Letters

Albany, Stop The Politics
To The Editor:

Mayor [Michael] Bloomberg and the city council did as good a job as possible to help heal the continual bleeding of our town since September 11. But most of the cuts in this city’s quality of life would not have been necessary if the politics of Albany did not take away the commuter use fee, a/k/a commuter tax. This amounts to over $500 million dollars per year (more than $2 billion lost already),enough to restore thousands of cops, our entire recycling program, youth programs, senior citizen services, sanitation enhancements--the list grows on and on. The money was taken away for admittedly purely political reasons--a game of chicken between the Republican senate and Democratic Assembly leadership over an open senate seat in Rockland county. The time for political gamesmanship is now over, and the time for good government must come about in Albany. We have just seen where public pressure forced Albany to begin the process of giving control of our school children to the mayor. Now the same forces must be marshalled to give the city back our commuter use fee, a sum which amounts to the price of half a token to the average commuter. There was never an outcry for the repeal of this fee, but there must be an outcry from eight million people in our town to reinstate it! It is time for Albany to stop the politics and stop the bleeding of essential services in the greatest city in the world. The mayor and the council now face a budget gap for the next fiscal year which could amount to as much as $6 billion. This came about because of an act of war which we could do nothing about and because of an act of Albany which we can do something about.

New York City voters must contact their city Assembly and senate representatives and demand that this be the first item on the agenda at their next session in Albany. This is the time for Democrats and Republicans to stick together and come to the aid of our beloved city. Find out what their position is on this issue before you vote in the coming primaries and general election. There is just no good reason for our mayor and council to have to make more cuts because of something within the control of our own elected representatives in Albany. This is the time.

Peter F. Vallone, Sr.

Astoria

Former New York City

Council Speaker

Protests Tax Hike

To The Editor:

I’m writing to complain about the $1.42 New York City cigarette tax hike supported by Mike Bloomberg. The fact that Mayor Mike thinks higher taxes will raise money for the City of New York has me "fuming" in anger!

New York City (convenience) stores will lose revenue, as fewer people will buy their smokes here. Also, more New York City residents will look into buying their cigarettes online due to lower prices.

When New York City residents and businesses lose money, it in turn gives our city government less revenue.

The truth is smokers make up the poorest economic unit in society. Ultimately, they’re the real victims of a cigarette tax hike. If cigarette prices get too high, people who cannot support their habit will possibly resort to crime to get a fix.

The rise in cigarette taxes won’t stop anyone’s habit of smoking as stated to Michael Bloomberg by the American Cancer Society.

If New York City needs to create revenue, why not consider promoting/advertising lower (cigarette) taxes? That way people will come to New York City to buy their smokes.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Monheit

Fresh Meadows

Stalls Law

To The Editor:

On March 13, 2000, Edward Kindt was sentenced to nine years to life in prison for the brutal rape and murder of my daughter Penny Brown on Mother’s Day 1999, in the city of Salamanca, New York. Penny was a wife and mother of two daughters, ages 10 and 13. She was also a registered nurse and certified nurse-midwife. Kindt was 15 years old when he committed the crime. He was tried as an adult, but due to loopholes in New York state law, the maximum sentence allowed the court was nine years. Justice was not served. The sentence did not fit the crime. On the day he was sentenced I vowed to do everything in my power to change the law, so that serious juvenile crime would receive serious punishment.

For the past three years, my family and I have worked toward that goal. In each of these years, a bill known as "Penny’s Law" has been introduced in the state Senate and Assembly. "Penny’s Law" would change the sentence for juveniles 13 years or older who commit second degree murder and are tried as adults. The minimum sentence is now five years, and it would change to 15 years. The maximum sentence is now nine years, and it would change to 25 years.

Each year the Senate has passed the bill by large margins. This year the Senate voted 57 to one in favor of the legislation. Sadly, the Assembly has never been given the opportunity to vote. "Penny’s Law" has been held in the Codes Committee of the Assembly for the past three years, with no action. There has been no debate on the bill, and we have been given no reasons for its failure to reach the floor. The Senate passed it 57 to one, could a bad bill possibly have that much support in the Senate?

We have done our best to keep partisan politics out of the discussion on this bill, but that is no longer possible. I hold the Democratic leadership in the Assembly fully responsible for delaying action on this legislation. Overwhelming support for the bill has been expressed to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s office. Petitions have been signed and letters have been mailed by hundreds of citizens. County resolutions in support of the bill have been passed. The president of the New York State District Attorney’s Association has said that we need this legislation. Labor unions and other organizations that support the bill receive no explanation for its delay. This "soft on crime" attitude of the Democratic leadership has effectively stolen the vote of every New York State Assemblyperson. If the bill doesn’t come to the floor, they cannot vote.

I respectfully request that Speaker Silver allow a vote on this legislation, and give the elected representatives of the people of New York State the opportunity to pass or reject the bill based on its merit. "Soft on Crime" could become an issue in next November’s elections, and if it does, this story will be told in every Assembly district in New York State, and the Leadership’s party may suffer for it.

Respectfully ,

Jerry Lockwood

Laborers Blight Street

To The Editor:

Over the past years, the community has been subject to an influx of unemployed day laborers. Although everyone deserves a place in society, the suburban neighborhood of 42nd Street and Broadway is not the place to start. As a life-long resident and mother, my family and I have begun to express feelings of disgust toward loitering, outdoor urination, slander and blasphemy, which are all prohibited by law.

To make matters worse, I requested that my teenage daughter find an alternate route to the Steinway Street subway station. Since intermediate school, she has been subjected to the evils of intoxication: slander and harassment. However, the time has come to teach Tsgonia Paints a lesson: the immediate relocation of their 24-Hour Employment Office. During the past year, the latter has significantly altered the residential perspective. On nights and weekends, various local residents, including neighboring families often witness loitering and the gruesome act of public urination in their driveways and gardens. As a concerned citizen, I believe that 42nd Street and Broadway [should] be restored to its original state.

Name Withheld On Request