For about 200 years since the founding of this Republic, everybody — Republicans, Democrats, independents, rich, middle class and poor — were in agreement that government could exercise eminent domain and take private property for just compensation for a public purpose, to wit: a school, a road, transportation facilities, a public building. Comment.

It takes a special kind of crook to take advantage of people when they are down and out. We saw this when the mortgage crisis hit and con artists offered to help people save their homes from foreclosure. The victims paid the crooks thousands of dollars and still lost their homes. Comment.

Bayside is fortunate to have St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children in the community. Over the years, it has built a reputation for quality service to children and been recognized for such on a national level. Comment.

The town of Flushing was first incorporated Oct. 10, 1645, by the order of the governor of New Netherlands, William Kieft. Comment.

Anyone old enough to drive and smart enough to know the difference between a donut and a bagel should be smart enough not to park a luxury car in a public spot with the keys in the ignition. Comment.

The recent criticism by Pope Benedict XVI that priests should not question celibacy is typical for an institution that refuses to accept that there must be change in this area. Comments (2).

Both Ronald Reagan and Mitt Romney began their political careers in elective office by serving as governors of large industrial states. Reagan served two terms as governor of California and Romney served one term as governor of Massachusetts. Comment.

The city’s decision to drop its bid to use eminent domain in Willets Point to force property owners to sell brings the fight to develop this underused property back to Square 1. Comments (1).

I find Bob Friedrich’s column about state Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) misleading (“Lancman attack on Queens Dem machine rings hollow,” May 3-9). Lancman’s criticism of the Queens Democratic Party is based upon the previous action of the party. Comment.

We hope everyone fortunate enough to still have their mothers enjoyed the day by celebrating in some way with their mom. For those among us who are not that fortunate, we hope you took some time out to say a little prayer and reminisce about the good times you had with your mother while she was with us. Comment.

I fail to understand the brouhaha over the candidacy of Jeff Gottlieb in the 6th Congressional District, claiming it is a ploy to deprive candidate state Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) of the “Jewish vote” (“Lancman calls Gottlieb ‘hack’ in primary run,” Flushing Times, April 12-18). Comment.

It is disappointing that City Councilmen David Greenfield (D-Brooklyn) and Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside), in the April 19-25 story “Proposed bill blocks trash charge for culturals,” would prevent the city from charging so-called private nonprofit groups for paying for trash and recycling. Comment.

Stateside, the war effort was beginning to ramp up. On May 5, 1942, the sixth minesweeper to be built in Whitestone in the past seven weeks slid into the East River. The boat was christened at the Wheeler Shipbuilding Corp.’s yard at the foot of 154th Street. Comment.

It was with no pleasure that we watched last week as former state Sen. Hiram Monserrate pleaded guilty to misusing money to fund his unsuccessful 2006 campaign. Comment.

The local press is awash with statements that the upcoming Democratic primary for the nomination in the 6th Congressional District is a short time for the candidates to get themselves known. Comment.

From my first day of school, when my mother brought me to the building on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, I had drilled into me by my parents that teachers were supreme. You did not question or show disrespect to them. Comment.

Under standards imposed during the Bloomberg administration, the city can boot or tow cars of owners who owe as little as $350 or have five unpaid parking tickets in the course of one year, even if the tickets have not gone to judgment. Comment.

Queens is in the midst of an incredible period of economic growth, with billions of dollars in proposed construction and thousands of new residents expected in the next 20 years. The borough is home to two airports and they are the lifeblood of our local business community. Comment.

Two expansion proposals are slowly wending their way forward. New York University wants to expand in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. The city also wants developers to demolish the Iron Triangle in Willets Point and build giant, mixed-use buildings and other properties. Comment.

At the moment it appears the only hope for stopping the city Department of Education from closing August Martin High School and 23 other schools is intervention by the courts. Comment.

The weeks keep flying by. It just doesn’t seem possible that in less than three weeks we will be celebrating Memorial Day and all the fun parades Queens is famous for. Fortunately, they are spread out over the Memorial Day weekend, making it possible to view more than one. Aside from the fun and festivities of the parades, it’s a good time to reflect on how lucky we are to be living in such a wonderful country. Comment.

On March 29, Republicans in the U.S. Senate calling the bill a political stunt, blocked legislation to strip billions of dollars in tax breaks for the biggest U.S. oil companies. A last-minute entreaty by President Barack Obama was not enough to convince senators to strip the oil and gas industry of tax incentives. Comment.

The city Department of Education’s agenda to shutter schools has drawn fierce oppositions from communities throughout the borough. Comment.

There is much to be addressed when our youth demonstrate behavior patterns that are red flags and warning signs as a cry for help. As a nurse practitioner with more than 24 years of nursing experience, I have cared for individuals and family members who have acknowledged, “If only I had done this or that.” Comment.

