Narrowing Erie Blvd. will kill business in downtown Sch’dy

Being in downtown Schenectady since 1941, we have witnessed downtown in its heyday, its decline and its many attempts at rebirth. These last few years have seen a rapid growth, and we are thrilled with the many new restaurants and businesses that have come downtown.

Unfortunately, the proposed redesign of Erie Boulevard would be a step backward. Erie Boulevard needs to be cleaned up, but this project is a waste of taxpayer dollars. We do not need a roundabout that serves only to put more businesses out by limiting the flow of traffic.

Although we may not all agree with the goods they sell, Another World brings business into the city, collects sales tax and pays its property taxes. Honestly, until our local planners made a big deal about this store, I never knew what it sold. In attempt to wage war against this business, our planners will be again spending our tax dollars to narrow the streets in downtown and make Erie Boulevard as non-functional a drive as State Street has become. (Try making a left onto Erie Boulevard from State Street after 5 p.m.) If a median is erected on Erie Boulevard, we might as well put a gas station on the corner because the traffic bottleneck will drain gas tanks. The fun will truly begin when Price Chopper opens its new offices on Nott Street.

Let’s look back to when downtown was happening. State Street was a six-lane road, with parking on each side! Today, when every household has up to three cars in their driveway, we are making it even more difficult for folks and their families to drive downtown by limiting traffic to one lane. I field calls every day from our customers requesting a route to our store that skips State Street all together. I can’t even being to imagine what it will be like when Erie Boulevard becomes two lanes.

City planners need to start thinking about function, and not merely aesthetics. Wider sidewalks are great, but if traffic cannot flow downtown, you will continue to find those sidewalks empty. Years ago, we had narrower sidewalks, filled with the bustle of a thriving downtown — why? Because you could actually drive downtown and park your car. What a concept,

If you make it so difficult to get to a business, folks will continue to do what they have for years; going to the mall, where parking is abundant and you can get there via expressway.

NORMAN and LINDA TOLOKONSKY

Schenectady

The writers are proprietors of Rudnick’s.

Don’t blame Bush for Iraq, Congress OK’d it

Re Greg Yankosky’s March 14 letter, “Keep all of Spitzer’s misdeeds in perspective”: Mr. Yankosky makes reference to a war criminal with the blood of 4,000 Americans on his hands.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe he is referring to President George W. Bush. Unfortunately, Mr. Yankosky failed to state what statute President Bush violated in order to become a war criminal.

It’s obvious to me that he doesn’t understand the workings of our government. George Bush did not, and cannot, declare war. It’s up to Congress. Yet in this case, war was never even declared. Congress simply authorized, and continues to authorize, the use of force. Yet Bush continues to take the heat for the military operation in Iraq.

Also, the continuation of the military campaign is mainly due to that fact that Congress — which is made up of mostly Democrats, by the way — continues to finance it. George Bush signs the checks.

The reference to the number of Americans killed in Iraq (4,000, according to the letter) was particularly interesting. He failed to mention the number of terrorists killed in Iraq.

Yet another thing was overlooked. What soldiers do is fight; as do terrorists. And it seems that terrorists would rather blow themselves and their families up with homemade grenade vests than allow freedom, justice and happiness to penetrate their previously tyrannical society.

Obviously, people are going to have to die in the name of freedom. In fact, too many people forget how this great country was created: through a war, where many thousands more patriots died for the freedoms we enjoy today. Or how the Jews in concentration camps all across Germany and Poland were freed: through a war, where nearly 300,000 American soldiers died. Try telling the Jews that war is not good for anything.

It’s so very common to hear people ranting about war and peace and love and friendship for all (including terrorists, who, by the way, wouldn’t hesitate to fly more jumbo jets into our buildings). But you never hear an alternative. So I must ask this question: What do you suggest we do about the evil that exists in our world that threatens our security and our freedom?

Aaron Parisi

Rotterdam

Banks must curtail their mail solicitations

In [the past] week, unsolicited credit card applications and blank checks were in my mail from at least five different sources. It seems that with so much identity theft, this is a dangerous practice.

I have gone on a Web site to have these mailings stopped, but they keep coming anyway. If by chance someone else gets these with my name on them, it would be easy to sign and cash them, wouldn’t it? And would I be liable, even though I didn’t request them?

This is a big enough problem for someone to investigate and stop this practice. If we want credit cards, aren’t we smart enough to seek them out ourselves? Isn’t this another reason why most people have financial problems? This is as bad as, or worse, than telephone solicitors, and we stopped them for the most part. Now we need help with unsolicited checks.

Carol Eaton

Scotia

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