Bruno must get off the dime and embrace ‘Bigger, Better Bottle Bill’

Once again, responsible citizens of New York are joining with environmental groups to support a “bigger, better, bottle bill” (A.8044-A, S.5850-A), to include bottled water and non-carbonated beverage bottles in the state’s five-cent deposit law.

The purpose of this law is to encourage consumers to return bottles for recycling, or at least for proper disposal, instead of making dumps of our roadsides, parks and waterways. It has been reported that these beverages only constitute one-fourth of the beverage market, but are a whopping two-thirds of the empty bottles littering our outdoor world.

The state Assembly has included this bill in their state budget proposal and Gov. David Paterson has pledged to make it one of his top environmental priorities, but it’s being blocked in the Senate by Sen. Joseph Bruno, under pressure from beverage industry lobbyists. It’s amazing how hard these people will fight to protect the consumer from a five-cent returnable deposit charge they fear might discourage buyers, but would anxiously increase the price five cents to increase their profit.

Please contact your state assemblyman and senator, especially Sen. Bruno, before the Legislature recesses on June 23. Remind them you want them to represent you — one of their constituents — not the lobbyists of the beverage industry.

Maryde King

Schenectady

The writer was beach captain, representing the American Littoral Society in the annual Mohawk River shore cleanup day.

Obama’s candidacy a win for all Americans

The May 27 letter, “Look beyond Wright’s words to black history,” by Mary Jane Valachovic and the June 3 letter, “Despite bravery, blacks still treated second class,“ by Irving Rosenberg went far to bring peace to my heart and faith in my fellow white brothers and sisters. These two letters made me realize that all whites don’t consider themselves as “tribe members,” and some are even trying the moccasins of their darker compatriots in order to understand their anger and feel their suffering. Mr. Obama’s choice by a substantial number of white Americans, as their leading Democrat, was a delightful surprise; the icing on the cake.

I don’t belong to parties, I don’t know Mr. Obama. I have no idea where his candidacy is going to lead, but one thing is for sure: I’m proud to be an American, and the possibility of Mr. Obama being president is the “shot heard around the world.” I have many foreign friends, here and abroad, and they are now looking at America with a renewed sense of wonderment and respect. The world is starting to love America again.

As for myself, I can’t look any more at a passing white and wonder about what’s going on in his or her soul. I have stopped feeling sorry for my children and grandchildren for having them grow up in a land where they are still referred to as “darkies.” I will stop gnawing my gums when the white press refers to Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Al Sharpton as leaders of black America.

Mr. Obama’s success means the success of all Americans, be they hispanics, Asian, white, Jewish, Muslim, black, male, female etc. The gates aren’t locked any more. Young America can dream of being anything in our great land and their names don’t have to be Bush, Kennedy, Roosevelt, Rockefeller, etc. All that’s needed are intelligence, hard work, ambition, luck and believers.

Mr. Obama’s success shouldn’t be viewed as a black American success — it belongs to all Americans. It’s a wonderful event, even if it turns out to be just a symbolic one.

Roger Malebranche

Broadalbin

Why was St. Clare’s Hospital targeted?

Re Michael Lamendola’s June 5 article [“St. Clare‘s set to begin merging into Ellis”] concerning the merger of the main health care facilities in Schenectady County, it’s understood that the area that is losing population and consolidation is needed.

I remember three days at Bellevue, hiding the bottles of champagne from the nurses, celebrating the birth of our children. The nurses knew what was happening, but gave us the wink.

The most disturbing part of the article was the loss of the name St. Clare’s. In a state that is ready to accept gay marriage, the closure of a Catholic hospital is another slap in the face to us that pray to the pope. Why do I think that the closure of St. Clare’s has everything to do with there unwillingness to perform abortions?

Fortunately, for my wife and me, North Carolina is in our near future, where I know that the Baptists will be more tolerant to Catholics than this state.

Bill Kouzan

Scotia

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