Low-Income Projects Wainscott October 11, 2014 To the Editor: As a 27-year resident of the wonderful village of Wainscott (on Route 114 approaching Sag Harbor) — a place where both my children attended the Wainscott School, and where I have been a willing taxpayer since 1987 — I am appalled that two low-income housing projects are being actively considered by the Town of East Hampton and the Village of Sag Harbor. East Hampton, a town which has distinguished itself, for over 260 years, on the premise of “progress through preservation,” should not transform itself into Southampton, a locus for unbridled development, high taxes, and an inferior school district. These housing projects will burden our already scarce resources, overcrowd our marvelous Wainscott School, jam our nearly clogged roads, raise our property taxes with no attendant benefit, and detract from the bucolic landscape that we must preserve for generations to come. My resistance to these housing projects is not born of prejudice but of a love for a tiny, pastoral village that always has engendered a spirit of community, caring, and safety for all its inhabitants. In short, nothing, absolutely nothing, good could come to either Wainscott or Sag Harbor from constructing these projects. If these misguided projects are undertaken, I, for one, will sell my home, which I assure you will be the harbinger of a tax flight of those residents who live in their vicinity. I implore you to reject these projects in the interest of all those who have made East Hampton, Sag Harbor, and in particular Wainscott the remarkable places they have been for more than two centuries. LOUIS A. PICCOLO About Eight Plainview October 13, 2014 To the Editor: While visiting Montauk last week, this inveterate letter-writer bought the Oct. 2 and Oct. 9 editions of The East Hampton Star and was thrilled to read your official policy that “The Star publishes every letter to the editor it receives.” So, here are my thoughts about eight pieces in those two issues: 1. “The Class of 2027 Is on Its Way” (Oct. 2): This article said, about the open house for the parents of Kristen Tulp’s 18 kindergarten students, “Turnout was strong, with only 5 of the 18 families absent.” As a teacher myself (retired), I cannot consider a mere 72 percent (barely more than the traditional “passing” rate of 65 percent) attendance as a good turnout, especially when it’s the very first chance for the parents of these five children to get to know their child’s very first teacher in a 13-year educational journey. I sure hope that by the time this letter is published, those five children’s parents will all have spoken to, if not met with, Ms. Tulp. This story also reported that when the children talked about what they wanted to be when they grow up, three girls wanted to be a teacher, a policeman, and a painter; two boys wanted to be a carpenter and a monster-truck driver; one boy said, “I don’t know what I want to be yet,” and one boy said he’d prefer to simply “stay in my room and sleep.” This makes me wonder what the current East Hampton School Board members wanted to be when they were 4 or 5 years old themselves — because as last Thursday’s “Sans Interviews, Board Fills Seat” story makes clear, as adults they sure don’t seem to know what they want. Despite “the board’s earlier intention to hold . . . interviews with the candidates” for the board’s open seat, they cavalierly aborted their plan and abruptly appointed one of the three persons who had applied for the position, without interviewing the other two candidates. This was definitely not democracy’s finest hour. Perhaps the East Hampton School District would be better served by having all of the members who went along with this action stay in their rooms and sleep. “Homecoming History” (Oct. 2): This editorial seems to approve of the fact that East Hampton High School’s traditional homecoming football game was replaced with a soccer game, “especially in light of growing public concern about concussions and other injuries linked to the game.” So do I, but one key aspect of soccer players’ inherent means of propelling the ball — “heading,” or batting the ball with one’s skull — might produce just as many concussions, and as much chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s symptoms as football does. Even if soccer is easier than football on ankles, knees, backs, arms, and bones, it may not be easier on heads, skulls, and delicate brains. “Go North, Hillary” (Oct. 9): Richard Rosenthal says, “I yearn to hear the likes of [a certain Franklin Delano Roosevelt speech made in 1932] from Hillary Clinton.” There’s little chance she’d ever say that. (“We know now that government by organized money is just as dangerous as government by organized mob.”) But Mr. Rosenthal might be assuaged by learning that when Hillary first learned that her