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Brooklyn Daily
To the editor,
For so many years, I have carried a torch in my heart for Brooklyn’s favorite daughter, singer Barbra Streisand (“Streisand comes home,” Oct. 18). I’m so glad Barclays Center showed some class by inviting Barbra.
I would have walked on shattered glass to see her.
I’ll never stop loving her.
Steve Chaddock
Queens, N.Y.
Maple gains
To the editor,
I agree with Borough President Markowitz in the story about Maple Lanes (“Lane closure: Community panel endorses plan to raze Maple Lanes,” online Sept. 11).
The lane and lot should stay with the condo on top, so it can be enjoyed by everyone.
Bowling should be promoted for families of all backgrounds.
I also liked the story about the truancy center (“City: Midwood truancy center is here to stay,” online Oct. 19).
It’s a good idea, the building is part of the Department of Education and would not cost extra, the parents will pick them up and programs could be set up to help these kids.Eugene Feliciano
Midwood
Dems the breaks
To the editor,
Change has to come!
President Obama, Vice President Biden, and the whole of the Democratic Party’s message for this presidential election — as for any election that has a candidate opposing a Republican — is far too soft because the Dems’ message completely disregards a major fact: the Republican’s were hell-bent on being 100-percent obstructionists since the day of Obama’s inauguration, and they said they would be — let’s go to the video tape please.
Whether it was most all of them signing a foolish decree written by Grover Norquist, whether it was Boehner, McConnell or (that twerp) Cantor, they did nothing, except prevent any kind of positive movement on Capitol Hill. So, when the Republicans speak of things that the Obama administration has not accomplished, it’s a point to the obstructionists!
To say that there are not Democrats who have been “bought” or wrongly influenced by lobbyists as such would be wrong. But the majority of Republicans in Washington all represent money-based-elitist-power-hungry “bad people,” who want nothing more than to subvert governmental actions that would help the many, who would do anything to help the already obscenely greedy, rich, and powerful “bad people?”
It would not be a difficult stretch to suggest that these are treasonable offenses, equivalent to an insurrection.
And as for the Romney message and presentation, where are the fact checkers? Why are there so many folks calling him arrogant for asserting facts without evidence or humility? Certainly the facts that Obama presents need be checked too.
There is a huge gulf between being confident (i.e. having full trust and belief in the trustworthiness, or reliability of a person, thing, or the facts) and being arrogant (i.e. projecting an offensive display of superiority or self-importance; having overbearing pride).
As another “bad person” often says, “What say you?”
Dictionary.com says an obstructionist is a person who deliberately delays or prevents progress, or a person who delays or obstructs the business before a legislative body by parliamentary contrivances or legalistic maneuvers.Barry Brothers
Homecrest
Ridge rant
To the editor,
I think it’s time that criminal number one, Mayor Bloombucks, gets rid of community boards, starting with CB10 (“Neighbors want 93 Lounge gone — but club owners say police are the real problem,” online Oct. 12). It is ruining Bay Ridge with all its crap.
This has been going on decades and nothing is getting done, and never will be, as long as CB10 is still in business.
Then again, phoney-baloney-malfunctioning-misfits state Sen. Marty Golden (R–Bay Ridge), Councilman Vincent Gentile (D–Bay Ridge), and Rep. Michael Grimm (R–Staten Island-Brooklyn) are in office. These guys are all talk and no action. Just look around Bay Ridge — there’s out-of-control graffiti and nothing is being done to clean it up. Vandalism is also out of control, and nothing is being done about it by the 68th Precinct.
The bus shelter at 90th Street and Third Avenue gets smashed every two months or so, and nothing is done about it. No cops are patrolling the streets of Bay Ridge. No tickets are issued for cars parked at bus stops, crosswalks, and fire hydrants. Trash cans aren’t collected on weekends.
If cops wrote tickets, there might be money for sanitation pickups all week. Instead Mayor Bloombucks is cutting services with less trucks and less supervisors.
This city is getting worse before it gets better as long as these guys are running the city. Remember that on Nov. 6 when you vote. It’s time for a change in Bay Ridge.
The above politicians are only doing one thing — getting their pictures in the local papers every week, which is getting very annoying.
I yell at people everyday to get out of bus stops, especially on 92nd Street and Third Avenue by Starbucks. I even have some supporters in my corner.
Richard Martin
Bay Ridge
Thanks much
To the editor,
I am very grateful for the article concerning my run in the Nov. 6 General Election (“Midwood Grandpa runs for Assembly,” Oct. 18).
A local blog wrote an article about my program as a result of your exposure.
Exposure in the media allows the public to learn about people they might not otherwise hear about, including the mentally ill and the incarcerated.
When I showed the article to my bipolar support group, they were very proud of my efforts on their behalf.
Allan Feinblum
The author is a write-in candidate for the 45th Assembly District.
