for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com MAY 23, 2013 • The queens CourieR 29 oped street talk Personally, I know a lot of people who have died because they were driving drunk . So I think it’s a good idea, and it could save a lot of lives. Sonia Singh BY JOHANN HAMILTON It’s actually good because it will help prevent car crashes and accidents, and it will prevent people from drinking too much before driving. Nilton Cruz I think the limit should be zero. People just shouldn’t drink and drive. Gilma Noronha It’s ridiculous. I was reading an article that said that between .05 and .08 people are impaired, but alcohol affects everyone differently. Roy Riecer Drunk driving is no good. I hear about so many people doing it, although I don’t know any personally. Hopefully now they don’t do it as much. Ashok Kumar It’s not going to make much of a difference, in my opinion. I don’t think it’ll change anything, people will do what they do no matter what. Chris Marino I think it will definitely change things. People will be more conscious about whether or not they decide to have a beer or two and then drive. Maria Magana I don’t think it’s fair. You could just have one or two drinks in 30 minutes, get in your car, and if you do anything suspicious and you get pulled over you’re in trouble. Romel Collado ALLOW HOUSES OF WORSHIP TO RECEIVE SANDY AID By U.S. Congressmember Grace Meng When Sandy slammed into our region late last year, homes, businesses and mass transit systems were not the only things devastated by the storm. More than 200 houses of worship throughout the tri-state area – including many here in Queens – were damaged or destroyed as well. But when these churches, synagogues, mosques and temples applied for disaster aid through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), their requests were denied because houses of worship are barred from receiving such assistance. This is wrong and unconscionable. It discriminates against houses of worship – many of which fed, comforted and provided shelter to thousands of people who were adversely impacted by Sandy – and it unfairly treats these institutions differently from other nonprofit entities. That is why I have spearheaded an effort to change this misguided policy. After an unsuccessful attempt to attach an amendment onto the Sandy aid package, I joined forces with Congressmembers Chris Smith and Peter King to sponsor legislation that would add houses of worship to the government’s list of private nonprofit organizations that qualify for FEMA assistance. Working with my two colleagues – and other Republicans and Democrats – in a concerted bipartisan manner, we were able to pass our bill by an overwhelming margin of 354-72. Although there are some who oppose this legislation due to concerns over the separation of church and state, their worries are without merit. There are precedents for federal aid to disaster-damaged houses of worship. After the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, Congress overruled FEMA’s refusal to provide assistance to the area’s damaged churches. In 2002, after an earthquake in Seattle, the Justice Department intervened to order FEMA to assist religious organizations that were impacted by the disaster. The measure is supported by numerous local and national organizations including: the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops, American Jewish Committee, New York City Council and Speaker Christine Quinn, Jewish Federations of North America, the Most Rev. William Murphy - Bishop of Rockville Centre, the N.J. State Association of Jewish Federations, National Association of Evangelicals, Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, United Jewish Appeal (UJA) of N.Y. and numerous newspapers and editorial boards. Now that the legislation has passed the House, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has agreed to take it up in the Senate. I call on all my colleagues there to support it, and I’ve sent a letter to key senators urging them to schedule a vote on the measure. Sandy was one of the nation’s worst natural disasters. Many houses of worship remain in desperate need of repair, and are still struggling to reopen. It is vital that these facilities be allowed to collect disaster funds from FEMA so that they can rebuild their properties and once again offer critical services to the individuals and communities that need them. Synagogues, churches and temples cannot wait any longer. The time is now to make this legislation the law of the land. For the facilities that continue to wait, it cannot come soon enough. U.S. Congressmember Grace Meng is a freshman Democrat representing Queens. What do you think of the proposal to lower the legal blood alcohol content?
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