The latest political party enrollment figures as of April show the Democratic Party with a considerably higher number of registered voters than the Republican Party in New York state. Comment.

In the wake of recent incidents where bird strikes forced two airliners to make emergency landings in the new York area, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand introduced legislation that would force federal officials to speed up the removal of Canada geese coming from a wildlife refuge near John F. Kennedy International Airport. Comment.

I am writing to you in regards to your recent budget line item vetoes that eliminated certain discretionary funding. Comment.

For me, civic involvement is about accountability, transparency, honesty and integrity in the political process. Elected officials are not royalty and need not be revered. They are paid handsomely for their services, have the best medical insurance available and receive generous pensions — all provided by taxpayers. Comment.

In every corner of Queens, there is no rite of spring more wonderful than the Opening Day of Little League. Comment.

Apart from the destruction of more than 200 small businesses with the loss of employment by thousands and even more so by the burdens placed upon their dependents, Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Willets Point plan is replete with a lack of transparency ill befitting an elected official whose constituents should not be limited to large real estate interests. Comment.

Last week I had one of the most interesting days I’ve had in quite some time. It was the Queens Chamber of Commerce’s annual Albany Legislative Lobby Day. It is its annual bus trip where it transports all interested chamber members to Albany to petition the legislators for help in solving Queens problems. Comment.

As with John C. Liu, I do not know Representative Robert Turner. He is not my congressman (mine wears a fresh flower in his lapel every day and has decided to retire after 15 terms). I followed Mr. Turner’s special election win from a distance, with some degree of concentration. Comment.

On March 26, the U.S. Supreme Court started listening to arguments relative to the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, passed by Congress. Let us hope our lifetime-appointed judges will offer their unbiased consideration with their ruling in June. Comment.

Your Feb. 23-29 paper contained the letter “Fight to keep big money out of political campaigns.” It expresses the feeling of the vast majority of Americans. Comment.

Two taxes that have been slamming the average New Yorker need to be reined in. Both taxes make consumers pay a heavy, unreasonable price for what have become routine activities in modern life. Comment.

On behalf of Queens Library, I want to thank the voters on the Rockaway peninsula and City Councilman Eric Ulrich (D-Ozone Park) for allocating $700,000 in capital funding for improvements to Queens Library at Peninsula and for an automated library vender in Breezy Point. Comment.

Born Virginia Katherine McMath July 16, 1911, in Independence, Mo., Ginger Rogers was a star of stage, screen and television for five decades from the 1930s to the late 1980s. She made a total of 73 films and is still remembered by fans as Fred Astaire’s dancing partner in many productions. Rogers overcame an unhappy childhood to find an outlet for her talent and attain success through changing times. Comment.

The Comment.

There has been much discussion about the use of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, when drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale areas in New York state. Gov. Andrew Cuomo will have the final say as to whether to allow this controversial technology to be used. Please contact him with your thoughts about this issue. Comment.

Regretfully, the city Department of Education has been making sudden changes every few months for the past 10 years. In the past there was stability in city schools, but these days there is confusing change after change. Comment.

The people living in western Queens are rightly angry. Following its unpopular “turnaround” model, the city Department of Education is planning to close Long Island City High School and put another high school with some fancy name in its place. Comment.

With all the talk that education is so important in this country, it is time that teachers who teach in schools throughout America be treated with the courtesy and professionalism they deserve. Comment.

On Sunday evening, the Eastern Military Academy held its Queens Chapter Alumni Association’s annual dinner at the Riviera Restaurant in Whitestone. It had a good attendance, allowing for the fact that some members were on vacation, some were still in their winter homes and some have moved away and have other interests. Unfortunately, some have died and some just didn’t feel up to it. Comment.

As the great-grandson of Irish immigrants to Dutch Kills, who once enjoyed the spectacle and competition that was Celtic Park, I take great pride in preserving the history of the times and places in which my ancestors and their neighbors lived. Comment.

There is a difference between legitimate health spas and whore houses posing as massage parlors. The residents of Dutch Kills and Long Island City have every right to be angry that two alleged houses of prostitution are operating in their neighborhoods pretending to be massage parlors. Comment.

The city recently announced devastating plans to cut funds to Beacon programs, school-based community centers serving children, youth and adults. There are 80 Beacons throughout New York City and they operate in the afternoons and evenings, on weekends, during school holidays and vacation periods and during the summer. Comment.

A College Point construction business was ordered to cough up more than $1 million after admitting it failed to pay its workers the “prevailing wage” mandated for any company with a public works contract doing business with the city. Comment.

Can you believe that the Republican Party in Washington, D.C., wants to end Medicare as we know it? Medicare was signed into law in reaction to seniors’ numbers having grown to 9.4 percent of the total population. Today, that percentage is much larger — 13 percent — making this a bad time to try to end Medicare, which our seniors depend on. Comment.

