36 The QUEE NS Courier • FEBRUARY 7, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com editorial THE QUEENS Schneps Communications, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361 718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441 website: www.queenscourier.com e-mail:editorial@queenscourier.com ads@queenscourier.com queenscourier@queenscourier.com Entire Contents Copyright 2013 by The Queens Courier All letters sent to THE QUEENS COURIER should be brief and are subject to condensing. Writers should include a full address and home and office telephone numbers, where available, as well as affiliation, indicating special interest. Anonymous letters are not printed. Name withheld on request. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, AS WELL AS OP-ED PIECES IN NO WAY REFLECT THE PAPER’S POSITION. No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of THE QUEENS COURIER. The publishers will not be responsible for any error in advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Errors must be reported to THE QUEENS COURIER within five days of publication. Ad position cannot be guaranteed unless paid prior to publication. Schneps Communications assumes no liability for the content or reply to any ads. The advertiser assumes all liability for the content of and all replies. The advertiser agrees to hold The Quens Courier and its employees harmless from all cost, expenses, liabilities, and damages resulting from or caused by the publication or recording placed by the advertiser or any reply to any such advertisement. IDENTIFY THIS PLACE letters Victoria Schneps-Yunis Joshua A. Schneps Bob Brennan Tonia N. Cimino Amy Amato-Sanchez Nirmal Singh Wayne Robins Graziella Zerilli Stephen Reina Ron Torina, Jennifer Decio, Cheryl Gallagher Melisa Chan, Alexa Altman, Terence Cullen Cristabelle Tumola, Maggie Hayes Cliff Kasden, Samantha Sohmer, Elizabeth Aloni Cristabelle Tumola Bill Krese Jan DiGeronimo Louise Cavaliere Celeste Alamin Maria Valencia Victoria Schneps-Yunis Joshua A. Schneps Publisher & E ditor Co-Publisher Associate Publisher Editor-In-Chief VP, Events, Web & Social Media Art Director Copy Editor Assistant to Publisher Assistant Art Director Artists Staff Reporters Contributing Reporters Web Editor Editorial Cartoonist Director, Business Developm ent Senior Acc ount Executive Classified Manager Controller President & CEO Vice President To find out the answer to last week’s “Identify this place” please visit www.QueensCourier.com Regulate guns We have repeated mass murders even where there are guns available and people trained to use them. What could have prevented the 2011 Tucson (Arizona) shooting where the U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others were shot during a constituent meeting held in a supermarket parking lot (six people died)? What could have prevented the mass shooting that occurred on July 20, 2012 at a Century movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, where 12 people were killed and 58 others injured? We should not ignore that the key to gun safety is regulating the guns. The second Amendment is not under attack, it has never been under attack. We do not ignore car safety saying cars do not kill people, drivers do. The solution is better gun control. First, Congress should pass the Fix Gun Checks Act, which would close the “private sale loophole.” It would require every gun buyer to pass a background check. Second, it is time to pass an enforceable and effective assault weapons ban. A previous ban expired in 2004, and even though President George Bush supported reinstating it, Congress never acted. Congress should also ban the highcapacity magazines that have been used again and again in many mass shootings. Third, the president and Congress should work together to make gun trafficking a felony – as Senator Gillibrand, Congressmember Carolyn Maloney, and others have proposed. Let’s stand together for the kids and teachers of Newtown and the Americans that die from senseless gun violence on a daily basis in our country perpetrated by people with unregulated access to guns, tools designed to kill. A. V., South Ozone Park Koch was a legend The passing of former Mayor Ed Koch is truly very sad news. During his distinguished career as a congressmember and mayor, he always had a very upbeat, candid attitude with everyone. He always spoke his mind, and even if you did not agree with him, you had to respect him. He took no guff from anyone. He certainly was a very important part of New York City’s political history, and he will be sorely missed. In my opinion, Koch did just great. John Amato Fresh Meadows Avoid a conflict of interest Concerning “de Blasio declares for mayor” (Maggie Hayes, January 31), New York City will have a $70 billion budget in fiscal year 2014. This is greater than most states and many nations. De Blasio has never built a business, created jobs, met a payroll, balanced a multibillion dollar budget or managed any significant agencies with large numbers of employees. His ego, just like those of his predecessors Mark Green and Betsy Gotbaum, is attempting to use the office of public advocate as a stepping stone to run for mayor. He has no real qualifications for the second toughest job in America. Now that he has finally come out and declared his candidacy, de Blasio should avoid the appearance of any conflict of interest by resigning the as public advocate today. He should end the charade and be honest enough to run full time for mayor on his own time and dime. City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Comptroller John Liu should do the same. Larry Penner Koch did just fine The funeral service for former Mayor Ed Koch certainly was fitting. The service was packed with more than 2,500 people, including thfee other ex-mayors and many other politicians. Koch was a truly sincere, blunt and always very charismatic person who loved this city and its people. He always told it like it was, and never sugar coated anything that he had to say. Even if you did not agree with him, you had to respect him for who he was and what he stood for-honesty and candidness. We will miss him. He did just fine! He was one of the the best mayors that this city has ever had. He brought the city out of the worst fiscal crisis since the Depression. John Amato Fresh Meadows Larger than life He was famous for asking “How’m I doin?” and, judging by the turnout for his final sendoff, former Mayor Ed Koch did just fine. Koch, the three-term New York City mayor known for his larger than life personality and penchant for the big and small screen, died early Friday, February 1, after months of health complications. He was 88. “No mayor has ever embodied the spirit of New York City like he did,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg at Koch’s funeral, held on February 3 at Temple Emanu-El on the Upper East Side. “And I don’t think anyone else will. He understood that if you take tough stances and give it to the people straight, they’ll respect you for being honest even if they don’t agree with you.” Koch was exactly what this city needed. With the Big Apple on the brink of bankruptcy, Koch, as Bloomberg eulogized, “led us out of darkness.” He was affable, able to grace the corridors of City Hall and talk to everyday New Yorkers. A tough cookie, Koch loved his city more than anything. He embraced the role of its biggest supporter, and did so with a positive, upbeat energy that could not be matched. How fitting, then, that his casket was carried out to the strains of “New York, New York,” and an attendee wrote “You did great” in his guestbook. Guess Koch finally got the answer to his perennial question. Nimby: fear & loathing While we understand the concerns of residents, we feel they should have all the facts before they go jumping to conclusions. We’re talking about Queens Hospital Center (QHC), which is in talks with Comunilife, a nonprofit human services agency, to develop a deteriorated 10-story building on the hospital’s campus into 251 units of affordable, permanent supportive housing for individuals with chronic physical and mental health conditions. Residency at Jamaica’s “T-Building” would be coupled with access to supportive health care services, including case workers, a hospital executive said. Apartment preference would be given to patients of Queens and Elmhurst Hospital Centers suffering from ailments including diabetes and chronic heart failure. The plan first came to light late last year, and civic groups in Hillcrest expressed concern that a proposed mixed housing unit set to lodge individuals with chronic conditions might draw a “questionable population” next door. Last week, at a follow-up meeting, residents were up in arms at the prospect. We understand how important your safety and your community are, but at least make sure you are well informed before you insist “not in my backyard.”
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