Halcyon Days Coral Gables, Fla. August 3, 2015 Hello, Star: I started coming to East Hampton in the very early ’70s. At that time the area was simply referred to “the country,” the South Fork, the East End, or, quite simply, East Hampton. It was well before the phenomena now known as “the Hamptons.” In those days, coming from Miami, if I were to mention that I was going to East Hampton people often thought I was going to England. I remember well those salad years, when the village was almost all mom-and-pop stores and was quiet even on the weekends. There was very little traffic. One could get from East Hampton to Southampton in 15 minutes (unless we stopped at Doug’s Patch for a loaf of that miraculous bread). Those were halcyon days, my children were young and we spent splendid and memorable family summers with a host of creative and interesting friends, many of them artists or writers. We started first as renters. The first house that we rented was known as the Stanley Arnold House, on Georgica Road immediately before the fork with Apaquogue. Subsequently we rented the Coe Kerr House on Woods Lane, and thereafter for several years the fabulous Mrs. Lorenzo Woodhouse Estate, which was built as an Elizabethan playhouse on several acres on Huntting Lane. There was a stream through the property, fantastic gardens, and fountains that my daughters would romp in. When we lived there it was owned by Elizabeth and David Brockman. What amazed me was, when we first rented this property and asked for the front-door key, the reply was, “We don’t have one.” Amazing as it may seem, this extraordinary place was just left unlocked. After enjoying East Hampton for many years as renters, we bought a house on Woods Lane and spent several happy years there. It was the old Annie Huntting rooming house and had many bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as an elevator that we were afraid to use, because in those days the electricity would occasionally go out and nobody wanted to be trapped. What brings all of these reminiscences to mind was your recent “Connections” column where you wrote about enjoying the deer on your property and your new dog that now barks and scares them away. In the column you referenced the basset hound that wandered freely around East Hampton as though he owned the entire place. His name was George and everybody in town knew him. He would often stop by our house as though he were a member of the family, and, if he were allowed, would come in the back kitchen door and hang around in the house until somebody said, “It’s time to go home, George.” Regrettably, my beloved wife, Sheila Natasha, died in 1993. I never came back to live in East Hampton, it wouldn’t have been the same. I rented the house out for a few years until I ultimately sold it. In all these years, I’ve been back to East Hampton only a couple of times to visit friends. I no longer have a summer house but instead travel the world. I still receive The East Hampton Star every week and enjoy keeping up with the people and places. So much has changed, but it is still one of the most beautiful places on earth. MARVIN ROSS FRIEDMAN Inside Info East Hampton July 21, 2015 Dear Editor, After 23 years of seasonal and full-time residence and home ownership in the Hamptons, I have finally found a way to get some of the real pulse and inside info on East Hampton, Amagansett, Montauk, et al. Little did I know how easily I could do that by just having coffee and bagels at a marked table at Goldberg’s Bagels in Amagansett each weekday morning. There it was, coming from a small mixed group of aged, wise, and experienced seniors, with memories of the rumors, history, and happenings around town. So I sat and listened, and learned about the Amagansett Beach Association that I never knew existed, and the community activities in and around Amagansett. I found out, from the most reliable sources, that the kitchen at Gosman’s in Montauk is immaculate, that the depth of the water at Duryea’s Dock is 23 feet, and that the sale price of that dock was $11 million. That the serving dishes and cutlery at Bostwick’s are paper and plastic because the owners were prevented by the zoning ordinance from installing a commercial dishwasher. And, I was apprised of some of the details of the depressing and annoying lack of enforcement of housing occupancy rules in Amagansett even after direct verbal and written complaints had been made. It is really a revelation to watch senior minds at work in the early mornings. From the mouths and minds of this small group, all of a certain age, comes unscripted info with a personal touch. To keep this letter short, I have set forth only a small amount of what I didn’t know before sitting at that table. Unfortunately, I cannot enjoy these sessions too often, because my golf game is in the early morning three or four days a week, but since they have no rules about repetition, paying a little closer attention when I return will, I am sure, allow me to catch up on what I missed while I was avoiding ticks at the Sag Harbor golf course. But I have seen the light, and now know where to go to listen for sometimes interesting, pertinent, detailed background info about the area that I never knew before. I hope they all continue to chew the fat and the bagels at Goldberg’s for a long time. RICHARD P. HIGER A Lack of Caring Sag Harbor August 3, 2015 Dear David, I am writing to congratulate the Women’s Softball League for another very successful year of play at the Terry King field in Amagansett. What I am concerned about, and I think it is shameful on the part of the Town of East Hampton, is the deplorable condition of the field and the lack of readiness for the season this year. The field is in need of basic maintenance and is not being cared for properly. Not only does this impact the softball teams that play there, it shows a lack of caring for the town facilities. Joseph F.X. Dunn, who will be inducted into the East Hampton High School Athletic Hall of Fame this fall (noted for his passion toward Title IX and women’s sports), would be rolling in his grave at the lack of respect for the women’s softball league. I am also dismayed that there was no coverage in your paper on the league’s season play this year. In years past, it was great to follow the weekly play and the exciting playoff season. Congratulations to Groundworks for their back-to-back title run, defeating P.B.A. in the finals. In recent weeks so much has been written about the E.H.H.S. girls softball program and the fate of Coach Lou Reale. A nice follow-up to that would have been coverage of the women’s summer softball season. Over 50 local women played summer league this year and I think it’s safe to say that women’s softball is alive and well in East Hampton Town. Many of the women playing were coached by Coach Reale and those who coached before him. Thank you. CLAUDE BEUDERT P.S. Connie Mabry‚ you are remarkable! On Climate Change East Hampton July 31, 2015 Dear David Thank you for your effort to stimulate government action on climate change (“Talk but No Action,” editorial, July 30). Locally, the town board, along with its sustainability committee, has set aggressive goals for conversion to renewable energy, and is struggling with the inertia and resistance of entrenched interests at LIPA with no help from the State of New York. Their efforts should be continuously covered, applauded, and abetted. We all should be supportive. By supportive‚ I don’t mean praise them at cocktail parties; I mean write letters to LIPA and Governor Cuomo, and tell them we don’t want our money invested in more fossil fuel infrastructure when alternatives like offshore wind are readily available. You mention Hillary Clinton’s recent support for subsidizing half a billion solar panels. This sounds good, but listen to the NASA scientist Dr. James Hansen’s reaction to her program. “It’s just silly,” he said. The existing infrastructure for power took 100 years to build. We have only a short window left to scuttle it and move to renewable energy. Nibbling at the edges and pretending we are addressing it will result in large sections of Long Island being underwater. Raising Dune Road? Putting sand on the beach in Montauk? Please. The dimensions of the problem are huge, and the time to get it done is short. Economists from both sides of the aisle acknowledge that only a tax on fossil fuels that makes them more expensive than the alternatives will work to stimulate a transition. Yikes! Tax?! The propagandists from the fossil fuel industry, and their minions in Congress, would have you believe that will kill the economy. In fact, a fee-and-dividend approach has been projected, over 20 years, to add 2.8 million jobs to our economy and add $1.7 trillion to the gross national product while reducing carbon emissions by 50 percent. The fee would be charged where the fuel comes from the ground or enters the country. All the money would be passed through, in a direct equal rebate, to every American, in equal shares. Businesses and people would do