To the editor,
I’m writing regarding the letter from Sue Ben of Bay Ridge in which she railed against liberals and sidewalk vendors (“Sidewalk vendors,” Sound Off to the Editor, Oct. 16).
She doesn’t like liberals, but here is a partial list of what liberals have given us: Panama Canal. Interstate Highway System.
It wasn’t Ike’s idea. It was a liberal initiative begun in the ’30s. Ike was a liberal. Almost all of our labor laws (and all child labor laws). The Marshall Plan. Environmental Laws. Freedom of Information Act. Workplace safety laws. The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (a.k.a. “The GI Bill”). Social Security. The Space Program. Securities Act of 1933 and most banking regulations. The Peace Corps. Volunteers in Service to America. The civil rights movement. Fight against Nazis, Fascism and Totalitarianism (Wilson, FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy were all liberals). The Development and Deployment for the Internet.
The Tennessee Valley project. Women’s right to vote. Universal public education. The National Weather Service. National Science Foundation and basic scientific research. Product labeling and truth in advertising laws. Public health service. Morrill Land Grant Act (land for state public universities). Rural electrification. Public universities. Bank deposit insurance. Earned Income Tax Credit. Family and Medical Leave Act. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Public broadcasting. Hoover Dam Project.
Pell Grants. Americans With Disabilities Act. State Children’s Health Insurance Program. Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. Ended sexual discrimination in the U.S. Army.
As for Sue Ben’s complaint that liberals talk over you, I know conservatives and not only do they talk over you, but they hate President Obama and constantly use the f-word and n-word when talking about him. One that I know collects public benefits, lives in public housing, and is even given a cleaning lady to clean her home, yet she still curses liberal policies.
She complains about illegal street vendors, but has she contacted Councilman Vincent Gentile or state Sen. Marty Golden about them? I doubt it. Also, she can report illegal vendors by calling 311 and reporting them to the Board of Health.
I am so sick and tired of hearing how bad liberals are from people like her. With the Conservative Republican Party wanting to privatize Social Security and turn Medicare into a voucher program, gut the Environmental Protection Agency (which was enacted by that well-known liberal, Richard Nixon), raise taxes on the middle class and poor while giving tax brakes to the wealthy one percent, Sue Ben better open her eyes and wake up.
As for Donald Trump, he will never be elected president. Even members of his own party can’t stand him, since he’s nothing more than a carnival barker and would finalize the destruction of the Republican Party.Rosalie Caliendo
Gravesend
MYOB, Ed
To the editor,
Don’t tell me to mind my own business, Ed Greenspan (“Live and let live,” Sound off to the Editor, Oct. 9). Just like you, I can respond to any letter written in this paper. Unlike you, I am a supporter of humans and animals. I don’t have “cohorts” and I don’t eat lobsters for the very reason that they are boiled alive.
If you read my letter correctly, I said to go to the butcher and purchase a dead one, not one to be killed. And as for me mentioning the Pope, once again read my letter. He is not interfering in any religion by talking about the treatment of animals. Mr. Greenspan, am I concerned with what goes on in Israel? Yes. It bothers me to hear about the quality and loss of life anywhere and everywhere. Are you interested in what goes on in this country? You want to be a crusader for the Jewish community? I applaud you, sincerely. And I want to “yent” about animal rights. After all, it is life. Live and let live, Mr. Greenspan. Frances Stackpole
Marine Park
• • •
To the editor,
Reader Ed Greenspan states the kaporos ritual in which chickens are tortured and then killed is a religious practice, and if people don’t like it they should “look the other way.”
How many evils are permitted to flourish in this world by good people looking the other way? Under the Inquisition, which was a religious practice, countless Jews were tortured and killed if they refused to convert to Christianity. Did this make it right?
In current times, the Islamic State terrorists are committing horrible acts in the name of their religion. Does this make it right?
I once read a quote by a rabbi in a newspaper article that kaporos is not a requirement under Jewish law, it is a custom! There is also an injunction in the Talmud that prohibits causing harm to any living creature. So how does committing a new sin absolve an old sin? This is the 21st century. It is past time to end this outdated, barbaric practice. There are other ways to absolve sins, such as giving money to charity, which is beneficial, and casting bread upon the waters, which is harmless.Sarah Vogel
Brooklyn
Council ‘loons’
To the editor,
Have our City Council members totally lost their minds? They recently honored none other than convicted Soviet spy, Ethel Rosenberg, for leading a 1935 strike against the firm she worked for. No matter what the circumstances were, Mrs. Rosenberg does not deserve the honor by a council which has certainly disgraced itself.
What a poor message we send to our youth by doing this. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of sending information regarding classified atomic secrets to the Soviets. Ethel’s brother, David Greenglass, turned them both in. Mrs. Rosenberg did the typing. Is she now to be made typist of the year?
What our council has done shows the ill-effects of loony, liberal progressive ways at their worst. Weren’t we all put at risk by the actions of the Rosenbergs? I imagine that the next step will be to make a television movie about them.
