LETTERS: Not for Nuthin’ Jo, ‘Nanny’ Mike’s a reader’s main man

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Brooklyn Daily

To the editor,

Joanna DelBuono, I always read your column, “Not for Nuthin’” and I have always enjoyed it.

But I was disappointed by your position in “The mayor adds nutritionist to his accomplishments” (March 8).

I am not a fan of Mayor Bloomberg, but I like what he has been doing to improve the health of New Yorkers. You are too young to be reading the A.A.R.P. publications. In the last issue of its bulletin an article mentioned that “Americans are in poorer health and dying sooner than the rest of the industrialized world.”

Therefore I think that no one should be criticized for calling attention to the dangers of smoking, or of too much fat, salt, and sugar. Besides, isn’t a 16-ounce soda enough for a child to drink at one meal?

I hope your anger will subside and that you will be willing to look at the good side of those mayoral dictates.

Emmy Springer

Sea Gate

Prez and immigrants

To the editor,

Did Sen. Rand Paul (R–K.Y.) filibuster for 13 and a half hours just to prevent Jane Fonda from being the target of a drone strike? Is chivalry really not dead after all, or was it something more?

Remember, Lincoln freed the slaves (only in the states that were in “rebellion”) by issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, not as an exercise of his Constitutional power to do so (he had none), but rather by using his power to prosecute the war.

Then there was President Wilson’s ending free speech during WWI and F.D.R.’s treatment of Japanese Americans during WWII, and so on. Presidents assume enormous powers during wartime — maybe not such a bad idea to keep an eye on them. Sen. McCain, you sure it’s Rand Paul who’s the ‘wacko?’

On another note, one of the prime justifications often given for immigration reform is that younger immigrant workers will pay into the Social Security and Medicare systems so that aging workers will be able to receive their benefits. But, isn’t that a classic definition of a Ponzi scheme — new money brought in so that it can be paid out to old investors to keep the system afloat, until the new investors eventually need to receive their benefits as well?

There are a lot of good reasons to implement immigration reform, but this is not one of them. Entitlements need to be either reformed or, maybe, privatized. Making a Ponzi scheme more Ponzi-like doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Dr. Stephen Finger

Marine Park

Hunk o’ luv

To the editor,

Stanley Gershbein (“It’s Only My Opinion”), I love to read your columns and your comments.

In your column, “When Stan cruises, he eats...a lot!” (March 15), you mention “ess ess mein kindt.” There was a book by that title by Harry Goldin.

Your thoughts on eating 11 meals in one day got me nauseous, but I felt better when you said that you had to be lifted off the ship with a forklift. Mayor Bloomberg should put an end to those eat-yourself-to-death meals, then the Medicare cost would decrease tremendously, with less people going in for obesity-related problems.

I used to weigh 210 pounds, and now I am 145. I feel better, and at the age of 73 I never looked better in my life. I registered with a shadchan (matchmaker) to find a nice young lady for me between the age of 16 and 19!Hank Bayer

Sea Gate

Class lesson

To the editor,

Oh my! A 15-year-old student from Lincoln High School punched a conductor, causing the latter to be hospitalized. Imagine what this sweetie must be like in the classroom? Will he get jail time?

Probably not. They’ll say he is socially maladjusted, economically disadvantaged, a victim of society. In the meantime, teachers at Lincoln have been judged to be ineffective and rated unsatisfactory because of students such as him.

When will the United Federation of Teachers open its mouth and demand that any teacher evaluation process be tied to discipline in the public schools for students? We have schools in this city where children are running amok and nothing is being done, except to blame the teachers.

If I were the head of the agency, I’d never accept an evaluation plan until the following criteria were met: All teachers, including Absent Teacher Reserves, are put back in the classroom. Students rated unsatisfactory in conduct for two years are placed in 600 schools. All teachers are given balanced programs so that favoritism doesn’t decide who gets the better classes and who is set up for failure by given classes made up of the above student. And class sizes are lowered so that teachers can teach and handle the necessary paper work.Ed Greenspan

Sheepshead Bay

Food for thought

To the editor,

Food safety officials in the U.K., France, and Sweden found traces of horse meat in ground beef sold across Europe. Massive recalls and lawsuits are ensuing.

