Employers and employees alike
are taking a beating in these harsh economic times. A census by
Congressman Anthony Weiner shows a troubling list of avenues in
Queens with a growing number of businesses forced out of
existence, leaving pain and suffering to many small businesses -
the engines of our local economy here in Queens.
According
to the survey of 1,730 stores in Queens, 211 are closed or about
to close. In all, a record 12 percent of these community stores
are vacant in Queens, an increase of 200 percent. The alarming
average per neighborhoods in Queens is 21 stores that are
shut.
An even harsher reality is that, despite the
president’s huge economic stimulus bill, New York State will not
be bailed out of its fiscal crisis completely. We will still be
faced with a budget gap of $9 billion or more.
While the
gap is smaller due to the federal funding projected for New York
State, it is still among the biggest budget deficit in
years.
With a balanced budget due in a few weeks, each
community must demand that their elected representative in the
state government be prudent and wise to exercise their best
judgment.
We demand that spending be slashed while
protecting programs crucial to our quality of life, such as
schools, police, firefighters, sanitation, and mass
transit.
We demand that there be viable reform proposals
for Medicare and medical benefits that have grown unaffordable,
and that we recoup the large amounts being siphoned off due to
fraud, mismanagement, and waste.
We demand that our
legislators shield homeowners and businesses from rising property
taxes, but above all, we caution them not to increase any form of
taxation to the residents of New York.
In short, you cannot
balance the budget on our backs alone any more.
Albert Baldeo is a community advocate and
former State Senate candidate for the 15th State Senate district,
which encompasses Glendale, Howard Beach, Maspeth, Middle Village,
Old Howard Beach, Ridgewood, Woodhaven, Ozone Park and Richmond
Hill.