Recently, Elaine and I watched an “American Masters” program on Channel 13. It was about Margaret Mitchell, author of “Gone with the Wind.” Comment.

In tough times, city agencies have to make difficult decisions. When budgets are slashed they have to make the best possible use of the money left. Nonetheless, we think the decision by the city Department of Mental Health and Hygiene to eliminate funding for the Friendship Center in Jamaica cannot be justified. Comment.

A pedestrian is in critical condition after being struck by an 89-year-old driver in Oakland Gardens, as was recently reported. The driver remained at the scene and no criminality was suspected. Comment.

Like they used to say on the old TV program, there are many different stories in the naked city. We will have to amend that to say every day there are many different stories in the political arena. Comment.

As the co-chairman of the Olde Towne of Flushing Burial Ground Conservancy, I am writing to you to ask for your assistance with a crucial issue facing the 19th-century cemetery. Comment.

I am in agreement with state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) and other community leaders calling for a thorough investigation of the deliberate attempt to muzzle him from sounding off over a disputed land deal — concerning the Indian Community and Cultural Center— over what we all suspect might be foul play. Comment.

In most cases U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement doesn’t send a warning because the people it deals with are inclined to run. The officers show up at a person’s home or place of work and within minutes the individual is handcuffed and taken away. Once they are taken to an ICE facility, it might be days before they can make a phone call to family or friends. Comment.

As 2012 continues and the presidential election campaign begins to really ratchet up, is our nation’s economy really beginning to improve? Comment.

The newspapers were filled with progress and development. It was a confident age, but midway through the month a jarring note burst upon the world. It has remained seared in our collective memory to this day. Comment.

Trees Bite the Dust Comment.

I would like to address your March 22-28 Bayside Times editorial “Skala Rides Again.” I have lived in the immediate neighborhood of St. Mary’s Hospital for the better part of 60 years. I remember when the original building was erected. It was run by Episcopal nuns, who lovingly tended to the chronically ill children in their care. Comment.

A member of the Jamaica Estates Safety and Security Task Force, Bill Murray, has reached out to neighborhood civic associations to ascertain techniques which can be used to better protect the community from criminal activities. Comment.

Whether or not the aggressive stop-and-frisk policy in the 103rd Precinct is sound policing depends on what statistics you look at and whose child is being frisked. Comment.

With all the hoopla concerning the decision of U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside) to not run for another term, people often forget that the power in Washington, D.C., is based on seniority. Comment.

The political races are beginning to gel. The campaigns are starting to form their strategies that they hope will result in a winner for their respective candidates. What would normally be a mild campaign season is turning out to be a rather riveting winner-take-all contest. Comment.

It is interesting how politicians vying to be elected to an office and promising to protect and serve us are jumping quite fast to leave office. Comment.

As 2012 moves along, there has been an improvement, ever so slight, in the unemployment figure. Comment.

In a show of fairness, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office is offering a helping hand to women who have been brought into America by human traffickers. Comment.

Those with the “drill, baby, drill” mentality are either ignorant to the fact that we do not need more oil or are being manipulated and used as shills by the big oil conglomerates in order to increase their unprecedented profits. Comment.

At a protest outside the office of U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman, demonstrators said they were angry about the congressman’s support for the federal mandate that all insurance plans cover the cost of birth control. Comment.

The issue of ease of transferring credits within the City University of New York has long been a vexing problem for faculty and students, especially for community colleges, such as LaGuardia or Queensborough, to senior colleges, such as York or Queens. Comment.

We will be having an active U.S. Senate race this year in New York state. The seat in question is held by Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), who was appointed to that office by former Gov. David Patterson in 2009. She took the place of Hillary Clinton, who became U.S. secretary of state. Comment.

Theodore Thomas, 26, was shot multiple times in the chest outside the Unforgettable Lounge in South Jamaica at 3:45 on a Sunday morning. Comment.

The board is responsible for evaluating developer firms’ responses to the city Economic Development Corp.’s request for proposals pertaining to Phase 1 of the proposed Willets Point development and for approving or disapproving a choice of developer, as well as the disposition of Willets Point property to a chosen developer. Comment.

This is the week that was and what a week it was indeed. On Monday, Dan Halloran announced his candidacy for Gary Ackerman’s congressional seat in Flushing’s Bowne Park. Comment.

Where is the Glass-Steagall Act when we need it? In 1933, U.S. Sens. Carter Glass (D-Vt.) and Henry Steagall (D-Ala.) introduced the legislation which bears their name. Due largely to unregulated bank market speculation, we suffered the Great Crash of 1929. Comment.

Two weeks ago, U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman caught Queens by surprise when he announced that he would not seek re-election. Comment.

