Sound Off to the Editor

To the editor,

I was disappointed by the recent decision of the City Council to fund security at private and religious schools. The initiative is ill-advised and arguably unconstitutional.

The legislation violates the separation of church and state established by the Constitution. It also violates the article which prohibits public support for religious schools. It makes no difference that the aide being provided is for security rather than for instructional purposes. The line between church and state is inviolable.

At a time when many public schools and students are struggling, we cannot afford to divert millions of tax dollars to private institutions. The plan will cost the City $20 million in its first year alone. The initiative provides a false sense of security. A single security guard armed with nothing more than a hand-held metal detector and a radio will not protect students from terrorists armed with assault weapons.

It has been argued that the city is flush with money and can afford this outlay. This argument is fiscally irresponsible. Affordability does not justify questionable or improper spending. The taxpayer is not a cash machine.

At the same time the city is subsidizing security at private schools, it is unwilling to provide its own police reasonable salary increases. This sends a chilling message to those we entrust to protect us. The initiative sets a bad precedent. It opens the door to the public funding of other private school expenses. Where does government largesse end and private responsibility begin?

Arnold Kingston

Sheepshead Bay

Caution alert

To the editor,

I hear the Monday morning quarterbacks discussing the closing of the schools in California because of a terrorist threat, but our city schools received a similar threat and stayed open.

After what just happened in San Bernardino I believe it was the right call to close the schools. The city kept our schools open and that also was a good call. I remember our public schools being closed for a huge snow storm that never came, but it was a credible weather report and the right call was also made even though the storm didn’t happen.

Better to be safe than sorry and to err on the side of caution.

Rosie Boxer

Rockaway Point, New York

Sounding off

To the editor,

I respect About Donald Trump as a business man — he provides jobs to millions of people and donates to charity — and I like lots of things he has said. He has a way of being both well spoken and blunt, but I wish he would re-phrase some of his critiques. He will never become president. I, a regular Joe, have always felt more comfortable voting for a candidate who’s already in office, but what scares me is the thought of any American voting for Hillary Clinton.

Poor America! It really is all about “where you live” for me. I started noticing a change in Brooklyn in 1988 when mindless, scribbly-scrawl graffiti started to appear across the borough. Then in 1994, the Brooklyn I knew started fading with the arrival of illegal immigrants on 18th Avenue lining up on the corners and in front of stores, the Russians, and others with a victim mentality. Instead of being grateful to be out of their third world hell holes, they immediately started to rip off the system and take advantage.

The horror still continues, with shroud-headed-veiled-face-burqa-covering women and men who live in the 7th century coming here. I, as an American, completely do not share their antiquated, woman-hating, woman-abusing existence. In 100 or 200 years from now, America will be just another Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria, P, the Congo, Nigeria, etc.

God Bless and protect America from politicians who don’t know what the hell is going on because they like their cushy, perks-filled jobs and must get the vote to stay in office. Fourteen years after 9-11 the border south of us is not totally secure because we don’t want to offend anyone. Some are even suggesting that we shouldn’t have any borders — stupid and ignorant! I don’t recognize where I live anymore. Illegal immigrants are getting government aid and free health care, while our veterans and 9-11 first responders are still having to battle the red tape to get health care. It’s backward and disturbing. Who is in charge of this? God help America.Sue Smith

Bensonhurst

Nice Muslims

To the editor,

On December 6, Muslim congregants from the Bensonhurst area banded together to host a blood drive honoring the victims of various terror attacks, under a campaign titled “Muslims for Life.” The families of those who lost their lives in the recent San Bernadino shooting, as well as the Paris attacks, have faced an immense amount of grief, and my thoughts and prayers are with them. However those who lost their lives and their families weren’t the only victims, there were many others wounded.

With the rise of terrorism around the world and the radicalization of Muslim youth throughout the country, there needs to be action taken. Many opinion-makers will call for restrictions, detentions, and aggressive measures; all this simply does is further fuel Islamophobia and marginalize more people to the fringe away from moderate ideals.

American psychologist Abraham Maslow identifies five basic needs that must be met which serve as the motivation behind every action a person undertakes. These needs are separated into deficit and growth needs. Deficit needs are those that must be fulfilled first before moving on to the next step, and these are needs that solicit the most visceral response in terms of extreme actions taken in order to fulfill them. The need in particular, is the need for love and belonging. Maslow identifies the need for belonging as finding a community of like-minded individuals that share and respect your thoughts and ideas. Throughout the world, we are seeing a shift away from tolerance and towards typifying individuals based on grossly vague factors of classification. As society gravitates away from tolerance in a misguided effort to ensure public safety, radical militant groups such as the Islamic State seek to fill this need by offering community, support, and even jobs. The Islamic State is creating a group of individuals who may identify as Muslim in name, but join only to fulfill basic needs that are the intrinsic motivation behind ensuring their mental sanity. In filling this need, the Islamic State is creating a cloud of disillusion around the entire religion of Islam and vilifying Muslims everywhere.

So in the face of all this tension, what can Muslims do to combat the maligned religion they are now living under? Muslims in my congregation have come together to honor the victims of these tragedies by holding a blood drive. We launched a nationwide campaign in 2010 which aims at collecting pints of blood so that when a tragedy takes place and the wounded are rushed to hospitals, blood is available and lives are saved. Following the 9-11 attacks, the city’s area hospitals were inundated with thousands of patients with various injuries ranging from smoke inhalation to massive blood loss.

The tri-state area saw a large shortage of blood units and in the last few years with crime on the rise, the need for blood units has shot up. Blood drives like this are just one way to ensure that those whose lives are hanging on by a thread receive the blood they need before it’s too late.