what they always do: choose the cheaper alternative. And the rebate is projected to be more than the increased cost of living for two thirds of the population. Women didn’t get the vote by asking the government. They got in the streets and demanded it. Blacks didn’t get voting rights by asking the government. They got in the streets and demanded it. And climate change won’t be adequately addressed in this country until enough Americans demand it. Politicians don’t make political will, they respond to it. Regular, busy, struggling Americans with other things to do must decide it is worth their time to get involved. Will we? DON MATHESON Citizens Climate Lobby Carries a ‘Stigma’ Fort Myers, Fla. July 31, 2015 To the Editor, Regarding “High Tech and High Touch” (book review, July 30), “Mental illness still carries a stigma.” I regret you believe that. Other people believed other “stigmas”; you are not alone in believing in one. (Rape/stigma, Jew/stigma come to mind.) You are not in good company, but you are not alone. Do you experience a social commitment to this one? HAROLD A. MAIO An Outdoor Alternative Amagansett July 30, 2015 Dear David, Bravo for multigenerational playgrounds! It’s an idea whose time has come. Most of us codgers don’t want to drag ourselves to a gym where we have to toil on a treadmill beside the svelte and shapely. But give us an outdoor alternative where we could both exercise and socialize, and I suspect we’d show up in droves. And bravo to Wellness Warrior! I’ve become a member. It’s a great way to stay abreast of current research on environmental issues, food trends, and the sustainability movement. THAYER CORY Another Birthday Amagansett August 2, 2015 To the Editor: I passed another milestone on life’s journey at the weekend, which of course meant another birthday. A friend called with best wishes, et al., and inquired as to how I was going to observe the occasion. Now, I am a senior citizen, or perhaps a senior senior citizen would best describe me. So my reply to her was, “I will drop to my knees and with hands and arms raised heavenward I will say, ‘Thank you, Lord, for this day and for keeping me here another year.’ ” Caution. To my fellow senior senior citizens who may wish to follow this ritual, make sure a friend is close at hand. You may need help getting off your knees and back on your feet! JIMMY O’MARA Summer Come Thunder faint colored stones stick bar old bones rural exposure elegant rose months before June dreamt blue-moon in deepest debt streak sun-set the candle lit empty age rages fit dream elite white light sprite in night soft words echo whispers the seminary vespers wind unmask leaves whistle their scurry through eaves sun break through cracks in the trees twist lime fly to find a sky of rain your hazel eyes the mirrored bezel craggy while paint-along the crackled coastline-wolf hound howl at the moon shadow found in shades of gray brave ovation bare breeze seize the season wicker wind-chime summer come thunder cold comfort crawl sea kelp tide rip up roots rush anger spill danger into tiny bubbles clam suck shallow puddle stream damp sand seagull dance the wave hysterical beauty lanterns fade. JUNE KAPLAN Immediate Issues First Springs August 3, 2015 Dear David, I am on the Springs Facilities Committee (also named the referendum committee) formed to bring forth a plan after the referendum failed to build a large parking lot in place of two ballfields (both to be rebuilt) and traffic configurations. This is my conclusion, based on several hours of meeting with a firm that wants to design and build on the property: To address the Springs taxpayers’ interests and concerns, and to help protect the environment of the fragile and threatened Accabonac Harbor, it is incumbent on the Springs School Board to examine alternatives in order to produce a plan that deals with immediate issues first. This would include septic renovations and additional classrooms (even if modular or temporary) to meet current need. And, importantly, the board needs to lobby the town board with a group of people from all segments of our Springs community to address illegal overcrowding and potential rezoning issues. The taxpayers need to know that the school and the town have explored and implemented all legal means of controlling illegal overcrowding and density, which increasingly affect the population of schoolchildren, and our taxes. With that in place the enrollment is predicted to be reduced in a few years. As to the renovations needed to the current structure: An urgently needed septic renovation has to be included to address a broken and outdated system. It should be a priority. The school is the greatest contributor of nitrogen pollution in the harbor, affecting water quality and aquatic life. And, neighbors of the school are on well water. There are also return-on-investment items that need to be included; for example, night lighting that is illuminated when not needed and during daylight hours. We should use new technologies that marry night lighting need to hours of illumination. The bus lot lighting currently illuminates more ground outside the fence than inside, and the switches need to be changed to shut off unnecessary night lighting when the gates are locked. The light sources (metal halide) produce three times as much skyglow and negatively affect the environment more than other sources of illumination. Changing these fixtures now will also save money in the long run. Exclusive of aesthetic concerns, School Street could be made safer while providing some overflow parking if the town (and the town Police Department) could be engaged to help design traffic flow and parking spaces with permeable surfaces (to abate impacts on the Pussy’s Pond environment). It would be less impactful than removing and replacing two sports ball fields (with subsequent clearing) with a large asphalt parking lot. The Springs School, knowing what we know now, would never have been located at this site with its current size and enrollment. We know that consolidation would allow greater cooperation and dissemination of our student body to reduce overcrowding and the impact on the harbor and neighboring communities. I was glad to read that a qualified committee of residents, including educators, is working on this issue. SUSAN HARDER The Grumble List Amagansett July 31, 2015 Dear David, You asked for our “Grumble Lists.” I submit the following: 1. The neighbor who shrieks into her cellphone, inciting the dog to howl. 2. The bratty people, whose bratty kids rule the beach, who will not let me drown them. 3. The summer drivers who do not signal, ever. 4. The near-naked young companions of older men, in overpriced cars, who have lost the skill of turning their collars down, whose eye-level cleavage calls for a pillowcase at the very least. 5. Beach revelers who think maid service comes with the Atlantic Ocean. 6. People who do not support affordable housing in Wainscott, claiming dangerous overcrowding of a two-room schoolhouse. 7. People who are uncomfortable with the concept that all of us are created equal. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. All good things, DIANA WALKER The White Party East Hampton July 30, 2015 To the Editor: Re your editorial about the “White Party” at Atlantic Avenue beach in Amagansett. Do private parties have to purchase a permit from the town or village to stage such an event? If so, how much? If not, why not? Consider how much it would cost to rent a venue for such a large event. Why aren’t the taxpayers being properly compensated for this use? The money raised could help defray the costs of cleaning the beaches, etc. Just a thought. SUSAN SMITMAN Permits are required for gatherings in East Hampton Town or Village with 50 guests or more. There is no fee. The town clerk’s office collects a refundable clean-up and law enforcement deposit that ranges from $100 for an event on public land with 50 to 99 people up to $1,000 for parties with 1,000 guests or more. The village collects a $250 refundable deposit regardless of the size of the party. Ed. Condemn the Beach East Hampton August 3, 2015 Dear David, One of the most important issues involving beach access in East Hampton is ownership of the beach, above high water, in Napeague. Who owns thousands of feet of our most popular oceanfront beach is still in question. As the question of ownership now stands, a State Supreme Court justice decided that the trustees did not have ownership, having sold the beach in 1882. The court also ruled, in September 2014, that the adjacent property owners had not proved ownership, a decision they are appealing. In light of the court rulings and the ongoing litigation, the ownership of the beach is in still in question. The best way to preserve the public’s right to use this beach is for the town board to condemn the property. All the trustee candidates running on the Democratic line (row A) support the town board’s ongoing efforts in condemning the Napeague beach in question as soon as possible. The town board is the only agency