State must replenish workers fund

State must replenish workers fund

Government budgets are moral documents. For people of faith and all people of good will, these budgets must reflect our responsibility to care for people in need. Some years, this means making difficult choices. This year, New York has a $30.7 billion surge in state tax revenue, which will allow our governor and state legislators to help the 20,000 Long Island undocumented essential workers unable to access the 2021 New York State Excluded Workers Fund. This fund -- depleted in just two months -- helped undocumented immigrants who lost income due to COVID-19 but received no federal or state pandemic relief.

Long Islanders know these workers by their contributions to our communities as home health aides, housekeepers, restaurant workers, day laborers, landscapers, and other essential service providers.

We in the faith community know these workers by name because, since they were unable to receive any government COVID relief, our congregations have fed them and clothed them during this terrible pandemic.

These excluded workers have done their part to make Long Island a decent place to live. Our congregations have done our part with charitable supports to ease their suffering. We cannot do it all. The state must replenish the Excluded Workers Fund.

The Right Rev. Lawrence C. Provenzano, Garden City

The writer is bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island.

Let's regain our generosity of spirit

After years of challenges, hardships and fears, I am trying to regain my sense of optimism and hopefulness. This letter is meant to remind us all that we are a part of this world and it is up to us to create a space around us that is kind, compassionate, nonjudgmental and, most of all, unified. We are witnessing a time that is dangerous and heartbreaking and we, as a nation, must put aside all divisions, move in a direction toward love and regain our common sense and generosity of spirit. My hope is that we can do this as a collective and stop hurting each other.

Brenda Ferrante, Lindenhurst

I am disgusted with LI's roadside litter

Driving to work every morning, I am disgusted with the amount of litter I see on the sides of the roads. Are we really that lazy that we cannot carry our lunch bag or takeout food containers to a garbage can? For example, Little East Neck Road in Wyandanch, which has woods, has become a dumping ground. Then you come to Pinelawn Memorial Park and Arboretum, which is kept beautifully for our veterans. Pass Colonial Springs Road, also in Wyandanch, and the garbage starts again. If people tossed this trash on their own property, how would they like how it looked? Keep our roadsides clean as if you were in your own community.

Lois Lamarca, Melville

Cut down trees, don't butcher them

PSEG Long Island is spending a lot of money to have contractors prune trees around their electric wires. Many trees not worth trimming anymore should be removed instead of snipped away year after year. Many of these trees have been butchered by the contracted companies instead of being cut down. It seems to me that the tree pruning companies choose not to cut them down in order to keep the lucrative contracts for the following year. The "tree trimming" done on Old Country Road in Eastport is laughable.

Werner Sommer, Eastport

I need a permit just to park by my house

I am outraged to learn that I need a permit to park a car at my own home. It’s not enough that my area neighbors or I pay taxes here, but now because of Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital, permits are required not only for residents to park here but we must have permits available for visiting guests.

How about having hospital visitors pick up a parking pass to display instead of putting this on us homeowners?

Barbara Powers, Oceanside