husband, Bill, had been having sex with Monica Lewinsky, she exclaimed the very same words F.D.R. had uttered after the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor: “This is a date which will live in infamy!” “The Way It Was, 25 Years Ago: October 12, 1989” (Oct. 9): It was fascinating to learn that all the people living between Hampton Bays and Amagansett today owe their cocaine-free existence and way of life to the “two ounces of cocaine and $4,000 in cash [which] were seized . . . at a secluded Sagaponack house during a raid which, police said, broke a major East End drug ring that was supplying cocaine to dealers and users between Hampton Bays and Amagansett.” “Clearance in Aisle Montauk” and “Treasure Hunting” (Oct. 9): I can’t help wondering if Janis Hewitt and Helen Rattray might have found themselves attending each other’s yard sales and inadvertently ended up purchasing equivalent “replacements” of all the items they sold off to other buyers during their own barn-garage sales. “Were I to Govern” (last week’s letter from Diana Walker): I too will not vote for either Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo or Rob Astorino, and might even cast a write-in vote for Diana Walker. Because I liked her “platform” that, “Were I to govern . . . I would prosecute those who do not signal . . . ,” to which I would like to add those who tailgate, repeatedly change lanes, drive drunk, exceed the posted speed limit, text while driving, etc. And to those found guilty in a court of law, I would fine them for all court and prosecutor’s costs, sentence them to the maximum jail time allowed by law, allow no suspended or concurrent sentences, allow no probations or community services, allow no early paroles for so-called “good time,” etc. Also to the editor: Assuming that you do publish this nonlibelous, nonproselytizing, noninvasive, nonobscene, non-press release, nonanonymous letter, it won’t do me any good, because The Star is never sold on any newsstands in Plainview (somewhat like a tree falling in a forest with no one there to hear it) unless you are kind enough to “snail mail” me a copy of that issue — for which I would be happy to reimburse you for postage, “handling,” and the $1 price of the paper itself. Thanking you in advance (doubly for publishing and for mailing). I remain, RICHARD SIEGELMAN Entitled to Crow East Hampton October 13, 2014 Dear David, Bravo on getting a Volt. You will not be disappointed. Not only do we also have one, bought a couple years ago, but the semiretired vehicle in our drive is the same as yours: Toyota Tundra. I have calculated that the Volt is saving us roughly $3,800 per year in gasoline costs. Over the seven-year guaranteed life of the battery, that is $26,600 of payback on the purchase price. The solar power on our roof provides the charging electricity. The same solar-on-roof system, which we installed in 2010, is now less than half the cost it was in 2010, and there are even companies that will install it for free and let you pay for it on your electric bill, at no up-charge from utility rates. The key point: Inverters keep track of the carbon dioxide that would have been produced if the power had come from fossil fuel. In less than four years, the system has prevented 100,500 pounds of CO2 in the atmosphere. The world is changing fast, and while your kids are tired of hearing about it, you are entitled to crow. Was it Yogi Berra who said, “It ain’t braggin’ if ya done it”? DON MATHESON Wattacar Amagansett October 12, 2014 Dear David: In last week’s column, you wrote about your new car, a 2014 Chevy Volt. Welcome to the club. I acquired my Volt in April 2012. I like my car so much that I plunked down $75 for a vanity plate so that I could wear my heart on the front and back of my car. The plate: WATTACAR. Every day, before I put WATTACAR to bed, I plug the charge connector into the power slot, a process that takes less than a minute. When I bid my car good morning, I detach the charge connector, and off I go. Over the three years I have owned the car, I have used not a liter of gasoline for local use. I have made long trips. On those occasions, the car switches seamlessly from battery to gas engine. A full gas tank is good for 300 miles. My cost for electricity is zero. Many years ago I installed solar panels on our roof. LILCO, of blessed memory, paid 45 percent of the cost, and federal and state tax savings reduced my cost by an additional 10 percent. The balance has been amortized many times over in the form of minimal electric bills. I am puzzled by how few Volts I encounter — and the plethora of Mercedeses, BMWs, etc. When, I wonder, will people get the message: The Volt is the best car for the ecology, for our pocketbooks, and for our peace of mind. I have only one problem. The instrument panel is daunting. You imply that Ellis, your 4-year-old son, has