BRONX TIMES REPORTER, N BTR OV. 26-DEC. 2,2021 13
letters & comments
To the editor,
We separate paper, metal
and glass from our regular
garbage so that those items
can be repurposed. Recycling
garbage is a positive action;
recycling spurious charges for
political gain is a sorry exercise
committed by those who
have nothing positive to contribute
to political discussion.
This week, the right-wing columnist
took recycling to a different
level by attempting to
paint Democratic politicians
as corrupt. To do so, the ideologue
recycled bogus charges
that have been discredited
years ago. For example, the
columnist asserted that the
IRS targeted conservative organizations
in a dastardly attempt
to disrupt their work.
He forgot to mention the DOJ
and FBI investigations which
found no evidence of political
or discriminatory motives by
IRS personnel. A standard
claim of conservatives is that
they are somehow victims and
the writer uses this fi ction
with gusto.
The writer also asserts that
Russian collusion with the
Trump campaign was “wholly
fabricated,” discounting the
mountain of evidence which
supports this charge, such as
the work of the Republicancontrolled
Senate Intelligence
Committee, which issued a
damning 966-page report supporting
the allegation. The
writer also denounces “actions
by elected offi cials that
threaten the stability of the
Republic.” However, he did not
condemn Trump’s Big Lie that
the election was stolen from
him or the Trump-incited
Capitol insurrection, actions
which truly menace our country.
I suppose he just forgot.
Pasqual Pelosi
To the Editor,
Re: Larry Penner’s opinion
piece, 11/12/2021
First, the link provided in
the article is a dud, although
I cannot necessarily ascribe
Donald Trump speaks alongside then-Mayor Mike Bloomberg at the opening
of the Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point in The Bronx, Oct. 16, 2013.
Photo by Spencer T Tucker/NYC Mayor’s Offi ce
blame to the author. Putting
the exact title of the article
into “Google” will come up
with it.
Second, I don’t understand
what in the Forbes article the
author feels is “must reading.”
The pandemic severely
reduced ridership. Metro area
transit agencies have lost billions
in revenue due to COVID.
Without helps from the
feds, local transit systems
would have gone broke. No
one can predict when (or if)
ridership will bounce back.
Blah blah blah. The Forbes
article contains absolutely
nothing new. But yet and still,
the author has nothing to say
about the bailouts mentioned
in the article, one of which
the author specifi cally pontifi -
cated against in a June 5, 2020,
opinion piece in this very publication.
The author is against any
system expansion until the
current system is brought to
a state of good repair. Fair
enough. Debatable, if not
valid. Yet in a July 21, 2020,
opinion piece in “Mass Transit”
magazine, the author
states “why not extend the
NYC transit #6 subway line
beyond the Pelham Bay Park
station terminal to directly
into Co-op City?” Forgetting
the sheer magnitude of this
project and the cost, which is
it? Is the author in favor of expansion
or repair?
The author mentions a
laundry list of repair jobs
needed without providing
even a scintilla of detail as
to what these jobs are. Then
he opines there is not enough
money in the MTA fi ve-year
capital plan to pay for all of
this. How can we possibly conclude
without knowing what
(the author feels) is needed
and what the author feels will
be the total cost?
How is it possible to take
anything the author says seriously
when his opinion pieces
contradict each other, sometimes
contradict themselves
within themselves, and contain
virtually no detail?
Nat Weiner
To the Editor,
In these diffi cult economic
times, as a result of COVID-19,
it is especially important to
patronize your neighborhood
businesses. Do it not only on
annual Small Business Saturday,
Nov. 26, but every day of
the year.
Small independent businesses
are at the mercy of suppliers,
especially third-party
brokers, who control the price
they have to pay for merchandise.
There are additional costs
of sanitizing the store and providing
protection to employees,
who deal with the public during
this ongoing health emergency.
I don’t mind occasionally
paying a little more to help
our local stores survive. The
employees go out of their way
to help fi nd what I need. Customer
service is their motto. As
an independent mom and pop
store, they don’t have bulk buying
purchasing power that Amazon
or large national chain
stores have. The owners can’t
negotiate lower prices from
suppliers. This is why they
sometimes charge a little more.
It is worth the price to avoid the
crowds and long lines at larger
stores in exchange for the convenience
and friendly service
your neighborhood community
store offers. Remember these
people are our neighbors. Our
local entrepreneurs have continued
the good fi ght to keep
their existing staff and suppliers
employed without layoffs
and canceling product or supply
orders. They continue to
work long hours, pay taxes and
keep as many employed as possible.
Many maintain the tradition
of offering job opportunities
to students during the
holidays and summer. Customers
also patronize other
commercial establishments
on the block. Foot traffi c is essential
for the survival of any
neighborhood commercial district.
If we don’t patronize our local
community stores and restaurants
to shop and eat, they
don’t eat either. This helps
keep our neighbors employed
and the local economy growing.
The owners of independent
mom and pop stores are
the backbone of our neighborhood
commercial districts.
Thank the hard working owners
and employees who continue
to work during these
hard times. Show your support
by making a purchase.
Stop by your favorite store
and also drop off a box of candy
or cookies as a show of appreciation.
Something sweet for the
holidays helps take the edge off
the stress we all face.
Larry Penner
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.
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Note that the address and telephone number will NOT be published and the
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right to edit all submissions.
People walk past a business that is closing following the outbreak of the
coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the Manhattan borough of New York
City, New York, U.S., August 17, 2020. Photo by REUTERS/Carlo Allegri//File
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