Can it happen here? Horse slaughter for human consumption was banned in the U.S. between 2007 and 2011. But now, a New Mexico slaughterhouse is getting approved by U.S. authorities to slaughter horses for human consumption, and a Philadelphia restaurant has already announced plans to serve horse meat.

I marvel at our hypocrisy of rejecting the notion of horse or dog meat on our dinner plates, while condemning cows, pigs, and chickens to the same fate. Obviously, we have established special relationships with horses and dogs as our companions, protectors, and sports protagonists, rather than as food. But where is the ethical and logical distinction, given that all these animals are endowed by individuality, sentience, and an ability to experience the same feelings of joy, affection, sadness, and fear that we do?

Fortunately, our health food industry has spared us from having to choose which animals to pet and which ones to eat. Their delicious soy and grain-based meat alternatives are available in every supermarket.Bill Deeter

East Williamsburg

Comptroller’s race

To the editor,

While everyone is focused on who will succeed Mayor Bloomberg, little attention has been paid to who will succeed Comptroller John Liu. Notice that there is no potential declared Republican candidate to succeed Liu.

The last effective GOP challenger for comptroller was businessperson Richard Bernstein who ran with former Mayor Ed Koch in 1981. Former Finance Commissioner Fioravante Perrotta, running on both the Republican and Liberal party lines in 1969, ran a very competitive race, coming close to upsetting Democrat Abe Beame. The last Republican Comptroller was Joseph D. McGoldrick, who served from 1938 to 1945.

Based upon recent history, Councilman Domenic Recchia (D–Coney Island), chairman of the Council Finance Committee, would have a difficult task. Perhaps this is why he may have decided to abandoned his quest to run for comptroller.

Term-limited Recchia doesn’t seem to know what to do with his life. First, he dropped out of the race for comptroller. Next, he declared serious interest in running for Brooklyn borough president. Within weeks, he gave up pursuing that office to “consider” running against Rep. Michael Grimm (R–S.I.) in 2014.

Past Finance Committee Chairperson Councilman Herb Berman from Brooklyn lost to Bill Thompson in the 2001 Democratic Party Primary for comptroller. David Weprin from Queens lost to John Liu in the 2009 Democratic Party Primary for comptroller. All three losing candidates, including then-Council members David Yassky, Melinda Katz, and David Weprin don’t have the fire in the belly to try again.

Democrats are rallying around Manhattan Borough President and former 2013 mayoral candidate Scott Stringer for comptroller. They may be no primary if all five Democratic Party county leaders have their way. Democrats are going to support one of their own to end the GOP’s 20-year control of City Hall. The result will be one-party control of all three citywide offices, along with the City Council. This is a recipe for municipal corruption.

Perhaps one of the potential seven 2013 Republican mayoral candidates, including former Metropolitan Transportation Authority boss Joe Lhota, businessman John Catsimatdis, and publisher Tom Allon, will put their egos aside. One of them could drop out of the mayoral race and instead run for comptroller. They could assist the Republicans in running a real diverse city and boroughwide group of candidates for the first time in decades.

This would also help the handful of GOP City Council candidates in expanding their current four members to the old record of seven who served with former Mayor Giuliani during the 1990s.

Larry Penner

Great Neck, N.Y.

NIMBY to druggies

To the editor,

Your story, “Not in our backyard!” (online Feb. 11) had me reeling.

Counseling drug addiction is nothing but a total farce, so I’m grateful that the community in Sheepshead Bay has rejected a detox rehab center in our neighborhood. But the same people who are battling to keep drug rehab facilities out should make more of an effort to get drug sellers off our streets.

We should start by looking in our parks, children’s playgrounds, and the piers. More of an effort needs to be made in stopping the deliveries, as well as the sellers. How can young people have aspirations when illegal substances that cause death and destruction have become the norm? More varieties of narcotics are sure to emerge, moving forward, and we need to be more aggressive about tackling this problem.

Drug sellers are brazen and practice their trade in full view in the most unlikely places. Several years ago, a community center in Manhattan became a place for people to congregate and distribute drugs. Evil-doers come in all types, and we have to be alert to them, so they don’t come into contact with our children.

Amy Kaye

Sheepshead Bay

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