Letters

To The Editor:

Hillary Clinton was wined and dined by the Hollywood Fat Cats who donated millions to her campaign. Now, suddenly, she has turned her back on them and claims their films are violent.

How about returning all their donations, Hillary, or don’t you give refunds?

Maruxa Colon

Queens

People Are Trashing Astoria

To The Editor:

In answer to who’s trashing Astoria, the answer is obvious. The people of Astoria are trashing Astoria. The only remedy is a good stiff fine for anyone whose front is trashy. If the police don’t want to issue summons let the meter maids do it. Only when store owners feel it in their pocket books will they respond

Sincerely,

Demetrios C. Pappas

Long Island City

Wants Olympics In Queens

To The Editor:

Recently Mayor [Rudolph] Giuliani and the NYC2012 Olympic Committee have announced a plan to include all five boroughs. Some of the events are proposed to be held in Flushing Meadows-Corona, Queensbridge, and Astoria Parks and the Olympic Village is to be located in Hunter's Point.

I was quite surprised that Claire Shulman is opposed to building an Olympic Village there. Even when the Olympics come to town, there is always some of the usual "not in my backyard" arguing.

Shulman claims that Queens has been host to many world-class events, such as the Worlds Fairs, and some early United Nations meetings. If our borough is really a place for world-class events, then why can't Queens be the home for the athletes and coaches?

Instead of arguing with the mayor and Olympics committee over the location of the events, Shulman should try to help our candidate city get the Olympic nomination in 2005.

While Rudy proposes that the Olympic Stadium be built on the West Side in Manhattan, many local residents and businesses there oppose it.

What Claire Shulman should do is try to get the Olympic Stadium to be built in Arverne, Far Rockaway on the site of the "Destination Technodome" project.

Building a stadium there means improving the beach and low-income neighborhood nearby. The Technodome site has more space, is near a subway line and the JFK Airport. It would also bring the Jets football team back to Queens.

If our borough president is opposed to an Olympic village in Hunter's Point, then maybe the village could be built on ocean front real estate in Far Rockaway. This would also justify reviving the abandoned Rockaway Railroad, to connect with other rail lines that would connect with other Olympic events in New Jersey and other boroughs.

Instead of trying to keep the games out of our borough, I would suggest making our borough the center of the Olympic Games in 2012.

S. Kadinsky

Rego Park

Relief for Parents!

To The Editor:

Everyone now agrees education reform should be a top priority for the state legislature. Over the years I've lobbied for charter schools, school choice for our children, and tuition tax credits and vouchers to really empower parents and upgrade our children's education. Indeed I announced my candidacy for Assembly with a discussion of a way to enhance vouchers so that they would empower parents but would also serve to stimulate school construction. I will continue to work for the adoption of my proposal, but today I lend my support to an interim measure that achieves many of the objectives of my legislative initiative. I do so because I recognize my constituents, friends and neighbors want action, not politics as usual.

Moreover, as a father of two lovely daughters, (my five year old just started public school days ago and my little one is some 20 days old) and as the husband of a dedicated public school teacher, it is probably no surprise that education reforms are at the top of my list in priority. Education is right up there with measures to protect the standard of living and quality of life of our senior citizens in their golden years and working families.

With this said my good friend and longtime colleague Assemblymember John Faso has proposed an education initiative that really deserves action from the state Assembly. Historically the principal roadblock for enacting meaningful reforms that assist or protect working families has been Sheldon Silver, the Manhattan-based Speaker of the Assembly. Unfortunately Sheldon's focus has been on preservation of the status quo and on advancingthe liberal social agenda preferred in his district. Even the press long ago dubbed Sheldon's district "the Silk Stocking District." He is just too removed from our concerns. That is probably why he screwed up the commuter tax which really hurt New York and countless other episodes.

Now is the time to put the pressure on Sheldon and his liberal staff and cronies to move on these initiatives. For too long the lobbyists and special interests have set the agenda. We have to send a message that rhetoric about caring about children is no substitute for real action.

With that in mind I publicly lend my support to Assemblymember John Faso's proposal for putting more educational decision making in parents' hands. What Faso has proposed is a $1,500 per child ($3,000 per family) education tax credit which would give parents, particularly low- and middle-income ones, more assistance for their children's education. Parents could use the credit for nearly any educational expense, such as school tuition, a laptop computer, tutoring, textbooks or music and art lessons. I believe that until we can adopt an enhanced vouchers program this program would provide parents with much needed assistance and added flexibility.

There is ample legislative precedence for this kind of program. Similar aims have been met by the state's Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) which provides income-based financial aid. Likewise a new law allows parents to deduct up to $10,000 in college tuition.

John Faso's Education Tax Credit would offer parents of elementary and secondary students an ability to pay for their educational expenses regardless of whether their children attend public or private schools—while not taking a penny away from public schools.

I urge moderate Assemblymembers and common sense conservatives to support John Faso's plan. Assemblymembers who support Sheldon Silver's agenda over

the needs of their constituents should be made to answer for it on November 7th.

Sincerely,

Vince Tabone

Republican State Committeeman

Representing Astoria, Long Island City

and Jackson Heights

Where’s Pappas?

To The Editor:

Some time ago, Peter Pappas Sr. stated that he would support a Greek, the winner of the primary for the Assembly.

It’s time for him to step up to the plate and hit a political home run for Mike Gianaris.

I was born and baptized in Astoria, and I am proud to know Denis Butler. Ten years ago, when most people were throwing away their census forms and thereby denying Astoria the rightful federal money, Denis and his staff, which later included Gianaris, made sure that state money flowed into Astoria.

Sincerely,

Athan J. Christodoulou

Chairman,

U.S. 2000 Census

Hellenic Steering Committee of NY State