Sample Letters to the Editor
Letters to the editor are a great way to let everyone know about
the growing groundswell of support for East River tolls. Here's
a slew that were published in the Daily News over three days in
late December 2002 in response to
Marty
Markowitz's anti-toll op-ed:
Upgrade transit
Brooklyn: The arguments in Brooklyn Borough President Marty
Markowitz's Dec. 18 Opinion piece, "East River bridges should
remain free," have little merit. But he is right about one
thing: Many South Brooklyn neighborhoods are not properly served
by the city's mass- transit system. Rather than fighting
congestion pricing, which would be a boon to Brooklyn, Markowitz
could make himself relevant by fighting for a portion of the
$600 million of bridge revenue to be earmarked for mass-transit
improvements for his constituents.
Aaron Naparstek
Silly argument
Brooklyn: I wonder if Marty Markowitz could provide figures on
how many Brooklynites visit loved ones in Manhattan hospitals on
a given day. And how many of them have no access to other
transportation? This obscure example, and the argument that
Manhattan's entertainment industry would shut down with the
addition of a few bridge tolls, reveal that the borough
president is grasping at straws to make his point.
Diana Gavales
Extra revenue
Brooklyn: Marty Markowitz may be on the wrong side of the toll
debate, but to his credit, he brings up two sources of revenue
this cash-strapped city should pursue: 1) A higher income tax
on the wealthy, and 2) An registration surcharge on automobiles,
based on their fuel efficiency. By the way, that would mean that
Markowitz, who drives around in a monstrous SUV, would have to
pay the higher fee as well.
Tom Rorb
Hello!?
Manhattan: So the Brooklyn borough prez wants "further study" of
bridge tolls? Wake up, Marty, this isn't grad school. It's real
life. Bridge tolls will help fight the traffic and cutbacks that
are hurting the city.
Charles Komanoff
Toll's no obstacle
Manhattan: Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz is
pandering to a narrow political base - Brooklyn car commuters -
by opposing tolls on East River bridges. Does he really believe
that Brooklynites willing to shell out hundreds of dollars to
have dinner and see a show in Manhattan would forgo doing so
because of a $7 toll?
Adam D. White
And here's one printed in response to Sam Schwartz's pro-toll op-ed:
Bring on the Tolls!
Brooklyn: Gridlock Sam has it right. Brooklyn's north and western
neighborhoods are
overrun with traffic, pollution, noise, and dangerous drivers.
According to
the recent Census, only one third of the households which
surround the East
River bridges own cars, and most of those folks are smart enough
to use mass
transit. To think there is no Brooklyn support for tolls is
preposterous.
Wake up Marty Markowitz! Cheers to Mayor Bloomberg!
Clarence Eckerson
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