Just Sayin’: LIRR workers and paying customers
Commuters at Jamaica Station crowd into an LIRR train in July. Credit: Howard Schnapp
Recently on a shortened New York-bound Long Island Rail Road train, I sat next to a railroad employee who rode for free.
I was, however, surrounded by people who paid full fare who were standing because the train was again shortened by two cars. This is unacceptable behavior by the ticket collection crew and the staff going to the LIRR’s Hillside facility, among other stops.
Employees must cede their seats to fare-paying customers, and the ticket-collection staff must enforce it. LIRR staff who ride for free, please stand up and relinquish your seats. It’s just the right thing to do.
Rick Liverano, Centereach
Simple ways to deal with straws
Starting in 2019, California diners who want a plastic straw will have to ask for one. Other states and municipalities are considering similar measures to reduce plastic in the waste stream.
All the hoopla about plastic straws would be resolved with a very simple thing called straw! We always try to reinvent the wheel, when the answer is right there, in front of our eyes.
When I grew up in Italy in the 1950s and ’60s, there were no plastic straws. We had drinking straws made out of straw — all natural, available in cafes, bars and restaurants. Straw is biodegradable. Problem solved! How simple is that?
Giampaolo Fallai, Wading River
Need to put a stop to incessant dog barking
I am a dog lover. I think that dogs are one of the greatest of God’s creations. However, dogs allowed to bark incessantly are another story. I do not blame the dogs, though; their owners are culpable. In my neighborhood, there are dogs that are let out of their homes to bark for long periods — one in particular about 6 a.m.
It is not fair to one’s neighbors to allow dogs to bark this way. I understand that dogs bark when they are let out of the house. It’s their instinct to warn trespassers and other dogs of their territory. But for owners to let dogs to continue yapping and yapping is disrespectful is poor etiquette. Please, in memory of the late, very great Fred Rogers, be a good neighbor.
Nancy Macri Kennedy, Huntington Station
