other opportunities for several hundred million more in discretionary competitive grants.
Larry Penner
The writer is a transportation historian, advocate, and former 31-year worker with the United States Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration.
Black n’ white
To the editor,
I have heard many times that President Obama is the first black president, when in actuality his father was black and his mother was white, so Obama is of mixed blood. He is not the first mixed-blood president — Dwight D. Eisenhower’s mother was of mixed blood.
J.A. Rogers (Joel Augustus) wrote a book in 1965 titled “The Five Negro Presidents.” Very interesting! Google this information for more on this usually unspoken subject.
I was a librarian down in clean, wonderful Atlanta in the early 1990s, and many times our readers would check out this thin book, which was eye-opening to me. Doubt if that book is still around, but the information is, I believe, factual.
Joan Applepie
Mill Basin
BDS boycott
To the editor,
Governor Cuomo spoke eloquently at the memorial at the Stonewall Inn. After he spoke, a Muslim woman, also an LGBT member, spoke and denounced him for wanting to boycott industries that wish to boycott Israel. What does this have to do with the tragedy that occurred in Orlando?
May I also remind the lady that if she lived in many of the Arab countries, her sexual preference would never be tolerated. Ironically, but she would be tolerated in Israel.
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions’ members should be ashamed of themselves for what they advocate. They take umbrage at the idea of a boycott on places that wish to boycott the Israel nation. What hypocrisy they show.
Even more shocking are those of the Jewish faith who align themselves with this group, like Sen. Bernard Sanders. They are nothing more than self-deprecating Jews. Since they are ashamed of our religion and abandoned it long ago, they think that by trying to assimilate into non-Jewish tradition, they will win the favor of others.
We owe it to humanity to denounce Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions for its actions. We owe it to the memory of the six million Jews and others who perished for the sanctification of the Lord’s name.
Ed Greenspan
Sheepshead Bay
‘Embrace” gentrification
To the editor,
I have been reading stories in your newspaper and others of how people are so upset at the gentrification taking place across the city. I scratch my head and wonder why? I’ve lived long enough to see the old Coney Island parks close in the 1960s only to be replaced with projects which became nothing more than warehouses, crime-ridden hulks. Our beloved Brooklyn Dodgers waved goodbye for greener pastures in Los Angeles. Here, too, the fields were razed and yet another instant slum, Ebbetts Field, was constructed.
City officials may have had good intentions, but the result of these complexes across the five boroughs has proven devastating.
Now there are complaints about building middle- and upper-income housing in Sheepshead Bay. Here, too, I scratch my head and wonder why! Sheepshead Bay ceased to be a quaint little fishing village years ago. Monstrous luxury party yachts have replaced most of the fishing boats moored in the bay. Old Mcguinnese’s roast beef restaurant is long gone, replaced with a kitschy, upscale Russian nightclub, and the remaining stores and other businesses are benefiting somewhat, from tourists and residents alike.
The immigrant (read-Russian) developers need to be directed to not only build their condos, but there should be strong input from the city forcing them to maintain the many restaurants and shops along the avenue. Unless Mayor DeBlasio, whom the feds are investigating for fiscal improprieties, has been taking their money under the table, too.
As gentrification takes hold across the city, one sees a big improvement in life and lifestyles. True, we must save historic districts that deserve saving. But tearing down and rebuilding for the better is a way of life that must be embraced.
Robert W. Lobenstein
Marine Park
Reader v. reader
To the editor,
Donald Trump is doing so well because there is a huge segment of the population that is suffering economically. Their legitimate concerns must be dealt with. There has been a decrease in low-level jobs for many reasons, including automation, increased technology, and jobs going overseas to nations with lax labor and safety laws. Online shopping also puts stores at a severe disadvantage, further reducing entry-level jobs.
If wages went up some businesses would fail. This has always been the case. When the price of goods go up, businesses either fail or pass on the cost to their customers. It’s a risk all businesses take. Workers in low-end jobs often resort to food stamps and other government subsidies. Raising the minimum wage would give more spending power, create more jobs, and reduce government expenditures on items like food stamps.
Critics claim making the tax rate more progressive will result in every individual becoming poor. This is ridiculous, as a small increase in the tax rate paid by the top one or two percent will only have a minimum impact, if at all. It will increase government revenue and enable our government to improve our terrible transportation system. This will help increase jobs and productivity.