For 2013, Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposes to slash $26.7 million from the Queens Public Library budget. This dramatic reduction in funding is disheartening and borders on outrageous. Comment.

At some time in my education in city public schools, either at JHS 73 in Maspeth or Newtown High School, I heard the phrase “the Man on the White Horse.” Comment.

The RKO Keith’s Theatre was once the pride of Flushing. Comment.

New York is not a big city. We are a patchwork of small towns woven into neighborhoods, stitched together to form boroughs, creating the fabric of what we call the city of New York. Comment.

The pattern emerging has become transparently clear. The governor pushes for reform, in this case the once-a-decade redistricting of legislative lines, and threatens a veto if the state Legislature fails to act. The Legislature’s public face supports the governor’s call for reform and avoids publicly challenging him. Comment.

Hopefully, this will be the final chapter in the saga of Sean Bell, who was fatally shot by the police. Comment.

As we all remember, back on Jan. 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 bound for Charlotte, N.C., was forced to make an emergency landing on the Hudson River. About three minutes into the flight, the aircraft encountered a flight of Canada geese, which were sucked into both engines, resulting in a total loss of thrust. Comments (1).

Another anything-but-dull week. Last week, the Northeast Queens Republican Club held its March monthly meeting at its new place, the Clearview Golf Club House in Bayside. That is a great location for any group needing a meeting place and is convenient as well. Comment.

I am writing to voice my concerns regarding the possibility that Key Food and the stationery store next to it, at 69th Avenue and 164th Street, are going to be forced out by their landlord. We do not need a CVS store here. There are enough large drugstores within our neighborhood. Comment.

The Auburndale Improvement Association Inc., which represents more than 600 families in the Auburndale, Flushing and western Bayside communities, and five other civic associations testified at the January Community Board 7 public hearing against the request by Mormon church officials for three variances in order to construct a church at 145-15 33rd Ave. Comment.

Mohammad A. Islam, of Sunnyside, was picked up by U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement Feb. 10, having lived in America for 21 years as an undocumented foreign resident. Comments (4).

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly did his best at a breakfast earlier this month to explain and justify his department’s undercover surveillance in mosques and Muslim student associations within and outside the city. Comment.

It was the dawn of the Space Age, and the man of the hour was Col. John Glenn. On Feb. 20, 1962, Glenn had piloted Friendship 7 on the first manned orbit around the Earth and landed safely despite worries that the capsule’s heat shield might not hold. Comment.

Let me start by saying I was a high school mathematics teacher for 37 years, so I speak from experience. Comments (1).

The shooting of a 21-year-old man in the parking lot of a Wendy’s in Jamaica is further proof that southeast Queens is not winning the war on gun violence. Many parents take their children to that restaurant. Their children could just have easily been hit by a stray bullet. Comment.

As Michael Bloomberg reaches his 10th year as mayor, he continues in his well-meaning but flawed policy of closing most of our high schools. It seems he wants to close most of the high schools in Queens in spite of their traditions and histories. Comments (1).

To anyone and everyone who is not aware, this letter is to let them know of the work City Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) and his staff do. Comments (1).

The criticism of St. Mary’s Hospital for Children in Bayside has gotten to the point where it is ridiculous. Comments (4).

Can you believe all the dramatic political changes this week? The biggest surprise was Gary Ackerman’s decision not to run for re-election. As my husband said, “I guess that means no Acker-Bus trip for you down to Washington this coming January 2013.” Comment.

Despite criticism, the city Department of Education is moving forward with its plan to close “struggling” neighborhood schools and reopen them in the same building with new names. Comment.

I am writing in response to your Feb. 9-15 editorial “Fairness a Stranger at CB 7.” Comment.

A picture on the Jamaica Times’ front page says all you need to know. Shanta Merritt is hugging a friend after learning her son, Darryl Adams, 18, has been shot to death two days before. Comments (2).

Merchants leaving Union Street because Flushing Commons will be bad for business is just the tip of the iceberg (“Merchants leaving Union Street,” Flushing Times, Feb. 23-29). Comments (1).

Despite criticism, the city Department of Education is moving forward with its plan to close “struggling” neighborhood schools and reopen them in the same building with new names. Comment.

In Bob Friedrich’s March 1-7 On Point column “Underperforming Queens schools should be shuttered,” the author misses the point about the objections to the extreme emphasis on standardized test preparation in our local public schools. Comments (1).

In 2001, Mayor Michael Bloomberg made it known he was going to take steps to abolish the city Board of Education and take it over himself and run it with the assistance of an appointed city schools chancellor. Comment.

On Feb. 7, I testified at the state Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment hearing at Queens Borough Hall regarding the proposed state Assembly and state Senate districts. After waiting more than four hours to testify, I gave my testimony to a commission that seemed uninterested in my thoughts. Comment.

