14 APRIL 11 - APRIL 17, 2013 editorial An idea ▲ that’s all wet A look back at Bay Ridge compiled by Gary Nilsen and Helen Klein When the city’s Department of Environmental Protection announced late last week that it would request a 5.6 percent increase in water rates, it was the eighth time in as many years that such a raise had been sought. In fact, water and sewer bills have more than doubled since 2006, according to the agency that, nonetheless, is asking for still more money from already cash-strapped New Yorkers. While 100 cubic feet of water cost homeowners $1.65 in 2006, that same 100 cubic feet of water now costs $3.39. In 1980, the first year that is listed on the Water Board website, the cost per 100 cubic feet was 52.5 cents. Now, if the city administration has its way, the annual cost for water and sewer for “a typical single-family homeowner” will increase from $939 per year to $991 per year, according to DEP. And, ironically, the DEP is pitching the increase as a favor to residents, contending that it’s a smaller increase than in past years and a smaller increase than had previously been projected. We think the city is soaking those who live here and already pay hefty taxes for the privilege, including annually increasing real estate taxes as the assessments on properties are adjusted upwards. As State Senator Marty Golden pointed out, the water and sewer rates have gone up 240 percent in a decade, compared to milk, which increased 130 percent, a loaf of bread which increased 140 percent, and a carton of eggs, which increased 160 percent, based on information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There is something very wrong with this picture. It’s time for the City of New York to come up with another way of raising revenue besides by digging deeper into the pockets of its residents, who are already hurting, thanks to the slow economic recovery. Enough already! HOMEREPORTER AND SUNSET NEWS (Estab. 1953) (USPS 248.800) 8723 THIRD AVE. • BROOKLYN, NY 11209 Co-Publisher ... Victoria Schneps-Yunis Co-Publisher ... Joshua A. Schneps Editor in Chief ... Helen Klein Sales Manager ... James Griffin Telephone 718-238-6600 Fax 718-238-6630 E-mail homereporter.com Periodical postage paid at Brooklyn, N.Y. Published weekly by Brooklyn Media Group, Inc. Single copies, 50 cents. $35 per year by mail, $40 outside Brooklyn. On June 8, 1962, the Bay Ridge Home Reporter (founded 1953) and the Brooklyn Sunset News, a continuation of the Bay Ridge News (founded 1943) were merged into the HOME REPORTER AND SUNSET NEWS. Postmaster: Send Address Changes To: Home Reporter and Sunset News 8723 Third Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y. 11209 Entire contents copyright 2013 by Home Reporter and Sunset News All letters sent to the HOME REPORTER AND SUNSET NEWS should be brief and are subject to condensing. 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The advertiser agrees to hold the HOME REPORTER AND SUNSET NEWS and its employees harmless from all cost, expenses, liabilities, and damages resulting from or caused by the publication or recording placed by the advertiser or any reply to such advertisement. Home Reporter file photo In politics, familiar faces often reappear. In this decades-old photo from the files of The Home Reporter, attorney John Gangemi – a former Republican who recently announced that he is running for the Democratic nomination for borough president – can be seen, third from left. Among those in the photo with him are attorney John Carlson, second from left, who was the president of the 50th A.D. Republican Club, and Armand Starace, second from right, after whom the club’s most recent incarnation is named. guest op-ed Social Security and Medicare: More than numbers ▲ BY MARILYN PINSKY The way some people talk in Washington you could get the idea that Social Security and Medicare are little more than numbers in a budget. Yet for families in New York State and all over America, Social Security and Medicare have a deeper meaning: They are the very foundation of security in retirement. Social Security and Medicare enable millions of older Americans to survive financially each month, after years of working hard and paying taxes to earn these protections. One day, younger people will count on these same pillars of security for their own independence and dignity in old age. As lawmakers consider the U.S. budget, here are a couple numbers they should keep in mind: Half of America’s seniors get by on less than $20,000 a year. And here’s another: Typical seniors already spend nearly 20 percent of their incomes on health care, a percentage that continues to rise. These facts argue against treating Social Security and Medicare as bargaining chips. Instead, we should be discussing responsible ways to preserve their vital protections for future generations. A good place to start is by recognizing the essential role that Social Security and Medicare play in the lives of average Americans: • Social Security provides more than half the household income for one out of two older Americans. In New York, 2.3 million residents received Social Security in 2011. • Social Security benefits keep 32 percent of New York’s seniors, approximately 800,000, above the poverty line. And benefits are modest, averaging under $15,000 a year. • Medicare enables over 50 million older Americans and people with disabilities to receive affordable health care. In New York, that’s 2.5 million people. Still, seniors pay $4,600 on average out of their own pockets for care each year.Without Medicare, many would have to spend thousands more for private coverage – if they could afford it. • Since 2012, AARP has been encouraging a conversation about the long-term financial challenges facing Social Security and Medicare, and how to keep these programs effective for the long haul. In a recent AARP poll, 91 percent of Americans age 50 and over said Social Security was “critical” to the economic security of seniors, and an even higher 95 percent described Medicare as critical to health security for seniors. Older Americans want to reduce the budget deficit and put our nation on a more secure fiscal path. But they seek measures that are responsible and fair, not ill-considered “solutions” that would cause more problems than they solve. The fact is we are living in a time when retirement security has unraveled for many. Private pensions are shrinking. Savings rates remain low. Home values have fallen. The cost of living continues to rise. These realities make it unwise and even reckless to cut back Social Security and Medicare, just to meet numerical targets in a budget deal. Rather, the economic pressures facing older Americans warrant an open, thoughtful discussion on ways to enhance retirement security and how to strengthen the bedrock programs that provide it. This focus is critical not only for today’s retirees and working Americans, but for future generations. Of course, budgets matter. But we should never forget their impact on the real people behind the numbers. Marilyn Pinsky is AARP New York State president.
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