BRONX TIMES REPORTER, O BTR CT. 8-14, 2021 13
letters & comments
To the Editor,
Working as a doctor in the
Bronx for more than 20 years
as former chief medical offi -
cer of St. Barnabas Hospital,
I have had the opportunity
to observe the medical landscape
of both the Bronx and
New York State.
For me, some of the most
powerful moments were when
I was able to see seniors from
the community receive preventive
healthcare, primary
care, and recover from illness
and injury. While the medical
care they received was a
critical piece of the puzzle, I
was especially grateful for the
relief patients felt when they
realized that their insurance
covered the cost of their care.
An important part of this
protection is the access and
availability of a Medicare
Advantage plan for seniors,
making procedures and treatments
affordable that would
otherwise be out of reach. No
one should ever have to forgo
care because they are afraid of
what their bill might be, and
Medicare Advantage assures
our seniors they will never
face that concern.
With all of the good Medicare
Advantage has done for
seniors in the Bronx, it is my
hope that Rep. Torres and Sen.
Schumer will keep fi ghting
to protect this program from
cuts. Medicare Advantage is
our seniors’ ticket to a healthier
and stable future.
Jerry Balentine
To the Editor,
In his latest “contribution,”
the extreme right-wing ideologue
decries the stresses affecting
the dwindling middle
class. I agree wholeheartedly
that these pressures must be
alleviated. However, the columnist
mistakenly identifi es
the cause of these stresses to
be his favorite bogeyman —
the progressive agenda.
Demonstrating his antiscience
bona fi des, the author
laments the discontinuance
of the XL pipeline, claiming
this environmentally disastrous
boondoggle would have
produced thousands of jobs.
The source for his claim is
unmentioned. However, the
State Department, as reported
by Politifact, has concluded
that the pipeline would have
been operated with less than
50 employees. Unlike the
hard-right columnist, I make
my sources available to the
reader.
The next extravagant lie
promoted by the author is
the claim that the current administration
is planning to
impose a mileage tax on motorists.
The source for this
tidbit, if one exists outside
the author’s fevered brain,
is undisclosed. However, the
Associated Press has stated
unequivocally, “… the Biden
administration has not proposed
such a mileage tax… .”
Additionally, the mouthpiece
would have us believe that
progressive politicians are
trying to “ram electric cars
down consumers’ throats”
and that these vehicles cost
“between $10,000-$55,000
more than gas vehicles.”
Where do these grossly infl
ated fi gures come from? It
remains a mystery.
Next the columnist moves
into even more fanciful territory,
arguing that the Democratic
Party is in the pocket
of corporate America. Anyone
paying attention to the
Republican/Conservative
performance since the time
of Reagan knows that the opposite
is accurate. The author,
a true man of the people,
expresses deep concern
over the proposal to increase
the inheritance tax, which
affects only the ultra rich.
Sure, he’s concerned about
the middle class.
Pasqual Pelosi
To the Editor,
New York Metropolitan
Transportation Authority’s
proposed Congestion Price
Tolling is politically sensitive.
Congestion pricing may
not kick in until January 2023
or later. Final details of who
will pay still need to be established.
Since November 2019, former
Gov. Andrew Cuomo and
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio delayed
announcing their appointments
to the MTA Traffi
c Mobility Review Board.
Mayor de Blasio fi nally got
around to fi ll his one seat in
July 2021. When will Gov.
Kathy Hochul make it one of
her transit-related priorities
to fi ll her fi ve seats?
Completion of this requirement
is now 23 months overdue.
Elected offi cials will
lobby for discounts or exemptions
for police, fi re, teachers,
low income, NYC outer-borough
residency, seniors, physically
disabled, small commercial
delivery businesses,
users of electric vehicles or
other special niches. These
discounts or exemptions will
be adopted to placate the constituents
of elected offi cials
running for reelection in 2021
or 2022. You can’t capture fi ve
years of toll revenues estimated
to be $1 billion per year
(leveraged to raise $15 billion
in support of the MTA’s $51 billion
2020-2024 fi ve-year capital
plan) when you implement the
program three years or more
after 2020.
Late start for implementation,
downturn in the economy,
more people telecommuting
full and part time along
with a series of discounts and
exemptions to tolls will result
in billions of lost anticipated
revenue.
Just how will the MTA
bridge a future funding shortfall
in the billions within the
previously approved $51 billion
2020-2024 Five Year Capital
Program? Like it or not,
sooner or later, some diffi cult
decisions will have to be made
by MTA Chairman Janno Lieber
and MTA board members.
Larry Penner
To the Editor,
The Supreme Court has denied
our teachers the right to
decide for themselves not to
take this dangerous vaccine.
Why are school employees in
New York City being treated
differently than other city
workers? There is no rational
and non-discriminatory basis
for treating teachers and
school staff differently than
other municipal workers. Police
and fi refi ghters are able to
test weekly instead of taking
the vaccine.
Teachers are professionals;
they have tenure, and
teachers have families and
mortgages to pay. They cannot
be fi red or forced to take leave.
They are treated by this city
like they don’t matter.
This vaccine has not been
proven to be safe. In fact, there
are side effects with this vaccine
that have killed and injured
people. Many doctors
who care about their patients
are advising people not to take
the vaccine but their voices are
being drowned out by the liberal
media. The vaccine has
caused sudden death in otherwise
healthy people, paralysis,
convulsions, heart conditions
in young people, heart
attacks and strokes, miscarriages
and other complications
for women. People should be
screened before given this dangerous
vaccine because of possible
allergic reactions. Women
of child-bearing age should not
take the vaccine at all.
This vaccine does not cure,
it does not prevent you from
contracting the virus and it
does not stop you from spreading
the virus. So what’s the
point? Money. That’s no reason
to force the population to take
this dangerous vaccine.
New York City is run by
this communist mayor who
wants to take control over the
people of this city. This must
stop. Give all employees the option
to be screened and tested
weekly. Mandates are never acceptable.
Andrew Chirico
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.
File photo
Joe Biden arrives with U.S. Secret Service agents to speak at an event in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. June 2, 2020.
link
link