CIVIC CENTER
Korony Post 253
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, J BTR JAN. 14-20, 2022 35
BY FRANK VERNUCCIO
Anger over the elitist and
unrealistic goals of Progressives
in Washington, state
capitals and city halls is rapidly
accelerating.
It is not hard to understand
why the citizenry is increasingly
unhappy. Strange decisions
and policies that are bizarre
and costly, in terms of
both dollars and safety, are being
made at a rapid pace.
In just the past month, it
was revealed that the White
House chose to delay a longscheduled
hypersonic missile
test to satisfy Vladimir Putin,
who has boasted of his own
hypersonic weapons. It wasn’t
a singular example. Despite
massive arms advances by
Russia, China and North Korea,
Biden has been reluctant
to adequately fund the Pentagon.
U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers
(R-AL), lead Republican of the
House Armed Services Committee,
warned that “It is time
for President Biden to prioritize
U.S. military modernization
over attempts to cozy-up
to Putin and Xi. Russia and
China have their foot on the
gas when it comes to developing
and deploying advanced
nuclear-capable hypersonic
systems, while this administration
looks for any excuse to
delay or cancel U.S. systems
and tests.”
The same week that this
occurred, the administration
fl oated the concept of providing
$450,000 payouts to each
illegal who had crossed the
border and had been separated
from accompanying
minors, a cautionary move
against the possibility that
children were being traffi cked
for sex. A prominent conservative
leader, Gerard Kassar,
stated: “Giving $450,000 in
U.S. tax dollars to unlawful
immigrants who crossed the
Mexican border into the U.S.
with children illegally is madness.
Millions of Americans
are struggling to get by under
President Biden’s tanking
economy, and his priority is
making unlawful immigrants
rich using their money? If
Mr. Biden and the Democrats
do this, how many more unlawful
immigrants will cross
into the U.S. with children in
tow? Can anybody count that
high?”
While Biden seems eager
to empty America’s treasury
to assist illegals, he seeks to
make it harder for ill veterans
to utilize their benefi ts.
American Military News reports
that they found that
there are “…roughly 520,000
pending VA claims for disability
compensation and benefi ts,
191,000 are considered to be
backlogged (defi ned as older
than 125 days)…To help navigate
that hurdle, private consulting
agents who work on
a contingency basis have become
an effective private sector
solution to this lack of this
assistance for veterans.”
The Biden White House is
not pleased that veterans have
employed a way to get the care
they are entitled to. The administration’s
budget carries
a provision that outlaws the
use of these facilitators.
The wide gap between Progressives
and the citizenry is
not restricted to national security,
illegal immigration or
a lack of appreciation of the
sacrifi ce made by veterans.
Governors and mayors of
“Blue” states have sided with
leftist educational groups and
radical unions over the good
of students and the rights of
parents. The most notable example
of this occurred during
the gubernatorial campaign
of Virginia’s Terry McAuliffe,
who in an unguarded moment
exclaimed that parents had
no say in what their offspring
were being taught.
McAuliffe’s candor wasn’t
the worst of it. Attorney General
Merrick Garland instructed
the FBI to go after
moms and dads who protested
against the misdeeds and negligence
of school offi cials that
endangered students, and the
politicization of public school
curriculum.
Many Progressive leaders
in city halls have sought
to defund the police, despite
a rising tide of crime directly
caused by their progressive
policies such as bail reform,
handcuffi ng the ability of law
enforcement to do its job, and
the policy of providing “sanctuary”
to illegal aliens who
have committed crimes.
The general refusal of both
social media outlets and television
newscasts to accurately
portray the objections of the
people, and the utter failure
of leftist policies, has added
considerable fuel to the growing
fi re.
BY AL D’ANGELO
“As you sow so shall you
reap.” The people in Manhattan
are getting a taste of voter
apathy. In our last election
only 20% of eligible voters cast
ballots. The results can best
be seen in the election of the
Manhattan district attorney
who will minimize fare beating,
trespassing, resisting arrest
and interfering with police.
These offenders will no
longer be prosecuted. Prosecutors
were also instructed
to downgrade felonies to misdemeanors
in certain cases;
for example, a person charged
with armed robbery, which
was previously a felony, will
now be downgraded to petty
larceny, a misdemeanor.
I was under the impression
that a district attorney was
supposed to protect law abiding
citizens, not criminals.
What is it going to take for
the 80% of eligible voters who
sat on their hands in the last
election, to realize they are to
blame for what is happening
in this city?
Are you happy with what
you see? A city under siege.
Elected offi cials more interested
in trying to blame
someone for our country’s
problems than coming up
with solutions. Let’s blame
Russia, let’s blame someone
for not handling the COVID
crisis properly, let’s blame
the protests in Washington
as an attempted overthrow of
the government, let’s blame
white privilege for the problems
that plague the Black
community.
Why do people in NYCHA
housing live in squalor while
we take better care of illegal
immigrants? Have bail reform
laws helped our safety?
Has allowing rioters to go unchecked,
helped our businessmen?
Is it OK for social media
and institutions of higher
learning to sensor unpopular
views? Has politics become
more important than right
and wrong? How can politicians
on both sides of the aisle
fl ip fl op their arguments depending
on who is in power?
A perfect example is the
fi ght over the fi libuster rule.
When the Republicans were
in power, they were opposed
to the fi libuster and the Democrats
were in favor. Now the
Democrats are in power, so
the Republicans are in favor
of the fi libuster and the Democrats
are opposed. While
they fi ght for power, we the
people sit back and shake our
heads while our democracy
slips away. The right to vote
is a privilege and a duty, in a
free society to shirk that responsibility
is un-American.
CIVIC CENTER
Morris Park
Civic Association
CIVIC CENTER
Community Action
Civic Association
BY TONY SALIMBENE
Hope to have some sort of
meeting this third Sunday,
Jan. 16. I was taught to always
have a professional meeting
at the prescribed day and
time, doesn’t have to be perfect.
I realize the Department
of NY suggests there should
be no indoor gatherings, canceling
the annual Mid-Winter
Conference, but business
must go on. We understand if
you are worried about meeting
indoors, no problem. We
will let you know if the club is
closed or if 4 Chaplains Sunday
is cancelled.
Sick call: We have Jose’
and Al recovering, keep
fi ghting guys. 1st Vice Cmdr.
Kevin Devine had a procedure,
thought of a bionic man
joke but this isn’t funny. Get
well soon Kevin.
Are you buying Legion
wear from National Emblem
Sales, otherwise it’s against
the law to sell our logo. I
know, bargain hunters, but
that little extra goes to support
American Legion programs,
fl ags, too. The one outside
your home and the one
your boss said OK to at work?
Please replace fl ags through
the Emblem Sales Catalog,
available at the next meeting.
Until Next Time: “Believe
you can and you’re half way
there.” – Teddy Roosevelt
NEW YORK, USA - 01 MAY, 2020: Police offi cers performing his duties on the streets of Manhattan.
Photo courtesy Getty Images