WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES NOVEMBER 2, 2017 13
LETTERS AND COMMENTS OP-ED
FOOD FIGHT
OVER MEATLESS
MONDAYS?
The Department of Education, bursting
at the seams with its compulsively
conceived innovations, has established
a pilot program of “Meatless Mondays”
in school cafeterias. That’s a tall order.
The DOE is anxious to ensure that
every penny of its budget is lovingly
spent before the close of the fi scal
year, or else it may lose funding in
the future. In government circles this
phenomenon is known as “use or lose.”
No matter how slick the advertising
of new menu products, or upscale their
ingredients, or seductive the sound of
the title of the new dishes, the kids
won’t be fooled or swayed. These kids
haven’t yet developed the adult skill of
wilful blindness to folly.
They will do again what they did not
many years ago when the DOE recruited
a high-priced sous chef bearing
novel enlightened recipes and held
a full-court press to introduce him.
The kids either spat it out, dropped it
to the fl oor, threw it at mates or adults
assigned to the cafeteria, or just ate
any available default item.
The surest way to spark a student
riot it to take away their pizza and
replace it with carrot hot dogs.
Ron Isaac, Fresh Meadows
DEEDS NOT WORDS TO
STOP OPIOID CRISIS
We welcome the president’s announcement
declaring the opioid crisis
a national public health emergency.
The growing opioid epidemic is devastating
individuals and families
across our country, and requires
urgent and sweeping attention.
However, the president’s action
needs to go further—and must include
the allocation of new resources
to fi ght the opioid epidemic; that
means more funding for overdose
prevention education, syringe exchange
and distribution of Narcan
(overdose reversal drug).
Existing federal programs, like
the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program,
currently off er services for people
facing substance use and mental
health challenges. Diverting existing
budgetary allotments that are designated
to treat and prevent HIV/AIDS
and other illnesses will harm the
public health, rather than respond
with needed resources to combat the
escalating opioid epidemic.
While our president has branded
the epidemic “a public health emergency,”
in order for our country to
become, as Mr. Trump said, “the
generation that ends this crisis,” we
need the president and secretary
of health to earmark additional
funding.
Sharen I. Duke, Executive Director
and CEO, The Alliance for Positive
Change
Email your letters to editorial@qns.
com (Subject: Letter to the Editor) or
leave a comment to any of our stories at
QNS.com. All letters are subject to editing.
Names will be withheld upon request, but
anonymous letters will not be considered
for publication. The views expressed in
all letters and comments are not necessarily
those of this publication or its staff .
Gambling with our
rights and protections
BY JOHN DURSO
Every 20 years, New Yorkers are
asked to vote on the merits of
holding a state constitutional
convention. On Election Day, this referendum
question will be on the back
of your ballot and your vote will decide
whether or not we should revisit our
state constitution for amendments.
While it sounds like it would be a
good opportunity to make change,
this idea discounts the fact that we
are also opening both ourselves and
future generations up to having
our hard-earned rights rolled back.
The New York state constitution is an
incredible document that provides
some of the most explicit protections
for our state’s working families. It
specifi cally guarantees the right to
collective bargaining, giving workers
a voice on the job to fi ght for
better wages and benefi ts, raising
standards for New York’s union and
non-union workers alike. Our constitution
also protects pensions for
dedicated public sector employees
who keep our towns and cities running.
It even ensures our access to
workers compensation should we be
injured while at work and the right
to public assistance should we fall on
hard times.
Advocates for the constitutional
convention have argued that opening
our state constitution would allow for
the inclusion of a progressive agenda,
such as ethics reform and codifying
important civil rights. I agree that
there is always progress that can and
should be made. However, we have
accomplished many great things that
improve the lives of New Yorkers in
the last 20 years including paid family
leave, marriage equality and raising
the minimum wage, amongst others.
The issues that are currently being advocated
for can similarly be addressed
through the legislative process. By
opening our state constitution, we also
open ourselves up to other agendas
and a constitutional convention does
not necessarily guarantee a progressive
outcome.
The fact is, the political climate that
we live in is fi ercely partisan and in
many cases, it is also anti-worker and
pro-austerity. There is a growing national
appetite amongst conservatives
for policies like “Right to Work” which
strip away unions’ ability to eff ectively
advocate for not just the men and
women they represent, but workers
as a collective.
A constitutional convention creates
a very clear opportunity for corporations
and super wealthy special
interest groups to start chipping at
away our rights and protections in
order to further their own interests
and wealth.
Furthermore, proponents of the
convention are billing it as a “People’s
Convention.” However, traditionally,
convention delegates have been
comprised of sitting elected offi cials,
despite the fact that they do already
have the ability to make changes to the
state constitution as necessary. Delegates
would also receive an $80,000
salary, which in many cases would
double some already taxpayer-funded
salaries.
New York has been home to many
groundbreaking movements and
victories, and I believe more is to
come. However, a state constitutional
convention would be the ultimate
gamble, leaving us vulnerable to the
infl uence of big money and special
interest groups and with too many
unknowns in regards to the status of
our rights as working people, taxpayers
and residents.
We cannot put our rights on the
table on Nov. 7. I encourage you to join
me and so many other New Yorkers
by voting against the constitutional
convention referendum.
John R. Durso is the president of
Local 338, RWDSU/UFCW, which
represents more than 13,000 workers
in the food and health care industries,
among other businesses.
Queens marked the fifth anniversary
of Hurricane Sandy this past week,
and we found in our archives a rather
unforgettable image taken during
the cleanup. These very unusual sand
dunes were created out of sifted sand
that piled onto Rockaway streets
during and after the superstorm.
Photographer Stephane Miller took
this picture of the dunes made in Riis
Park in January of 2013. Look closely
and you’ll see the Gil Hodges-Marine
Parkway Bridge in the background.
Send us your historic photos of Queens
by email to editorial@qns.com (subject:
A Look Back) or mail printed pictures
to A Look Back, ℅ The Queens Courier,
38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361.
All printed pictures will be carefully
returned to you.
A LOOK BACK