that has the legal authority to condemn property for the public benefit, and we urge them to act as soon as possible. Keeping this beach in the public domain is vital, especially for locals, and we applaud the town board’s efforts to date, and pledge our support to keep all our beaches open for all. Yours truly, BILL TAYLOR Came With the Property Amagansett August 3, 2015 Dear David, Someday the East Hampton Republican Party will have an idea, at least one, about how to address our local problems. Today is not that day. Their 2015 campaign began, as always, with an attack on the Democrats (this time) for using the community preservation fund to buy the Principi property on the highway in Amagansett. Thank goodness for that Democratic initiative: Instead of 81 high-end condos, we got a crucial piece of open space. The Republicans, however, are attacking the town board and castigating Councilwoman Sylvia Overby in particular, because the property has an existing building on it. Is it a house, a barn, something else? Who knows? Who cares? The building came with the property. The essential C.P.F. function of preserving open space was served. But, the Republicans say, under the C.P.F. law, the C.P.F. must never buy a building. Clearly they didn’t bother to read the law. The actual law says that C.P.F. funds may be used “for restoration of acquired real property to its natural state, including the demolition of existing buildings and structures.” If the purpose of buying the property is proper under C.P.F. law, the fact that there is a building on it absolutely does not render the purchase of it illegal. Once again, they distort reality. Would it be better not to buy an unwanted structure? Of course. But a C.P.F. purchase requires a willing seller. If the seller will not reduce the price because the structure is unwanted by the buyer, that is not a reason to give up a purchase that will benefit the people of East Hampton. In this case, that is obvious. The people of East Hampton will be eternally grateful for the foresight of this town board, which prevented the development of 81 condominiums on the highway in Amagansett and gave us the beauty of open space while saving taxpayer dollars from maintaining an overburdened infrastructure, which is what would have resulted from such an intensive development. Finally, who’s kidding whom? The Republican complaint is a cover-up for the fact that they really want C.P.F. money to go unspent. They oppose everything from planning to zoning that would curb rampant development in East Hampton. Indeed the local G.O.P. proposed down-zoning that very same Principi parcel for development. They are not interested in preserving our quality of life or protecting the character of our town. Check the facts: History does repeat itself! Sincerely JAMES MacMILLAN Her ‘Experience’ East Hampton August 3, 2015 Dear David, Margaret Turner, executive director of the East Hampton Business Alliance, is running for the town board on the basis of her “experience” and “leadership.” What leadership? It took the leadership abilities of Sylvia Overby to solve the mess created by the Quigley lighting committee headed by Ms. Turner. The updated lighting legislation was brought to a consensus and passed in a few short months under Ms. Overby’s leadership. A newly formed business committee has completed the task of an outline for a professional planner to work with business needs and hamlet studies, again under the leadership of Councilwoman Overby. Ms. Turner now complains about litter issues in the town, but did she request the reinstatement of the litter committee under Bill Wilkinson? No! It was Councilwoman Overby and Trustee Debbie Klughers who got that off the ground. Ms. Turner was on the Wilkinson housing needs committee. Results? Not one affordable unit started. But, Councilwoman Overby brought back to life a project that appeared dead, and now 12 affordable condo units will be built in short order. Ms. Turner has participated in meetings for 10 years and has not demonstrated any problem-solving skills or leadership on issues that matter to the community. Ms. Turner’s disingenuous letter in the papers is politics as played by Republicans with no answers, only negativity that the town can no longer afford. She says she can get things done, but there is no indication that she has gotten anything done in 10 years! Sincerely, NAOMI SALZ Where Were You? East Hampton July 28, 2015 Dear Editor, Where were you? That question is asked on the top of the recent half-page ad by the East Hampton Town Republican Committee. It was followed by “Where were you?” directed at the current town board. They must have sent this in jest. So, I will ask of them, where were you? First, the current chaos in Montauk didn’t begin with the current town board, which is addressing the situation there with increased enforcement by the assorted agencies. So, I begin with the following. Where were you when the 1997 Republican majority, led by none other than Tom Knobel, authorized a lease of an empty hangar with questionable bidding practices that resulted in a lawsuit filed by Sound Aircraft? The end result was 40,000 square feet of apron paving to business-jet standards as settlement. Mr. Knobel and his cohorts authorized the widening of the main runway to business jet-standards, although that specific project was prohibited in the adopted 1989 airport plan. They used a draft of the 1984 plan that had never been adopted. The Federal Aviation Administration withdrew its approval of that document and went back to the proper 1989 plan. So, as I drive by our “small rural” airport and see a mini Islip-MacArthur, with the big jets, float planes, and helicopters that have been plaguing the residents here as well as in adjoining towns with unbearable noise and disruption of daily life of some peace and quiet! So who is the culprit for this disastrous situation? Mr. Knobel has already indicated he will take F.A.A. money and return us to indentured servants to the F.A.A. and eliminate the good work done by the current town board that is trying to mitigate an intolerable situation that a judge validated, and the town will prevail. Will you release the names of deep-pocket “Friends of the Airport donors” who think they have a right to run amok? Where were you when the troika of Wilkinson, Quigley, and Stanzione turned open meetings into a total disregard of First Amendment rights, in a rude condescending manner? The disrespect of the citizens when they arbitrarily abandoned the leaf program, costing citizens huge amounts to maintain their properties? A dog-and-pony show sham open meeting, when the deal was already made? A stealth-tax burden on us. What about Mr. Stanzione’s unauthorized trip to Washington, D.C? Where were you when the alley behind the Ronjo was sold for peanuts because the emperor became a real estate appraiser? The free parking, on town-owned land, for the Surf Lodge that escalated from the lakeside to the chaos that now plagues Montauk? The list goes on and on, while you played the three blind mice routine. Are you kidding me? People in glass houses should not throw stones. ARTHUR J. FRENCH Are They Kidding? Amagansett August 3, 2015 Dear David, In the East Hampton Republicans’ latest and fancy expensive ad in The Star, they promise people here “real efforts and results.” While they continue to mouth empty promises and spend a lot of money, the current town board continues to enforce and prosecute a number of safety and zoning violations committed by the notorious Cyril’s. By the way, public records reveal that the East Hampton Republicans have accepted from none other than Cyril’s a campaign contribution of $3,000. To the G.O.P.: real efforts at what? Are they kidding? LARRY MARCUS Money Better Spent Montauk August 3, 2015 To the Editor, Bravo to the Montauk Chamber of Commerce for releasing the short video highlighting traditional pleasures here in Montauk, as noted in The Star last week. It’s a fantastic video. However, it could not have been released at a more inopportune time, under the latest news blasts displaying the chaotic scenes. At the close of July, leading into an already booked, 90-percent-plus month called August, did the chamber really think a family would be so motivated to join in the fray? With a great deal of frustration, let them just try to find availability at this time. In addition, September is also projected with high occupancies, with all weekends already filled to capacity. And even if responding to the video by acquiring accommodations, do you think they will see anything comparable to what is on the video? Seems like a bit of false advertising. I guess the chamber has excess funds to throw away. Now, don’t you think logic would dictate where the money is better spent? A video as released would have served the Montauk community if it came out either this fall, winter, or early spring of 2016. Give those who would like to come to Montauk to see all the beauty, peace, and tranquillity nature has to offer, the opportunity to get the