20 The Courier sun • JANUARY 23, 2014 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com editorial letters Proper pizza ettiquette It was just reported that Mayor Bill de Blasio eats his pizza with a fork and a knife. Well how about that. Now I guess I›m not the only one. de Blasio is a man after my own heart. You can›t enjoy a pizza and savor the taste and flavor if you don›t eat it slowly with a fork and a knife. To Mayor de Blasio I say, “Good show, you have good taste and truly know the proper way to eat pizza.” Frederick R. Bedell Jr. Glen Oaks Village Welcome back, Mr. Mimoni Glad to see Victor Mimoni is back with The Courier. I am looking forward to reading his insights. John Mulvey Value of Catholic schools National Catholic Schools Week is being celebrated through February 1. The theme for National Schools Week 2014 is “Community of faith, knowledge and service.” This has been celebrated for 40 years and its main function is to raise awareness of what Catholic schools provide. Catholic schools strengthen relationships and produce students strongly dedicated to their faith, families and communities by providing an intellectually stimulating environment rich in spirituality, character and moral development. We at St. Anastasia Knights of Columbus Council #5911 have seen this first hand with the fine students of Divine Wisdom Academy at St. Anastasia Parish in Douglaston, who have been educated there and have graduated with high honors. We have been involved with the school with their fundraisers. You see, we realize these students are tomorrow’s leaders. We even sponsor an essay contest every year. We give out certificates with a cash award to the three winners and last June we gave out four awards because they were so exceptional. We have been doing this for many years and have seen these young people turning in quite impressive essays, which I believe is due in part to caring parents and teachers who do their best to see that these young people become the very best they can be. As such I hope that God helps us to continue to keep our Catholic schools vibrant and thriving, for these schools need to stay open, as these young people are our nation’s future. Frederick R. Bedell Jr. Glen Oaks Village In response to ‘inequality’ Last week Ed Konecnik asked for a clarification of inequality. He asked if a bank teller should be paid the same salary as a doctor. Obviously not. But the CEO of a bank should not make more in a day than a bank teller makes in a year. Then he asked if a bus driver should earn as much as a pilot. There was a time when wide-body international captains earned $300,000 or more a year. Now? Firstyear pilots at US Airways would, theoretically, earn a minimum $21,600 a year (If they were hiring). The average salary for an MTA bus operator is $46,000. Does Mr. Konecnik consider that salary too high for a person who transports hundreds of people a day? Is a human life worth less than garbage? He says the Constitution only guarantees equality of opportunity. And he is absolutely right. The average American is not asking for a handout, he wants an EVEN playing field, a chance to earn a decent living and not have to work two or three jobs to provide for his family. According to the U.S. Labor Dept. Since 1978 CEO pay went up 725%, worker pay went up just 5.7%! I hope that helps clarify the definition of inequality. Remember the government bailout (taxpayer funded!) of 2008? Well, Wall Street profits are at an all-time high. Yet unions are to blame for our economy? Mr. Konecnik continues his letter by asking if anyone with an ounce of integrity can clarify which international law authorizes confiscation of private wealth. That is a question he should ask the CEOs, who’ve kept the American worker from earning a decent living wage while lining their pockets with obscene profits. I can’t speak about international laws but I can speak about the universal laws of compassion and fairness and human dignity. He ends his letter with a quote by Alexis de Tocqueville. Here is another quote he should consider: “Liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without faith.”- Alexis de Tocqueville. Robert La Rosa Whitestone IDENTIFY THIS PLACE Go to www.queenscourier.com and search “Identify This Place” to find out where this is THE GOOD . . . Who doesn’t love to win a blue ribbon? Well, here in Queens, we boast not one, not two, but THREE Blue Ribbon schools. And one of these, P.S. 46 in Oakland Gardens, celebrated the school’s award with a special ceremony last week. Bravo, we say! Bravo to the students who are diligent and work hard in their studies. Bravo to the teachers and principal Marsha Goldberg, who said the school’s best days are “yet to come.” And bravo to the parents who help to ensure their children make the most of their education. Keep up the good work! THE BAD . . . Beware the closing doors. It’s a tale almost as old as time, as residents, community leaders and business owners in LIC railed – pardon the pun – against yet another round of No. 7 train suspensions. The line will not run in parts of western Queens and Manhattan for more than a dozen – up to 22 -- weekends this year, starting the end of February. The suspensions will be in effect from 11:45 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday between Times Square-42nd Street and Queensboro Plaza. On some weekends, there will also be reduced or express only service between 74th Street-Broadway and Queensboro Plaza. Business owners are tired of potential financial losses, residents are sick of longer commutes and local politicians just want the MTA to finally listen to their ideas and communicate with the neighborhood. And though the MTA has said “We have made every effort to schedule these projects simultaneously to get as much work done as we can during these periods,” the lifeblood of LIC is the No. 7. Therefore, work should be conducted at night or at the very least, the MTA should provide a bus from Grand Central to Vernon/Jackson via the Midtown Tunnel. THE UGLY . . . Our hearts break for the family of Avonte Oquendo. Missing since October 4 of last year, we collectively held our breaths – and hoped for the best for the 14-year-old autistic boy that walked out of his LIC school. But that was not to be. A spokesperson for the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has confirmed remains found washed up in College Point are those of Avonte. The cause and manner of the death has not yet been determined and is pending future tests. To his mother, Vanessa Fontaine, we offer our sincerest condolences and can only hope that his death will intrinsically change how students with special needs receive services. sun WWW.COURIERSUN.COM 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 Jan DiGeronimo Maria Romero Warren Susman 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 Director, Business Developm ent 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 Sales fax: 718-631-3498 website: www.couriersun.com e-mail:editorial@queenscourier.com ads@queenscourier.com queenscourier@queenscourier.com Entire Contents Copyright 2014 by The Courier Sun All letters sent to THE COURIER SUN 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. 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