Letter: Cartoon

I always read the Letters to the Editor. I was very disappointed in the cartoon that was  in the paper. Here is a woman with 5 kids looking for a babysitter. So she voted for the school budget. It is in poor taste. Our school is not a babysitting service.

From The Desk Of NY State Senator Jack Martins: June 14, 2013

The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning

This past week, my office received a phone call at 1:23 a.m. from an organizer at MoveOn.org who threatened to oust me from office unless I embrace a bill calling for taxpayer funding of political campaigns. The call came as no surprise as people who call empty offices in the dead of night have no real intention of entering into meaningful discussion.

So I’ll share my position here. To be clear, I consider taxpayer financed political campaigns to be one of the most blatant exploitations of hard-working New Yorkers I have come across.  Proponents claim it cleans up elections by taking money out of the game. It doesn’t. It merely substitutes your tax dollars for private donations.

Letter: Failure to Migrate

I read your story about Canadian Geese. A large part of the problem is a man-made one. This is a migratory species that no longer migrates. I understand that geese were originally introduced into the area by hunters, and they never learned to migrate. Since there are very few predators in this area, the problem does worsen every year.

Thank you for writing about this problem.

Rich Cameron, Hauppauge

Letter: A Response To Mike Barry’s Column

I must take exception to Mike Barry’s recent column trumpeting the County Office of Legislative Budget Review’s  (OLBR)’s “verdict” that the County Comptroller’s office sought and received adequate backup for payments to Super Storm Sandy contractors. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The OLBR report clearly stated that their review was limited in scope and not meant as endorsement or criticism of the FEMA funding and approval process in totality (pg. 3). In fact, payments to the largest vendor, Looks Great Services, which totaled over $34 million, were approved for payment based upon an Excel spreadsheet without adequate documentation (pg. 5).

Letter: No Children Of The Corn

I enjoyed John Owens’ article “When The Goose Poop Hits The Fan.” In England (I am English), this is a problem that has been dealt with humanely for many years by feeding corn or other feeds treated to interfere with the egg laying; a form of birth control.

Something similar is available here: www.idausa.org/ida-offers-free-birth-control-for-geese/

Gavin E. Pike

Majority of School Budgets Approved

New York State voters approved nearly 96 percent of its school districts budgets on Tuesday, May 21.

 The New York State School Board Association (NYSSBA), which announced the results, is still waiting for nine additional school districts to release their data. Of the 660 school districts with released results, 630 of them have had their budgets pass.

Letter: Cuomo Plan For LIPA Will Sustain LI

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo’s plan to restructure the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) would take giant steps forward in improving the quality of life for every Long Islander.

The impacts of recent weather events and Superstorm Sandy are still being felt throughout Long Island. Restructuring of LIPA will allow for quicker responses in times of need. It will ensure that all communities get the service they deserve, including restoring power more efficiently and in a timely manner. Restructuring LIPA will allow for more accountability and we hope it will provide opportunities to expand renewable energy options in the future, helping build a cleaner, healthier future.

Sustainable Long Island applauds the leadership and plan of Governor Cuomo in the quest to restructure LIPA; increasing accountability and providing more efficient, transparent utility service for all Long Islanders.

Amy Engel

Executive Director, Sustainable Long Island

From The Desk Of NY State Senator Jack Martins: May 24, 2013

Celebrating Moms

When I became a new dad many years ago, I asked a friend whom I admired how to be a good father.  Without missing a beat, he responded simply, “Love their mother.”   

As husband to a mom of four and son to a mom of five, I live (you can already guess) in a mom-centric zone, and over time that lesson has become abundantly clear to me. So I thought I’d take a break this week from the usual legislative topics and instead reflect upon the powerful love we celebrate in the middle of May each year.  

Letter: You’re Never Too Old To Fight For Your Rights

This May marks the 50th anniversary of Older Americans’ Month. It recognizes the valuable contributions senior citizens make to our communities. With so many older Americans under economic assault, we need to take action so this anniversary is more than just another ‘Hallmark’ holiday.

In my working years, I and tens of millions of Americans like me, accepted lower pay and less vacation in exchange for pensions and retirement health benefit guarantees. Pay we didn’t receive then, was to fund benefits when we got older. Instead, over ten million American retirees are experiencing the cancellation or significant erosion of once-guaranteed benefits.

Letter: Remembering Veterans

Every minute, of every hour, of every day, Americans enjoy the blessings of a peace-loving nation; blessings protected by the selfless service of men and women in uniform who, when necessary, stand fast against the forces of fear, tyranny and terrorism. For more than two centuries untold numbers of Americans have answered the call to duty.  

Freedom is our cause, but freedom does not come free and many have paid the ultimate price. The America we know would not be the same were it not for the men and women we honor on Memorial Day. All of us at the Long Island State Veterans Home would like to take this opportunity to remember those brave men and women whose ultimate sacrifice has helped to protect the freedoms we enjoy today.