Senators stymie women’s agenda
To The Editor:
What has happened to Governor Cuomo’s 10-Point Women’s Agenda? It still seems to be languishing in our state Senate. It didn’t pass, despite a majority of Democrats, because the Independent Democratic Caucus, headed by Senator Jeff Klein teamed up with Republican Dean Skelos, who squashed women’s reproductive health.
As we all know, in the last week of the regular legislative session, the Assembly passed the omnibus 10-Point Women’s Equality Act (A 8070) and the Senate introduced the 10 points as separate bills, but passed only nine — omitting reproductive health. This means that, so far, there is no “same as” legislation that can advance to the governor’s desk and become law.
There is still time to get the Senate to pass the omnibus bill or the Assembly to pass the 10 separate bills…but the clock is running out on these bills. The deadline is December 31, 2013.
We women all need to contact our state senators and Andrea Stewart-Cousins, head of the Democratic Conference, as well as Senate Majority Coalition co-leaders Republican Dean Skelos and Democrat Senator Jeffrey Klein and urge them to return to Albany and get this done for us!
Mary L. Jenkins
Eve’s ‘Train’ is the ticket!
To The Editor:
Re a painting in the listing for Hudson Guild Gallery’s “Momentum” exhibit (arts, Oct. 9):
Eve LeBer’s “The Art Train” is awesome! Love it, love it! She’s very interesting. What a true artist she is. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Pat Whitaker
Two arms make a Bight
To The Editor:
The New York Bight is the land that covers the south side of Long Island — from Montauk west to New York City and north from Cape May, N.J. These two arms make a right angle and have helped guide major storms to New York City, whether Northeasters or hurricanes, that have traveled north on the gulf stream from the Caribbean. Storms have descended on NYC since the last ice age. They have become fiercer and more frequent. NYC, located between Long Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean is practically defenseless.
What we should have learned from this manmade climate change is not to build on the flood plain, and certainly not by the water, but inland. Much of NYC is high enough above the water level not to be affected for a very long time or possibly forever. NYC brags about having five hundred miles of waterfront, but that waterfront is extremely vulnerable. Maybe it would be smart to protect much of Manhattan, Brooklyn and parts of Queens by building a five mile storm surge barrier from the Rockaways to Sandy Hook and a much smaller one at Throgs Neck to protect from flooding and storm surges in the East River. Closing off the entryways when storm surges or flooding threaten makes a lot more sense than building endless miles of walls.
Bob Trentlyon
E-mail letters, not longer than 250 words in length, to scott@chelseanow.com or fax to 212-229-2790 or mail to Chelsea Now, Letters to the Editor, 515 Canal St., Suite 1C, NY, NY 10013. Please include phone number for confirmation purposes. Chelsea Now reserves the right to edit letters for space, grammar, clarity and libel. Chelsea Now does not publish anonymous letters.