mastered the keys. I wonder if you would be kind enough to lend Ellis to me for an instructional session. Regards, SIDNEY B. SILVERMAN Auto-Deer Collisions Montauk October 13, 2014 To the Editor, I am writing this letter to beg, plead with all my heart, that those who do not obey speed limits please, please stop killing my wildlife! There is no excuse for all the slaughtered animals I see almost on a daily basis on the streets of Montauk. This is a little one-horse town, and there is no reason to speed anywhere in this town. The speed limit on Flamingo Avenue is 45 miles per hour, yet I constantly see lawbreakers doing 50 to 55 m.p.h. on this road. I am working on having the speed limits reduced to a reasonable speed limit, like 35 m.p.h. I have already had the State Highway Department reduce speeds on Montauk Highway, but there is more work to be done to save the wildlife and prevent auto accidents. When I see baby deer and other wildlife and their mothers slaughtered brutally on these little town roads I am heartbroken and angered, as there is no good reason for this. The Town of East Hampton officials and some other clowns say the answer to the many auto-deer collisions is to kill more deer by allowing hunters to slaughter them for fun! This is not the solution. If people would obey the speed limits, and if we lowered the limits, there would be no auto accidents involving deer! Also, it is important that the public gain knowledge about wildlife behavior. For instance, if you see a deer crossing up ahead when you are driving, please slow down almost to a stop to see if there are more deer following, i.e., mothers crossing with their young. If you see a mother with a fawn, do not assume that is it — wait. Most likely you will see more fawns lagging behind, waiting to cross. We have deer in Connecticut as well, and you do not see them being killed by vehicles, simply because the speed limits are 30 to 35 m.p.h. There are no congested streets in this little hamlet, hence no reason for excessive speed limits. I will continue to do my part to help the critters and am asking that you have a heart and compassion enough to obey the speed limits, and in some cases — i.e., Montauk Highway — drive less than the ridiculous speed limit of 55 m.p.h. Not only will you save the lives of my beautiful creatures, and keep baby deer from being orphaned, or keep a momma deer from losing her young, but you just may be saving your own life! For the animals, DONNA RUBINO We Were Here First Montauk October 9, 2014 Dear David, Saturday, Oct. 4, I looked out my front window to discover a dead doe blocking my driveway. The police dispatcher told me she had also reported one that morning and referred me to the East Hampton Town Highway Department. Within one hour a police officer had moved it from in front of the driveway. An hour later the carcass was removed by the town. Thank you, town police and Highway Department. I have in my home a poster sold by Concerned Citizens of Montauk showing a panoramic photo of Montauk taken in 1957. It contains a few trees, a few small homes, many low areas of brush, and a lot of sand. There is no habitat suitable for deer. Obviously at that time there were many more people in Montauk than deer. We were here first. We have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Fortunately, we don’t have a deer problem. Deadly sarcasm? You bet. DAN BRIGANTI If You Hit a Fawn Springs October 10, 2014 Dear Editor, While driving to work today, driving southbound on Springs-Fireplace Road, I came upon a yearling fawn dead in the road, lying across the northbound side. What would happen to the poor thing until removed by the town? I pulled off the road, put on my four-way hazards, and walked across the street. It had been a recent hit. I pulled the fawn’s hind legs as gently as possible and took him off the road onto the grass. His mom would probably be back to check on the whereabouts of her fawn. This is the second time I have done this, the first after watching the actual hit. The driver in front of me had missed the mom deer, and the fawn put on the brakes, and skidded — to no avail. The driver did not look in the rearview mirror and did not stop. I pulled over and my daughter and I waited a few minutes until the babe died. He twitched a few times and was gone. I pulled him out of the line of traffic onto the grass, so he wouldn’t be repeatedly run over. If you hit a fawn, there will be very little if any damage to your vehicle. If you realize a hit has happened, please pull over, wait for it to either get up and run away (fight-or-flight adrenaline being exerted from the deer), or for it to die. If you have your hazards on, it will tell other drivers something is up and to slow down. It only takes about five minutes for them to expire. Is five minutes too long to wait for a helpless animal? The mom