To the Editor:
Recently New York State lawmakers supported and passed a tax increase of $1.25 on a pack of cigarettes. Some people may be upset about this, but it really is a good thing. Research shows that increasing cigarette taxes is one of the most effective ways to reduce both adult and youth smoking. In a recent press release by the New York State Department of Health, this $1.25 increase will prevent approximately 243,000 children alive today from becoming smokers in the future and will motivate about 140,000 adult smokers to quit for good. Even the tobacco companies have acknowledged, through their internal documents disclosed in the tobacco lawsuits, that raising cigarette prices is an effective way to prevent and reduce smoking especially among kids.
The tax increase goes into effect June 3. I say to all smokers: maybe this is a good time to quit. The New York State Smokers Quitline provides free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) for all that qualify and other free services to smokers. You can see if you qualify for free NRT by calling 1-866-697-8487 or by logging on to www.nysmokefree.com.
For every three children prevented from becoming smokers, one smoking caused death is averted.
Victoria Lucarini
Project Director, SmokeFree Dutchess
To the Editor:
Though an outsider to Poughkeepsie, I have over the years watched the city change on visits to see relatives. My endless interest in city planning and design always compels me to think about how Poughkeepsie is improving and what further changes might be made to make the city even more welcoming.
It always strikes me that Poughkeepsie, despite its excellent move to remove the Main Mall and restore the street to an open thoroughfare, remains content to allow the arterials to continue slicing the city up. The construction of the 44/55 arterials in decades past was a major project, even reshaping the way the downtown landscape looks at the western end of the arterials. Clearly, and I’m sure this has been discussed many times, the arterials divide neighborhoods and interrupt the pedestrian environment in both downtown Poughkeepsie and in other neighborhoods adjacent to these roads.
I’m interested in how many cars employ the arterials on a daily basis. Does Poughkeepsie truly need such dramatic arterial roads? Could not restoring the arterial roads to a setting more like traditional streets work? The arterials were created by aligning several streets that linked/did not link together prior to their construction. While many may believe the paths the arterials provide are very necessary to efficient traffic flow, the city would do well to push for reopening the connecting streets into the arterials, widening sidewalks, planting trees,and introducing more attractive lighting schemes into the system of arterials.
Perhaps Main Street, the original 44/55 corridor, could begin to handle more traffic to help alleviate the need for the arterials as they are today? While some may scream, “Main Street would be bumper-to-bumper,” it is worth noting that all places in cities worth visiting are busy most of the time. More traffic on Main Street would actually encourage pedestrian activity/security and further suggest that the downtown area has finally jumped above water after decades in despair.
Ryan Caviglia
Philadelphia, Pa.
To the Editor:
I recently attended the Dutchess County Legislature meeting on May 12. This was my first time attending a county Legislature meeting and I found it quite interesting. The thing I liked the most was that they inform the public in these meetings on issues that don’t necessarily pertain to government. If they find it important, they will tell about it or have a presentation.
At this particular meeting, they had a bunch of recognitions in the beginning. One in particular that remember is that they recognized a local police chief who is retiring. Another that comes to mind is the recognition of an elderly citizen who helped the police department catch a burglar in their area. One other thing I liked about this meeting was they had a special presentation on ticks in our area and Lyme disease. This was very informative and was good information to have at the ready to keep from getting this disease. Overall, I found the meeting very long, but it moved at a steady pace. I had a decent experience overall.
Andrew Irkliewskij
Poughkeepsie High School
To the Editor:
My name is Alex Harmuth and I’m a senior at Poughkeepsie High School. I recently attended a Board of Education meeting and the most interesting topic that was brought up was concerning the academies. I feel that with this new system in place, the accelerated students will not be able to realize their academic potential. Another flaw that I see in this new system is fulfillment of New York State standards. All students must take four years of English and social studies, and at least three years of science and math in order to graduate from high school. If these new academies focus in on just one of these areas, I don’t see how students will fill these requirements.
Alex Harmuth
Poughkeepsie High School
To the Editor:
I attended a Planning Board meeting at city hall in March. Although I found the meeting to be educational and interesting, I did notice a few problems. The first problem that I noticed is that the meeting is too fast-paced. I understand that certain issues don’t require much debating time, but as a member of the general public, I could not keep up with what was going on. Also, I noticed that members of the board were lost as well. There were several occasions where different board members didn’t know what was voted on, or what the results of those votes were. It didn’t help that they all spoke at the same time. A final problem that I saw was that certain board members were a little rude. They seemed dismissive of the concerns presented by the public. I feel that if they are going to allow the public to voice their opinions, then they should at least show some appreciation.
Alisha Mosley
Poughkeepsie High School