Weiner’s Wal-Mart Crusade

Congressman Anthony Weiner’s former economics professors must feel like going into hiding. That was the impression I got after reading Mr. Weiner’s claim that Wal-Mart is a “very bad big-box store” in Meghan Clyne’s article [“Weiner Takes His Wal-Mart Crusade to National Television,” Page 1, March 30, 2005].

Wal-Mart currently employs over 1.2 million people in America and is projecting to create another 100,000 jobs in 2005. Last year, the Wal-Mart Foundation gave over $170 million in charitable grants for local communities, education, military support, disaster relief, literacy, and more. If that is what Mr. Weiner categorizes as a bad store, I have to wonder what his criteria would be for a good one.

NICHOLAS J. VERTUCCI
Finance Chairman
New York Young Republican Club
Manhattan

‘Turkey’s Spiritual Submission’

Re: Columnist Steven Stalinsky’s attempt to draw a connection between Turkey’s government and the terrorist organization Al Qaeda [“Turkey’s Spiritual Submission,” Foreign, March 23, 2005]. Turkey was one of the first allies to join the U.S.-led war on terror in the wake of the brutal September 11 attacks. Turkey, a parliamentary democracy, has been an active partner in efforts to stamp out Al Qaeda-sponsored terrorism and restore peace in Afghanistan. Additionally, my country has provided support for the American-led war in Iraq, as well as efforts to promote freedom throughout the region.

In his quest to find evidence of growing anti-Americanism in Turkey, Mr. Stalinsky points to the actions of a small handful of protesters during Secretary of State Rice’s recent visit, overlooking Ms. Rice’s positive public pronouncements on what she called a solid relationship.

He also ignores pledges of continued close cooperation on economic, diplomatic, and security issues by Ms. Rice and Turkey’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul. One can only surmise Mr. Stalinsky omitted these important facts because they contradicted his unwarranted assertion that the U.S.-Turkish relationship is in crisis.

Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith got it right when speaking in Ankara recently. He noted that America has a “useful, strong, deeply-rooted alliance with Turkey, “which merits an “understanding of the whole picture, and not losing perspective.” This is good advice for those who question what has been a long-standing and meaningful bilateral relationship.

MURAT OMEROGLU
Vice Consul
Turkish Consulate General
Manhattan

‘Sales Tax and the Subway’

Re: “Sales Tax and the Subway,” Editorial, March 29, 2005. For New York City to remain the economic capital of the world, we need a smooth-running, well-maintained mass transit network. Population growth in the region and job growth in Manhattan is straining the capacity of the existing system. Without East Side access and the Second Avenue subway, jobs and eventually people will relocate to more accessible areas. According to the Regional Plan Association, the South Ferry project will allow for a 20% increase in capacity along the No. 1 line and provide improved service reliability with a better southern terminal.

This project serves development along the entire West Side from South Ferry to Columbia’s proposed new campus. It also benefits many Staten Island commuters. Yes, the sales tax is a regressive funding choice, but it is better to fund system repairs, normal replacement needs, and expansion projects than to slide back into the disrepair of the late 1970s.

STEVE STRAUSS
Manhattan

‘No Stadium Needed’

Re: “No Stadium Needed,” Steven Malanga, Opinion, April 1, 2005. As a resident of Chelsea, not far from where the proposed West Side Stadium project is to be located, I have some strong feelings about it.

On first glance, it seems that the Jets have finally wised up and realized that they can’t get away with paying only $100 million for the West Side Rail Yard worth, as we all know, about nine times as much. But what the Jets just don’t seem to get is that relying on more than a $1 billion in taxpayer funding for a stadium that no one wants is undesirable no matter how much they keep trying.

At the end of the day, the Jets’ offer will still cost taxpayers a lot – not only in dollars – but perhaps more in the defeat of a community-focused plan, similar to the one submitted by Madison Square Garden, that includes schools, affordable housing, and office space and will actually enhance the quality of life for all New Yorkers and won’t cost them a thing.

AMY HARLIB
Manhattan

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