Time for School Vouchers
Op-Ed
The right to go
Dear Editor,
In June 2021, then-NYC Transit president Sarah Feinberg said she would like to reopen subway station bathrooms as quickly as possible. Three months later, MTA Chairman Janno Lieber said there are no immediate plans to reopen the existing 76 bathrooms inside the city’s 472 subway stations.
How many NJ Transit and PATH station bathrooms are open, closed or never had a bathroom to begin with? I guess when riding the subways, Lieber has never had the urge to go. Perhaps his bladder is stronger than most riders.
Until the early 1960s, subway riders respected authority. There was a ten-cent fee to use station bathrooms. That generation of riders did not litter, spit, or urinate on subway platforms or cars.
Before COVID-19, riders were always reluctant to use subway station bathrooms, even when available. Many stations had no working facilities or were closed. No one wanted to deal with the lack of toilet paper, soap or hot water, unhinged doors to stalls or finding a mess left behind by the previous patron.
Who wanted to find others using it as a safe place for consumption of drugs or sex? Homeless people afraid to go to shelters end up using the bathroom sink to shower in an attempt to maintain hygiene.
Why not assign a matron to each male and female bathroom? Ask any local business, college or hospital to adopt an adjacent station bathroom to help cover the costs of staffing. In exchange, give the sponsor free advertising space at the station.
If necessary, charge a nominal fee to use the facility. Reopening secure, safe subway station bathrooms with adequate supplies of toilet paper, soap and hot water would be one way to attract several million riders who have yet to return.
Sincerely,
Larry Penner
Great Neck
Vaccine realities
Dear Editor,
Your editorial in the October 7th issue is myopic in claiming that the unvaccinated “now are the last obstacle standing in the way of finally ending this pandemic.”
The scientific evidence shows that a mucosal virus as SARS-CoV-2 is best targeted vaccinologically via intranasal immunization since it induces high levels of neutralizing antibodies.
The pandemic is still spreading since the oro-nasal route of transmission is not blocked by the current intramuscular (IM) route of inoculation of Pfizer, Moderna, and J & J vaccines.
However, intranasal immunization studies show robust systemic and mucosal immunity, thus curtailing and possibly eradicating pandemic spread. Recent Israeli studies show the waning effects of the Pfizer format after two months of the second shot, with efficacy down to 20 percent six months later.
With mucosal immunity, masks would be obsolete. An IM booster treadmill is perpetuating spread and facilitating the proliferation of new viral variants due to natural selection of immune pressure.
Several models, such as an Oral Polio-vectored SAR-CoV-2, would be promising to curtail the spread. The right idea in the wrong hands is the wrong idea.
Joseph N. Manago
Briarwood
Mentally speaking
Dear Editor
Anthonia Egregbara, who is accused of pushing a woman into an arriving subway at Times Square, is reportedly mentally ill and has been arrested a number of times for attacking others over the last ten years.
She was repeatedly released because of reformed bail laws. Why was this woman allowed to walk the streets without being treated for her condition?
We have many people like Egregbara who are mentally ill and a danger to the riding public. More needs to be done to help the mentally ill from hurting themselves and others.
Sincerely,
Frederick R. Bedell, Jr.
Bellerose
Detail details
Dear Editor,
Once again, Mayor Bill de Blasio has done something illogical and unethical. During his inane presidential campaign, which was the biggest joke of the century, he had a police detail drive his family around.
If he wanted to do that, he should have hired a private security service and pay out of his own pocket. That money should be returned to the police department immediately.
If he refuses to repay it, then he should be sued by the city. De Blasio thinks he can do whatever he pleases, but he has been nothing but a thorn in our city’s side since the day he took office. It will be indeed a pleasure to see him leaving at the end of this year.
Sincerely,
John Amato
Fresh Meadows
Elmhurst honors those affected by COVID, cancer
The front facade of Elmhurst Hospital now features 655 lights, each paying tribute to a frontline worker, cancer survivor or someone affected by COVID-19.
Last week, the hospital illuminated the exterior exhibit while remembering and honoring those affected.
“Cancer has touched so many of our lives and, as we all know, so did COVID,” said Elmhurst Hospital CEO Helen Arteaga. “Even in my own family we’ve suffered from both cancer and COVID. Today, we stand just a little bit brighter because we are reminded by these lights that there is always light in sadness.”
The first ten names on the 90-foot long installation are staff members from Elmhurst and Queens hospitals that passed away due to COVID-19. Integrated into the exhibit are photos of the community and hospital workers.
Paddle for a Cure NYC, a support organization for breast cancer survivors/supporters, and Women in Lighting and Design (WILD), a networking organization for women in the architectural lighting community were integral in creating the exhibit.
Leah Salmorin, CEO of Paddle for a Cure NYC, expressed her gratitude to Elmhurst Hospital workers who comforted her during her own treatment for breast cancer and COVID-19.
“By coming together, we share our emotional support for each other,” she said. “Be a light to others and be a light to yourselves. The brighter we shine the better the world will become.”
WILD President Kelly Roberts said the exhibit creates a place for people who have been affected by the pandemic to be remembered, especially in one of the areas hardest hit by COVID.
“We decided to use light to bring joy back to the Elmhurst community,” she said. “This connection and interaction with the installation is exactly what we hoped and envisioned for the community.”
Lights are still available to be purchased in tribute of a loved one or friend, to remember those lost or to celebrate those who survived from all cancers or COVID, or to thank a frontline worker. Visit pfcnyc.org/lightforlife
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