There are people who will take advantage of paid sick time and maternity leave. I worked at a job with those benefits and very few people abused the privilege. The few who did were watched and some were fired. I do not want to work in an environment where there is no sick leave, nor do I want sick people coming to work because they can’t afford to miss a day’s pay.
As to those who think free college tuition never existed. I am approaching 70 years of age and I remember when City University was free. There were vigorous admission standards, and it was recognized that by giving needy students a free education society would benefit in the long run. Many leaders of industry and government took advantage of this opportunity. They paid back this investment many times over through taxes, creating businesses, and serving on civic associations.
Alan Podhaizer
Trump Village
Oaf-icials
To the editor,
Too many municipal elected officials who complain about the Metropolitan Transportation Authority forget their transit history.
In 1953, the old city Board of Transportation passed on control of the municipal subway system, including all its assets, under a master lease and operating agreement to the newly created New York City Transit Authority. Under late-Gov. Nelson Rockefeller in the 1960s, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority was created. The governor appointed four board members, the mayor four more ,and the rest by suburban county executives. No one elected official controlled a majority of the votes. As a result, elected officials have historically taken credit when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority or any operating subsidiary such as New York City Transit would do a good job. When operational problems occurred or fare increases were needed, everyone could put up their hands and say, “Don’t blame me, I’m only a minority within the Board.”
Decade after decade, city mayors, comptrollers, public advocates, council presidents, borough presidents, and council members would all play the same sad song — if only we had majority control of the board, things would be different.
All have long forgotten that buried within the 1953 master agreement between the City of New York and New York City Transit is an escape clause. The city has the legal right at any time to take back control of its assets, which includes the subway and most of the bus system as well. Actions speak louder than words. If municipal elected officials feel they could do a better job running the nations largest subway and bus system, why not step up to the plate now and regain control of your destiny?
Larry Penner
Great Neck, N.Y.
Pissed off
To the editor,
Doesn’t our ultra-liberal idiotic City Council members realize that many of the deviants started their way to crime by committing so called “minor offenses?”
It is outrageous that the Council has voted not to have jail time for such people. Besides being disgusting and vulgar, public urination definitely poses health problems. The stench will permeate the city, and with no fear of going to jail, it will only embolden them to do even worse things. Let us hope that the deviants now urinate in front of the homes of these legislators. Let them get a whiff of a situation they have made much worse.
I’m wondering just how more “progressive” the Council can get. Setting aside a day to honor Ethel Rosenberg was awful, but this even tops that. I wonder if the deviants will use the supermarket bags they’ll pay a nickel each for to relieve themselves.
Ed Greenspan
Sheepshead Bay
Town halls
To the editor,
As the Republican District Leader of the 46 Assembly District, I was compelled to attend the recent densely packed town hall meeting with Mayor de Blasio in Bay Ridge, the heart of my Assembly District. While I recognized the usual politicos and their staff filling the room, it was refreshing to see that actual concerned citizens and residents of Bay ridge were there in full force. Too bad the current Assemblymember of the 46 Assembly District did not present her views on the topics discussed, and opted to sit quietly.
Some of the issues discussed were the illegal conversions in Dyker Heights, sex shops posing as spas, and the waste transfer station being built upon our shoreline. A question was posed to the mayor about property tax rates and assessments. He stated that he would look at the tax rates, and request the City Council not raise tax rates, but he skirted the assessment issue. Let us clarify the fact that property assessments are based upon the property’s market value. Market value is how much a property would sell for under normal conditions. The property’s assessment is one of the factors used by our city government to determine the amount of the property tax.
Property tax rates are set by the City Council by determining the amount of taxes it needs to raise in proportion to the amount of money it needs to spend to maintain city programs.
Property tax rates and assessments are important points that pertain to illegal conversions of one- and two-family homes, especially in Dyker Heights, into multi unit dwellings. The main bone of contention is the lack of enforcement by the city and their inaction to alleviate this burgeoning problem. I believe that city agencies remain inactive in dealing with illegal conversions because illegal conversions generate high profit margins to those who invest in certain areas. Homeowners are offered and paid very large sums for their one- and two-family homes, increasing the market value of these homes, which result in higher assessments. Thus, the higher the assessment, the higher the tax rate for the neighborhood, resulting in more money for the city’s coffers.
The mayor stated he is aware of the situation, and has hired some new building inspectors, but he also pointed out that not every complaint is a true illegal conversion. He also placed the burden of accessing these illegally converted properties onto the shoulders of the NYFD. Mr. Mayor, the NYFD is there to save lives, not to generate income for the city through inspections resulting in fines and violations.
