President’s Message – Nov 2017
By Phil Orenstein
We’ve said it many times before and will keep saying it until we wake up. Elections matter. Voting has consequences, and now we see many of the unintended consequences in our neighborhoods and our city in decline as a result of dismally low voter turnout in past city elections.
The one power we enjoy as citizens is the act of voting and thereby holding our elected officials accountable. If we don’t vote we lose our power as citizens in America. Nothing scares our elected officials and defenders of the status quo more than an engaged public exercising their power to vote. Our founding principles give people a say in their government, meaning that we must exercise our votes and our voices. Everyone needs to get out and vote and encourage our neighbors and friends to do so on November 7th.
The voter turnout in 2013 when de Blasio was elected mayor of the City of New York, was a pathetic 24%, the lowest in over 50 years. Compare this with an enthusiastic 93% turnout in 1953. A sliver of the city’s voting population voted for a mayor who is far to the left and out of character with the majority of hard-working, law abiding citizens of New York City.
De Blasio began his campaign for mayor on an anti-police platform and continued his virulent police bashing crusade into his first years in office, maligning our beloved law enforcement community as racist, inciting citywide protests, street blockage, riots, and even violence against our police. Ever the mayor’s stooges, the City Council staged a die-in at City Hall to protest police brutality. Our elected official’s war on cops culminated in the assassination of five of New York’s Finest. We recently mourned the ultimate sacrifice of NYPD Det. Miosotis Familia, who like all our fallen heroes, gave her life while trying to make our community a safer place.
The Mayor and City Council’s leftwing politics has put every police officer in the crosshairs of insane radicals roaming the streets, waiting to strike. Law and order has been sacrificed on the altar of progressivism as our placid communities here in Eastern Queens succumb to deterioration and decline as crime rises a staggering 70% in Queens Village according to the 105th Precinct.
Recently, progressive radicals in the City Council and many of their minions took a knee and sat out the Pledge of Allegiance in solidarity with NFL players. The upshot of this plague of identity politics that is dividing our city, is the deterioration of our infrastructure and decline of our neighborhoods. The electorate needs to be engaged and involved to prevent our city from plummeting back to the bad old days of crime and chaos of Mayor Dinkins’ administration. Wake up!
We notice firsthand the effects of the misguided government policy and neglect of our communities in the rising tide of complaints by local residents about Creedmoor patients roaming the streets freely, causing trouble in the neighborhoods surrounding the psychiatric hospital.
A recent Times Ledger newspaper article quoted City Council candidate, Joe Concannon, who is calling for an investigation into Creedmoor’s patient oversight, who said: “This is one of the most serious situations at the forefront of our Oakland Gardens, Bellerose, Queens Village and Glen Oaks neighborhoods, and why I am acting on behalf of the community immediately. The oversight of the care and supervision of patients at the Creedmoor facility has fallen into question. Recently, patients have broken church windows, assaulted patrons in McDonald’s, exposed themselves to residents, aggressively panhandled and harassed people for money and, in some cases, engaged in public defecation within sight of neighborhood children.”
Creedmoor is located in the middle of City Council District #23. Concannon blasted the incumbent City Councilman, who sits on the Mental Health Committee of the City Council, for failing to address the situation at Creedmoor which is spiraling out of control. As a result of the Mayor’s and our City Council Member’s rejection of broken windows policing, and the decriminalizing of quality of life offenses such as public urination, drinking, loud music, littering, and many others, Creedmoor patients roaming the streets have become emboldened lately and have been causing much distress in the community as the hands of the police are tied. If they are picked up by the police and brought back to the facility, they are out on the streets the next day free to roam and cause more trouble.
This is just one of the many examples of a community in crisis caused by the neglect and dereliction of duties by our government agencies and elected officials more concerned with identity politics than serving the needs of the residents in our community. This has to stop!
We the people, hold the power to stop the flagrant abuses of the guardians of the status quo. We are the majority, here in Eastern Queens, NY. We can turn the tide and elect strong leaders of integrity to public office on the Republican ticket, who will work hard for our communities. The leftwing minority will continue to make us think we are outnumbered, by their shrill acrimonious voices. Don’t believe them and stay home on November 7th. Let’s get out and vote! Our votes count! We can and will make a difference at the polls. Let’s do it!