When you were a child, did anyone give you a kaleidoscope as a gift? For those of you who are not familiar with kaleidoscopes, they are similar to a small telescope, but when you twist the rim on the top, you get variations of many different colorful designs formed into intricate geometrical patterns. Each twist forms a different pattern and no two are alike. The possibilities are endless. Comment.

The media depends on good reporters and a fair, just democracy requires journalism that is vigilant, honest and objective. Comment.

Born in 1922, Jack Kerouac is considered the father of Beat Generation literature. His iconoclastic works, such as “On the Road,” “The Dharma Bums” and “Vanity of Duluoz,” were the mouthpiece of a 1950s counterculture. Comment.

City Councilman Daniel Dromm is locking horns with the mayor over the NYPD’s handling of marijuana arrests. Comment.

On Feb. 7, the state Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment held a public hearing at Queens Borough Hall to gather comments from the public regarding proposed state Senate and state Assembly district boundary lines. Comment.

The last of the five friends who read my columns in manuscript came up with a good many gripes, following my own column about my concerns. The other four have had their say and I invite you to make your gripes known through TimesLedger Newspapers. Solutions are most welcome, too. Comment.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly did his best at a breakfast Saturday to explain and justify his department’s undercover surveillance in mosques and Muslim student associations within and outside the city. Comment.

I was disappointed to read your March 2 editorial “Save the College Point Mail Center,” as you incorrectly characterized my role in fighting the closure of the U.S. Postal Service’s College Point mail facility. Comment.

For city Comptroller John Liu, the news only got worse last week when the U.S. attorney’s office arrested a young campaign staffer for alleged illegal fund-raising on behalf of Liu’s mayoral campaign. The question for Liu is no longer can he continue to campaign for mayor, but if he can weather the storm and finish his term. Comments (1).

The Feb. 9-15 TimesLedger Newspapers editorial “Fairness a Stranger at CB 7” was off the mark and an unfair assessment of Community Board 7 and what happened at its monthly meeting. Comment.

Once upon a time, quite a few years ago, I was what you might call “active” in politics. Enough, in any case, to snag an appointment to a job in a city department, which permitted me to have a gold badge, get my name in the Green Book every year and be able to have correspondence addressed to me as “Hon.” No, not honey. Was I honorable? Legally, of course. Morally, I hope so. Comment.

Another busy week has gone by. You know, Queens is becoming a fun place to both live and work in. Long gone are the days when Queens was only a bedroom community for Manhattan. Comment.

I was at the 109th Precinct Community Council meeting Feb. 8 and I was appalled when you spoke from the podium and told members of the community to stop complaining about Flushing. Comment.

In article “New lines lambasted for state office seats,” in the Feb. 9-15 edition of TimesLedger Newspapers, Elmer Backburne unfortunately chose to view the redistricting commission’s skin color rather than the content of its character as the reason for its brazen gerrymandering of the districts. Comment.

There was quite a difference in the outcome of the conclusion of last month’s Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C. — the same conference held four years ago. Comment.

How do you measure the value of a teacher? Comment.

Just when you think you have seen them at their lowest, the white-wing conservatives drop the bar even further. Comments (1).

After telling of all the accomplishments that took place this past year in Queens, Borough President Helen Marshall honored a number of residents and government workers who performed great achievements and improved the quality of life in the borough. Comment.

Sometimes common sense is not common enough. In January, the coaches of the Christ the King and Bishop Ford girls’ basketball teams decided not to play in games against Nazareth High School in the days following the death of Nazareth Coach Apache Paschall. Comment.

There is something amiss with New York state and city officials when it comes to convention centers (“Guv bets on conventions,” TimesLedger Newspapers, Jan. 12-18, and “Nix Aqueduct convention center idea: Poll,” TimesLedger, Jan. 19-25). Comments (1).

In three months, the U.S. Postal Service plans to close its College Point facility, which employs 1,000 people. The USPS has decided to move the operation to a facility in Brooklyn. Comment.

We only attended two events this week, but they were two good ones. The first one was a fund-raising party hosted by the Friends of Peter Koo for his re-election campaign. Comment.

Born Feb. 7, 1915, to Catherine and Joseph Bracken, Astoria native Eddie Bracken enjoyed a career that spanned seven decades as a movie, television and stage actor. Comment.

A deal has been reached that will create a fair process for evaluating teachers in state public schools. The deal, to be an amendment in the state budget, will ensure that New York receives more than $1 billion in federal funding that was contingent upon an agreement. Comments (1).

It would create a good feeling if once in a while taxpayer dollars produce a legislator who takes the time to seriously look at an important issue that will affect the residents of this city. Comment.

When people sometimes tell me that I look good for my age — and is that really a compliment? — they probably don’t realize that I’m still a teenager. Forget the wrinkles and gray hair and focus on the fact that I have a birthday only once every four years — Feb. 29 to be exact. Comment.

