editorial 26 THE QUEENS COURIER • MARCH 10, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com SNAPS QUEENS QUEENS ZOO FUN/ PHOTO BY MICHELLE LONG Send us your photos of Queens and you could see them online or in our paper! Submit them to us tag @queenscourier on Instagram, Facebook page, tweeting @queenscourier or by emailing editorial@qns.com (subject: Queens Snaps). letters & comments LAMENTING THE LOSS OF A GREAT FIRST LADY The death of former fi rst lady Nancy Reagan at the age of 94 leaves a void in our nation. She was former president Ronald Reagan’s source of energy, wisdom and compassion, especially during those last 10 years of his life, when he was being ravaged by Alzheimer’s disease. She always carried herself with poise and dignity and never was afraid to speak her mind. Our nation has lost a wonderful person and all Americans offer their deepest condolences to her children, relatives and friends. Now she is with her husband together forever at last. John Amato, Fresh Meadows HIGHER MINIMUM WAGES MEAN A STRONGER ECONOMY As a businessman here in Queens, it is in my interest to have a $15 an hour minimum wage. In addition to raising the wage of the most poorly paid workers, a $15 minimum wage will push up the wages of everyone else. That will mean more people who have discretionary income — and can afford to buy our books. Henry Ford proved that this works back in the 1920s, when he paid his factory workers higher-than-usual wages. FDR proved that this works in the 1930s and 1940s. And more recently, Seattle and San Francisco have created booming local economies — with a higher minimum wage. Goldman Sachs economists found that states where the minimum wage increased had faster employment growth. In addition, a living minimum wage means that fewer people will need food stamps and welfare, so governments will be able to reallocate sorely needed funds to education and infrastructure. This will provide an additional boost to the economy. Governor Cuomo has introduced legislation that would raise the minimum wage in New York to $15. We should all contact our elected offi cials and ask them to support it so we can all benefi t from a faster-growing economy. David R. Yale, Bayside BLAME AND FIRE EVERYONE FOR ILLEGAL CONVERSIONS Regarding illegal conversions in Bayside: The fact that you can purchase a house with a stop work order and open violations and have a legal closing is criminal. Buildings Commissioner Rick Chandler, the Department of Buildings and Mayor de Blasio should be ashamed of themselves. Don’t vote for de Blasio! He is personally responsible for allowing this situation to not only continue, but get worse and worse, year after year. I will vote for the fi rst candidate who promises to fi re everyone at the DOB! QNS user Squirt Ferry service to northeast Queens Most people tend to think of the East River as being just the body of water between Manhattan and Queens or Brooklyn. It just so happens, however, that the river makes a northeast turn at Randall’s Island and becomes the dividing line between northern Queens and the Bronx fl owing into the Long Island Sound. So it’s a wonder to us why the northern part of our borough — and, in particular, the transit-starved area north and east of the Long Island and Whitestone Expressways — has yet to be included in the city’s fi ve-borough ferry network. When Mayor Bill de Blasio visited The Courier’s offi ce last week, we broached that subject with him. We imagine that many of our readers might have asked the same thing. He didn’t dismiss the idea, but he did indicate that it might be some time before ferries reach northeast Queens. It’s not as if the region doesn’t have the access points to build a ferry dock. College Point’s MacNeil Park and Fort Totten Park are two areas situated perfectly. Ferries from these points could easily whisk people to and from midtown Manhattan along relatively open waterways in under an hour. A ferry ride, in our opinion, sure beats sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffi c on the Long Island Expressway during the rush hour, or having to make multiple-fare trips between buses and subways, or spending hundreds of dollars each month on a Long Island Rail Road monthly pass (if you happen to live near the Port Washington line). Enhanced ferry service is just the latest part of the city’s effort to expand transportation options across the city in the most cost-effective manner possible. In speaking with us last week, Mayor de Blasio was particularly enthusiastic about the Brooklyn Queens Connector, the $2 billion streetcar proposal along the East River waterfront between Astoria and Sunset Park, Brooklyn. It’s wonderful that the city’s top offi cials recognize Queens’ growing transportation needs and are working to act on them. The city needs has the will, and now it needs to fi nd the fi nancial way to get the job done. Rest in Peace, Mrs. Reagan For the fi rst few years of her life, Nancy Reagan — one of the most revered First Ladies in American history — resided in Flushing. This little factoid surfaced following news on Sunday that Reagan — the beloved wife of the late President Ronald Reagan — died of heart failure at the age of 94. A part of her childhood was spent in a home located at what was formerly 417 Amity St., which is now known as 149-40 Roosevelt Ave. It’s a nondescript house, and up until now, few people realized it once had such a famous resident. Born Anne Frances Robbins, she moved to Chicago with her divorced mother and changed her name when her mother married neurosurgeon Dr. Loyal Davis. While pursuing an acting career, she met Ronald Reagan; they were wed in New York in 1952, and she would remain by his side as he moved out of acting and into public offi ce — fi rst as California governor, then as president. During her husband’s two terms in the White House, Nancy Reagan took a proactive role in the fi ght against drug use with her “Just Say No” campaign and supporting tougher gun laws. After her husband left the White House, Nancy Reagan endured the struggles of the sunset of his life, as he suffered from the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s disease until his death in 2004. This native of Queens left an indelible mark on American life, and it’s fi tting her memory be honored in some way. We urge the city to support a measure renaming the Flushing block that Nancy Davis Reagan once called home be renamed in her honor. May Nancy Reagan rest in peace with her Ronnie, knowing that her contributions will live on forever. THE QUEENS PUBLISHER & EDITOR CO-PUBLISHER ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF VP, EVENTS, WEB & SOCIAL MEDIA ART DIRECTOR ASSISTANT TO PUBLISHER ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR ARTISTS STAFF REPORTERS WEB EDITOR CONTRIBUTING REPORTERS EVENTS MANAGER CLASSIFIED MANAGER CONTROLLER PRESIDENT & CEO VICE PRESIDENT VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS BOB BRENNAN ROBERT POZARYCKI AMY AMATO-SANCHEZ NIRMAL SINGH ALAN SELTZER STEPHEN REINA RON TORINA, JENNIFER DECIO, CHERYL GALLAGHER KATRINA MEDOFF, ANTHONY GIUDICE, ANGELA MATUA, ALINA SURIEL KATARINA HYBENOVA CLIFF KASDEN, SAMANTHA SOHMER, ELIZABETH ALONI DEMETRA PLAGAKIS CELESTE ALAMIN MARIA VALENCIA VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS Schneps Communications, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361 718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441 www.qns.com editorial e-mail: editorial@queenscourier.com for advertising e-mail: ads@queenscourier.com Entire Contents Copyright 2016 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 offi ce telephone numbers, where available, as well as affi liation, 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 fi ve days of publication. 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