Quality of life issues regarding “spas” acting as illegal sex shops were brought up. A resident pleaded with the mayor to close down these “spas,” and shut down at least one avenue of human sex trafficking. A “follow the money” approach was the mayor’s cookie-cutter answer for this problem, but clearly more needs to be done to close these sex shops. In addition, the proliferation of Hookah lounges in Bay Ridge leads to the problems of exposing minors, especially teenagers, to the dangers of smoking. There are smoking bans throughout the city of New York, I am curious as to how and when these hookah lounges became exempt from this law.
Regarding the waste transfer station under construction on our neighboring shoreline, the shoreline of Brooklyn is not a dumping ground and our concerns need to be addressed and not be brushed aside. The sanitation commissioner clearly stated that Bay Ridge is one of the better areas in the city that follows recycling rules, and that garbage tonnage is down five percent in our area. Obviously no good deed goes unpunished!
Many other issues and concerns of Bay Ridge still need to be addressed and discussed. It is only through participation and awareness that they can be resolved. Town hall meetings should be more common, proliferate, and not be an occasional occurrence.
Lucretia Regina-Potter
The writer is the Republican District Leader of the 46th Assembly District and the Secretary of the Kings County Republican Party.
Challenger ‘lie’
To the editor,
The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster took place 30 years ago, leaving us with more questions than answers over the decades. Why did it lift off on a day when it was too cold to function properly? President Ronald Reagan liked to talk to the astronauts in space. His State of the Union speech was the next day. The shuttle had to be launched the day before to be up and running so he could talk to them during his speech.
Reagan pressured NASA to go through with it, even though it was too cold. Unfortunately the astronauts, who were also scientists, were not told about this. A news conference was held by the panel which investigated the disaster. The panel members were from NASA, except for Richard Feynman, a noted physicist and an independent member. He showed that the sealant got brittle and lost its ability to seal if too cold. He put a piece of it in a beaker of liquid nitrogen, then he took it out and broke it. Likewise the shuttle seals were rendered useless. The official story said the disaster was caused by a defective worker, but that was a lie.
Jerome Frank
Coney Island
Nuke mook
To the editor,
So now it’s the little fat guy with the bad haircut from North Korea trying to shakedown America by pounding his chest like a gorilla to show his strength so he doesn’t have to fight another gorilla. We used to call this “selling woof tickets” when we were kids growing up in Brooklyn — it was all for show.
Obviously President Obama, who is said to be a poker player, probably isn’t a very good one because he can be bluffed over and over again. I doubt Obama ever read Trumps’ book “Art of the Deal” or Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War,” a book written more than 2,000 years ago, and still used today by generals and leaders all over the world. Obama telegraphs his intentions to our enemies, telling them when we are sending troops and when we are leaving, complete with date and time. He traded five hardened terrorists for Bowe Bergdahl, a deserter whom he praised and who is now being court marshaled.
Obama made a deal with the devils of Iran, a country whose mantra is “Death to America,” giving them billions of dollars and withdrawing sanctions so they won’t continue making a nuclear bomb. They went back on their word and broke the agreement before the ink was even dry. So now the little fat guy with the bad haircut is going to see what he can get from Obama, like some other tyrants will certainly be doing soon because they only have about another year before he leaves office. They have to work fast, but they also know that if the new president has some cojones, like a Trump for instance, they will be out of luck.
Let’s not forget Iran held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days during the Carter administration. Jimmy Carter — a good, decent and very intelligent man, but a poor president in many ways — wasn’t respected at all by the Ayatollah of Iran at the time. Yet only hours after Ronald Reagan was sworn in, the hostages were released. Any guess why?
Maybe Trump is pounding his chest with his fists like the others who have been shaking Obama down, and maybe he isn’t, but either way I really don’t think those who bully Obama will try their crap on a Trump.
Peter G. Orsi
Marine Park
Chapter and verse
To the editor,
I am writing to convey my dismay at my treatment at a branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, where I went to replace a lost card. When I attempted to inquire about a new card at a room marked “staff” I was rudely told that I was in a staff work area. Someone vaguely gestured toward a hidden information desk, without standing up. At least four staffers were drinking coffee from large painted mugs.