If the redrawn state Senate district lines are adopted, two of Queens’ most powerful voices in Albany will have to run against each other in a primary if they want to stay in office. For this and other reasons, the lines should not be approved. Comment.

As we watch the numbers of Occupy Wall Street protesters dwindle, understandably so with the advent of the winter months and cold weather, many may think or even wish that they have gone away, but the 99 percent movement is far from dead. Comment.

It seemed impossible, but the Republicans who control the state Senate have found a way to redraw Senate district lines in a manner that is more bizarre than the lines that exist. Comment.

Another busy week, but nothing spectacular — just regular Queens local stuff. Comment.

In New York state, more than 3 million people are living beneath the federal poverty line. From 2007 to the present, that number has increased by 11 percent, according to federal census data. Comments (9).

The good news is Fresh Direct has decided to relocate to the Bronx. The bad news is Queens will lose 2,000 jobs. Comments (1).

With all due respect, Dee Richards’ Feb. 9-15 headline is incorrect. Comment.

Florida has just proven to be a key state in the presidential race. Mitt Romney has established himself as a lead contender for the Republican nomination. Newt Gingrich, after doing well in the South Carolina primary, could not maintain his momentum. Gingrich is a good public speaker and knows the issues well, but it was not enough. Comments (1).

A crowd of 2,000 angry people packed the Brooklyn Tech High School auditorium to send a message to the city Panel for Education Policy that the people are opposed to the mayor’s plan to close 23 schools. Comment.

Generally I look forward to reading your articles, but found your Feb. 9-15 article entitled “Bayside-Whitestone Lions Club looking for new president” misrepresentative of the club and its procedures. Comment.

Here are the comments of my fourth friend, responding to my recent column about my gripes about our society. Comment.

By the time this newspaper reaches your hands, religious services will be banned by the city Department of Education in public schools. The DOE set Sunday as the final day when the doors would be open to religious services. Comment.

It was a windy, cold January afternoon, and after battling Steinway Street traffic I finally found a parking spot. I had to remind myself that this challenge is always worth the effort when I am visiting my friend Zafar from Humza Studio to have my old 8 mm tapes transferred over to DVDs. Comment.

Let me start this week’s column on a rather sad note. I wish to extend my deepest, heartfelt sympathy to the family of Marissa Roslyn Feldman. Comment.

Finally, our troops are out of Iraq but without the oil which precipitated the phony invasion and without the lives of our 4,000 soldiers unknowingly fighting and dying for it. Comment.

It is a sad reality that more than 10 years after Sept. 11, the NYPD still finds it necessary to conduct undercover surveillance in city mosques. It is understandable that this infuriates city Islamic leaders. Comments (1).

The article “Queensborough Bridge accident driver sues city” (Astoria Times, Dec. 15-21) contained excellent reporting, but I wish to bring up a few points. Comments (1).

The World’s Fair was in Queens, attracting visitors from far and wide. On Feb. 3, 1965, the Star-Journal reported that the fair “made news internationally as well as locally yesterday. The city will bring the fair into court if it fails to heed the subpoena served yesterday.” Comment.

In a crime taken right from a cop show, Kwame Hamilton, 19, and Antwione Nabnet, 20, both of Jamaica, allegedly stole a cell phone from a victim walking down a Jamaica street and then attempted to sell the phone back to their victim. Comments (1).

Over the last few years, we have experienced tornados, snow and ice storms, hurricanes and major rain storms. During these events, power is often lost and power lines are down, making roads impassable and walking treacherous. Comment.

In 1991, when the new City Charter was written, civic leaders warned that the creation of a city Board of Standards and Appeals would lower the quality of life, and it is happening as predicted. Comment.

Hiding behind the letter of the law, Community Board 7 has unanimously refused to grant a waiver to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to build a two-story church in Queens. Comments (2).

For co-op and condo residents, the real property tax assessment rolls have become a tax roller coaster. Some eastern Queens co-ops are facing 50 percent increases in assessed value this year, at a time when market values are essentially flat. Comment.

I read the reports that there is opposition from merchants to the Jackson Heights pedestrian plaza that was established last fall on 37th Road between 73rd and 74th streets. Some of the opposition claims that the loss of parking spaces has hurt business in the area. Comment.

Okay. So you have not heard from your elected officials, if you wrote to them or called them or e-mailed them about having public executionism in New York state. Don’t despair. It happens to the best — or worst — of us. Comments (6).

This was a rather slow week, or at least for me it was. Last Thursday, the Queens Chamber of Commerce held a business card exchange mixer. Those events are always a fun way to network. Comments (2).

