Just Sayin': Make sure for-hire vehicles are safe
Uncut grass along the Southern State Parkway west of Bethpage State Parkway. Credit: Paul Mazza
Make sure for-hire vehicles are safe
The summer months are upon us and so are celebrations. Many people tour Long Island’s beautiful attractions, including the wineries, farms, beaches and countless other venues.
Often, tourists choose to take alternative transportation such as limousines and party buses. With Father’s Day, graduations, proms, weddings and other events taking place, be mindful of safety.
New York State instituted comprehensive legislation in the for-hire industry and further implemented the laws through the task force on limousine safety. These laws outline how to check compliance in safety recommendations. Be alert to driver qualifications, limousine safety features and protocols for vehicle emergencies.
— Nancy DiMonte, Elwood
Vet Affairs replied — after my father died
I find myself wondering how much compassion the Department of Veterans Affairs has for veterans. My father, a veteran, suffered from dementia, and my mother was my father’s caregiver 24/7. She applied for caregiver benefits in February 2021 and never heard back. My mother passed away, and my father continued to be cared for 24/7 by two new caregivers, my sisters and me.
The Department of Veterans Affairs waited my father out. Soon after he died this year, they denied his claim for benefits. The reason for the denial is as priceless as it should be embarrassing: He is not eligible because he is dead.
They seem to have an efficient plan in place. Wait for our veterans to die, then deny their benefits because they are dead. Is this standard operating procedure to avoid paying benefits to those we owe the most?
— Abba Krebs, West Hempstead
Grass that’s as high as our taxes, oh my!
I recently had family from out of town, and they were shocked to see how our roads look and how overgrown the grass was in many places. They asked that, considering the high taxes we pay, how in the world can our areas look like this?
I ask myself this every time I drive around, especially in Bethpage and on Hicksville Road in North Massapequa. And what about the trash alongside our roads? Why can’t we have public areas properly maintained? I would love to know.
— Debbie Fazzolare, North Massapequa
Priority mail misses on urgency aspect
In the immortal words of Andy Rooney, have you ever noticed . . . that when you send a Priority Mail letter with a promised expected delivery date, it sometimes gets lost for a while? The tracking process does not always tell the true location of your mailed item, and there is no explanation.
Most recently, I sent a Priority letter to Georgia with an expected arrival of two or three days. Thirty days later, the item showed up.
The other day, I fell for it again. I sent a priority item to Massachusetts, and as of this writing it is still traveling.
— Cordell Price, Eastport
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