32 THE COURIER SUN • NOVEMBER 13, 2014 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com editorial letters KEEP STORES CLOSED ON THANKSGIVING Thanksgiving Day is supposed to be a holiday when families and friends gather to give thanks for the many blessings. There is absolutely no reason for any retailer or wholesaler to be open on this very special holiday. The only retailer that seems to value Thanksgiving as a day to be with loved ones is the appliance store chain P. C. Richard and Son. They always are closed for Thanksgiving and always run a full-page commentary on how those retailers who choose to stay open are showing a total lack of respect for their employees and their families. Now, Macy’s is saying that it may open its stores at 6 p.m. Thanksgiving evening—that is totally ridiculous! Enough is enough already. If this keeps up, stores will be open on Christmas Day— that really would be a sad commentary on how money hungry businesses have become. John Amato, Fresh Meadows HYPOCRISY OF CANDIDATES Many registered Democratic Party voters could see through the hypocrisy of their candidates for governor, Senate and House of Representatives. With one hand, they gladly accepted President Obama’s assistance in raising millions in campaign funds. Yet, with the other, these same candidates refused to be seen in public shaking hands with the President and campaigning with him side by side. Worse, were those Democrats such as Kentucky’s Alison Lundergan Grimes and others who could not even come out of the closet and publicly admit that they voted for President Obama in 2008 and 2012. The Republican candidates’ margin of victory could have been different had many Obama supporters—both Democrats and Independents—come out to vote instead of sitting on their hands and staying home. Other Democrats counting on the star power of both former President Bill Clinton along with Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as substitutes for President Obama in many cases also lost. The Clintons could not even deliver their original home state of Arkansas for incumbent Senator Mark Pryor. Time may have taken away some of the former influence of the Clintons. Democrats counting on Hillary Clinton as the best candidate for President in 2016 may want to rethink this strategy. Larry Penner, Great Neck GOODWILL INDUSTRIES SUPPORTS ASTORIA COVE Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey Inc. offers its support in favor of the Astoria Cove development project. Our headquarters is located adjacent to and south of the proposed development site at Fourth Street and 27th Avenue, Astoria. Through our relationship with the many individuals and families in our complex and the neighborhood, we understand how imperative it is for low-income households in our area to have access to affordable housing, job training and assistive services. Our organization has worked diligently over the years with our local residents and policymakers to ensure that our community and constituents get their fair share of services and opportunities. Astoria Cove’s developers have held a number of community meetings and presentations so residents locally have the opportunity to learn, ask questions and express concerns about the project. Many who participated have found the developers to be receptive to ideas and willing to address our community’s concerns. In addition to bringing 345 affordable housing units, the project would also bring 110,000 square feet of street-level retail. Local retail establishments are components of a strong community we currently lack nearby and sorely require. The project has the capacity to create new opportunities for jobs, infrastructure growth and economic development. The surrounding communities will benefit from exciting new ventures, supports and services created as a result of The Astoria Cove project. The opportunity for the growth and prosperity for those who live and work on the Astoria-Hallets Point peninsula is paramount for us. For years we have sought to find new ways to serve this community. Astoria Cove will be a great boost to the programs we offer. It can empower residents to climb the economic ladder through the creation of jobs and career pathways. We support the developers’ efforts and look forward to the future opportunities the neighborhood will share with and as a result of Astoria Cove. Karen Means Chief Development Officer, Executive Vice President External Affairs Goodwill Industries of Greater New York & Northern New Jersey sun WWW.COURIERSUN.COM Victoria Schneps-Yunis Joshua A. Schneps Bob Brennan Leela de Kretser Amy Amato-Sanchez Nirmal Singh Graziela Zerili Stephen Reina Ron Torina, Jennifer Decio, Cheryl Galagher Liam La Guerre, Cristabell e Tumola, Angy Altamirano Katrina Medoff, Eric Jankiewicz, Salvatore Licata Cliff Kasden, Samantha Sohmer, Elizabeth Aloni Cristabele Tumola Demetra Plagakis Warren Susman Celeste Alamin Maria Valencia Daphne Fortunate Victoria Schneps-Yunis Joshua A. Schneps Publisher & E ditor Co-Publisher Associate Publisher Acting Editor-In-Chief VP, Events, Web & Social Media Art Director Assistant to Publisher Assistant Art Director Artists Staff Reporters Contributing Reporters Web Editor 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 www.couriersun.com editorial e-mail: editorial@queenscourier.com for advertising e-mail: ads@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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IDENTIFY THIS PLACE Go to www.queenscourier.com and search “Identify This Place” to find out where this is RESTORING THE ROCKAWAY TRAIN WOULD CHANGE QUEENS Pity the public official who will eventually have to decide what should be done with the abandoned Rockaway Beach Rail Line. While many thought the QueensWay, a spectacular park similar to Manhattan’s High Line, was a foregone conclusion, the heated debate that erupted this week proves that there’s still a ways to go before the borough is completely convinced. The fact that a reputable study has found that restoring the QueensWay would prompt half a million people to ride each day can’t be ignored by decision-makers. Politicians such as Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder have rightly pointed out that increasing transit to the Rockaways — not to mention the many neighborhoods that a restored service would connect — isn’t just good for one area. It’s good for Queens. Advocates for the QueensWay like to point out that restoring the train would cost as much as $700 million, whereas the proposed park, estimated at $120 million, is just a fraction of that. But one must remember that $700 million is a mere trifle when looking at the MTA’s capital budget for 2015 to 2019, which is forecasted to be roughly $32 billion. And, if the study is correct, and 500,000 New Yorkers use the line every day, it should be no time at all before restoring the railroad starts paying for itself — not to mention the added tourism that could be brought to the Rockaways. TO FILM OR NOT TO FILM... THAT IS THE QUESTION It’s easy to understand why small business owners in Queens might take objection to the incessant filming going on in the neighborhoods. Locked down streets and bulky equipment for days at a time can cause pain to merchants trying to make a daily living. But the solution can’t be to stop the film crews altogether — as everybody benefits from the spotlights being turned on the borough. We all know that Queens is New York’s “oh so cool other borough” much more so than Brooklyn. The more that’s captured on film, the more the borough’s economic fortunes grow. And, in the end, that’s how the small businesses will reap financial reward for a sacrifice we thank them for.
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