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Public Commentary Dear Editor: As the Chairman of the Underage Drinking Task Force and more importantly as the parent of two young children, I could not agree more with your editorial "Enforcement of illegal sale of alcohol to minors works," ( Jan. 30, 2008). Unfortunately, although many people do not view the sale of alcohol or use of alcohol by minors to be a significant problem, the almost daily news of serious and often fatal accidents involving youth and alcohol reminds us that more needs to be done to raise awareness of the consequences of underage drinking and to encourage compliance with the law. In three public hearings, the Underage Drinking Task Force heard testimony from educators, law enforcement authorities and students themselves about how easy it is for minors to obtain alcohol, about the pressures that students face from peers and the prevailing attitude that alcohol consumption is accepted and viewed as a rite of passage to adulthood. Although these attitudes are beginning to change, there is still a long way to go. I applaud those businesses that do the right thing and refuse to sell alcohol to minors and by doing so, they will continue to send an important message that selling alcohol to minors is unacceptable and protect not only themselves, but also our youth and all who share the road. Steve Stern Suffolk County Legislator 16th Legislative District. Iraq war is unjust and ineffective in fighting terrorism Dear Editor:
On Dec. 7, 1941 Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor killing approximately 3,000 of our servicemen and destroying our Pacific fleet. Our president at that time unleashed the full might of our country against Japan destroying their cities and executing the responsible leaders. While revenge should never be the sole matter for going to war, it is doubtful that Japan will ever be a threat to our country. On 9-11, when a similar attack was launched against us killing about the same number of our citizens, this president, for reasons that never have been made clear, decided to attack Iraq. This was done despite the fact that Iraq had nothing to do with 9-11 and the mad man who caused it, has never been apprehended and is still planning similar attacks against us. We are now asked to commend our president because less people are now being killed in Iraq than were killed the previous year. The death toll of our troops is now approaching 4,000. Can anyone say it is worth it? William O'Sullivan, Massapequa Park Numbers off, but issue the same Dear Editor: On Feb. 19, I sent you a letter in which I addressed the inequity in state aid between Massapequa and the Sachem School District. Upon further review of the correspondence I sent you, I realized that I inadvertently miscopied a number from a New York State Education Department report and I wish to bring this to you attention. In my correspondence, I indicated that "for the 2007/2008 school year, Sachem received 42.4 percent in state aid towards their budget, which meant $10,294 per student." This sentence should have stated that "for the 2007/2008 school year, Sachem received 42.4 percent in state aid towards their budget which meant $7,587 per student. The thrust of my argument does not change. Massapequa received the same 42.4 percent in state aid as Sachem, the tax impact on our taxpayers would be significantly less. As I indicated in my original correspondence, Nassau County just does not receive its fair share from Albany. Christine Lupetin Perrino, Massapequa The writer is a Trustee of the Massapequa School Board and is up for reelection in May.
We invite your letters, ideas, input and guest editorials. This is, after all, your community newspaper and works best with community participation. Please submit them to us at 1045B Park Blvd., Massapequa Park, NY 11762, and include a telephone number for verification. We do not accept personal thank you notes as letters to the editor, nor do we print anonymous letters, but will, under some circumstances, withhold the name of a writer upon request. Please note that all letters are subject to editing for space and clarity. Thank you.
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