The Benevolent Mayor Bloomberg?

One aspect of the New York tax rebate checks is particularly galling [“Better Late Than Never,” Editorial, February 9, 2005].

When Mayor Bloomberg raised our real estate taxes by 18%, property owners received official bills from the Department of Finance, ordering them to cough it up. By contrast, the rebates are in the form of personal checks from the mayor, our apparent “benefactor.”There’s no hint that the checks are issued by the DOF. Rather, we are presented with the illusion that Mr. Bloomberg has made a personal sacrifice.

The manner in which the amount of the rebate was (unfairly) determined and the transparent ruse of issuing “personal” refund checks comprise a calculated ploy by Mr. Bloomberg to buy votes – with public money.

EDWIN R. THOMPSON
Manhattan

NWBCCC Distorted

In “The Mayor’s Odd Strategy on Schools” [New York, February 3, 2005], Andrew Wolf argues that Mayor Bloomberg is losing ground in middle-class communities because of the Department of Education’s small-schools strategy.

To illustrate his point, he chooses to mischaracterize the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, a sponsor of one of these small schools. For example Mr. Wolf claims that the NWBCCC supported the new lead law, which in fact our organization opposed.

He mischaracterizes our relationship with two city agencies, Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the Department of Homeless Services. The NWBCCC enjoys an excellent relationship with HPD. And while Mr. Wolf is correct that the NWBCCC has criticized the scattered-site program operated by the DHS, he neglects to mention that program was a Rudolph Giuliani initiative that this mayor has promised to phase out.

Mr. Wolf belittles the organization’s planned small school by suggesting for no apparent reason that the school will not require rigorous course work.

Ronn Jordan
Mr. Jordan is the board president of the NWBCCC
Bronx

‘Mayor, What Have You Done?’

Mayor Bloomberg is absolutely correct that New York’s gay marriage movement needs to focus its efforts on lobbying Albany to change the law [“On Gay Marriage, Mayor Emerges, But Not in Court,” Dina Temple-Raston, Page 1, February 7,2005].As a Republican myself, I’ve been preaching this strategy for years. The difference is that I personally step up to take action. Working with the LGBT community, I organized a statewide Lobby Week for the Duane-Gottfried “Right to Marry” bill and have collected 12,000 signatures in support of this legislation. Mayor Bloomberg, what have you done?

SCOTT JEFFREY
Mr. Jeffrey is the founder and executive director of Legalize.
Manhattan

‘I Am David Duke’

Talk about “fair and balanced,” the letter from rabble-rouser David Duke offers nothing new [“I Am David Duke,” February 8, 2005]. Everyone is entitled to freedom of speech under the American Constitution. For him to put on a “liberal” face is the height of hypocrisy.

His letter should be required reading for all who can tell the difference between a sincere speaker who will protect free speech and Mr. Duke, who manipulates it to sound like he is a “concerned” citizen.

He’s still the same old hate-monger and I applaud The New York Sun for publishing his self-backslapping missive. Peace and tolerance apparently are not in his vocabulary.

HERBERT STARK
Massapequa, N.Y.

Irving Thalberg Inaccessible

David Blum makes a fairly irresponsible statement in his recent review of my film, “Irving Thalberg: Prince Of Hollywood” [“The Ultimate Wild-Eyed Young Moviegoer,” Arts & Letters, February 1, 2005]. “Thalberg himself would have wanted … ” Dead since 1936, does Mr. Blum have a contact to Thalberg that I missed? The review also states that I have sanitized my subject. After almost a year of research, if there’s something Mr. Blum knows that I don’t, could he please contact me? As we clearly demonstrate, Thalberg was anti-union, willing to dupe the media and the public in order to put his political candidate in office, and quite manipulative at the studio. If he liked to dress up as Shirley Temple in private, etc., I’d like to hear about it.

ROBERT TRACHTENBERG
Mr. Trachtenberg is the director of the film, “Irving Thalberg: Prince of Hollywood”
Los Angeles

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