Letters to the Editor

Flu memories

Two friends who live at Southbridge Towers submitted letters about their memories of previous flu scares — one over 30 years ago, the other over 90:

To The Editor:

I still have remembrances of a fearful period in my long lifetime, only to have them recalled by this new flu scare.

In 1918, when I was but six years old, the great flu epidemic struck. There was hardly a family that did not lose a member to this scourge. The precautionary advice was to wear a string with a camphor ball around the neck as a protective necklace. What that was

supposed to do I am not sure, but in my family in which everybody wore the necklace, no one was hit with the bug. It might be good advice today too; if nothing else, it will keep the moths away.

In 1929 the Depression hit us. I graduated high school at age 17 that same year. I set out to get a job. Lucky me, I was offered a job at an office for $30 a month. I well knew how little $30 a month was, so I bravely said “I can’t work for less than $12 a week.” Guess what? I got the job. That was more than some friends who had degrees in engineering could get. They had to find clerical jobs then, like a lot of other would be professionals.

With the big recession of today the same thing is happening, despite all this talk about the importance of education. Somehow some people with less education do better than others. Go figure.

Geraldine Lipschutz

To The Editor:

Gerry Lipschutz makes a good point about the differences between yesteryear and today. All of our advances have not necessarily brought about better results. I was in my 40s in 1976 when the first so-called Swine Flu epidemic came about, and I recall President Ford going on TV to get the vaccine so all of us could see for ourselves that there was nothing to fear. There was in fact a lot of doubt then about its effectiveness, because it had been rushed and not thoroughly tested. Sure enough, a number of people died from the vaccine, while only one death resulted from the swine flu itself. It is said another 500 got terribly sick. I believe those figures are underestimates. I personally knew two or three that got terribly sick from that vaccination, and I kept hearing news of deaths, far more than the 25 just mentioned on CNN.

It’s no wonder the health authorities are playing it safe right now. They have learned that science can’t be rushed. Maybe the camphor ball Gerry tells us about is still as good as anything.

Barry L. Cohen

School reminder

To The Editor:

Community Board 1 wants to end mayoral control of the city’s public schools (news article, May 1 – 7, “Take away mayor’s power over schools, C.B. 1 says”). What happened, some kid couldn’t get into one of the schools so now C.B. 1 wants to change everything? Hey folks, some of us remember when there were no schools and we fought the world so you could fit nice and comfortable.

Anne Compoccia

Former chairperson, Community Board 1

Buying vending bill

To The Editor:

Re “Book ‘em Dan-o – Squadron would fingerprint illegal vendors” (news article, May 1 – 7):

I must be hallucinating. Can it be that someone — namely State Sen. Daniel Squadron — finally admits that he actually understands the difference between legal and illegal vendors? Wow. I am sincerely stunned.

As an individual, fine artist who displayed his own photographic prints in public areas of N.Y.C. for many years, I also felt it my duty to also advocate for law enforcement to make a clear distinction between illegal vendors/bootleggers and the smaller group of legal vendors. Most of the time it seemed like I was talking to a feral cat. I was being heard but I was being ignored. Therefore it is enormously satisfying to read the quotes in your article by State Sen. Daniel Squadron that refer to this crucial division of legal and illegal vending groups.

Of course I remain cynical at the same time. Too often legal vendors, fine artists, and honest hard-working veterans have been led down empty cul-de-sacs of endless broken promises and deepening frustration. Frankly if this new fingerprint regulation is abused, we could easily end up in the same place again.

However if this new regulation actually helps legal vendors gain protection from the gross incursion of illegal vendors and bootleggers it is indeed a good thing and I would endorse it. At the same time if fine crafts, and original jewelry are granted a status for public display and more general licenses are granted to bring on board more legitimate vendors then much of what legal vendors have advocated for would become reality.

Frankly there has been so much irrational paranoiac thought and outright hatred on one side and all-too-apparent greed and a wanton lust for power on the other that — at times — it has seemed impossible to move forward. However when I look at our new president and see what one honest man can do, it raises my hopes to think that we may have someone of that caliber in the State Senate. I have certainly been disappointed before but I am not shy to admit that I am now very interested in who State Sen. Daniel Squadron is and what he will do.

Lawrence White

Parking plan needed

To The Editor:

The recent decision by the Dept. of Transportation to withdraw its misguided plan to park commuter and tour busses on West St. between Canal and Harrison Sts. (news article, May 1 – 7, “City slams brakes on contentious bus plan”) was a victory for the residents of Lower Manhattan. I hope it was also a stark reminder to D.O.T. that communities must be engaged in issues before D.O.T. decides to move ahead with a plan. If the D.O.T. can follow through with its current promise to work with the community to find better options for the bus parking, it would signal the beginning of a more positive working relationship between the community and the D.O.T.