Letters
Fire department should have facility that meets today’s needs

I am writing this letter after reading the article in the May 12 issue of the Sentinel relating to the Ford Avenue development project (“Agency, Residents Talk About Ford Avenue”). I am very disturbed by the comments made by Bob Kramer that the money that has been offered for a new firehouse could be better spent and that he felt we do not need a new building.

I am currently a member of the Milltown Fire Board and would invite Mr. Kramer to come take a tour of our facilities. The building on South Main Street was built in the 1880s and served as a school and Borough Hall prior to being a firehouse. The Cottage Avenue firehouse was built in 1926 and has become outdated in terms of things as simple as bathrooms.

Many of the upgrades in these buildings have been done by the members, with money they raised. We spend a lot of time on the upkeep of these buildings. They are not only used when we are called to a fire — they are used for training and fund-raising. We struggle to make the necessary upgrades just to meet the minimum requirements that we are still having difficulty meeting. In addition, the fire department’s portion of the budget has been cut, which adds to the difficulty.

Today’s apparatus is becoming larger, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations are tougher than ever, and in the world we live in today we are expected to be prepared for terroristic disasters. It is my responsibility to make sure that these men return home to their families. Whatever plan is decided on for Ford Avenue will demand more work for the fire department and all of Milltown’s emergency services.

No matter what the need, I can assure you that we will perform — rest assured we will be there every time. The volunteers in the borough are few but proud, and I am honored to have been chosen to lead them.

Is it too much to ask that we get a facility that meets our needs?

Jules Dekovics

assistant fire chief

Milltown Fire Department

Dedicated state income tax is good choice for education funding

Frank Coury, in his letter to the editor (“Regressive Property Tax Should Not Continue to Fund Education”) in the April 28 issue of the Sentinel, stated that a dedicated state income tax is the way to fund primary and secondary education. He also stated that property taxes should be dedicated to only municipal and county costs. I put this to a test by applying this approach to my situation. I found that if this approach were put into law, I would benefit greatly.

Think about it. Everyone’s property taxes would be reduced by approximately 60 percent and, regardless of income, everyone would pay a flat 5-percent state income tax on gross income. I, for one, see this method of funding education as a practical and viable alternative to the present tax system.

No one would be hurt by this method of funding. Granted, some will pay less in taxes, and others will pay more. The ones who will pay more will be able to afford the increase. The present system requires people without children in school, regardless of income, to subsidize those people with children in school. This is, unquestionably, unfair.

The present system is disgraceful, forcing people out of their homes and even adding to the homeless population. Many homeless people are working at modest incomes and cannot afford to rent a room or an apartment. A reduction of 60 percent in property taxes could result in lower rents.

As Mr. Coury stated, taxes should be “levied according to one’s ability to pay.” How could our elected representatives let our present property tax continue to exist as it is presently structured? The present use of our property tax is regressive and abusive to many.

I would like to have our East Brunswick mayor and Township Council send a resolution to Assemblyman Peter J. Barnes (D-18) and Sen. Barbara Buono (D-18) to eliminate the present system of funding education with the property tax and to tell us how they think education should be funded.

I’m led to believe that if a viable method of funding education is agreed upon, then all that is required to have it become a reality is to have a legislator introduce this method in a bill and have it enacted by the Legislature, without the delay and cost of a constitutional convention.

Ruth Merson

East Brunswick

Restaurant’s name is demeaning to women

I agree with the East Brunswick Township Council that it may be legally difficult to prevent a Hooters restaurant from opening in East Brunswick, and I agree that I don’t have to go there.

However, unless I avoid Route 18 altogether, it will be impossible to avoid the sign bearing the restaurant’s name. If uttered in the workplace, that word could lead to sexual harassment charges. No matter what spin the corporate headquarters puts on it, the restaurant’s name is offensive and demeaning to women.

I was also disappointed with the Sentinel’s coverage of the topic. Your editorial in the May 12 issue essentially says that we should be glad it’s not a strip club. This is small comfort to the residents of East Brunswick whose quality of life is being eroded. I am particularly displeased with your description of Alyson Steinberg’s presentation at the council meeting as being strident. “Strident” is a clichéd term that has been used for years to describe women who speak out strongly on issues important to families and women. It is a negative and patronizing description that is rarely applied to men. That the Sentinel chose this descriptor does not speak well of the newspaper.

