12 JANUARY 26, 2017 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM EDITORIAL It’s time to get involved All across the country this past THE HOT TOPIC STORY: The fi rst Denny’s restaurant in Queens will open in Jackson Heights SUMMARY: The popular chain restaurant Denny’s will open its very fi rst Queens location in Jackson Heights. REACH: 19,936 (as of Jan. 23, 2017) COMMENTS: ESTABLISHED 1908 Co-Publishers VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS JOSHUA SCHNEPS Editor-in-Chief ROBERT POZARYCKI Classifi ed Manager DEBORAH CUSICK Assistant Classifi ed Manager MARLENE RUIZ Reporter ANTHONY GIUDICE © 2017 SCHNEPS NY MEDIA, LLC. General Publication Offi ce: 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361 TELEPHONE: 1-718-821-7500/7501/7502/7503 FAX: 1-718-224-5441 E-MAIL: [email protected] WEB SITE: www.qns.com ON TWITTER @ridgewoodtimes PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY FOR 108 YEARS COMPOSITION RESPONSIBILITY: Accuracy in receiving ads over the telephone cannot be guaranteed. This newspaper is responsible for only one incorrect insertion and only for that portion of the ad in which the error appears. It is the responsibility of the advertiser to make sure copy does not contravene the Consumer Protection Law or any other requirement.TIMES NEWSWEEKLY Is Listed With The Standard Rate & Data And Is A Member Of The New York Press Association SNAPS SWANS AT CROCHERON PARK PHOTO BY ELIAS BONAROS VIA FACEBOOK 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 @QNS or by emailing [email protected] (subject: Queens Snaps). weekend, tens of thousands of people took to the streets and made their voices heard in a dramatic public appeal to the new president and the new Congress that their voices not be ignored. As sacred as the ritual of presidential inauguration every four years is the First Amendment right to peaceful assembly and petition. That amendment goes to the very core of our democracy, that voice of the people that new President Donald Trump stressed in his inaugural address as being so important and meaningful. The Women’s March held on Jan. 21 sought not only to merely get the new president’s attention or denounce his presence, but to also ensure that the government understand the importance of preserving reproductive rights, civil rights and affordable health care access, while also protecting those among us who don’t have the ability to defend themselves. This wonderful movement, however, needs to be sustained beyond one day. We can’t expect people to march en masse every weekend, but the public should know that it can voice its feelings to government through a variety of means. They can start on a micro-local level. Queens has an array of civic associations looking out for the interests of the many neighborhoods within our borough. Over the years, interest and participation in these groups has waned for whatever reason. It seems that business only picks up when a problem arises, and once it is solved, those who were active retreat back to the comforts of home. To paraphrase President John F. Kennedy, now is as good a time as any to “ask not what a civic association can do for you, but what you can do for your civic association.” Find your local civic group and become a volunteer member. Attend the monthly meetings and become part of the conversation. Local elected offi cials listen to the local civic groups; they know that the outcome of the next election is only as good as the support they get from these organizations and their memberships. Individually, take the time to call your local Member of Congress, state legislator or City Council member whenever an issue or a bill arises that you believe will be of great benefi t — or of great detriment — to the city, state or country. These lawmakers do listen to their constituents, and they can pass on the knowledge they receive from their districts to their colleagues in government in order to advance or stall legislative action. Democrats, Republicans and independents alike should get involved in their communities again. The health and well-being of our democracy depends on it.
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