LETTERS: Jones Beach fireworks, Nassau parks fees and more

Shortage of police shouldn't cancel show

So the 4th of July fireworks display at Jones Beach has been canceled because the state says it doesn't have enough parks police to patrol the event . I ain't buyin' it. The parks police force has dwindled in recent years from 117 to 85. That's a drop of 32. Could county police or surrounding village forces not have been asked to lend a hand? What about the National Guard?

Now I'm wondering who's going to be patroling Jones Beach on Memorial Day weekend when the Blue Angels draw a crowd of 200,000 people on both days. Maybe the state's going to call up the Cub Scouts for that one.

Daniel Reagan

Levittown

Nassau should rethink nonresident park fees

Nassau residents as well as people from all over the world use New York City parks. We New Yorkers shoulder the tax burden of these nonresidents utilizing our parks, yet Nassau residents do not want us in theirs .

Maybe we should withhold police protection when they are in the city unless they pay a fee to enter. Maybe we should charge them a garbage fee for anything they throw in one of our trash cans.

Although I am a Queens resident, Nassau gains quite a bit of revenue from the sales tax collected on merchandise I buy in that county. The businesses prosper because of the purchases I make. That revenue will end. I hope other city residents feel the same way and start boycotting Nassau businesses until Nassau goes back to treating everyone equally.

Linda Silverman

Bellerose Manor

Lavish pensions unfair to taxpayers

It is grossly unfair that we working-class taxpayers should be forced to support any retired government employees with lavish pensions of $150,000 and more .

Bottom line, the working poor and middle class should not be forced to support the rich through taxation. It's just plain immoral.

How about a state-mandated cap on all government pension recipients, limited to two times the average private sector full-time wage? That would cap government pension recipients' benefits at something over $90,000 per year, still enough to enjoy a far more comfortable lifestyle than the vast majority of taxpayers who support them.

Eric Merz

Shirley