deer of the second fawn did come back. She sniffed, and gently nudged her baby. She stared at him for a while, nudged again, and, realizing she was alone, walked slowly away, always looking back. Don’t ever say animals don’t have feelings. That was very sad to watch. As we all are creatures of the same world, we must share the land we have. Please be sensitive to the dead deer on our roads and remove them to the side; they will be picked up later. Thank you. Respectfully, MARGARET E. WICKERS Drop Animal Products East Hampton October 9, 2014 Dear Editor, Federal, state, and municipal health authorities are working overtime and spending millions of dollars to stem the spread of Ebola, which has killed just one person here. Where is the comparable effort to stem the spread of heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and other chronic diseases that kill 1.4 million Americans annually and are linked conclusively to excessive consumption of animal products? According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, that’s 23 times the number killed by all infectious diseases combined, including AIDS, hepatitis, blood poisoning, and intestinal infections! Apparently our society tolerates this massive assault on our public health because meat, dairy, and egg products have powerful champions in Congress. Bacteria and viruses have none. Yet each of us can take personal responsibility for our own and our family’s health by reducing, then dropping animal products from our menu. Fresh vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains contain all the nutrients our bodies require and are touted by leading health authorities. Soy and nut-based meats, milks, and ice creams offer a delicious transition treat. Lots of websites provide helpful transition tips. Sincerely, ELIJAH HANNESBURG Local Debate Amagansett October 11, 2014 Dear Editor: The main purpose of this letter is to remind voters, of all varieties, to attend the only local debate before the election, between Congressman Tim Bishop and his opponent, Lee Zeldin, this Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Montauk Firehouse on Flamingo Road. The debate, sponsored by the nonpartisan Concerned Citizens of Montauk, is critical, in my opinion, in establishing the important difference between a dedicated legislator, sensitive to the needs of his constituents, his country, and his conscience, in sharp contrast with a Tea Party ultra-right-wing candidate, funded in part by the infamous Koch Brothers, who has stated positions to the right of even our present conservative Supreme Court in terms of women’s rights, health insurance denial issues, and gay marriage. His championing of privatizing Social Security, with its inherent risks, alone is reason to reject him in November. I find it sadly amusing to read the note at the conclusion of one of Lee Zeldin’s mail-outs: “If you want to change Washington, you have to change congressmen.” The Washington he is describing is (as a result of his fellow Republicans in the House) suffering from the worst case of total paralysis in the last 100 years. All we need now is to send to Washington another look-alike congressman who believes in a “trickle-down” tax policy with low taxes and huge loopholes for the wealthy, a reversal of the advances in women’s and gay rights, heath care coverage, and other hard-fought advances supported fully by Tim Bishop over the last 12 years. It is important to remember that our electoral district is heavily Republican and that it is critical that those of us who believe in the re-election of Tim Bishop get to the polls in November and encourage like-minded associates to do the same. This appears to be a close race, so attend the debate, ask important questions, and insist on answers, and I predict you will emerge, like I am, a voter who is thankful to have a congressman like Tim Bishop in Washington. IRVING HIRSCHBERG For Lee Zeldin Springs October 11, 2014 To the Editor, Most of the people I know who choose to register as members of the Independence Party do so because they expect the party to endorse candidates with at least a somewhat independent streak, not ones who rigidly follow a party line of one sort or another. In the case of the Independence Party’s endorsement of Tim Bishop, they’re not getting what they bargained for. Tim Bishop has blindly supported every ruinous left-wing Obama policy and has ignored or defended every scandal and cover-up. Especially galling locally is that he has paid only lip service to the plight of our local independent commercial fishermen, who find themselves swamped with ridiculous levels of paperwork and over-regulation. If you want a congressman whose record of service both in the military and in the New York Senate shows that he puts his country and his community first, not party politics, please cast your vote for Lee