strategic jump on the last-minute booking party crowd, since they may have missed it in 2015. So again, someone is asleep at themarketing helm of the chamber. Perhaps they should read “Common Sense and Timing” by Mike Cutino, “Missed Ops” by Keith Nelson, or “Fast, Focused, and Flexible.” Perhaps a few more cocktail mixers in August will afford the opportunity for everyone to get to know each other better — another real business generator. And, as a resident and business owner, a brief congratulatory note to the police for getting organized and under control as quickly as they did the past two weekends. Thank you. KEN WALLES Amplification Is Extreme East Hampton August 1, 2015 Dear David, I am in total agreement with your suggested legislation regarding the outdoor amplified music that adds to and incites the mayhem occurring in Montauk. Sometimes communities need to impose regulations (yes, even on businesses, Margaret Turner). However, there is now a growing problem in residential areas of East Hampton. New homeowners, even with the smallest of properties, are wiring their backyards with speakers. With an entitled attitude, mostly weekenders come out on Friday and blast music all weekend. There is no thought that this behavior may be outrageously annoying and abusive to neighbors. Some years back, a long-vacant property behind many homes on Osborne, Hunting, and Talmage Lanes was sold for development. On mostly half-acre lots, there soon rose big, bulky homes with pools and very little green space. Then came what probably is expensive, well-equipped sound systems. The amplification is extreme, with emphasis on the bass, pounding for hours. While some may have central air-conditioning and keep all windows and doors closed, there are many who do not. We like to breathe in the fresh air, flowers, and breezes flowing through our homes. Call me crazy to desire to hear my own music and TV in my own home, and not that of my neighbors’ choosing. Let’s re-elect a town board that cares about the community as one entity and is sensitive to all sides of these significant issues — Larry Cantwell, Sylvia Overby, and Peter Van Scoyoc. LENI SALZ Relentless Loud Music Montauk August 1, 2015 Dear Editor: I am writing to heartily endorse your recommendation of a ban on amplified outdoor music. Living as we do in the middle of a triangle with Solé East on one end, Surf Lodge on a second, and Ruschmeyer’s on the third, and with the addition this summer of outdoor music at East by Northeast, we are subjected to relentless loud music every weekend (and many weeknights as well). As everyone else has noted, this is a recent phenomenon and it is increasing with every passing year. As you say, such a ban would necessarily reduce the overcrowding and evasion of maximum occupancy numbers at the clubs in Montauk. This would be a huge help in controlling the problems Montauk has been experiencing. Like many of your Montauk readers, we would love to be able to sit outside in the evenings and hear the crickets and the waves, rather than pounding bass and clashing multiple songs coming from the clubs around us. JOELLE SHALLON Pass a Rental Registry Springs August 3, 2015 Dear Editor, A rental registry is not too much government intervention in our lives. Rather, it is an example of appropriate, extremely necessary legislation. It is the town board’s job to protect our safety, security, and quality of life. The rental registry does just that, and it has overwhelming support in our community, as evidenced by the willing and enthusiastic signings of its petition. Let’s move with a sense of urgency and pass it, before the next election, without the customary political dawdling, diddling, fiddling, tinkering, and nitpicking. DOLORES WEINBERG Summer Overcrowding Springs August 3, 2015 Dear David, Your article “Share House ‘Nightmare’ in Montauk” last week shed light on a more pressing overcrowding issue than just online rentals. Share houses by their nature contribute to the overcrowding, and those who rent shares would seem to be the same people who locals and concerned citizens worry are destroying Montauk. That is not necessarily the case with the online rental sites like Airbnb that have received so much negative attention of late. As a twice-a-summer Airbnb tenant, I have hosted three small families and one group of three friends over the last two summers (all legal). In each case, they came to enjoy what we all enjoy about East Hampton in the summer: fresh air, fresh food, and gorgeous beaches. As we leave town when the house is rented, there is no population surge associated with the rental. (The population of our house grows more when we have friends or family out to visit.) I am not against a rental registry, but I am against the idea that one will solve the summer overcrowding issue. After all, the share house described in your article was rented the old-fashioned way, through a broker. In addition, I hope none of this obscures the more serious overcrowding that happens with multiple families living in year-round residences. Lack of enforcement there has more serious consequences, especially in Springs, than does the influx of summer visitors, legal or otherwise. Thanks, ANDREW SYKES Confront the Noise Issue East Hampton August 2, 2015 Dear Editor, Unfortunately, the extremely limited regulation of the airport has made no appreciable reduction in noise generation, so everyone in the airport noise impact area is suffering with no relief. Still and again, thousands of people are being denied peace and quiet in order to benefit a limited number of commercial enterprises based far from the South Fork or at the airport, and to accommodate a tiny fraction of visitors and residents. By recently hiring additional counsel, the East Hampton Town Board is demonstrating late awareness of its heretofore inadequate efforts. However, as of this date, it has not enacted initiatives to truly confront the egregious noise issue. This can only be done by limiting the number of flights permitted per aircraft per week, by a weekend ban on helicopters, and by establishing and enforcing a curfew regimen that makes a difference, with airport operations limited to business hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The town board promised last winter and spring that it would seriously evaluate its own noise abatement efforts at the end of the summer, and solicit the experience of the noise-affected community. The time has come for the town board to fulfill that promise, to schedule and to plan another major public forum to obtain community input. The meeting should be held in August, as it was last year. Let us hope in this election year that the voice of the great majority of the East Hampton community will be heard with more attention and followed by more effective action. PETER M. WOLF Profits Above People East Hampton July 27, 2015 Dear David, I have just read Judge Seybert’s 45-page opinion concerning the town’s proposed regulations on helicopter flights in and out of our local town-owned airport. In it, she okays the town’s ban on night-time helicopter flights because they would disturb people’s sleep, but she doesn’t allow the town regulation reducing helicopter flights by “noisy” helicopters during the week. So that is why we’re now hearing endless, annoyingly loud, helicopters overhead. She acknowledges that the daytime flights are annoying, but she feels that the financial pain the helicopter owners would incur outweighs the pain the 21,000-plus citizens of our town feel. Even though there were 23,000 complaints registered last year about helicopter noise (page 41 of her opinion), the helicopter owners say that data is flawed. Just how flawed can it be? It seems to me that the profit the helicopter owners make is more important to her than the pain people living under the helicopter flights are feeling. Profits above people. Now, we were here, for the most part, before the current helicopter companies. And plenty of people came here specifically because of the peace and quiet this area afforded. The helicopter business owners came knowing, I believe, that their helicopters would be noisy. All helicopters are noisy. But they came anyway, because they saw a way to make a lot of money, even if it was at the expense of many of the citizens who live here and came here to get away from the noise of the city. An interesting note in the opinion is that the helicopter owners state that the helicopters the town considers “noisy” are considered “quiet” by some “experts” they cite (page 42). My authority is my ears, and the helicopters are definitely noisy. It is very troubling to me that Judge Seybert would think that their financial pain outweighed our pain of living in an environment that is now extremely noisy. We came here, sank a lot of money into our homes, developed roots in the community, and want to enjoy the sounds of nature, and now we hear the sounds of spinning blades. But the real shocker in her opinion is why she felt justified in allowing the constant helicopter noise during