25 Dec Speak Your Vues

TRUMP’S IMPULSIVITY

Dear Editor:

It seems like Trump can’t get anyone to work for him. He just got rid of James Mattis. We have a problem. The President is impulsive and decides from one day to the next that he is pulling out of Syria.

We are leaving that area ripe for the Russians and ISIS to take over.

Bracha Goldberg

Editor’s Note: It is common for presidents to have shuffling going on in their cabinet. The same thing happened with Obama’s cabinet. It is possible that you are picking on Trump because of the left wing media bias.

WILL TRUMP WIN ANOTHER TERM

Dear Editor:

I had high hopes for president Trump & continue to wish him success. I don’t think he has the temperament & maturity to deserve a second term. He backstabs all his former cabinet members & can’t seem to defer to their expertise. We owe him tremendous hakaras hatov for pardoning SM Rubashkin & being friendly to E Y. He is so much better than a Hillary Clinton or Obama but we need to return to civility, consensus building, & predictable governance. I think it’s very unlikely for him to be re-elected based on his low poll numbers & increasingly go it alone leadership. I hope a popular Republican runs in the primary & wins the next election. Mike Pence would make a good candidate.

Chaim Kirschner

Editor’s Note: Time will tell. A lot depends upon what the status of the country will be at that point. For example, will there be security issues? Will the economy be on an upturn or downturn? So much can happen in two years.

PROPOSED CHANGES TO EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM REVISITED

Dear Editor:

I’ve been trying to learn about the situation but I’ve noticed every website reports something a little different. If you know the Answer to the following question please answer.

1: Are these laws going to affect high schools or just elementary and middle schools?

2: How many hours are required every day for different levels of school (middle/high/elementary)?

Yoseph Handler

Editor’s Note: It seems to be unclear since the guidelines have changed twice in the past couple of weeks. It looks like we need to wait until the finished guidelines will be sent out by the Education Department. Hopefully the courts will step in at some point and enforce the separation of church and state.

Dear Editor:

New York state department of education is trying to regulate our yeshivos & impose their curriculum upon us. I have only heard from Agudas Yisroel an objection to this gezeira. Are the Modern Orthodox Jews unaffected or concerned with this serious intrusion into chinuch habonim?

A Brisker in Flatbush

Editor’s Note: I believe this is an issue for everybody. They are sure to join the discussion as this comes to a serious reality.

RAISE SALARIES OF FRUM WORKERS

Dear Editor:

The frum community is blessed with tremendous balei tzedaka who no doubt benefit us all. Many of them are also employers of frum breadwinners of large families. Why do some find it so difficult to pay their employees generously while giving so much to charity? After all, isn’t that the highest form of tzedaka?

Malky K

Editor’s Note: It is unfortunate that some employers think that their business has nothing to do with tzedaka. One needs to know that the highest form of tzedaka is to help someone find a job enabling him/her to support the family b’derech kavod.

HOGGING PARKING SPOTS

Dear Editor:

To All Boro Park Residents Who Assume They OWN that Illegally Obtained Parking Space in Front of Their Home,

Living in a densely populated area, Baruch Hashem, we have unfortunately been eyewitness to the inappropriate acts of double parking, blocking driveways, etc. An issue that has been discussed in the past a great deal. Just take a minute and look at the parking issue from a different perspective.

Let’s review a rampant and unethical sham occurring amidst our lovely neighborhood. Does one have the entitlement to a parking spot directly in front of their house?

The NYC law allowances for curb cuts is limited to those that have a LEGAL driveway, garage, or carport. Having a bogus garage or carport does not validate the benefits of a curb cut. Another law we need to examine is a very simple one. One may not reserve a parking space. Among the many things it clearly lists as being unlawful is; unauthorized pavement, curb or street markings or signs in the roadway. In addition to fake curb cuts in BP, the latest way of hijacking a parking space is by placing various signs.

There is an additional aspect to this matter we cannot ignore. Those who have these self- obtained parking spots can sometimes go even further. Do homeowners, who illegally claim ownership to a parking space in front of their home, whether by a fake curb cut or the placement of a sign, have the right to glue papers to the windows of or deface the cars they consider violated their unlawfully acquired entitlement of NYC property? How does one go about vandalizing another’s property?

Furthermore, it is interesting to note that some individuals coordinate this as a family activity. They linger by their window to await and see if someone will block their illegally structured driveway or carport. As soon as the innocent driver leaves his car, the homeowner or sometimes his children, start with the gluing activity. What type of chinuch are we giving our children? What message are we sending them? Children learn by example!

There are an abundant of fake carports throughout all of Boro Park. They are mainly constructed in the space that the home’s garden used to be with a bit of an indentation into the home. Many people place the typical NO PARKING signs to intimidate anyone audacious enough to park on the street blocking their fake curb cut.

There are some interesting signs worth examining. The property owner of one different sign politely requests: “PLEASE PARK AFTER TREE – tight driveway”. This owner is kindly asking, even using the word “please”, not to park your car until after the tree so there is room for their car to park on the street. The curb cut alone is insufficient space for their vehicle. Another homeowner hangs a sign “Don’t even THINK of parking here.” He is instructing everyone who drives by his home, to dare not even contemplate parking in front of his house. Unfortunately, this owner is not as polite as the one mentioned above and even comes across as threatening.

Did a homeowner cause a driver to get a ticket because he blocked a deceptive curb cut? Did a homeowner cause somebody to circle around the block in search of a parking space due to an illegal curb cut or sign?

The laws mentioned above clearly confirm that these matters constitute Goizel ess Harabim. The homeowner stole from his caring good neighbors, the people of his town, as well as any foreign visitor who drove down his block in search of a parking space. Majority of the people assume they are deceiving the city by making a fake carport, garage, paint the curb yellow in front of their home, place no parking signs, etc. What they don’t realize is that it is a far greater issue they are transgressing. In addition to unethically cheating the government with the spot they seized for themselves, they essentially stole from every single person in the entire world who would choose to park there at any given time.

Any type of No Parking sign and illegal curb cut, prevents uninformed drivers from parking in a legal public parking spot. Every time someone circles around the block, looking for parking, and passes your illegally reserved parking spot, that also transgresses Lo Sisna.

If he is your neighbor, he greets you with a smile daily. But at the same time, he is thinking of the ticket he received due to your sham or the lost time incurred circling the block not wanting to incite you. He also thinks of you as a Musser, and he is validly concerned. Should he park in your stolen spot you may perhaps call 911 and he will get ticketed. Legally, he can fight it and win it in court. But your neighbor is an honest Yid and he will not be a Musser and inform the city about your illegally reserved spot. Hopefully, those drivers that already know these signs and curb cuts are unlawful, are not intimidated by these bullying tactics.

So dear homeowner of an illegal curb cut or no parking sign, the next time you greet your nice neighbor on Shabbos, remember what he is thinking of you. He identifies you as a Gazlen, a Musser and a Bully. I am sure that all honest BP residents want to correct their wrong doings. In such a case, how does one even repay all those unidentified individuals one stole from? The halacha states, one who is Oiver on Goizel ess Harabim needs to repay the public, and suggests that he can build a new public park. Maybe in today’s day we can also suggest building a public parking garage. This would enable all those neighbors one stole parking from to have sufficient parking place.

Dear Drivers, Have you ever been honored by such obnoxious behavior? What would your response be?

Leah H

Editor’s Note: Before you accuse the homeowners of BP you should research if the cut in the pavement or illegal or not. It seems like there are plenty of people who have legal driveways and get blocked in by people who parked saying they were only doing so for two minutes. That would not be fair. There are two sides to every coin and two sides to every story.