Letters to the Editor October 5

Posted 8/21/12

It’s the empty tankers that explode

Concerning the photo of the empty fuel tankers on the Narrowsburg train tracks on the front page of the September 22 issue: In the United States Air Force I …

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Letters to the Editor October 5

Posted

It’s the empty tankers that explode

Concerning the photo of the empty fuel tankers on the Narrowsburg train tracks on the front page of the September 22 issue: In the United States Air Force I was trained as a conventional and unconventional liquid fuel systems maintenance specialist. One of the first things we learned was that full fuel tanks don’t explode—empty ones do.

I hope these tankers are real empty (no fumes). Under the worst-case scenario we could kiss the whole shopping center across the street good-bye! Kaboom.

Phil Yacino

Narrowsburg, NY

People vs. PACs: your vote matters

In a stunning affirmation of grassroots political power, Democrats in New York State’s 42nd Senate District have voted to place Pramilla Malick on the November 8th ballot as a Democratic challenger to Republican John Bonacic.

For almost two decades, Bonacic has held this Senate seat virtually unopposed. Given his reported campaign fund of $700,000, and a recent citing for handing out $5.2 million in special interest-grants, many people believed it was hopeless to try to run against him. But the September 13 write-in vote showed that a motivated electorate can effect political change regardless of the PAC money amassed.

Pramilla Malick will fight for good jobs, expanded healthcare, education policies that make sense and promote learning, lower taxes and protection of our environment. Unlike her opponent, Malick will also fight to eliminate the pervasive political corruption found in New York State government today. But she will need our help to do it.

Many people don’t vote because they think their vote won’t matter. But as demonstrated on September 13, elections are decided by people who vote. PAC money and lobbyists can hijack the political process, but only if you let them. On November 8, let people power again best political PACs. Vote Pramilla Malick for senator in the 42nd District.

Star Hesse

Narrowsburg, NY

By the numbers

So large are the numbers being bandied about that talking about them is like counting the number of angels that could dance on the head of a pin. In trying to make them comprehensible to humans, I have trod several paths, not always successfully.

For example, in articulating over weeks, years and centuries the Waltons’ wealth—those heirs of Walmart founder Sam Walton who now hold a controlling fraction of its shares—I have made the following projections:

If the Waltons’ liquid assets, reportedly valued at $150 billion (a number inconceivable by human minds), is spent at, say, $1 million per year, it would take 150,000 years to spend it. But already we have a magnitude, 150,000 years, almost impossible to digest by humans who, under the best and worst circumstances live upwards of 100 years. So I tried another tack: if their $150 billion were spent at the rate of $1 million per week—which is perhaps graspable given the price of prescription drugs—the said amount, $150 billion, would last for about 3,000 years.

The point is that we are talking about impossibly large amounts of money, more than sanity would want and more than anyone or any family could reasonably spend in one lifetime, let alone in literally thousands of lifetimes. It seems reasonable in this season of elections to mention that only one of our current presidential candidates wants, through tax cuts, to give these people even more money.

Anthony Splendora

Milford, PA

Bonacic and CPV

The corruption scandal surrounding the gas-fired power plant in Orange County is turning up the heat on State Senator John Bonacic. Federal investigators allege that Competitive Power Ventures (CPV), the project sponsor, bribed state officials in a scheme to obtain a contract that would have cost New York taxpayers a whopping $100 million dollars.

In the wake of recent indictments, Senator Bonacic quickly unloaded the nearly $10,000 of campaign contributions he had accepted from CPV, and joined a chorus of Albany insiders calling for an investigation. (It seems many of our lawmakers were shocked—shocked—to discover they were swimming in a sea of corruption!)

But Senator Bonacic’s CPV problems run deeper than those of most other politicians. He’s been a cheerleader for the project, which is in his district, signing a letter extolling CPV’s “rare brand of professionalism and corporate responsibility.” Given this extravagant praise for the “professionalism and corporate responsibility” of a corrupt company, and the cash he received from this company, voters have a right to know what contact the senator and his office had with the indicted CPV players.

And there’s another question that the senator should answer: has he personally profited from the work that the law firm of Bonacic, Krahulik, Cuddeback, McMahon & Brady, LLP performed for CPV? The senator is seeking re-election this year, and before we cast our ballots, aren’t we entitled to know if our senator personally profited from dealings with a disgraced corporation?

Philip Simpson

Loch Sheldrake, NY

Take a look at zoning

A wedge project could make Tusten/Narrowsburg the next town turned into endless tracts of condos or apartment complexes. People always wonder “how could this happen” well this is one of the ways.

A “wedge project” is a devious real estate practice used by large developers to collapse local zoning law.

The Tusten/Narrowsburg community needs to take notice quickly. Too few of us are trying to get our local government back on track. Even as a few of us are sounding an alarm, awareness is slow to come.

If our zoning laws are not applied to this Phil Geras commercial, high-density apartment complex project, if it is completed and certified for occupancy, it’s all over, damage done. All the zoning laws not applied to this development are not applicable for controlling or stopping future development of this kind, in any R-1 zoning, which is almost all of our town.

We are questioning the long list of zoning laws this developer has been given a pass on. We have, and are still trying to reach out about our concerns, to explain the danger, as we tried to explain at multiple planning board meetings.

This kind of thing is not new and examples make the news every year. So with the advice of some of the community, legal counsel and community concern, we fight on, to enforce our law and save our town.

Please attend the Tusten Zoning Board meetings held the first Monday of the month at 7: 30 p.m. that is at the town hall on Bridge Street.

Geoffrey Gangel

Narrowsburg, NY

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