Across the United States and Canada, utility companies are forcing the installation of the Smart Meter, a digital device to monitor electric, gas and water consumption, upon a seriously uninformed public. In areas where the meters are located outside the house, they are installed without the owner’s knowledge. Comments (1).

In the Jan. 12-18 TimesLedger Newspapers article “DOT says safety measures cut traffic fatalities in Queens,” city Department of Transportation Queens Commissioner Maura McCarthy said “there were 67 traffic deaths in Queens last year, ‘which is quite an accomplishment.’” Comment.

TimesLedger Newspapers letter writer Anne, of College Point, makes the case that the spa proposed for the College Point Corporate Park has a good chance of succeeding. Comments (1).

I read the letter to the editor “Queens Center Mall owner must help neighboring area” (Jan. 19-25) with interest. We are proud of the fact that Queens Center Mall is a generator of tax dollars for the city and state and we try to do as much as we can to be a positive force for the Queens community and a fair employer. Comment.

During the last few weeks, we have heard a lot about instituting a public school teacher evaluation system in New York state and especially in New York City. Comments (1).

The state of our government is chaos. The idiots who represent the American people in Congress in Washington, D.C., are all overpaid, underworked windbags and total disgraces. Comments (1).

Many of you will remember the battle between co-op and condo owners and the city Department of Finance last year, after DOF Commissioner Frankel announced double- and triple-digit, single-year property valuation increases in eastern Queens. Comment.

U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand have backed off their support for a piece of legislation that would have greatly restricted user access to the Internet. Comment.

It is a sad day for all Queens residents with the closing of both the Gold Star Diner in Bayside and the Palace Diner in Flushing (“Gold Star Diner shuts its doors after being sold,” Bayside Times, Dec. 29, 2011-Jan. 4, 2012). Comment.

How the weeks fly by! Would you believe it’s now February? This past week was both fun and productive and informative. Comments (3).

Born Jan. 16, 1908, as Ethel Agnes Zimmermann, Astoria native Ethel Merman is perhaps best remembered for her mezzo-soprano voice in numerous Broadway musicals and Hollywood films. Her musical numbers include “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” and “There’s no Business Like Show Business.” Comment.

The punishment should fit the crime. Fining law-abiding citizens up to $300 because they put their trash cans out too early in the day is nuts. Comment.

I am writing in response to an article which was published in the Dec. 15-21 edition of TimesLedger Newspapers about carriage horses. Comment.

What follows are the gripes of three of my friends, based on my most recent column of my own gripes. Comment.

Immigrants hoping to a build a new life in America can easily fall prey to vultures who are willing to exploit their situation. Last week, a Queens judge sentenced three members of a Trinidadian family to 78 to 235 years for taking advantage of their countrymen. Comment.

There has been much discussion regarding a proposal to convert abandoned areas of the old Rockaway Beach rail line into a “highline” park space. While I am an advocate for increased park space in Queens, I believe southern Queens and the Rockaways would be better served if this forgotten track once again fulfilled its original purpose as a railroad. Comments (7).

In 1935, at the height of the Great Depression, a group of retired policemen came together to organize one of the largest international expositions the world had ever seen. The end goal: to lift the city out of an economic depression. Comment.

Can someone tell the New Jersey governor that stealing Fresh Direct would be the economic equivalent of an act of war? Comment.

After giving it long and hard thought on whether or not to print the following information, I decided it was better to print it and thereby kill the tiger cub before it had a chance to grow into a fully grown man-eater. Comment.

In response to your Dec. 22-28 editorial “Avella: Pull on the Reins,” I must agree with you for calling state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) “a fighter for the people.” Comments (34).

The world “mandate” may be one of the most intentionally or unconsciously abused directives. There are mandates and then there are mandates. In the 2010 election, the U.S. House of Representatives was decimated with the influx of the clueless freshman and gained a Republican majority. The Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate was sadly diluted and many Republican governors were voted into office. Comment.

In his State of the City address, Mayor Michael Bloomberg made education reform the cornerstone of his administration’s final two years. The 12th-richest person in the United States continues to believe the take-no-prisoners approach that made him a success on Wall Street will work well in the public school system. Comment.

Bring our troops home now. The United States is in a state of perpetual war. American troops are stationed in almost every country around the globe. Comments (1).

A son of Forest Hills has been appointed to one of the most important positions in the Obama administration. Comment.

Since this issue has gone viral — as you can see, I am from Virginia — I wish to join with those protesting this abuse of horses and ask that horse-drawn carriages be discontinued as soon as possible. Comments (48).

Here in New York state, we have been using voting machines for at least the last 70 years. When these machines came into use, it was heralded as an end to voting fraud, since votes would now be counted by the voting machines instead of by hand. There seemed to be little possibility of mistakes in counting the ballots. Comments (1).

