32 The QUEE NS Courier • december 19, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com editorial “Identify This Place” to find out where this is letters THE QUEENS Victoria Schneps-Yunis Joshua A. Schneps Bob Brennan Tonia N. Cimino Amy Amato-Sanchez Nirmal Singh Graziella Zerilli Stephen Reina Ron Torina, Jennifer Decio, Cheryl Gallagher Melisa Chan, Liam La Guerre, Cristabelle Tumola Maggie Hayes, Angy Altamirano Cliff Kasden, Samantha Sohmer, Elizabeth Aloni Cristabelle Tumola Bill Krese Maria Romero Louise Cavaliere Celeste Alamin Maria Valencia Daphne Fortunate Victoria Schneps-Yunis Joshua A. Schneps Publisher & E ditor Co-Publisher Associate Publisher Editor-In-Chief VP, Events, Web & Social Media Art Director Assistant to Publisher Assistant Art Director Artists Staff Reporters Contributing Reporters Web Editor Editorial Cartoonist Events Manager Senior Acc ount Executive Classified Manager Controller Office Manager President & CEO Vice President Schneps Communications, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361 718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441 website: www.queenscourier.com e-mail:[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 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 Go to www.queenscourier.com and search Time made the right choice I would like to applaud Time magazine for the selection of Pope Francis as its person of the year. For better or worst depending on your point of view, Pope Francis has had an impact on our world today. He has sought to change the Church and make it more inclusive and has made attempts to welcome back those who have left and to bring others to the faith. Pope Francis has called on business, governments and world leaders to change how they treat the poor. He is the man of the hour who wants us all to care about those who have wants and needs. As a Catholic and as a member of the Knights of Columbus, I truly embrace Pope Francis who is a beacon of light and change. He truly is the personification of what Jesus taught and that is that we must love one another. For that I say, “Kudos Time magazine for honoring a true man of faith who has great concern for mankind.” Frederick R. Bedell Jr. Glen Oaks Village A question of action The best-kept secrets in City Hall are the cost overruns and time delays for renovations of the NYC Council chambers. Construction began in 2007 with an original cost estimate below $50 million and completion date of 2009. In 2008, the first of a series of cost overruns raised the price tag to $65 million. In 2011, it was announced that the final price tag was going to be $123.8 million with a completion date of July 2012. Due to unforeseen site conditions, the price went up another $25 million. This brought the total project cost to almost $150 million. This was accompanied by yet another new completion date of December 2013. Why are those responsible for having performed design and engineering accompanied by site preparation and inspection prior to the initiation of construction not held accountable for repeated project delays and cost overruns? Why did Council Speaker Christine Quinn, City Comptroller John Lui, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer remain silent about excessive number of both huge cost overruns and multiyear delayed in project completion? Will Mayor-elect de Blasio & Comptroller-elect Stringer take any action? Larry Penner Great Neck Real reason for the season Christmas is fast approaching -- there are last minute cards to send out and a few last minute presents to wrap and a few more decorations to hang. I think, though, we should take time out and think of our servicemen and women. It is truly hard on them this Christmas season, and especially on their children who will be missing their mothers and fathers. Let’s therefore remember to keep them in our prayers. Please keep Christ in Christmas because Jesus is the reason for the season. Frederick R. Bedell Jr. Glen Oaks Village, N.Y. Note of appreciation Mayor Michael Bloomberg is coming to the end of his term in office. He has served 12 years and his administration has had many ups and downs, but one thing is for sure -- he truly loved the City of New York and its people. He was also interested in the health of all New Yorkers and wanted us to live longer so we could really enjoy all that the city has to offer. Bloomberg along with Police Commissioner Ray Kelly have done what was necessary in fighting crime and have worked tirelessly to keep us safe and secure. For all that I say, “Thanks for being mayor of the greatest city in America.” Frederick R. Bedell Jr. Glen Oaks Village VISIT QueensCourier.com For more stories THANK YOU The Queens Courier would like to extend a special thank you to all who opened their hearts – and wallets – to once again help us make the holidays merry and bright for some borough children. Last week, our Editorial team – led by Santa Liam – visited the children of the Queens Centers for Progress Apple Preschool in Jamaica. Thanks to the generous donations of Assemblymember Ed Braunstein, Boy Scout Troop 49 of Bayside’s Sacred Heart and big-hearted Courier readers and advertisers, we were not only able to deliver toys, but true Christmas spirit. It is our mission to not only bring you the news, but to affect change and better the lives of the people in our great borough. And it is because of you that we were able to do that once again this year. So THANK YOU, from the bottom of our hearts. THE BIG SQUEEZE Everything seems to be going up these days . . . prices at the pump, taxes, groceries. Now there’s a plan to reduce five Queens bridge fares by nearly half – but only by tolling free city crossings. Under a proposal by transportation coalition Move NY, drivers in the cash lane would have to pay $7.50 one way and $15 round trip to travel across the Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg and Ed Koch Queensboro bridges. It would also cost the same amount to cross 60th Street in Manhattan, north and southbound. As a trade-off, E-ZPass tolls on the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, Bronx- Whitestone, Throgs Neck, Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial and Cross Bay Veterans Memorial bridges would be lowered by 47 percent. Cash fares on those bridges would go down by 33 percent. Call us crazy, but we agree with borough lawmakers who say the plan is “a bridge too far.” “Imposing tolls on motorists on bridges that are currently free is not the right way to go,” said Councilmember Eric Ulrich. “The two are not mutually exclusive. It’s not ‘take this or that.’” Together with Ulrich, State Senator Joe Addabbo has been fighting to eliminate the $3.75 cash toll residents have to pay on the Cross Bay Bridge to enter the Rockaways for years. That toll in particular we find especially ridiculous, since Rockaway residents are essentially PAYING to go to work and school. The impact on Queens would also be massive congestion around the Queensborough Bridge. Driving anywhere near the bridge is already a traffic headache on the LIC side. What would be done to improve infrastructure in Queens if there was a charge? Surely, there must be a better way for the city to raise revenue – without putting THE BIG SQUEEZE on residents.
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