Zeldin on Nov. 4. REG CORNELIA Critical Assistance Amagansett October 13, 2014 Dear Editor, Lee Zeldin’s mailing in support of his campaign to replace Tim Bishop as our congressman points to his military service in Iraq. I’m grateful for his service, but that’s not a reason to elect him to Congress. Congressman Tim Bishop’s unstinting personal help for the veterans of Iraq and other wars, and his support of legislation and other federal measures to take care of them, is an important reason to re-elect him. Help for veterans is not the only service to the community our dedicated, experienced congressman provides. No one who calls Tim’s office — whether on health, environmental, or other personal or community issues involving the federal government — goes away without skilled assistance in working through the bureaucracy. Tim has given critical assistance to our town in its efforts to deal with many matters, including airport noise, beach erosion, and the PSEG lines. Lee Zeldin will never be able to equal that record. If elected as a freshman Republican in a Democratic administration he would be able to do nothing for our community. Think of what East Hampton will be missing if we fail to re-elect Tim. Sincerely yours, JILL DANIS Here Are the Issues East Hampton October 9, 2014 Dear David: As I write this letter, the polls tell us that the Bishop-Zeldin Congressional race is in a virtual tie. Although the First Congressional District has more registered Republicans than Democrats, it has for the last 12 years elected Congressman Bishop because he has stood for the rights of the average middle and working-class person. It is no secret that this time around the election is closer than ever because the National Republican Party and the Koch brothers have contributed multimillions of dollars in an attempt to smear Congressman Bishop’s reputation and deflect the public’s attention from the issues that count. Mr. Zeldin has bought into the Tea Party platform and the wedge issues that energize its members. Here are the questions that voters must ask themselves when they consider whom to vote for: Bishop for middle-class tax cuts, Zeldin for tax cuts for the wealthy. Bishop for equal pay for women, Zeldin’s party refused to allow the issue to come to a vote. Bishop for health insurance including children under 26 years of age, without caps that could bankrupt the family; could not be denied because of a prior existing condition. Zeldin against these health-care protections. Bishop for protecting Social Security, Zeldin for privatizing Social Security. Bishop for a woman’s right to choose, Zeldin against a woman’s right to choose and would support legislation banning the pill and I.U.D.s. Although the Republican Party will retain a majority in the House of Representatives, I believe it is important for Mr. Bishop’s voice to be present and heard on these and many issues crucial to the well-being of middle-class people whose lives can be drastically affected by the above issues. I urge all voters to reflect on these matters and consider how they affect them and their loved ones and friends. I hope that they will come to the realization, if they have not already done so, that a vote for Zeldin is against their own self-interests and the people that they care about. DAVID J. WEINSTEIN Keep Medicare Strong East Hampton October 6, 2014 Dear Editor, Strengthening Medicare and making sure it will be there for future generations should be a critical priority for anyone running for Congress, because Medicare really is the foundation of health security for older Americans. To make sure Medicare is as strong for future generations as it has been for almost 50 years, waste must be eliminated, quality improved, and costs contained without shifting more and more of the burden onto the Medicare beneficiaries. How do candidates running for Congress propose we do what needs to be done to keep Medicare strong and guarantee health security for future generations? It is really hard to say, because we don’t hear a lot of specific proposals from candidates. Sure, we hear about protecting benefits for current beneficiaries and the need to “cut waste, fraud, and abuse” and how Medicare needs to be “more efficient,” but what do candidates mean when they say these things? The time to find out is now — before they are elected to Congress — about exactly what their plans are for Medicare and how it will affect you. I urge everyone to urge the candidates for specifics. The health security you save may be your own! NORA V. HAJKO Better Off Now East Hampton October 7, 2014 Dear Editor, Alas and alack, woe is me, cry me a river. I just learned that my letters to the paper are being characterized as slanted, distorted, apologetic, and defensive, fanatical ravings, as so described by a Louis Meisel, a self-elevated critic of little note. What to do? What