In his State of the City address, Mayor Michael Bloomberg made education reform the cornerstone of his administration’s final two years. The 12th-richest person in the United States continues to believe the take-no-prisoners approach that made him a success on Wall Street will work well in the public school system. Comments (1).

As clergy leaders from Queens Congregations United for Action, we minister to families from all walks of life struggling to make ends meet. It is not just that we are living through hard economic times. Comment.

By now I’m sure you are aware that Eric Ulrich has been appointed as the New York City campaign chairman for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. After Romney won in both Iowa and New Hampshire, hopefully for Eric he will do equally well in South Carolina and Florida. Comments (1).

Some of you may have noticed that I did not emphasize in my last blog what public executions could do for the economy of Queens. Let me rectify that immediately, lest you think this is a matter of no concern to your pocketbook and mine. Comments (6).

Are you as startled as I every time a commercial on TV from an attorney’s office informs us that if we took a certain medication to contact their office because the medication causes all kinds of problems, including death? Comment.

Two Yale students on the final leg of a 29,000-mile world tour land in College Point in early January 1935. They take more than 600 pictures of places and people with an aerial camera and plan to donate the images to the Geographical Society of America. Their last hop, a four-hour trip from Morehead City, N.C., was one of the most brutal. Facing a 45 mph headwind, the ice-covered plane lands in an ice-caked Flushing Bay. Comment.

The carcass of what once was a proud high school should serve as a monument to the incompetence and arrogance of the city Department of Education. Comment.

This is a very important letter. My name is Maxie Hom. I think the wild turkey should be our national bird. Comment.

New York City is starting a new round of witch trials in our schools, just like the ones conducted last year. The witches are the schools accused of being failures. City education officials just announced that they want to close 19 failing schools while state education officials claim 104 Queens schools were in need of improvement under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Comment.

Imagine that one day you head to a local pharmacy to pick up a prescription and find out the store no longer accepts your employer’s pharmacy plan. This could happen soon consumers in New York state if the Federal Trade Commission signs off on a plan to merge two of the nation’s largest pharmacy benefit managers. Comment.

The headline of a story in the Dec. 22-28 edition of the Bayside Times read, “Bayside priest jailed for 5 years.” Comments (1).

Imagine that one day you head to a local pharmacy to pick up a prescription and find out the store no longer accepts your employer’s pharmacy plan. This could happen soon to New York state consumers if the Federal Trade Commission signs off on a plan to merge two of the nation’s largest pharmacy benefit managers. Comments (3).

Regarding the Dec. 1-7 TimesLedger Newspaper article “Students protest as CUNY hikes tuition,” I am pleased to share several unreported data points on the value and affordability of a City University of New York education and its benefits for our students. Comment.

Hopefully, the holiday party season is finally beginning to wind down. I don’t mind feeling dead tired, but when you look in the mirror and you look dead tired, that’s where you have to draw the line. Comments (1).

As I have made clear from Day 1, the main reason I got into politics is out of concern for the future of our nation. As a grandfather of 13, my priority is to improve our economy by helping foster an environment where businesses can create lasting jobs and address our national debt crisis so our children and grandchildren can prosper in this country. Comment.

A few weeks ago, I attended an event at the Gurdwara Sant Sagar, a Sikh house of worship in Bellerose. The event was organized by the Creedmoor Civic Association for community residents to learn more about the gurdwara and the Sikh community. Comments (2).

We are curious about Borough President Helen Marshall’s decision to reject a proposal to build a second spa in College Point. It took Marshall several weeks to decide that that spa would create a parking and traffic problem in the Corporate Park. Comment.

As the first vice president of the Auburndale Improvement Association Inc., it is part of my responsibility to address community problems. Comments (1).

This started out to be one column to be sent out into the world at anytime. It has turned into more than that and I think the comments in these columns may be something to think about in the new year. They represent my thinking and those of a group of five younger friends who see my columns on a regular basis. Comment.

Every day tons of food are wasted in the city. Fortunately, there is an organization that wants to do something about that. Comment.

I was happy to hear that there will be no snowfall snafus this winter and during future winters. Comment.

We are watching a contest between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich for the Republican Party 2012 presidential nomination. Although there are other candidates competing, these two candidates seem to be leading. Comments (1).

A lawsuit on behalf of 10 disabled children who were fraudulently adopted by an ex-Laurelton woman who used their adoptions to make more than a million dollars raises questions about the justice system. The children’s lawyers are looking for a $68 million settlement. Comment.

My name is Joseph Ciciliato. I am in third-grade at PS 94. I am writing to tell you that I have a special bird in mind to represent our country. The bald eagle, instead of the wild turkey, should be our national bird. Comments (4).

Happy New Year to everyone! We hope 2012 is one of the best-ever new years for you. Don’t make too many resolutions, as we all know that even with the best of intentions they are hard to keep after the first few weeks. Comment.