FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com MAY 21, 2015 • THE COURIER SUN 31 for breaking news visit www.timesnewsweekly.com MAY 21, 2015 • times 13 oped letters Name athletic field for fallen cop We have lost Police Officer Brian Moore of the 105th Precinct, who died in the line of duty. He was a brave officer and, at the age of 25, had an exemplary career. I think it is time to honor him in a way that demonstrates that his life was a shining example for our youth. I have a suggestion. I live in Glen Oaks Village on Commonwealth Boulevard, and there is an athletic field being built. According to one of the workers named Anthony, there will be a baseball field, a soccer field, a football field and a track. This athletic field is in the 105th Precinct, and it would be a great tribute to Officer Brian Moore and ensure that his memory and what he stood for will not be forgotten. Our youth will be reminded to be the best they can be as Brian Moore was, as he tried to protect and serve the community. I therefore ask all of our politicians to look into the possibility that this field be called the Brian Moore Athletic Field. Frederick R. Bedell Jr., Glen Oaks Village A Newsworthy feAt for city high schools It hardly made the news. Maybe it shouldn’t, because it should have come as no surprise, given the New York City public school system’s long history of competitive excellence. Nine of the top 10 high schools in New York State are city public schools. Twelve of the top 15 are also from the five boroughs. That rating was not biased. It came from the reliable and respected U.S. News and World Report rankings. Incessant critics of our public schools like to apply the phrase “no excuses” when reasoned attempts are made to explain the frustrations, such as bulging class size and austere funding, of public school operations. Now let’s hear A LOOK BACK some unmitigated praise for some stellar specimens of our exemplary public schools. Come on. No excuses! Ron Isaac, Fresh Meadows cuttiNg AmtrAk cAsh isN’t the ANswer With bodies still being removed from the Amtrak derailment, Republicans not only voted against a bill to increase funding for Amtrak, they voted to cut $252 million from its budget. Apparently, the GOP thinks the way to safer train travel is less funding. House Speaker John Boehner was asked what he called a “stupid question” — whether there was a link between federal cuts in Amtrak funding and the train derailment that killed eight people. Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer noted that The National Transportation Safety Board declared that installation of automated Positive Train Control technology would have prevented the crash. It is simply a fact that insufficient funding for Amtrak has delayed the installation of PTC, and to deny a connection between the accident and the underfunding of Amtrak is to deny reality. When asked for a rebuttal, Boehner asked for a clarification of the term “reality.” Bridges falling apart, highways in dire need of repair, it’s all part of our nation’s infrastructure, yet Republicans continue to cut funding on what they call “wasteful programs.” Food stamps? Cut. Welfare? Cut. Veterans benefits? Cut. Alternative energy research? Cut. Stem-cell research? Cut. Programs to address climate change? Cut. But $67 billion for the F-22 fighter jet? Sure, even though it was barely used, did not factor in Iraq or Afghanistan and has now (finally) been scrapped. Yet the GOP cuts Amtrak funding by $252 million. Nice job. Robert LaRosa, Whitestone Rent laws protect tenants and preserves communities By SHEILA GARCIA ANd HARVEy EPSTEIN In Joseph Strasburg’s editorial published on May 14, ”Rent rules hurt everyone,” he attacks Mayor DeBlasio’s proposal to strengthen the rent laws and conveniently ignores all the facts about the New York City real estate market. The facts show that what the mayor is proposing is exactly what is needed to save NYC’s largest stock of affordable housing. Landlords and their lobbyists have weakened rent laws for the past 20 years. Allowing landlords to have vacancy bonuses and rights to deregulate apartments has led to the loss of almost 300,000 affordable, rent-stabilized apartments. In addition, vacancy deregulation creates an incentive for landlords to harass existing rent-stabilized tenants so that tenants move out, landlords increase rents and the apartment gets closer and closer to the threshold. Removing this incentive, as the mayor has proposed, is absolutely critical. Mr. Strasburg also ignores the fact that rent increases proposed by the Rent Guidelines Board have overcompensated owners over the past 20 years. Rent increases by the board have resulted in a 34 percent increase in net operating income. Rents in rent-stabilized apartments have also increased at a pace that far exceeds the consumer price index in the past two decades. He further ignores the fact that rent-stabilized tenants are low income, earning, on average, less than $40,000 per year. Strasburg also overlooks the fact that most of the rent-stabilized apartments are owned by large corporations, many of which engage in predatory tactics. If owners really do need increases, they should open their books. Moreover, rent regulation is not just about protecting tenants from huge rent increases and market speculation — it is about preserving the stability of our neighborhoods. Rent regulations give tenants the right to have their leases renewed and stay in their apartments, making a home to raise their children and grandchildren. Without this protection, the 2.5 million tenants who live in rent-stabilized apartments would worry about where they would live every time their lease expired — every one to two years. This important protection allows tenants to confront landlords who violate the law by not providing basic services or harassing tenants with frivolous lawsuits or charging them illegal fees. It allows tenants to organize, to call 311, to take their landlords to court. Without this protection, many tenants would not organize or fight for their rights, and many more would live in substandard housing conditions. This protection is good for all tenants at various income and rent levels. Tenant representatives work hard to support rent subsidies for low-income tenants. However, that is only one solution to the affordability housing crisis we have in New York. More than 60,000 New Yorkers are homeless. More than 28,000 individuals and families are evicted each year, and approximately half of those evictions are from rent-stabilized apartments. What tenants need right now is the end to vacancy deregulation, MCI reform, elimination of additional fees, a right to counsel in housing court and a rent freeze. This is essential for all New Yorkers. Garcia is the deputy director of Community Action for Safe Apartments (CASA) and Epstein is director of the Community Development Project at the Urban Justice Center. “My beer is Rheingold, the dry beer...” So begins the catchy, unmistakable jingle for Rheingold Beer that many of our older readers may remember. Shown above in this 1954 picture are Rheingold delivery trucks at the loading dock of the Liebmann Breweries in neighboring Bushwick. Thousands of people from Ridgewood and surrounding areas were employed by Rheingold, which was one of the largest brewing companies in the area for many years. The beverage itself gained a loyal following among drinkers for being the “refreshing, not sweet, extra dry treat.” The last call came for Rheingold in the early 1970s, but Ridgewood’s beer-making tradition is making a comeback. photo courtesy Ridgewood Times archives
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