daytime hours. The reason, she said, is that the town has another way to “alleviate” the helicopter noise without restricting the “noisy” helicopters to one flight a week. Now as soon as she tells us what that way is, we will all be happy. But I didn’t find it in her opinion. In case you think I’m misinterpreting her opinion, here are the exact words stating that there is another way to solve the noise problem: “. . . the court will preliminarily enjoin the one-trip limit as applied to noisy aircraft. This measure is drastic, considering the effect it poses on some of plaintiffs businesses, and there is no indication that a less restrictive measure would not also satisfactorily alleviate the airport noise problem.” (Page 44.) As far as who will suffer more — the 21,000-plus citizens or the people who run the helicopter businesses — this is what she says: “Balance of hardships. The balance of hardship inquiry asks which of the two parties would suffer most grievously if the preliminary injunction motion were wrongfully denied. With respect to the one-trip limit, the balance tips in plaintiffs’ favor in light of the fact that the one-trip limit will have a drastic impact on their businesses. . . .” (Page 44.) So all it takes is the town implementing the “less restrictive” measure that will satisfactorily alleviate the problem, and everyone will be happy, in her opinion. In my opinion, allowing more noisy helicopter flights means more pain and suffering for the people who live in the flight paths, plainly and obviously. The question is, do people have a right to make a profit if the business is hurting the people who live in the area they do business in? Or should they change their business model so that they can serve their customers without harming the rest of the community? Respectfully, LARRY SPECTOR Don’t Wound the Dune Amagansett August 2, 2015 To the Editor: The real story about South Flora parking is very simple. We in Napeague live at the narrowest point of Long Island; he 1938 Hurricane breached our neighborhood entirely, making Montauk into a temporary island. The primary dune protecting our homes lost a huge chunk to Hurricane Sandy. And now, pedestrians using the footpaths, many of whom are tourists and share-house folk, are walking all over and killing the dune grass, and have joined the pedestrian to the vehicular pathway at one point, creating a scar in the dune that is more than 60 feet wide and completely bare of vegetation. Ira Barocas, one of the people who have surged up as self-appointed experts, keeps saying that during Sandy all the flooding came from the bay side. That is not true; sandbags that our neighborhood association placed to bolster the wide opening at the Atlantic Drive parking lot were found empty, washed up nearly to the highway. The primary dune needs remediation, not additional foot traffic. At the town board’s now-famous Montauk hearing, I heard Supervisor Cantwell say that the D.E.C., working with the Army Corps of Engineers, does not want any foot traffic over remediated dunes. Why would we be working to protect Montauk dunes and to erode those in Napeague? Does anyone really think that a study of all of East Hampton in support of siting new beach parking would settle on fragile South Flora in narrow Napeague, where the bay and ocean are a quarter-mile apart? The only reason we are facing a plan to pave part of the South Flora dune ecosystem is because an unelected politician decided, with an agenda of his own, to propose it. Not environmental planners, not the town’s Planning or Natural Resources Department, not the town board; this is entirely political maneuvering, nothing else. Don’t wound the dune. JONATHAN WALLACE Totally Ineligible Amagansett August 3, 2015 Dear David, East End Dunes Residents Association members and other concerned residents of East Hampton believe we are fortunate, at last, to have a town board intrinsically good and well meaning who are, we feel, dealing with a host of inherited problems as quickly as possible, some as destructive as the current Montauk problem, which has been brewing for years, and others that have been quietly incipient and suddenly blossomed like the overcrowded share houses and the airport noise problems. The board is willing to listen to a fault. All of the past two public hearings on the South Flora Management Plan (with another to come on Aug. 20) have been on predominantly beach access parking, a totally ineligible topic for a public hearing on a management plan for a piece of land that is now a formally dedicated nature preserve that, by its very nature, admitted by all, needs no access parking because it has no trails and any new trails are not recommended. Why is this beach access parking debate being allowed to go on at all? It does not fit. This out-of-place beach access parking issue is a cleverly manufactured political issue designed to trap the board in a political corner; it should have never been allowed to develop, but should have been cut off at the knees by Supervisor Larry Cantwell. Now it has been allowed to blossom and the proposed parking scheme calls into play a host of environmental legislation that, by law, must be dealt with, including, but not limited to, the Coastal Barrier Resources Act, coastal erosion hazard area, East Hampton Town Local Waterfront Revitalization Program, town code Section 150 (nature preserve status), protected plant and animal species and communities of the New York State Natural Heritage Program, State Scenic Areas of Statewide Significance, significant coastal fish and wildlife habitat, the State Environmental Quality Review Act, and a velocity flood hazard zone. (The Federal Emergency Management Agency identifies flood hazard zones as subject to high velocity water including waves three feet or greater; the beach adjoining South Flora is in such a zone.) So, you see, it is not a case of what a town or committee wants to do, so much as it is a case of what is permitted by law. The need for additional beach access parking may or may not exist, but the South Flora Nature Preserve, Dolphin Drive, or the Napeague stretch as a whole, is not the place to put it. To all of you asking to share the street, I ask, are you willing to share the accelerated environmental and flooding and safety risks with the local residents? MIKE STERLACCI The Overriding Decider Amagansett August 3, 2015 Dear Editor, I have read many letters in the local papers over the past few months regarding proposed parking on Dolphin Drive. Most of the focus has centered on the competing interests of public access versus both safety impacts to the adjacent neighborhood and environmental impacts to a rare and sensitive nature preserve. What hasn’t received much attention is the threat to the primary dune system that now defends the coast from the ocean during storm events. I consider this to be the overriding decider, not only for Dolphin Drive but for much of the Town of East Hampton that directly faces the Atlantic Ocean. It is the issue that should receive the close attention of every citizen of East Hampton. Fortunately, unlike many other towns along the Eastern Seaboard, East Hampton already has a well-thought-out coastal plan in place that was developed by very knowledgeable local citizens, working in conjunction with local, state, and federal governments, that provides a ready-made roadmap to success. The East Hampton Local Waterfront Revitalization Program, adopted by the town board in 1999, is available on the town’s website for all to read. It was well received and a local law was passed by the board in 2005 that requires all projects to be consistent with its policies, establishes a waterfront advisory committee to assure that the L.W.R.P. recommendations are implemented, and, finally, requires an annual report be prepared by the town supervisor that details the progress being made. The L.W.R.P. makes very clear that the primary coastal dunes are our first and often only protection from the ocean and that we must do all that we can to keep them intact and robust. We must turn away from any projects that may harm them in any way. We ignore this document at our peril. Let’s start making smart decisions about future development along the coast that includes well-thought-out plans for public access at appropriate places. The L.W.R.P. specifically names Dolphin Drive and several other places in Amagansett that the town should consider for restoration of the primary dune. Further development of these locations would be a step in the wrong direction. The L.W.R.P. reminds us that development decisions in areas such as Dolphin Drive will have consequences for the entire town. The issue in these locations is not public access but a compelling blend of environmental and safety issues that echo Montauk’s plea for board action. NORMAN EDWARDS Reasonable Parking Amagansett August 3, 2015 To the Editor: In last week’s edition of The East Hampton Star Mike Sterlacci wrote a letter titled “Where Is the Lie?” Some writers in this paper have said persons