I am a semi-retired, visually impaired senior citizen who has lived in Sheepshead Bay for 59 years. Two days after my family moved to the neighborhood in 1956, my father took me to the library to show me a place of “learning and safety.” He would be very surprised at the way library consumers are treated there today. When I reached the information desk and asked about renewing my card I was met with blank stares from two staffers. After repeating my question two times I was told to go to the computer behind the desk. A staffer expressed impatience when the computer was slow to reboot. She said she did not have time to hold my hand and said I should “just fill in the blanks and press send.” I asked how long it would take to obtain a new card and she clearly said one to two weeks.
I returned to the library in the given time period to inquire about my card. Two staffers ignored me until I asked to see a supervisor. Within five minutes I had a new card. One of the unnamed staffers asked me why I had waited so long to come back to the library. When I asked the supervisor what she was going to do about the way I was treated, she said she would meet with the staff “sometime in the future.” I returned to the library a few days later to pick up a book for my wife and asked a staffer about the supervisor that I had spoken to. I was told that she was at an all-day meeting. I went back to the library the next day and asked to talk to a supervisor. I was told they were off until the following month.
That Saturday I went to the library to read a newspaper. The supervisor I originally talked with suddenly appeared and asked to speak with me. With her voice raised so that all of my friends and neighbors in the room could hear, she said she hoped that we could be good friends and that I could be a “star” of the library. I told her that I had called the New York City Human Rights commissioner to lodge a complaint for discrimination. She said loudly that was my right. As she continued to talk to me in a raised voice she was joined by two other staffers. I left the library immediately because I felt embarrassed and confronted.
Martin Adelstein
Sheepshead Bay
****LARRY PENNER****
Off-track Andy
To the editor,
There is more to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s announcement that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority- New York City Transit will increase rehabilitation for subway stations to a state of good repair by 10-percent to 50-percent from originally 20 planned in the proposed 2015-2019 capital plan. The original $34 billion plan announced in Oct. 2014 proposed $448 million for bringing 20 subway stations to a state of good repair. The plan was cut by $6 billion to $28 billion. The MTA Board approved this revision. That was prior to Cuomo’s declaration about increasing the number of stations (or dollars) for New York City Transit’s renewal program. This plan still needs approval by the State Capital Program Review Board. It also requires the State Legislature to find $8 Billion promised by Gov. Cuomo. The City Council must also come up with $2.5 billion to meet commitments made by Mayor Bill DeBlasio to fully fund the capital plan..
If you increase the number of stations, the overall station renewal program would grow by $224 million to $672 million. Just what other transit capital projects and programs would have to be cut to support finding $224 million? Cuomo was silent on this key question.
According to a New York City Citizens Budget Commission report released several months ago, it will take 52 years or until 2067 for all 468 city subway stations to reach a state of good repair. Cuomo’s math just doesn’t add up. He reminds me of the cartoon character Wimpy who famously said, “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.” When the bills become due, taxpayers will end up paying Cuomo’s bill.
Larry Penner
Great Neck. N.Y.
Tarnished Silver
To the editor,
The legacy of former State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver in the area of transportation leaves much to be desired. Consider the schedule, budget, and the cost for four major transportation projects that he took great pride in promoting.
Washington paid twice with your tax dollars for building the new South Ferry subway station. First, for almost $600 million in 9-11 funding, a second time with more than $300 million in Hurricane Sandy funding to rebuild what was damaged. The downtown Manhattan Fulton Street Transit Center was first paid for with 9-11 funding. Cost overruns of several hundred million were covered by American Recovery Reinvestment Act funding.
Fourteen years after 9-11, the Cortland Street World Trade Center subway station is still several years away from being back in service. If there are no new delays, perhaps the station will reopen by December 2018. Transit officials fought for years over budget, funding sources, scope, and schedule. Construction for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority portion of the project just started a few months ago.
There is no funding in the agency’s propose 2015-2019 capital program to initiate construction for the second segment of the Second Avenue subway, north from 96th Street to 125th Street. It will take several decades and $20 billion more for completion of the next three segments of the Second Avenue subway, north to 125th Street and south to Hanover Square downtown in the financial district. The project was originally proposed in 1929!
Silver claimed to be a friend of both commuters and the 99 percent. In reality, he lived the life style of the one percenters. He frequently traveled around town with a personal driver at taxpayers’ expense. I doubt if he ever purchased a MetroCard or rode the subway, like several million New Yorkers do daily.
Larry Penner
Great Neck, N.Y.
