FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • THE QUEENS COURIER 31
NEVER FORGET OUR
VETERANS’ SACRIFICE
Our nation will observe Veterans
Day on Nov. 11.
On this solemn day, all Americans
should remember our brave veterans
who have sacrifi ced so much so we can
continue to enjoy the freedoms that
we have in this great nation.
From the American Revolution
right through the Afghanistan and
Iraqi Wars, and all of the confl icts
in between, these brave men and
women fought against tyranny, fascism,
Nazism and Communism and
always prevailed.
So, on Nov. 11, if you are off from
work or from school, just pause for
a couple of minutes and say a silent,
refl ective prayer remembering our
wonderful, brave veterans and their
families.
God bless all of them and God bless
the United States of America, the
greatest and most wonderful country
in the world!
John Amato, Fresh Meadows
INTELLIGENCE,
PATRIOTISM, AND
A RECURRING NEED
TO FACT CHECK
I’m not as good of an American as
your average Trump supporter. But I
have an excuse. You see, my problem
is that I can think for myself.
I scrutinize evidence and documentation.
But I am “alternative fact intolerant.”
I can’t mindlessly accept obvious
lies presented by media outlets that
are just pawns in an administration
drowning in disgrace, scandal, crimes
and treason.
I can’t look away when the president
sends his attorney general to meet
with Roger Ailes because Fox “News”
reported a poll showing a majority of
Americans support impeachment.
I can’t ignore the president’s personal
attorney Rudy Giuliani meeting
with two of his “associates” prior
to their failed attempt at fl eeing the
United States with one-way tickets out
of Dulles Airport — failing because
they were arrested. Th is is the same
Giuliani who’s now being investigated
by the same Justice Department he
used to run.
And I’m truly incapable of thinking
of “one” reason why a president would
remove military aid to our Kurdish
allies and watch as Turkey immediately
moves in for the slaughter.
I’m incapable of ignoring the
Republican rats leaving the sinking
GOP ship. Whether it’s the fourth
Secretary of Homeland Security
(Kevin McAleenan), Secretary of
Energy Rick Perry or another National
Security Advisor (John Bolton).
My affl iction can best be described
as intelligence & patriotism combined
with a recurring need to fact check. As
a result, unlike most Republicans, I’m
unable to digest B.S. But it’s obvious
that Trump supporters are full of it.
Robert LaRosa, Whitestone
NYC SUBWAY SYSTEM
CELEBRATES 115TH
ANNIVERSARY
Riding the old 1904 subway cars
between Times Square and 96th Street
was a great way to celebrate the 115th
Anniversary NYC Subway System!
On Oct. 27, 1904, the Interborough
Rapid Transit company opened the
fi rst subway line. It ran nine miles
from City Hall uptown on the East
Side across 42nd Street (today’s 42nd
Street Shuttle) to Times Square and
proceeded uptown to 145th Street and
included 28 stations.
More than 150,000 riders paid
a fi ve-cent fare. Th e original BMT
(Brooklyn Manhattan Rapid Transit –
today’s B,D,J,M, N,Q, R, W & Z lines)
and IRT (Interboro Rapid Transit -
1,2,3,4,5,6,7, Franklin Ave and Times
Square shuttles) subway systems were
constructed and managed by the private
sector with no government operating
subsidies.
Financial viability was 100 percent
dependent upon farebox revenues.
Th ey supported both development
and economic growth of neighborhoods
in Manhattan, Brooklyn,
Bronx and Queens. As part of the
franchise agreement which owners
had to sign, City Hall had direct control
over the fare structure. For a time,
owners actually make a profi t with a
fi ve-cent fare.
In 1932, New York City began building
and fi nancing the construction of
the new IND (Independent Subway –
today’s A,C,E,F & G lines). Th is new
municipal system subsidized by taxpayers
dollars would provide direct
competition to both the IRT and
BMT. Municipal government forced
them into economic ruin by denying
them fare increases that would have
provided access to additional needed
revenues.
Big Brother, just like the Godfather,
made them an off er they couldn’t
refuse. Th e owners folded in 1940 and
sold out to City Hall.
Larry Penner, Great Neck
oped letters & comments
Astoria ferry needs a
stop at Hallets Point
BY CLAUDIA COGER
From the tip of Halletts
Point in Astoria, the Upper
East Side of Manhattan looks
so close you can almost touch
it. Only 1,500 feet of open
water separates these two
neighborhoods. But try getting
there from here.
If you want to take a ferry, you need to sail south
along the Queens shoreline to Long Island City,
cross the East River to East 34th Street and switch
to another ferry heading north along the opposite
shore, or traipse inland to grab a bus or subway.
If you want to go the whole route by subway,
well, get ready for a long trip. You’ll need to walk
15 to 20 minutes to get the N or the W, take it into
Manhattan and then transfer to another subway
to get uptown, a trip that takes more than an hour
to traverse 1,500 feet by boat.
Th e strange thing is, there are ferry landings at
each spot and regular ferry service. Th ere’s just no
direct route.
I’m the president of the tenants’ association of
the Astoria Houses, one of the city’s oldest and
largest public housing properties. Th e Astoria
Houses takes up a good portion of the peninsula
we call Halletts Point.
I’ve lived here since coming to New York in the
1950s. My roughly 3,500 neighbors are hard-working
people, many of whom are the attendants and
nurses and technicians at our city’s hospitals and
medical institutions, like Metropolitan Hospital
and Weill-Cornell New York Hospital, that are
clustered on the Upper East Side. Th ese folks are
oft en exhausted before they even get to work.
But there is an easier way. Th e Astoria NYC
Ferry landing is just a block from our complex
of buildings. From it, you can see the landing on
90th Street in Manhattan as clear as day, even on
a rainy one. If there were a direct connection,
this onerous commute would take our residents a
matter of minutes.
So why isn’t there one? Th e city’s Economic
Development Corporation has declared a moratorium
on new ferry routes until 2021. But we
implore the NYCEDC to re-think this stance.
Allowing the Astoria Ferry to make one more stop
across the river is not a new route, it’s just adding
to an existing one. And it will make untold
lives better.
Of course, it’s not just about getting to work.
Residents of the Astoria Houses and surrounding
communities will also benefi t from a oneseat
ride to places like the Cornell Tech campus
on Roosevelt Island. Western Queens, the Upper
East Side, and the South Bronx have a lot to share;
including world class museums, parks, schools,
recreational facilities and restaurants, in addition
to connections to centers of employment and
education. Ferries can tie them all together.
It’s also good business. Th is route extension
would bring in more riders, with a low subsidy
per rider. Only a small investment in operational
funds, would be the kind of short, high-volume
run that experts say will improve the economics
of ferry service.
Truly, I see no downside. It’s good for my neighbors,
good for the economy, good for the environment
and good for the city.
Claudia Coger is president of the Astoria Houses
Residents’ Association.
RAINY DAYS IN LONG ISLAND CITY // PHOTO VIA INSTAGRAM @jeff waltersphotography
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