speaking on behalf of the East End Dunes Residents Association have lied when they said the proposed parking along Dolphin Drive would be on land in the South Flora Nature Preserve. I don’t know with certainty if they spoke knowing their statements were untrue or if they spoke with intent to deceive. I do know that they are misspoken with regard to the proposed parking along Dolphin Drive. The draft South Flora Management Plan will make available limited parking along Dolphin Drive in the street right of way, and will not be on preserve land. In fact, the plan recommends no parking on the preserve. I am puzzled why EEDRA has ignored this and not corrected its prior erroneous statements. What I know is, New York Town Law, section 64-e, provides that “lands acquired pursuant to this section shall be administered and managed in a manner which (a) allows public use and enjoyment in a manner compatible with the natural, historic and open space character of such lands.” Of course there is no prohibition restricting the public from using South Flora, but without nearby parking, South Flora is for practical purposes unavailable. Further, South Flora was purchased using funds from the community preservation fund, the revenues of which are transfer taxes paid by all East Hampton property owners. South Flora is not a private park for the members of EEDRA, but is there for the enjoyment of all residents of the Town of East Hampton. I urge the town to move forward and create reasonable parking availability along Dolphin Drive so the town residents will have the opportunity to visit this beautiful property. MICHAEL F. JORDAN Biking to the Beach Amagansett August 1, 2015 Dear David, Thanks to Republican Reg Cornelia, everyone now knows I’m running as a “Democratic candidate for trustee.” The actual facts, however, are that I’ve been endorsed by the Democratic, Independence, and Working Family parties. Mr. Cornelia missed those facts. In true Republican form, he has his own agenda and it’s not one for doing what is best for East Hampton. Ira Barocas, on the other hand, believed that my “suggestions of making the South Flora Nature Preserve’s existing and proposed pedestrian access a bicycle beach was terrific.” The State Department of Transportation has already placed a bike path on the shoulder of Montauk Highway. People are often looking for a destination while biking. What better way is there to see the beautiful dune area on Dolphin Drive than by biking? Obviously, Reg Cornelia is not for reducing the pollution of having additional cars on the road or he too would agree that biking is a good way to get around town. In my area of Beach Hampton, we encourage biking to the beach (every beach access has many bike racks), or residents can go down Marine Boulevard to the area where cars can access the beach. Historically, our beaches have always been available to all, and that won’t change. If Mr. Cornelia and Mr. Barocas had investigated the actual facts, they would have known that the three beach walkways owned by the Amagansett East Association need to be insured. The insurance company demands that our community have protection for those walkways. I believe that the beaches are public for all to enjoy. I do hope that the Republicans stop painting me as an “off-limits” beach person because I suggested using the Dolphin Drive area as a bike beach. Self-serving politics can be detrimental to good ideas! Sincerely, RONA KLOPMAN Hearing Nothing East Hampton August 1, 2015 Dear Editor, Choosing a doctor? I’d like to share an unpleasant experience, and not the first, with Dr. Lara Siska and the Meeting House Lane medical practice in Wainscott. I’ve been with Dr. Siska’s practice for almost a decade. Two Fridays ago I wasn’t feeling well. I called five or six times beginning at 9 a.m. I described my symptoms, hoping for a cancellation. I said I’d love to see Dr. Siska, who was there that day, but seeing the nurse practicioner would be fine. A receptionist, Erika, said she’d be in touch if an appointment opened up. Hearing nothing, I called every few hours, hoping for that cancellation. Sometime after 3 p.m. Erika suggested the East Hampton Urgent Care clinic. As it was now so late in the day, I asked if at the very least a nurse from the Meeting House Lane practice could listen to my lungs with a stethoscope to tell me if an odd sound I was hearing was something calling for a hospital visit. Erika’s response was no, that wasn’t possible. Erika’s annoyance with my calls was, at this point, quite clear. I asked for the office manager. Told she was not there, I requested a call from her on Monday. I also asked Erika to keep me on the list for a Monday cancellation with anyone available. Hearing nothing by Monday afternoon, I sent a fax to Dr. Siska asking how a patient could be ignored in this way. A defensive office manager called back, saying someone would call to address my concerns. One full week later, I’ve heard nothing from Dr. Siska’s office, leading me to two questions. Dr. Siska, could you care less about your patients? And, would any reader be anything but upset, frightened, disturbed, and appalled receiving the same care, or lack of, from their medical provider, in what was clearly not a routine situation? Unfortunately, this same thing happened in May 2009. I have a copy of the letter I sent to Dr. Siska still on my computer. At that time, she called and apologized, saying this would not happen again. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. A friend suggested I visit Dr. Muharemovic’s office, which takes walk-ins. There, I was greeted by the warmest and most professional staff and seen within a half-hour by a physician’s assistant, Peter Seifken, who several acquaintances had spoken highly of. It was clear why. After a follow-up exam and such a good experience, I can only say I wish I’d made the switch years earlier. KAREN FREDERICKS Deer-Killing Proponents East Hampton August 2, 2015 To the Editor: On July 28, along with a number of community members, I attended a meeting of the deer management committee at Town Hall. We had all come to hear what this committee had to say and recommend concerning the so-called “deer issue” in East Hampton Town and opening more town land for hunting. It was apparent from the get-go that the minds of committee members were already set and that nothing offered by Carole Saxe, the lone voice of dissent opposing expanded killing on town land, would even be considered seriously. Furthermore, and to their discredit, not a single pro-hunt member offered concrete estimated numbers of the current total deer population that would justify further killing, nor did anyone offer numbers of deer killed with nuisance permits in 2014, which, combined with the D.E.C. deer-kill stats by hunters, would give essential information for anyone proposing the opening of any more town land for hunting. Even though it’s clear that deer herds have been greatly thinned, judging from fewer roadkills and simple observation, the hysteria continues, accompanied by the same old thoughtless, knee-jerk decision to kill, cull, kill without justification or when it may be counter-indicated. I for one haven’t seen any deer on my property nor in my area since the start of summer, and in the past there were numerous deer who were frequent visitors to our property. Also, past and recent aerial studies conducted by the town boards have indicated no crisis or increase in deer population, and so the recommendation to continue to expand killing is puzzling, to say the least. And while the community members in attendance were assured that we wouldhave an opportunity to raise questions and discuss relevant concerns at the conclusion of the meeting’s agenda, in the end we were summarily dismissed without ever being given an opportunity to be heard. And so, in spite of the absence of critical information, this committee, with the exception of one, voted to recommend opening even more public reserve areas to hunting, thereby once again trampling upon the rights of the general public to peace and quiet, to hike, to walk trails with their families and dogs, and to use these “town” lands without the threat of bloodshed or harm hanging over their heads. There was not a single argument of merit, based on actual numbers of deer in this town, that was offered to justify their ill-considered recommendation. These lands do not belong to town officials or to this farce of a deer management committee. These reserves belong to all the citizens and taxpayers in East Hampton, who helped pay for their acquisition, and not just to a dwindling number of individuals who continue to support the war on wildlife or who still hunt and kill for recreation and amusement. As members of this community, we could not have been more appalled by the way in which the meeting was conducted and how local, concerned citizens and taxpayers were treated and disrespected by Zach Cohen, the head of this committee. The totally lopsided makeup of such a biased committee (D.E.C. rep, hunters, etc.) beggars