Letter: Nassau police will survive gear delay
As I was riding the Long Island Rail Road out of Wantagh, I couldn't help but laugh out loud after reading "Police lack gear" [News, Sept. 30].
Nassau Police Benevolent Association president James Carver is irate that new recruits are not being supplied, on Day One, with the required raincoats, turtleneck shirts and duty jackets -- they are on order. Carver said this will be detrimental to the morale of his police officers.
Is he living on this planet? How bad can it be for morale if these articles are a few weeks late? These recruits just hit the job lottery, with health benefits and six-figure pensions for life after a mere 20 years of service.
I'm a 33-year veteran of the private sector with a respectable career, but I don't have half of what my retired Nassau County cop friends have retired with. These young recruits will get over the delayed gear. Those of us in the private sector buy our own clothes.
Ed Lynn, Babylon
Henican column best part of Sunday
Every Sunday I looked forward to Ellis Henican's column ["Henican's column will be missed," Letters, Oct. 1]. I will miss his opinionated and loose comedic view of Long Island's news and issues of the week.
His unique spin addressed complex issues with a simplicity that was relatable.
Carey LeBrun, Westhampton Beach
Ellis Henican's column was the best part of Sunday morning. I loved reading his short, to-the-point take on whichever topic everyone was talking about. I loved his fun and insightful "Asked and Unanswered." The Long Islander of the Week was heartwarming and meaningful.
I don't know what I'll do this Sunday morning without having him to read over coffee at my kitchen table.
Kristen Kitt, Syosset
Black market in NY cigarettes
It's time for New York leaders to wake up and listen to state law enforcement professionals: The adult smoking rate is going up because of the growing crime of cigarette smuggling in the Empire State, not because of budget cuts to anti-smoking programs ["Survey: Smoking on rise in NYC," News, Sept. 16].
Each year investigative experts estimate that 50 percent to 60 percent of cigarettes smoked in New York City are trafficked via the black market. Smokers are spending less for contraband cigarettes than ever before, clearly going out of their way to avoid paying for the most expensive packs in America and making it easier to light up.
We need tougher penalties and more resources for cops to fight smuggling. New York leaders should listen to their own tax investigation division, which has some excellent enforcement ideas and is a leader in the fight against trafficking of contraband cigarettes along Interstate 95, the new "tobacco road."
Richard Marianos, Bristow, Virginia
Editor's note: The writer is a retired assistant director of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Full-day pre-K is a waste of money
I am writing in response to "First day of LI pre-K push" [News, Sept. 30]. As a recently retired teacher, continuing teachers' union president, taxpayer and grandparent of a second-grader, I have this to say: A basic fact that's not in dispute is that school districts are working under tight fiscal constraints that threaten the education we provide in kindergarten through 12th grade.
Class sizes are increasing; teachers' and teaching assistants' hours are being reduced, causing concern, especially in districts with high numbers of special-needs students. Some districts do not even offer full-day kindergarten.
Four-year-olds cannot sustain a full day of academics, nor should they be forced or expected to. Children of this age need social practice, movement, play and nurturing. Full-day pre-K sounds like full-day child care at the expense of taxpayers.
Why not allow for half-day pre-K, which would serve more students, using that half day for academics? If there is a reserve of money for education, why not funnel that to schools in need, so the educational soundness of our programs can be maintained?
Full-day pre-K at the expense of K-12 seems like serving an appetizer, but not providing the main course!
Karen Ferguson, Glen Cove
Hospitals should train family caregivers
Family caregivers provide the bulk of support for older loved ones to live independently at home, keeping them out of institutional care and saving tax money ["Money Fix," Business, Oct. 6]. Family caregivers need support in for this basic and important care. One such support would be to train caregivers on how to transition someone to the home after a hospital stay.
Whether it's changing bandages correctly or providing the right dose of medicine, doing it right could mean the person you just brought home won't have to go right back to the hospital. Readmitting someone to the hospital causes stress and drives up costs.
There's no law in New York requiring hospitals to train family caregivers on what they will need to do once their loved ones get home. A bill introduced in the State Legislature called the Caregiver Advise, Record and Enable Act would fix this.
Joanne Argyropoulos, Holtsville