As a testament to the success of this peaceful event, Assemblyman William Colton (D–Bensonhurst) visited us and engaged in a healthy dialogue about tolerance and the importance of community events that bring people together for a mission of peace. Assemblyman Colton commended us on our blood drive and even donated blood himself. Other local neighbors who came in to donate blood were surprised that a local mosque would be doing something so noble. One donor commented that he passed by this mosque almost every day, but he never would have thought that the people who come here are so nice and care about others, and that he was glad to see something positive coming from Muslims.

Comments like this are exactly why dispelling Islamophobic ideas through peaceful activities that engage the entire community are important in combating extremism. The only effective measure to combat radicalization is through active dialogue and service to humanity.

Absar Alam

Bensonhurst

Islamic State

To the editor,

While I agree with President Obama that guns should not be in the hands of people on restricted flying lists, I take exception to his statement that the Islamic State began to evolve several years ago. If this were the case, why did he say last year that he didn’t have a plan to deal with them?

Ed Greenspan

Sheepshead Bay

•••

To the editor,

I frequently hear the word “inspire” in reference to persons joining the Islamic State, as having been “inspired” to join this group. It seems to me that “inspire” is a word that should be used as “inspired by a great piece of literature, a great musical composition, or an historical figure,” but to use this word in reference to a bunch of thugs like the Islamic State puts it, in my mind, totally out of context. The proper word to use should be “corrupt.”

Anything to do with the Islamic State can only be corrupt. The fools that join this terror group have been corrupted. Eliminate the word “inspire” when referring to the Islamic State and substitute it with “corrupt.”

S. Loeb

Coney Island

•••

To the editor,

After all the human lives taken by the Islamic State, I decided I needed to see something positive that would cheer me up — like watching “Woodstock” the movie. The 1969 concert was one of the greatest, non-violent gatherings ever and young people spent three days through heavy thunderstorms to listen to music.

The original crowd was 250,000, but swelled to 500,000, making it a totally free concert. Many were against the Vietnam War and tired of learning of the killing of civilians. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? How a large group of people all coming from different backgrounds united in peace is a lesson worth reminding ourselves again.

Solomon Rafelowsky

Brighton Beach

Frankly, Jerome

To the editor,

Jerome Frank seems to think I favor the upper one percent of Americans that achieved their wealth through hard work and a drive to do better (“Income inequality,” Sound off to the Editor, Oct. 16).

Maybe in his case, his attitude and the attitude of so many people who bemoan the fact that they are not rich are self-repressing them to the lower rungs of society.

My family emigrated from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and other European states prior to 1900. Nothing was handed to them on a silver platter. They knew that to succeed in the new land, they had to learn its language and get together, getting their hands dirty, to scratch a living out of whatever they chose to do.

I pride myself, in some little way, on championing the rights of the workers, as I once was a vice president in a local union. During my tenure I learned a lot of the so-called one percent versus the 99 percenters. I saw how the different attitudes of the workers determined how far they progressed or regressed through the ranks. Those individuals with a sense of drive and determination climbed the ladder of success, ultimately leaving the ranks for management positions. Those with an attitude, a socialist-communist attitude of I-deserve-everything, were always in trouble with the boss, calling upon me and others in the union to help bail them out.

I invite Jerome to learn the true history of his favored socialist parties and understand that even with them, there was an upper one-percent-plus crust of political hacks enjoying a very good living while the people, under their tutelage, were the true working “slaves of the state.”

Capitalism ain’t perfect, but at least under its reign and our hard-fought-for-and-won American freedoms, one has a chance to stand up, excel, and achieve a higher income and attitude status.

Robert W. Lobenstein

Marine Park

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.

•••

To the editor,

First Shelly, then Skelos, then others. So our dear New York State democratic leader, Shelly Silver, has been convicted on all counts of bribery and other misdeeds of directing clients’ money to his own pockets. Shelly lamented in his defense that it is standard practice by all legislators in Albany to do what he did.

A few months ago the State Senate refused to fund an expansion of jails. It was sad to hear that, as the good citizens of New York are eagerly waiting to hear about the next round of indictments and convictions of crooked politicians who infest Albany. Their next stop should be a few years in this fine state’s overcrowded jails.

Robert W. Lobenstein

Marine Park

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.

*****ED GREENSPAN LETTERS****

Mitt’s a hit

To the editor,

Given the current crop of Republican presidential candidates for 2016, a new “three Rs” should be in vogue — “Run, Romney, Run.” Millions of voters now realize the mistake that was made in 2012, and many will cross party lines and vote for him. Why not? Richard Nixon came back from defeat in 1960 to win the presidency in 1968.

Ed Greenspan

Sheepshead Bay

Classroom trenches

To the editor,

As Warner Wolfe used to say, “Let’s Go to the Videotape,” when he would want something investigated further. Similarly let’s go to the school records of violent criminals, or better yet, do something with them in their formative years so that they don’t resort to such violence. If you opened the school records, you would see evidence of cutting class, constantly disrupting the class, roaming through the hallways, cursing, screaming, fighting, and causing all sorts of mayhem.

So-called staff development is a complete joke and everyone knows it. Let all the militants, ultra liberals and critics of teachers get themselves teacher licenses and get a taste of what it is like in the trenches.

Ed Greenspan

Sheepshead Bay

‘Demagogue’ Donald

To the editor,

It has become apparent to me that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump would be absolutely perfect in still another remake of the great film, “All the King’s Men.” After all, as demagogue Willie Stark, Broderick Crawford received a well-deserved, best-actor Oscar. Trump could easily pass that, if not do even better in the part. He gives new meaning to the term demagoguery. Hollywood should definitely take notice.

Ed Greenspan

Sheepshead Bay