PEP, May 2011: Letters to the Editor

Public Employee Press

Letters to the Editor

Millionaires' tax needed
Editor's note: This letter was sent to the Daily News, but was not published.

Mayor Bloomberg should have supported an extension of the income tax surcharge on millionaires before bemoaning the lack of aid from the state. Michael Daley's argument in yesterday's News that the rich won't leave the city is correct.

Nowhere in two Princeton studies and one from Boston College on such migration issues does it state that the rich leave because of higher taxes.

Any reading of newspapers' real estate sections shows a demand for luxury housing in Manhattan, even with the surcharge in effect. New York's tax rates are comparable to neighboring states.

Without the surcharge, the public will lose services, city workers will lose jobs, and the rich will get richer.

I don't see how that will mean the private sector will hire anyone or improve the economy.

— Ralph Palladino
Local 1549

Hits N.Y. Times on members' benefits
Editor's note: The following letter was sent to the New York Times, which failed to publish it.

The New York Times editorial on the state budget is somewhat unbalanced.

No mention is made of the fact that most of the $18.5 billion in salaries and benefits of state employees are immediately put back into the local economy by the employees and retirees spending their money here in New York. What would be the impact on the state economy if these expenditures vanished?

Also, the Times criticizes the Legislature for the benefits received by the public employees, without indicating that these benefits are negotiated with
the governor, not the Legislature. Anyone with knowledge of the actual process knows that these negotiations are always difficult.

To become law, pension improvements must be approved not only by the Legislature but also by the governor. The role of the governor is critical in the process of labor relations.

Finally, the editorial does not mention the state's failure to rein in its finances. In contrast, New York City demonstrated discipline with respect to its fiscal situation that included meeting balanced budgets in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

The unions are always prepared to be a part of the solution. We are citizens and taxpayers too.

— Stuart Leibowitz
President,
Retirees Association of DC 37

Praise for MELS staff

My name is Edith Ayala and I am a School Aide at P.S. 18X in the Bronx. I would like this letter to be published in the Public Employee Press to demonstrate my great appreciation to a very special person who works at MELS.

Ms. Judith Nadal is a heroine and an angel. She is an excellent and dedicated professional and a beautiful person.

I have had many difficulties in New York City housing, and she has helped me a great deal. She has supported and guided me through this difficult time of turmoil. She gave me strength and encouraged me and my son Christopher Ayala to empower ourselves. I am still living in New York City housing thanks to her hard work and dedication. I also want to thank all the other people at MELS, who were very helpful.

— Edith Ayala
Local 372

Opposes Afghan war

I'm proud to see DC 37 and my local, 2627, again taking the lead in opposing a needless and unjust war, this time in Afghanistan. Thank you Robert Ajaye, Gary Goff, and the rest of the Executive Board.

As Larry Kirwan, a rock musician, singer, bandleader and author observed in the Irish Echo newspaper last month, the United States seems to be in a perpetual state of warfare - overseas, in other people's homelands, mostly in Third World nations. Most Americans seem to accept this state of affairs as natural, without asking why.

People can support the troops without supporting the war. Let's not be intimidated into silence.

—Larry A. Ginsberg
Retired Computer Specialist
Locall 2627

Proud to be in DC 37

After reading our last Public Employee Press, it certainly does me proud to be part of DC 37. Check out what is going on in the Dept. of Education headquarters. People working there are not even educators, and believe me they are getting big salaries. How can a principal judge a teacher when principals coming out of the academy are not even educators? We have a long fight to make things right in our schools.

—Phyllis Levy
Retired School Aide,
Local 372