to say? How to respond? I think laughter and wonder are the proper responses when dealing with a phantom who sets forth none of his own opinions for examination but tries to slip himself into a discourse as a fan of one writer and a critic of another. I am neither dismayed nor astounded by the negative adjectives used by this Meisel guy; after all, he once said he had “gotten it.” Well, from what I see now he wouldn’t get it if it were flashed before him in block letters a couple of feet high. Mr. Meisel, you are nowhere! I will refer to him hereafter as the Shadow of Sagaponack, because he just appears, makes some snide comment or other with no substance, then disappears into the ether, arrogantly thinking his presence is important. Sorry, Mr. Meisel, no one cares for shadows, least of all me! But John Porta, you can sometimes become known by the supporters you have, and the support of the Shadow will give not give your letters any more weight than they already have. Now turning to your latest letter, Mr. Porta, I am confused. First you provide us with your negative opinion and report on the use of statistics, then you proceed to use them to excess. What does that mean? Your statistics are better than mine even though you do not cite their source? As for polls, Mr. Porta, they are the crutch of politicians. They are totally meaningless unless you know the questions asked and the groups or people they are asked of. The only true poll in politics is an election, and Obama won two of those, and considering the alternatives, I am very glad he did! History will show that Barack Obama became president at a time when he was just what the doctor ordered. History will judge him and his presidency, not you or Ms. Derrico or the Sagaponack Shadow, and the polls you cite are of no real import. What I do know for a fact, and you seem to agree, is that there is an economic recovery, slower than we would like, but a recovery nevertheless, which is much better than anywhere else in the world. The Democrats during the Obama era have changed our society in so many substantial ways both subtle and obvious that I can mention only a few. This president refuses to rush into a war merely to demonstrate America’s power. He tries mightily to overcome a torrent of opposition commenced on the very day he took the oath of office. He has fought for and succeeded in obtaining health coverage for millions of our fellow citizens and resurrected a failing system in which 10.5 million have signed up and most paid their premiums (a statistic). The unemployment rate is now down to 5.9 percent. He has been the Jackie Robinson of politics, taking the blows, the insults, the disrespect, and never striking back, even at those who would call him “boy” or “liar.” And I don’t see too many of our kids being slaughtered on foreign soil under this president either. He is logical and thoughtful and makes mistakes just like any other president has, but his positives far outweigh his negatives. The Democrats have changed same-sex marriage opposition to approval, fostered equal pay for equal work, given our country a health care system that brings the country an opportunity for universal health care while reducing the effect of the cost of health care on our economy, eliminated the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell fiasco in our armed services, opened a deep discussion of the racial issues in the country, focused attention on inequalities in economic benefits and wealth, changed the pre-emptive war mentality, halted the country’s proselytizing of democracy all around the world at all costs, highlighted women’s rights to their personal reproductive and health prerogatives, generally stopped the greed and avarice of big banks and financial institutions, elevated the environment to the level at which it belongs, raised the permissive level of scientific research into gene therapy and cancer research, and just generally paid attention to the world we live in rather than the destruction of it. You can pick apart any administration, but the important thing is, are we better off now than when he was elected? Answer: Yes. Listen to Romney or McCain et al., and see how that works for you. Run with the Bachmanns and Palins if that suits you. But just remember they have never offered any alternatives for that which they seek to destroy. If you think Obama is a failure and that’s your opinion, you are welcome to it. Mine is that I am glad he became president and I wish him well in his fight against those who would destroy him and us, both foreign and domestic. I despise those in and out of Congress who still take every opportunity to try to damage his reputation and legacy regardless of the state of chaos here and around the world. RICHARD P. HIGER
Published 4 years ago
Last updated 4 years ago
Letters to the Editor: 10.16.14
October 15, 2014