BRONX TIMES REPORTER, FEB. 26-MAR. 4, 2021 13
letters & comments
Today, Wednesday 2/10/2021
at 11:10 a.m. I received a very
special visit from 3 offi cers
from our Community Outreach
Division Community Affairs
Bureau. What a wonderful
surprise and they brought
fl owers, candy and a few other
goodies. I thanked them so
much and I asked how they got
my name and they said from
the offi cers at our 45 pct. A
very special thank you to our
NYPD offi cers who put their
life on the line every day they
are on and off duty. And a
thank you to their families too.
God bless them all, keep them
safe and God Bless our country.
Love and Prayers, Aunt
Cathy Praino
LET US HEAR FROM YOU
Letters to the editor are welcome from all readers. They should be addressed
care of this newspaper to Laura Guerriero, Publisher, the Bronx Times Reporter,
3604 E. Tremont Ave., Bronx, NY 10465, or e-mail to bronxtimes@cnglocal.com.
All letters, including those submitted via e-mail, MUST be signed and with a
verifi able address and telephone number included.
Note that the address and telephone number will NOT be published and the
name will be published or withheld upon request.
No unsigned letters can be accepted for publication. The editor reserves the
right to edit all submissions.
BY COUNCIL MEMBERS JUSTIN
BRANNAN AND JOE BORELLI
We all saw the SNL skit
poking fun at Zillow, suggesting
that 30-somethings in high
priced cities treat it the same
way others treat porn websites.
And who hasn’t felt the
urge to throw something at
their television while watching
a couple go house hunting
in another state? Whether
through census data, moving
company reports, and now
even sketch comedy, one thing
is clear: more and more New
Yorkers are seeing the absurdity
of New York City’s housing
market.
Since the beginning of the
pandemic our neighboring
states of New Jersey and Connecticut
have reaped a tax
windfall as young families fl ed
New York. This is not only due
to the pandemic, but because of
the soaring costs to live, work,
and raise a family in New York
City. Real estate prices have
skyrocketed in these adjacent
states and their tax rolls
have increased as New Yorkers
found greener and cheaper
pastures in the suburbs.
Not all taxes are equal,
nor are all city homeowners
taxed in an equitable manner
throughout the fi ve boroughs.
Our arcane tax structure
benefi ts neighborhoods
like the Upper East Side and
Park Slope to the detriment
of “outer borough” neighborhoods
like Bay Ridge and Tottenville.
Our constituents are
willing to pay their fair share
to protect our streets, educate
our children and keep our
parks clean. But they are not
willing to be unfairly taxed.
This is why we demanded that
Mayor de Blasio create a commission
to study the inequities
in the city’s property tax system,
which could issue recommendations
to address this issue.
That commission told us
what we already knew—New
Yorkers deserve a fair and simple
property tax system.
But as tax revenues from
tourism and other commerce
dropped due to the pandemic,
the city unfairly moved the tax
burden to working class families
across the city by adding
interest to overdue tax bills.
Instead of a hand up, the city
gave residents struggling to
get through the pandemic the
middle fi nger.
Opponents to property tax
reform have also used the pandemic
as an excuse to freeze
the recommendations from the
commission and prevent hearing
feedback from our residents.
With mass vaccinations
taking place and the movement
back to normal progressing,
it is incumbent on the city
to immediately resume efforts
to fi x our broken property tax
system.
What some seem to forget
is that the city is not just Manhattan.
The “outer boroughs”
are full of essential workers
who have borne the brunt of
this pandemic through their
service as nurses, transit
workers, cops, fi refi ghters,
and EMTs. We owe it to them
to ensure they are treated
fairly when it comes to property
taxes.
New Yorkers do not need
another commission. New
Yorkers do not need another
report. New Yorkers do not
need another analysis. New
Yorkers need action—now.
The Bronx skyline. (File/The Bronxer)
Dear editor,
Recent events have starkly
illustrated the bankruptcy of
several Republican/Conservative
shibboleths.
Xenophobia was elevated
from an irrational fear to a
public policy under the previous
administration. Underreported
by the mainstream
media, an immigrant from
Columbia, Diana Trujillo, has
held a number of important positions
at NASA, most recently
working on the Mars Perseverance
Rover robotic arm. How
many other budding scientists
or doctors or teachers have had
their asylum claims arbitrarily
denied or remain languishing
in unsafe camps in Mexico due
to the irrational and, in many
cases, unlawful policies of the
Trump administration?
Deregulation of industry
has been a Republican/Conservative
mantra for decades.
The ongoing disaster in Texas
has clearly demonstrated that
such a laissez faire policy has
profoundly negative effects for
citizens unable to fl ee to second
homes or jet off to Cancun.
In their desperation to avoid
blame for creating the conditions
that resulted in this catastrophe,
Republican offi cials
have, almost hilariously, attempted
to pin the blame on the
Green New Deal, a program
that is, at present, no more
than a pipe dream.
On another front, the acquittal
of Mr. Trump by the
Senate serves as a glaring example
of Republicans shirking
their duty to country and
their oath of offi ce. With several
notable exceptions, these
public servants chose to ignore
the overwhelming evidence
and kowtowed to the fabled
“base” of the Republican
party. The fear of losing a prestigious,
comfortable public position
overwhelmed any sense
of duty or patriotism. What a
pathetic display of cowardice!
In an amazing display of hypocrisy,
Mitch McConnell voted to
acquit the 45th president and
then stated, “There’s no question”
that Trump “is practically
and morally responsible
for provoking the events of”
January 6th, 2021.
Hopefully voters will remember
these sad events when
they next go to the polls.
Pasqual Pelosi
oped
Call 718.260.2555
..to sell your car in our
CLASSIFIED SECTIONS
& get...Real Results!
VISIT US AT BXTIMES.COM
New York City needs
a fair and simple
property tax system
link
/BXTIMES.COM
link
