Rep. Faso votes against his district’s interests

Port Authority budget neglects Stewart Airport

Dear Editor: I just read where, out of millions of dollars the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has to spend on its airports, Stewart International Airport will receive a whopping $116,000.

This is borderline armed robbery. At a time when Stewart seems to be re-resurrecting itself from the hinterlands, it is again spurned by the Port Authority.

Conceived in the early 1980s from the remains of what once was a military installation, Stewart was to be the answer to the overcrowded metropolitan airspace and the infrastructure that was needed to support it. With a robust Hudson Valley economy and proximity to New York City, Stewart would attract more than 930,000 passengers yearly into the 1990s.

But the economy in the Hudson Valley would change. Energy prices would rise, passenger numbers would drop, and the airlines would reassess their position at Stewart.

Numerous times over the years there would be an announcement of a rebirth at Stewart, with new management, or new flights, but none of the efforts could get the airport off the ground.

Then, in July 2017, Norwegian Airlines began flights to Ireland, Scotland and, naturally Norway. It seems to be working. Passenger numbers are up, a bus connects with New York City hourly, people are happy with the ticket prices, and Stewart is becoming a hub for flights farther west.

But to grow and prosper, the airport needs capital investment, such as an international arrivals center, a connection to MetroNorth Railroad in Beacon, and connections to Legoland and the casino in the years ahead.

So the Port Authority appropriates a paltry, insulting, demeaning and disgraceful $116,000 for the coming year.

In response, where are our elected officials, state and local? Perhaps we can entice Gov. Andrew Cuomo to intervene by naming a new facility The Mario Cuomo International Terminal at Stewart Airport.

What does it take to get those people to do something? R. Bruce McLean

Kingston Dear Editor: The House tax bill is a huge tax break for the wealthy and measly-to-nothing-to-worse for everyone else.

U.S. Rep. John Faso, R-Kinderhook, voted “no” on the bill. This is the correct choice for our district and the country in general.

Because of Faso’s record, however, as this bill moves forward, I am very concerned.

Under tremendous pressure from his leadership, Faso voted “yes” on Trumpcare, being one of two last-minute deciding votes.

Trumpcare was a draconian bill that removed 24 million people from their health care and was, at its core, a tax break for the wealthy.

From this vote, we know Faso will vote against our district’s interests when required by his leadership. He may be forced again to vote against us as tax legislation winds its way through Congress. Dave Minch Saugerties