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18 THE COURIER SUN • MARCH 14, 2013 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com editorial letters   MAKE UP YOUR MINDS Talk about right under the wire. Less than 24 hours before it was set to take effect, a judge ruled the city’s sugary drink ban invalid. Supreme Court Justice Milton Tingling put a stop to the law that would have prohibited businesses around the city from serving sugary drinks with more than 25 calories per eight ounces in sizes larger than 16 ounces. The controversial ban, set to go into effect on Tuesday, March 12, had detractors and supporters on both sides. Business owners opposed Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposed ban of large sweetened beverages, reasoning that it would put a cap on their rights and water down sales. But Bloomberg,  weight loss groups  and other supporters pushed the controversial ban as a way to fight the city’s raising obesity rate. It was an ongoing battle of the bulge – until it fizzed out with Judge Tingling’s ruling. “The court ruling provides a sigh of relief to New Yorkers and thousands of small businesses in New York City that would have been harmed by this arbitrary and unpopular ban. With this ruling behind us, we look forward to collaborating with city leaders on solutions that will have a meaningful and lasting impact on the people of New York City,” said  Chris Gindlesperger, spokesperson for the American Beverage Association and co-plaintiffs Teamsters Local 812, Korean-American Grocers Association of New York, National Association of Theatre Owners of New York State, National Restaurant Association and New York Statewide Coalition of Hispanic Chambers of Commerce. But, like everything else in this city, it seems, the fight isn’t over. “We plan to appeal the sugary drinks decision as soon as possible, and we are confident the measure will ultimately be upheld,” the mayor’s office said on Twitter. Our opinion? Ban, no ban, just decide and let us know. This way we’ll know how to order our coffees at Dunkin’ Donuts. sun WWW.COURIERSUN.COM Victoria Schneps-Yunis Joshua A. Schneps Bob Brennan Tonia N. Cimino Amy Amato-Sanchez Nirmal Singh Wayne Robins Graziella Zerilli Stephen Reina Ron Torina, Jennifer Decio, Cheryl Gallagher Melisa Chan, Terence Cullen, 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 Victoria Schneps-Yunis Joshua A. Schneps Publisher & E ditor Co-Publisher Associate Publisher Editor-In-Chief VP, Events, Web & Social Media Art Director Copy Editor Assistant to Publisher Assistant Art Director Artists Staff Reporters Contributing Reporters Web Editor Editorial Cartoonist Director, Business Development Events Manager Senior Acount Executive Classified Manager Controller 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 2013 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. No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of THE COURIER SUN. The publishers will not be responsible for any error in advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Errors must be reported to THE COURIER SUN within five days of publication. Ad position cannot be guaranteed unless paid prior to publication. VIctoria Media Services assumes no liability for the content or reply to any ads. The advertiser assumes all liability for the content of and all replies. The advertiser agrees to hold THE COURIER SUN and its employees harmless from all cost, expenses, liabilities, and damages resulting from or caused by the publication or recording placed by the advertiser or any reply to any such advertisement. UNFAIR The MTA has raised transportation costs that affect all New Yorkers, which I find quite disturbing. This is not the time, with so many out of work and many of us finding it increasingly hard to make ends meet. We the commuters are having our pockets picked and it’s all legal. The 1 percent are getting richer while the 99 percent are getting poorer. Something is really wrong. “We the People” are being replaced by “They the People.”  Frederick R. Bedell Jr. Glen Oaks Village Preparedness is key After the U.N. Security Council passed the latest resolution condemning North Korea, that nation is now threatening to unleash a nuclear strike against the United States. Our country needs to take this latest bellicose threat more seriously and make sure that our military preparedness is up to strength. While the North Koreans may not yet have the ability to launch a nuclear missile that would reach here, we need to be on alert. Our country must maintain its ability to deter aggression and be able to defend itself from any potential enemy, including and especially North Korea. That is why it is important that the Pentagon not reduce its budget for military defense and preparedness. John Amato Fresh Meadows Time for reform Now that the presidential election has passed, perhaps it is time that we re-examine how we choose our candidates for the highest office in our country. I believe we should consider changes in our presidential primary system. The way things are done now, the states that conduct their primaries and caucuses early get the most attention. Often the nominee is chosen by the time we reach the middle of the primary process, if not before. Those states conducting their votes at the end of the “season” often do so in vain because a candidate nails down enough delegate votes to secure nomination before the primary process across the country is completed. In 2012, Governor Romney was locked in as the Republican nominee even before the New York primary took place. I believe we should have a national presidential primary on one date, probably in the late spring of a presidential year. This way, all votes will be important throughout the country. Since the presidential contest is a federal election, the rules of who should be allowed to vote in such an election should be uniform. Now, in some states, there is an open primary. In other states, like New York, only those enrolled in a particular party are allowed to vote in that party’s primary. Other political parties with a countrywide following should hold their own primary on a national presidential primary day as well as the Republicans and Democrats. Voters should not be limited to choosing between just two candidates from the so-called major parties. It would seem to me, as we move forward in the 21st century, there should be reforms undertaken so the American electorate has many choices of candidates to select from to hold the most important office in our country. We should also be making the voting process easier and more efficient to accommodate the electorate in selecting their political leaders. Henry Euler Bayside With sincere thanks Please print this so everyone who reads it will know what wonderful people we have in the fire department and EMS. Not long ago, around 1:30 a.m., my husband appeared to be having a heart attack. Waking up suddenly and also having a heart condition, I experienced even worse symptoms. We called 9-1-1 and within minutes, both the fire department and EMS arrived. They were ready, prepared and able to handle emergencies. We wish to express our sincere thanks to these wonderful, dedicated, kind and caring people who sacrificed their time and energy for us. They certainly make the world a better place. Martha Caselli Bayside


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