Two-fare drone
To the editor,
The proposal by state Sen. Marty Golden (R-Bay Ridge) to offer two free transfers for those who have to ride two buses before boarding a subway is wishful thinking. People who moved to Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach and Gravesend — areas represented by Golden — knew full well that they would be living in a two-fare (bus to subway) and sometimes three-fare (bus to bus to subway) zone with longer commutes to and from work.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority services continue to be one of the best bargains in town. Since the 1950s, the average cost of riding either the bus, subway or commuter rail has gone up at a lower rate than either the consumer price index or inflation. The MetroCard, introduced in 1996, affords a free transfer between bus and subway. Prior to this, riders had to pay two full fares. Purchasing either a weekly or monthly pass further reduces the cost per ride. Many employers offer transit checks, which pay even more of the costs.
For years, local politicians would stir the pot on this issue. Now the latest cause is the cost for those handful of people out of several million daily riders who have to pay two fares versus one. An overwhelming majority can afford and already purchase either a weekly or monthly unlimited MetroCard, which makes the “double fare” issue moot.
Residents, taxpayers, and commuters in Golden’s district would be better off if he worried more about how the State Legislature will find the $8 billion Gov. Cuomo promised to bridge the $8.3 billion shortfall in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority-proposed $28 billion, five-year capital plan when they reconvene in January.
It all comes down to the availability of increased funding for additional transportation service to serve residents of two fare zones in the outer boroughs. Operating subsidies are required to increase the level of service and reduce the amount of time one waits for a bus on existing routes. Same for adding more off-peak, late night and weekend service.
Larry Penner
Great Neck, N.Y.
MTA delay
To the editor,
No one should be surprised by the recent news from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority that the Second Avenue Subway won’t be open by next December. The agency reminds me of Capt. Renault from “Casablanca” when he said, “I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on!”
Riders who have been waiting since construction restarted in 2007 with an original service date of 2013 may not be able to pick up their “winnings” until 2017 or 2018. The project was originally proposed in 1929!
Larry Penner
Great Neck, N.Y.
****ROBERT LOBENSTEIN*****
Immi-ingrates
To the editor,
As I voted on Primary Day, I noticed the fellow in front, after registering, was handed a sticker with the Statue of Liberty on it. He said, “No thanks, the Statue of Liberty represents the Democrats, as on its base is a big sign stating, ‘Give us your poor, outcast huddled masses.’ The perfect representation of that party to a T.”
I know that most of us have immigrant roots and family members worked their fingers to the bone to make it here in the new land. Today there seemingly are no requirements to be an immigrant, other than to be alive and breathing. I won’t even bother to mention the illegals as the present administration turns a blind eye to them.
Many will step up to the plate and assimilate into American society, but all too many will enter a segregated enclave of similar backgrounds, add nothing to better our country, and have their hands out for welfare, unearned social security benefits, Medicaid and other freebies, courtesy of the government.
One wonders why the media portrays us poor Republicans as mean and angry. Why shouldn’t we be? When politicians and officials have their hands in our pockets, robbing our own children and families of hard-earned money, to fork over to freeloaders — yes, we are angry!
I salute that fellow refusing the Statue of Liberty sticker, and the voting results that day truly reflected how the New Yorkers from Buffalo to Brooklyn feel!
Robert W. Lobenstein
Marine Park
GOP v. Trump
To the editor,
The secret meeting of Republican leaders in Georgia made me think of Hitler’s “weekend of the long knives.” It was so hush-hush, almost no one knew about it. Then information leaked out that these high-powered politicians, other party bosses, and big-money contributors were working overtime to dump Donald Trump, and attempt to possibly install Mitt Romney as savior of the Republican Party.
Liberal media and newspapers call Trump Hitler, saying that his supporters wave their hands in a Nazi salute, but people in his own party are staging a modern-day “night of the long knives” — a purge that took place in Nazi Germany, from June 30 to July 2, 1934, when the Nazi regime carried out a series of political murders.
It also made me think of how back in the 1970s Orson Wells starred in and narrated a special broadcast covering the quatrains of Nostradamus. One by one the predictions made hundreds of years ago were discussed, and each one was chillingly accurate: The attacks then destruction of the World Trade Center, the rise and fall of the Third Reich, and the exploits of Napoleon were a few predictions that were right on. At the end of this broadcast nuclear missiles from Iran and other Arab-Muslim countries were shown, blasting off into history as they were aimed at the “new city,” generally regarded to be New York City of today.
Iran, in violation of all too many treaties, has fired off nuclear-capable missiles bearing the Hebrew words for “deat