belief; all but one member are clearly deer-killing proponents and not at all interested in nonlethal alternatives. Only lip service was paid to that, in passing. Furthermore, the heavy-handed, bullying tactics of both the committee chair and at least one rather hostile and outspoken member of the committee bring no credit to this town or to its credibility in dealing with serious concerns about the ongoing slaughter of innocent and much-beloved wildlife. To have a deer management committee that does not reflect a broad range of views and approaches, but rather one in which all but one member adhere to the same narrow and outdated approach to this issue, is outrageous and reprehensible and, in fact, renders any decisions or recommendations they make virtually without merit or worthy of consideration, because they are not based on scientific evidence and do not reflect the views of a large majority of the East Hampton community. Attitudes and views about hunting are rapidly changing, as evidenced by this week’s extraordinary public revulsion and reaction to the killing of Cecil the lion, who was murdered by an egomaniacal American trophy hunter in Zimbabwe. The clock is ticking. It’s long past time to wake up and join the evolution! ZELDA PENZEL This Is the Pivotal Year Amagansett July 31, 2015 To the Editor: It was a privilege to witness desert elephants where they had not been sighted in over five months. But farther north in Etosha, Namibia’s flagship park might be fenced off due to a spate of rhino poaching. Elephants are increasingly being targeted due to the increased Chinese presence in that remarkable country. Over 60 percent of Tanzania’s elephants have been destroyed in the last few years. It is a slaughter, and a sham of the human condition. Chic safari outfitters beware! Now the Chinese have a plan to have a train slice through the Amazon! Peru is planning a dam at the headwaters of the Amazon River. Oil companies want to drill through the skullcap of the world in the Arctic, and Australia is barely able to prevent a massive coal slurry spill in the Barrier Reef. The Paris climate summit is humanity’s last chance to attack the climate issue, although Washington is currently sinking and the world’s glaciers are crying. Much of the East Coast will be under water by 2050. Goodbye Hamptons, New York, London, Shanghai. This year is the pivotal year in the human and earthly fabric. The pope’s encyclical begs the moloch of capitalism, which is unraveling the world, to change, because the entire ecology of the world is up for grabs. Greed will no longer function in the underwater economy. Influenced by Teilhard de Chardin, Thomas Berry wrote, “Because of this loss man made his terrifying assault upon the earth with an irrationality that is stunning in enormity, while we were being assured that this was the way to a better, more humane, more reasonable world.” The loss he is alluding to is the “vast mythic, visionary, symbolic world with its pervasive numinous qualities.” Values that entail the intercommunion of the human community and humanity’s relations to life itself. A few years ago we saw a superb white lioness eating a kudu in Timbavati, South Africa. A major elephant researcher insisted that not science, but poetry, a return to an emotional, symbolic, and deeply heartfelt personal and subjective engagement with the life force, was the answer. This is a value that is not taught in school. One can be taught how to read and do algebra. We may be taught that there are billions of other worlds out there, but the only one we belong to is this one. Sorry, Stephen Hawking. We learn statistics and computer games, but we ignore the bioplasm under our feet. This year might be the last chance we have to reverse the trend. As Berry wrote so presciently, “The earth will not be ignored, nor will it long endure being despised, neglected or mistreated.” In our soon-to-be-released film “Walking Thunder,” a dedicated Turkana ranger tells the story of how his grandfather was killed by an elephant. He knows it was an accident. He is still out in force protecting the greatest land mammal on earth because “a world without elephants is like a world without oxygen.” Poachers and trophy hunters are depleting the gene pool of mammals across Africa. Witness poor Cecil the lion, shot by a troglodytic Midwesterner with the morals of a Nazi. Witness the pilot whale massacre by Faroe Islanders, and the Japanese who continue to slaughter whales in the name of scientific research. We now know that without whales we will not have the phytoplankton we need to simply breathe. Most of the world’s oxygen comes from the oceans! Schools need to teach the value of life and to foster the awakening of an interior consciousness. Or else why have children at all? Not just facts and figures and standardized tests, but the imagination. It starts with wonder. In other words, our very freedom is at stake lest a world of robots and androids, as exemplified recently on the cover of Time, defines our evolution as a species. Lest a high-tech slum, as Edward Abbey admonished, become our future. While photos of Pluto may be mystifying, our relationship to the ants, the forests, elephants, and whales around us and 99 percent of our fellow men who are not percenters needs to change. We are taking life for granted. We need to land on earth before it consumes us. It starts not with the value of a dollar, but the value of life itself. Humanity needs to retrieve its story. If not, all the Ivy League schools and all the best graduate students in the world won’t be able to put the Humpty Dumpty of the planet together again. You will be, I will be underwater. We have seen the largest ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere and they are crying inconsolably. That is the legacy of this civilization. CYRIL CHRISTO Civically Engaged East Hampton July 28, 2015 To the Editor: There is a saying usually attributed to either de Toqueville or de Maistre that goes something like this: “The people get the government they deserve.” Christopher Walsh’s coverage of Tim Bishop’s July 18 lecture reminded me of this. Mr. Bishop, the former House representative from New York’s First Election District., opined that Congress is “still broken.” His conclusion is that the American public must be more civically engaged and “our participatory democracy only works if we participate.” This sounds like a corollary to the de Toqueville/de Maistre theory. And while I would agree with the overall thrust of this perspective I would disagree with his underlying premise that Congress is broken and that it is caused by mapping (gerrymandered districts), money, and the media. After 40 years in federal government service I would suggest that civic engagement is more robust than ever before, if we measure by the number of comments to proposed federal legislation, by Freedom of Information Act requests and by plain old phone calls and emails. I would suggest that the people who want to be civically engaged are out there and they are doing their thing. Those who Mr. Bishop would want to be civically engaged may be so already. As for the media, well, between the Internet, radio, and television you can find the widest opinions from the widest political perspectives. When it comes to money, I believe the amount spent on campaigns is certainly excessive. But if candidates can’t raise money, isn’t it in part because their stand on issues doesn’t resonate with the people they look to represent? And that is the point I want to make. Take a look at Tim Bishop’s voting record. Working backward from the point where he left office to the November 2014 election, he voted against H.R. 5759 Preventing Executive Overreach on Immigration; he voted against the Secret Science Reform Act (H.R. 4012), the E.P.A. Science Advisory Board Reform Act (H.R. 1422), and against the Keystone pipeline (H.R. 5682). Leading up to the election his voting record on the two bills that immediately preceded the election were nay votes on H.R. 3522 and H.R. 5078, bills that allow employees to keep coverage from their employer for four more years and not have to join a health care exchange, and would allow states to have a say in what waters were covered by federal statutes, as well as allowing for full public reporting of the decision-making. In this latter case it seems like Mr. Bishop wants more public involvement but didn’t vote for a bill that would give citizens access to the decision-making. Similarly his votes on H.R. 4012 and 1422, which required all scientific evidence used in decision-making by the E.P.A. to be made publicly available, don’t seem to conform with civic involvement. Voting against H.R. 5759 was essentially a vote for the executive branch’s usurping powers of Congress granted by the Constitution. His voting record on issues surrounding the Affordable Care Act may run counter to a mainstream belief by many that the U.S. government is spending too much and has a $17 trillion deficit, and another tax/entitlement program is not for them. A form