Bam’s sham
To the editor,
In response to Alan Braverman’s letter to the editor (“Pen pals,” Oct. 19), I must admit that I was inaccurate, regarding the Iran-Contra hearings and Col. Oliver North’s testimony to ex-Sen. Al Gore, regarding Osama bin Laden. He is correct.
Mr. Braverman went on to say that the Iran-Contra affair tarnished Ronald Reagan’s presidency. I disagree because as I understand it, the Israelis sold weapons to Iran and the proceeds were used by the U.S. to aid the Nicaraguan Contras. This was a violation of the Boland Amendment to the Defense Appropriation Act of 1983. However, the administration didn’t use the proceeds; they used the profits, which Reagan had been advised was legal.
In my opinion, while it may have been a violation of the spirit of the law, it was not a violation of the letter of the law.
Onto Somalia, I believe there was a bombing of our embassy in Mogadishu, and although President Clinton was involved up to his eyeballs with Monica Lewinsky at the time, he found time to fire some Tomahawk missiles and blew up a baby food factory. Finally, President George W. Bush did, in fact, receive some intelligence that maybe, possibly, somewhere in the world al Qaeda terrorists might possibly try to hijack airliners.
Mr. Braverman should know that this sort of intelligence is not “actionable” because it is not focused on where or when it was to occur. As Mr. Braverman, himself, stated the operative word was “might” hijack. How does one act on a “might?”
Mr. Braverman stated that I was attacking Democrats. With that I proudly agree. This administration, in particular, has wasted four years on ObamaCare, which will add trillions in new taxes, cause a shortage of doctors, and negatively impact health care, which more than 60 percent of Americans do not want, because $716 billion was stolen from Medicare to help fund it.
None of the campaign promises were kept, especially the one about cutting the deficit by 50 percent in the first year. Congress was Democrat-controlled since 2007 and the budget was theirs — not Bush’s. Obama himself voted for it.
He has no immigration policy, he has no foreign policy, he has no economic policy, and jobs did marginally improve recently — that’s really impressive. It’s all smoke and mirrors. How many of us can say things improved in the last three years? Not many!David F. Podesta
Marine Park
No ‘heroes’
To the editor,
It is sad how the status of “hero” gets tossed around loosely by your journalists — between the sports stories of high school “heroes” to “And meet these mustached heroes” (Oct. 18).
What makes any of them a “hero?”
Name withheld upon request
NY ‘bombers’
To the editor,
It took 20 years for the Yankees to be swept in four games this season. Whether they came in first place by one half a game or 10, it’s a done thing.
Beating Baltimore in five games, often in the last inning’s comeback, seemed to give them the incentive to win in the next round. The only problem is each and every player couldn’t help their team score any runs when needed.
My feeling is based on the age of some of the players. This possibly maybe the last time the Yankees will be in contention.
This also took place in the mid-1960s, when the Yankees were in last place for quite a number of years. I spoke to a season ticket holder and asked her if she intended to renew her tickets for 2013. She hasn’t made up her mind as of yet, but I feel she’s so annoyed that she’ll forgo next year’s games.
One would expect that high-priced players would do the trick and help the team to win. That’s always the case if you believe that to be so. In reality, now and then, a team with a small team salary can — and did — beat a higher paid team.
Jerry Sattler
Brighton Beach
No class act
To the editor,
I have been retired now for over 11 years, following a 33-year stint in the city school system.
While I was teaching, there was supposed to be an expedited grievance procedure regarding class sizes. What happened to that? We still have the same problems regarding class sizes in this city.
Why? Why aren’t excessed teachers brought back to the classroom to lower class size? If teachers were paid additional money for each child in their class over the class-size limit, you would see how fast the issue would be resolved. Unity Caucus, the leading arm of the union for over 45 years, talks a good line, but nothing is done. Where are the 4 pm demonstrations of yesteryear? Unity will tell you that this is the best they can do. Really?
In the old days, these problems weren’t settled until Oct. 31 or so. By then, it was too late. Children were in large classes and the behavior problems had well established themselves.
If the Unity officials, Leadership Academy principals, and the Department of Education honchos were made to teach in the schools, this problem would quickly be resolved.
On another note, to all tenants out there who voted for Mayor Bloomberg: Katharine Ann Porter, who wrote “Ship of Fools,” would have added you to her fool list.
We know that the mayor has been giving money in an effort to elect Republicans in the state senate. He now has endorsed Bob Cohen, a Republican, for such a seat. Mr. Cohen is the proprietor of buildings which have been cited repeatedly for violations. In summary, he is a slumlord. Is this what the mayor is advocating? If Mr. Cohen is elected, how could he possibly serve the needs of rent stabilized and rent control tenants in our city? Obviously, any legislation he would propose would benefit his landlord friends.
How many of our legislators are property owners? Legislators must be required to state this so that tenants will know what to expect from them in office.
Tenants in this city should be counting the days until Bloomberg leaves office on January 1, 2014. That New Year’s Day will be a special day for us.
Ed Greenspan
Sheepshead Bay
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