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer should be ashamed for helping to orchestrate such an honor. Those honoring Mrs. Rosenberg spoke about the Communist hysteria during that period which led to her execution. I think we’re now in a very dangerous liberal hysteria. This is what happens when we have a council speaker who at one time refused to salute the American flag. Where is the mayor to condemn this?Ed Greenspan
Sheepshead Bay
Uncle Sham
To the editor,
What took so long for the federal government to prosecute Don Blankenship, ex-chief executive of Massey Energy Co. whose mine explosion in West Virginia killed 29 miners in 2010?
The former attorney general never took the bankers to court for the financial meltdown. All they were required to do was pay a big fine, which is like chump change. Now he is gone and where do you think he went back to? Wall Street.
When it came to unarmed black men shot by cops where was he? So it took a new attorney general to at least make some type of effort to investigate the causes of black men being shot by police. Let’s see what happens now? Not all cops are bad, but at least investigate the complaints of excessive force.
Go back to the time when cops walked the beat, and businesses owners and residents knew the local beat cop. Someone made a suggestion about having a handful of children coming to the precinct to meet the local cops. This would take away the fear of all cops. Afterwards they would receive a certificate which they could bring to school.
Solomon Rafelowsky
Brighton Beach
Food for thought
To the editor,
In these difficult economic times, it is especially important to patronize your local fast food eatery, diner, restaurant, or steak house. My wife and I don’t mind occasionally paying a little more to help our local businesses survive. Don’t forget your cook and server at your favorite local neighborhood restaurant. We try to tip 20 percent against the total bill, including taxes. If it is an odd amount, we round up to the next dollar. If we can afford to eat out, we can afford an extra dollar tip. When ordering take out, we always leave a dollar or two for the waiter or cook. It is appreciated.
Remember these people are our neighbors. Our local entrepreneurs have continued to create 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.Larry Penner
Great Neck, N.Y.
‘Weakened’ Chuck
To the editor,
I am not surprised that according to a recent poll conducted by Quinnipiac University, Sen. Charles Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) most recent favorable approval rating is down to 52 percent. This represents his lowest approval ratings since May 2000.
There are two reasons for this decline: One, like the cowardly lion from the Land of Oz, Schumer came out against the proposed treaty with Iran, but with a wink and nod to President Obama refused to lobby his fellow senators in joining him to oppose the treaty. Many Jewish and non-Jewish friends of Israel are not happy with his abdication of leadership on this issue.
Two, since 1981 under Schumer’s watch as both a congressmember and senator our national debt went up by $17.4 trillion, increasing from $1 trillion in 1981 to $18.4 trillion, today. No wonder Schumer never talks about this at his standard Sunday news conferences. It is nothing to be proud of.
Besides conservatives and Republicans, many mainstream moderate Democrats and independent voters are not happy with his fiscal mismanagement of Washington. Younger voters who will have to pay off this debt are especially displeased.
Schumer faced unknown Republican challengers with no-name recognition, money or party support in 2004 (Howard Mills) and 2010 (Jay Townsend). New York Republicans now have a surprising opportunity in 2016. Given Schumer’s weakened poll numbers, perhaps a brave Republican candidate with both name recognition and the financial resources to offer a serious alternative will finally step forward to challenge him in 2016. It might make for an interesting contest as opposed to another Schumer coronation.
If New York Republicans give Schumer a free ride for the third time, he will be free to run around the nation in 2016 assisting other fellow Democrats running for the Senate. Democrats only need a net pick up of five seats to regain control of the Senate. Schumer will use his well-oiled, pay-for-play fundraising machine — he already has $20 million in the bank for his 2016 race with no announced opponent — to raise whatever it takes, be it $100 million or more, so he can become the Democratic Senate majority leader.Larry Penner
Great Neck, N.Y.
Vroom-tastic
To the editor,
We always think of a motorcycle club members as being bad people. Well the other week on television, I saw a show about a motorcycle club dealing with troubled children.
What a big surprise when they mentioned how they help children having emotional problems, taking them to court, being a friend to them, and helping them with school. Since some of the children came from abusive families they really appreciated the support from both the men and women members. These children bonded with this club members, and were given rides on their bikes which put a happy smile on their faces.
We have the Police Athletic League that also mentors young children, keeping them out of trouble and being a positive role model. I do believe if more organizations would get involved, life for many children would be more fruitful. We need to do this to create a more humane society.
Jerry Sattler
Brighton Beach
War and peace
To the editor,
How strange it seems that President Obama, soon after taking office, was given the Nobel Peace Prize. In my memory I have never heard of such a thing.
So we’ve gone through years and years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and what have we achieved? Nothing but death and destruction in both countries. How about the men and women soldiers coming back with missing arms and legs, plus many who developed post-traumatic stress disorder? One mother mentioned her son left a normal life and came back a killer. How sad that so many sacrificed their lives. So many of these soldiers have developed severe mental disorders due to war.
Let’s not forget the drone strikes that have taken the lives of many innocent civilian, plus the Doctors Without Borders. Time after time they put their lives at risk to help save the victims of war. To me any apology of any kind is worthless.
We still have war, despite our president being given the Noble Peace Prize. He should return it, and donate any money he received to Doctors Without Border for their life-saving work.
Name withheld upon request