of civic engagement is whether to vote for a candidate or to not vote at all. In election districts that former Congressman Bishop would call “noncompetitive,” a decision not to vote is as valid a civic engagement as voting is. When it comes to strangely mapped districts, I think one needs to point no further than those for New York State. I would assert that people who believed in government openness and constitutional authority may have decided to change their method of civic engagement in the First District of New York last November from nonvoting status to voting for a candidate other than Mr. Bishop. Or perhaps those who had voted for him previously decided that Mr. Bishop’s record was something they could not vote for. Is this a call for civic involvement or just plain sour grapes? There is an old sports saying, “You are what your record is.” In Mr. Bishop’s case, I believe that is the civics lesson to be learned. PAUL GIARDINA The Sky Is Not Falling Sag Harbor July 27, 2015 To the Editor, Forget about Donald Trump, who seems so corroded by mega-wealth that he has turned into a clown. It’s logical Republicans think he’s a genius, since their top goal is to serve the mega-rich. Their consistent attempts to shield the rich and corporations from taxes has distorted this nation’s values so badly that The Donald can be taken seriously above all the others now running for the Republican nomination by a majority of Republicans. The Donald is their sideshow; he’s special: a legend under his own hair. What is truly scary is Jeb Bush’s call to “reform” Social Security and Medicare. He told a dangerous lie the media has let go by with hardly a whisper. Jeb Bush’s assertion of a bankrupt Social Security was standard right-wing dogma. He lied. Based on current trends, Jeb spun a report about the insolvency of Medicare that is false. In fact, the passage of Obamacare has caused Medicare increases to flatline, as opposed to rise, as previously projected. This is from the new report issued by the trustees of Social Security. The projection back in 2005 that showed Medicare climbing through 2070 at a rate more than twice as bad as the latest trustee projection is based on a mountain of evidence. That is, Medicare is now projected to cost half as much, half as much over the coming decades. The primary new factor is Obamacare and the effect it is having on slowing runaway medical cost. So the sky is not falling, in other words. Just two days ago, Republicans in the Senate tried to kill it for the umpteenth time. Unfortunately this good news goes against the narrative of plutocracy that Jeb Bush keeps trying to make clear. Their intent is growth for the select few at all cost. Americans must not be fooled. It is imperative that eyes remain open to prevent doubletalk, fallacies, and misrepresentations to allow the implementation of bad laws and bad social policies. MICHAEL O’NEILL Labor and Capital East Hampton August 2, 2015 To the Editor: There are two countervailing ideas that battle for reality in the world of the U.S. economic development. Labor versus capital. From our inception, capital was always the most important factor. Labor was servitude at best and slavery at worst. The idea was that if you worked hard and saved your money, someday you would become wealthy. An absurd exaggeration designed to protect capital and keep it in the hands of those who deserved it. While there are many individuals who worked their tails off and eventually became wealthy, the overwhelming majority of wealthy people started with a very large purse filled with gold. The convergence of labor and capital in a collaboration for economic growth and stability is the essential component to the creation of the middle class. Inclusive capitalism, for lack of a better term. The advantages of capital to labor are overwhelming. Labor is confined to the ability or imagination of the worker — time, space, physical well-being. In virtually every job where a salary is involved the limitations are clear and precise. Capital has no boundaries, no time restraints, no concern about the physical capacity to function. Capital generates wealth without labor, and if labor and skill are necessary, they can be purchased. Wealth is generally hereditary and resides within a culture of wealth from which labor is excluded. Capital creates a culture of wealthy and poor. .Wealth isn’t shared because the culture doesn’t need to share it. The U.S. middle class stems not from trickle-down economics, which implies that profits will be shared by the wealthy as they are accrued, but from the Henry Ford doctrine that if wage earners are paid well they will become the market for the products they produce. A simple, clean idea that anticipated captive markets and enormous profits. An idea that worked until the Depression ravaged the country. What Roosevelt created, nurtured, and brought to reality was a middle-class culture, people earning decent wages and aspiring to a better life. Thirty-five years later, Ronald Reagan, with a silver tongue and a twisted brain, convinced Americans that they didn’t need to earn better wages to have a better life. Credit, like in the old mining camp days, would allow them to buy everything they set their eyes upon, and they could pay it off slowly until they died. Reagan, a shill for corporate America, greed, and avarice, set in motion the rape of the American workers, who are now worth 40 percent less than they were in 1980. Yet the gross domestic product rose from $2.8 trillion in 1980 to $18 trillion in 2015. The minimum wage is the benchmark that determines economic fairness. According to Joseph Stieglitz, the minimum wage should be $20 an hour if it were adjusted for inflation. The minimum wage in 1980 was $3.12, but was the equivalent to $8.68 in 2012 dollars. In 2012 the minimum wage was $7.25. How does an economy increase sixfold and the minimum wage decline by 16.6 percent? (The argument put forth by conservatives for keeping the minimum wage low is that raising it will cause unemployment and higher prices, and deincentivise the workplace. All of which is partially true on the surface but has proven to be false in reality. Conceptually, a low minimum wage keeps wealth in the hands of those people who know how to make better use of it. Trust becomes the question. It’s really a no-brainer.) There are a multitude of answers to the question of growth without income distribution, but most important was the acquiescence of the American people to the belief that marginalizing them and their representatives was a positive and not a negative happening — convincing them that a cocktail of crack and pesticides and growth hormones would make their lives happier and prosperous. From a massive media campaign to Citizens United, we drank the cocktail and killed our brain cells. We now sit quietly by the side of the road waiting for a bus to nowhere that runs without a schedule. So, three cheers for Cuomo and Seattle for raising the minimum wage 30 percent below where it should be. We are thankful for small things these days. We are thankful for anything. NEIL HAUSIG Friends My Age Southold August 1, 2015 To the Editor, It was 1945, for tots to belong to a pictorial Studio 9 in Astoria, N.Y. I remember my snowsuit, a rose-colored coat, slacks with material over my shoes, and a reddish-rose hat. The Bogart faces would gather, go there to act, and put me in an empty room. There must have been a dozen Bogarts. One walked by to really scare me, who looked like my sister. I couldn’t tell whether it was a boy and fat or girl with a Harpo hairdo. Thick, black curls, boy or girl, whatever, would jump around like a clown, not too very scary, but tried. I looked again and saw a tip of a gun; it moved a little. Then I saw a tip of a fedora, then the face, the closest face of Bogart. I screamed! To be a part of the studio you had to be potty-trained. I nearly got to be told to go home. The next face of the clan was white-haired and fat, older, and as frightening as Humphrey DeForest Bogart. I also saw these people at a loft in upper Manhattan. They’d fill the high bleachers, similar faces, big, small, light, dark, one was Steven B., who I liked to talk to. They made me get up and say a little something. When I tried to be funny they’d laugh. If I failed to be funny, they’d groan loudly. Let’s say I was 10 or 11, with really a nice hairdo. When I went out to the Island, I remember he had four kids, a farm fenced in, with a white fence within, where there was a place to run around and play, where dozens of boys romping were all around! It must have been Montauk. I wasn’t told where I was those great long weekends, I came out from Forest Hills. Funny, on the way home we’d pass The East Hampton Star and stop. Steven Spielberg was sitting there, about 7 or so, in the dirt, digging with a shovel and pail, and I would sit down and join him. I never met him. I loved to make friends my age all the time. ANITA FAGAN
Published 4 years ago
Last updated 4 years ago
Letters to the Editor: 08.06.15
August 6, 2015