40 The QUEE NS Courier • december 26, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com editorial “Identify This Place” to find out where this is letters IDENTIFY THIS PLACE Go to www.queenscourier.com and search Lighting up the Hell Gate In the “bad” old days, people would drive to Shore Boulevard in Astoria Park, and instead of seeing the beautiful skyline that we enjoy today, would be invariably drawn to the 13 story, at its track base, behemoth full of graffiti that was the base of the Hell Gate Bridge, and the whole experience was ruined. The talk would invariably start of crime and dirt and filthy New York. No visitor could get past the thousands of graffiti tags and the locals had become inured and desensitized to it. In 1992, the New York Anti Crime Agency, with the help of the US Marine Corps RSNY, managed to change all that. On one very busy day in the spring of that year, over 100 NYAC volunteers, Marines and Police Officers cleaned 250 stores in Astoria/LIC and wound up painting the whole base of the Hell Gate Bridge clean of graffiti. Thousands of square feet were finally cleaned and for the last 21 years, alongside the NYC Parks Department, and with the blessing of Amtrak, NYAC has cleaned and maintained all the base bridge columns from Shore Boulevard to Steinway Street. Over two decades, there have been hundreds of cleanups, thousands of locations cleaned and dozens of murals painted. Nowadays, very few people remember any of that mess and just remember/recognize the beauty that is Astoria Park, the view that encompasses the East River and Manhattan and the majestic bridges that are the Triboro and the Hell Gate and the unique attractiveness of the whole scene. Still, this beautiful, historic bridge lacks lighting. There are three main reasons this needs to be remedied: • Safety is foremost, in even light mist or fog the bridge is basically invisible, there are only three little lights for the whole massive span and that’s ridiculous. Historical significance: our city and neighborhood have a unique historical jewel in our midst, neglected for decades. Why not make it a visual gem also, especially in time for its 100th anniversary in 2016? • Community Pride. This bridge needs to be lit up and become a focal point of the skyline of New York, like so many other iconic structures of our city. This would not cost a lot and would not even involve any land use or architectural issues. NYAC would work together with many neighborhood organizations such as the Astoria Historical Society, Central Astoria and Parks groups. We want our Congressional reps, Carolyn Maloney and Joseph Crowley, to help us make this a reality. Involve local people and media in a design competition to see what the best design should be. The bridge’s time as a forgotten stepchild can’t be over too soon. Let us know what you think, please contact the New York Anti Crime Agency by email at [email protected]. Antonio Meloni, Director, New York Anti Crime A question of wealth Our leaders, with their laws, regulations, and executive orders mandating the “greater good” are dismantling the Constitution and nullifying the Bill of Rights. Successful, wealthy persons are labeled greedy “one percenters;” “rich” is equated with evil, and the term “individualist” has become synonymous with “sociopath” or selfish. We measure the success of welfare programs by the number of people who are added and not by how many drop out and become self reliant. Programs that were instituted to conditionally aid and support families in times of crisis have become “entitlements” and have been expanded to guarantee recipients an ample satisfying life style. Dependency is nurtured, which is why signs in wildlife preserves remind us not to feed the animals. In this day and age, it is acceptable and even fashionable to demand confiscatory taxation and expropriation of wealth to support the lifestyles of the “99 percenters” in the name of “fairness.” The IRS claims the top 10 percent of earners are not paying a “fair share,” when in reality they account for 70 percent of the revenue collected. How much more should these people pay to accommodate the new paradigm of “fairness?” Voices around the world, among them the International Monetary Fund, are calling for higher taxes on the wealthy. The IMF calculates that the revenue-maximizing tax rate for the United States is 56 to 71 percent, way above the present 45 percent top rate for federal, state and local taxes combined. Will someone with an ounce of integrity please explain and clarify which international law authorizes confiscation of private wealth? Denials and intellectual dishonesty cannot obfuscate the assault on the Constitution. No amount of government redistribution can overcome the ultimate poverty of spirit. Ed Konecnik Flushing In last week’s Courier, the LIC Flea photos were taken by Mike Savitsky NEW BEGINNINGS As we bid adieu to 2013, we also say goodbye to numerous legislators. From Mayor Michael Bloomberg to City Comptroller John Liu to city councilmembers and even the speaker, we wish each well in his or her future endeavors. And we wish our freshman class of politicians the best of luck. Looking ahead to 2014, there are some issues we’d like our new legislators to address: SCHOOLS: Unfortunately, overcrowding continues to be a major problem in our great borough. We must invest in new schools so that we may invest in our children and our future. CRIME: New York City continues to be one of the safest big cities in the country, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, through his Mayors Against Illegal Guns initiative, as well as Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and all the men and women in blue, have done a yeoman’s job in keeping us safe. In 2014, we hope that crime continues to decline under new Commissioner Bill Bratton. And we hope that he and the NYPD work together with the media so that we may help get criminals off the streets. PEDESTRIAN SAFETY: In the final days of this year, we saw an eight-year-old boy struck and killed on his way to school. This was not the first – nor the last – pedestrian fatality we’ve seen, unfortunately. Time and again our elected officials have called on the Department of Transportation to enact safety measures, especially around schools. We hope to see this happen in the coming year. Speed humps, reduced speed limits, more crossing guards – whatever it takes, we do not want to write any more stories of tragedies that might have been avoided. DEVELOPMENT: Our borough is burgeoning, and in 2013 we saw advancements in some major projects – Willets Point, Hallets Point, the USTA, even Hunter’s Point South. As we continue to grow, with more residents and businesses moving in, we hope that our legislators work together with community boards to meet everyone’s needs. We wish all our readers and advertisers a Happy New Year and remain committed to being “All about you” in 2014 and beyond – in print, on the web and on social media. The Courier will be on TV You’re used to us in print and online, but now The Queens Courier is going to be on TV! Editor-in-Chief Tonia N. Cimino sat down with NY1’s Rocco Vertuccio to discuss 2013, the year that was. So tune in to Channel 1 on Friday, December 27 at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. for a look back on the big headlines of the past year. 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. 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