Queens Gazette

Letters to the Editor


Funding Disagreement

To The Editor:

The Corona Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 that was signed into law on December 27, 2020 allocated $14 billion out of $900 billion for transit. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 signed into law on March 11 provided $30.5 billion for transit. We are now into our eighth month with New Jersey Transit and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority unable to come to an agreement on how to divide $14.5 billion of CARES COVID-19 relief funds from Washington administered by the Federal Transit Administration. The MTA anticipated receipt of $4 billion out of the second and $6.5 billion out of the third round of funding.

This disagreement also impacts other non- MTA transit operators on our side of the Hudson River. Until NY and NJ agree on a split of funding, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (FTA sanctioned Metropolitan Planning Organization) is unable to complete their own respective split for its membership.

The result is that the NYCDOT Staten Island Ferry along with Nassau Inter County Express Bus, City of Long Beach Bus, Suffolk County Transit Bus, Town of Huntington Area Rapid Transit Bus, Westchester Bee Line Bus, Putnam Area Rapid Transit Bus and Transportation of Rockland Bus are also unable to access their share of funding. These smaller agencies don’t have the same ability to borrow money as the MTA does. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer, NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson, Staten Island Boro President James Oddo and other local elected officials should ask Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York State Department of Transportation, MTA Chairman Janno Lieber and Board members to resolve this dispute ASAP. Why should 66,000 pre-COVID-19 Staten Island Ferry riders continue to he held hostage and have this key transportation link adversely impacted financially by this impasse between the two largest transit agencies in America?

Larry Penner
Great Neck

Gone With The Wind

To The Editor:

As the city continues to deal with the pandemic, there are still many businesses that have not reopened, and crime continues to be a major factor and concern for everyone who lives and works here. Tourism certainly will not pick up, as long as crime rates continue to increase, and now with the Delta variant creating more medical mayhem, who knows when anything in the city will ever return to normal. Our once vibrant, thriving city has been reduced to a shadow of itself, with storefronts empty, and our school system in a total mess, as well as scores of homeless people and released felons roaming our streets, subways and parks, making it very unsafe for the public. New York City is slowly fading away as did the South in the civil war, a civilization “gone with the wind.” A sad commentary indeed about the city that never sleeps!

John Amato
Fresh Meadows

Saudi-Al Qaeda Docs

To The Editor:

As reported, 1,800 people affected by the 9/11 terror attack have asked President Biden not to attend the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, unless he orders the release of documents they claim show links between the Saudi government and al Qaeda. Well I totally agree. There are those who view this to be too extreme and that we need to move on. But I’m greatly troubled by the belief of some who think we need to move on, that there is too much talk of 9/11 20 years later. We lost thousands of good people, including 343 firefighters who gave their lives to save the many. Not to mention the many first responders who have died and the many who are dying from the effects of the attacks, and many more will suffer in the future. A husband lost his wife, a father lost his son, a mother lost her daughter and friends lost friends. How does one forget? Future generations need to know what happened on that day of evil and who was responsible, for when we disregard history, we are doomed to repeat it. Now to President Biden, I say do the right thing!

To my fellow Americans, remember what happened on 9/11 and let’s not forget. Remember this also, in the days and months following 9/11, our country was covered in American Flags as citizens mourned the incredible losses and stood shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism. Sadly, those flags have all but disappeared. Our patriotism pulled us through some difficult times and it shouldn’t take another attack to galvanize us into solidarity again. Our American Flag is the fabric of our country and together we can prevail. Fly the American Flag of any size on 9/11; and, in all honesty I believe that all Americans should fly the flag year round. But at least, let’s start flying the American Flag every September 11th. I call for this being a veteran of the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam war, a member of the American Legion Post 103, a member of the Queens Village Republican Club, Grand Knight of St. Anastasia Knights of Columbus Council 5911 in Douglaston, and a member of the Catholic War Veterans. That being said I am thanking everyone for your participation, and may God bless you and may God bless America.

Frederick R. Bedell Jr.
Bellerose

It’s On Us

To The Editor:

I was touched to hear that survivors of Covid marched across the Brooklyn Bridge. These people lost family members due to the monster Covid-19. They told their personal stories and urged people to take the vaccination and to wear masks. They showed that life is precious. I am glad that police officers and community residents marched in solidarity. This is a good sign.

Today all students who plan to attend school in the autumn must be vaccinated. I am glad that the president has extended student loan relief until February of 2022.

I am dismayed that there is a new variant that may be resistant to the effectiveness of the vaccine. It is despicable that people are against wearing masks and taking vaccinations. The number of cases in the U.S. are growing and this trend must stop. It is in the hands of people to take vaccinations and wear masks. Life is precious.

This weekend has been the bloodiest so far with murders. Lawlessness has brought a blight to the best city in the world, and now it is the bloodiest city of the world.

Cynthia Groopman
Little Neck

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.