This too is Yonkers by Eric Schoen
Just when you thought you had heard everything, now we hear that families in New York are having Measles parties. Such parties involve intentionally exposing unvaccinated children to other children with a disease, with the intent that they would get the disease themselves. What is this world coming to?
This week we explore the measles crisis, Uber, Lyft and the ride sharing world and the Check off box for Presidential campaign funding on your taxes. Let’s start off with measles!
Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000. Vaccination with a booster did the trick with no side affects. But some groups of people clustered in Rockland County and in parts of Brooklyn refused on religious or moral grounds to have their children vaccinated. So now we have a measles crisis particularly with unvaccinated children coming into this country from countries where the vaccination requirements are not strictly enforced.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “strongly recommends against hosting or participating in these (measles parties) events.” The CDC and state have put out numerous publications explaining to parents the need to have their children vaccinated.
On the other hand, anti-vaccination groups have put out materials encouraging families not to get vaccinated. These materials are filled with information that simply is not true. This info includes that the vaccines contain monkey, rat and pig DNA. Nothing can be further from the truth.
With a 99% success rate I would side with the government. Bottom line: make sure your loved ones are vaccinated. Encourage others to do the same.
Checking off on your taxes to fund Presidential Campaigns
As you spend your weekend preparing your tax returns, you will come across a question asking if “you want to designate $3 to the Presidential Election Campaign Fund.” This fund helps pay for Presidential election campaigns.
The fund reduces candidates’ dependence on large contributions from individuals and groups and places candidates on an equal financial footing in the general election. The fund also helps pay for pediatric medical research. If you want $3 to go to this fund, check the box. If you are filing a joint return, your spouse also can have $3 go to the fund.
Now pediatric medical research is extremely important but how it got mixed up in a question regarding Presidential election funding we will never know. Because of the cost of political campaigns most politicians don’t accept public matching funds?
If you support President Trump or Senator Bernie Sanders, your $3 can go to fund the campaign of someone you might not like. The funds are split between the Republicans and Democrats and money could go to a candidate who is not your choice.
So think before you check that innocuous box on your tax return. I suggest that you don’t check it!
Uber, Lyft and other Ride Sharing Services
Most of you know what Uber and Lyft are but for the uninitiated, they are ride sharing apps for fast, reliable rides in minutes – day or night. You just tap to request a ride, and it’s easy to pay with credit card or cash. In most cases it is cheaper than a regular cab or car service.
How did they come about? People in places like New York City and other metropolitan areas got tired of standing in the rain, hailing a cab, and not knowing if they would or could find one. They wanted door to door service, to know the price for the ride in advance and ride in cars that didn’t smell like someone left their lunch in the car the day before. They wanted courteous drivers who would help them get into and out of the car with their packages. All things Many cab drivers were not doing.
You hail an Uber or a Lyft from your iPhone. You are told the make and model of the car coming to pick you up, license plate number, receive a picture of the driver and how long it will be for the car to arrive. When the car is 2 minutes away you get a notice to be at the pickup point and when the car arrives you get notice that it is there. The car should have an Uber or Lyft lit up sign in the passenger side windshield.
What more can you ask for. When the service which has expanded to the suburbs works it works great. A friend of mine has been having foot trouble and has had to take theses services twice a day during the week from Yonkers to Manhattan. I can write a book on the stories and experiences she has had, but I will save that for another day.
So with all the information Lyft and Uber give you about the car and driver to expect, how could a young lady get into the wrong car and its’ driver murder her. She apparently got into the wrong vehicle.
So now everyone is in a panic. People are urging Lyft and Uber to add additional safety guards to make security better. What more frankly can these companies do?
The drivers are not babysitters. If a grownup hails one of these services, he or she has to take the information given to them and check that the correct car is coming for them. I have seen too many times in New York City where individuals who are drunk or high stumble out of a bar and go into whatever car is there. I was parking on the street one day in front of a popular bar and someone approached my car thinking I was Uber. The individual was intoxicated.
Bottom line: if the company gives you all the information they do, you should be able to pick out the car that is there to pick you up. Even If you are riding from Madison Square Garden, Penn Station or Grand Central Station where many folks get picked up. If you can’t, you should not be using ride sharing services!
Reach Eric Schoen at thistooisyonkers@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @ericyonkers. Listen to Eric Schoen and Dan Murphy on the Westchester Rising Radio Show Thursday’s from 10-11 a.m. On WVOX 1460 AM or go to WVOX.com and click the arrow to listen to the live stream.