Lucretia Lipper

East Brunswick

People, gov’t must join fight to save endangered animals

I am a member of the Animal Protection Society of South River, a fifth-grade organization that helps endangered and threatened animals. We have learned all about the animals’ problems, and we will now act on these problems and offer solutions.

More and more people are using up open space, so our animals are suffering. We are polluting the air and water, and the animals are paying the price for what we did.

All of the things that are killing our animals are due mostly to people. Hunting and fishing may be things we need to do, but we are doing them too often. We sometimes don’t pay attention when we are driving and hurt an animal; we think it’s just a bump on the road.

We think we don’t know how to help our animals, but we do. We cause these problems, so that means we must have solutions. We should leave space for animals every year, and we need to protect the animals. We also need everyone, not just children, to get involved.

My solutions will help all the animals, not just the few that the government is trying to help. Our government is trying, but it isn’t getting anywhere. I am offering ideas that will work.

In a recent newspaper article, Charles Kuperus, New Jersey secretary of agriculture, said: “We need to plan today for tomorrow. Over the next 20 years, we can shape a landscape that future New Jersey people can enjoy.”

I was born in Bulgaria, and there, my grandparents had a farm where they watched over sheep, chickens and pigs, so I know how hard it is to watch over animals and protect them.

I have two requests — one is to get people involved in animal protection, and the other is to get the government involved.

Mariya Karcelova

fifth-grade student

South River Middle School

Help is needed to protect state’s threatened wildlife

On behalf of the Animal Protection Society of South River, an organization the fifth-graders at my school have created to protect endangered and threatened wildlife in our state, I am writing to ask for your support in our efforts.

Animals in our state suffer from many problems, and most of them are due to us. One major problem is loss of habitat. When we build buildings, homes and stores, we are taking away the animals’ homes. For example, when we cut down trees, many animals lose their homes. Another problem is hunting. When people hunt, they are taking away the lives of animals. Many animals die every hunting season, and their population decreases.

There are solutions for these problems. I believe that these animals are important and we need to save them. A solution for loss of habitat is to make preserved areas in which animals can live. These areas will not be able to be built on. A solution for hunting is to make a law stating that people cannot kill endangered and threatened species.

These animals did not do anything to us. Animals are like us and want to live.

Please help these animals by trying to get these solutions to work.

Nicole Kline

fifth-grade student

South River Middle School

Hooters is a legitimate restaurant, not a strip club

I have read with great amusement the articles in the Sentinel relative to the proposed Hooters Restaurant on Route 18 in East Brunswick.

It’s not like a strip club or some such establishment will be opening there. Hooters are legitimate eating places, in which my wife and I have eaten in many times, including times with our children when they lived at home.

We have also visited the Hooters at the Baltimore Inner Harbor with our grandson and his mother, our eldest daughter, on several occasions.

The uniforms worn by the “exploited” women are in far better taste than a lot of the outfits worn by women at the mall and on prime time television.

Perhaps Alyson Steinberg should focus her passion on some more vital civic needs.

Frank Fischl

Monroe

Replace tattered, worn flags with new ones

We all flew the flag after Sept. 11. The colors looked so beautiful against the sky. We flew that flag because we care, and we wanted to show support for our country.

Today, those flags hang in tatters and remnants, gray and frayed from neglect. They hang lifeless caught in tree branches and tangled in the shingles of homes. They hand in faded pieces from bridge overpasses. It is an embarrassment to drive past them. It can bring tears to your eyes to see them so neglected. It’s not just private homes. Rescue squads and business are also guilty of neglect.

I am encouraging everyone to replace their old flags with a new one before Memorial Day. I think we are forgetting what our troops are doing so we have the freedom to fly that flag.

It is the least we can do for them Those past and present have made the ultimate sacrifice so that we can fly that flag gleaming in the sun. It can be our way of honoring them and their heroism lest we forget.

Deirdra Marsh

Edison