It’s no surprise to readers that New York state’s pension fund is in trouble; Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli reported as much months ago when the housing and stock markets crashed last fall. However, the latest report by DiNapoli on what it will cost municipalities—and by extension, taxpayers—to dig the state’s public employees out, has readers livid. Read the latest by reporter Joseph Spector.
Here’s one reader’s take on the situation:

The chickens are coming home to roost and you can blame every politician that has simply played let’s go along and get along. Government workers are suppose to have a living wage—what we have now is government workers … getting fat and happy, and average Joe Taxpayer is getting a knuckle sandwich.

Another wrote:

This is a HUMONGOUS problem. It could be the straw that breaks the camels back. County and Town should immediately address this by acting like the private sector since we cannot afford to fund pension costs any longer. Defined Benefit Plans must go in favor of Contributory Plans like a 401-K. … This continued irresponsibility could result in jeorpardizing the pensions of retirees. Remember GM.

A third said:

Corporations got rid of pensions years ago. Why should taxpayers pay for government pensions? It makes no sense at all. Get rid of these pensions. Why pay for something we don’t get.

However, one reader was sick of the anger being expressed:

Here we go again, everyone bash the public employees who make a modest living because you pay taxes. Well, your taxes also bailed out AIG, GM, Chrysler, and their employees make a ton of money. No out rage there?

Today’s editorial explores Silver Alert, a program designed to help find people who have Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia if they go missing. (The Lower Hudson Valley, as Director of Putnam County’s Office for the Aging William Huestis describes it, a “gray belt,” with a significant and growing population over 65.)

Both Westchester and Rockland have invaluable programs that help protect seniors who suffer from cognitive impairments. Project Lifesaver in Westchester outfits Alzheimer’s patients to tend to wander with a tracking device that is strapped to their wrist. Last fall, an elderly Yonkers woman who had the bracelet for a week was reported missing. She was found, uninjured, within two hours, wandering a half-mile from her home. In Rockland, the county sheriff’s Computer Assisted Rescue Effort program, or CARE, archives school pictures and vital information for children between kindergarten and eighth grade, providing quick access to a recent picture of a child reported missing to be transmitted to all police agencies, as well local merchants, businesses, agencies and other outlets that have signed up for the alerts. CARE coordinator Deputy Sheriff Walt Famular has expanded the program to include vulnerable adults, including those with dementia, Alzheimer’s or  developmental disabilities. “The power of the program is proportionate to the amount of people we can reach,” Famular told the Editorial Board explaining the expansion of CARE in 2007.

On Saturday’s Opinion page we hear from three medical providers on health-care reform, the policy and social debate of the hour. The guest opinions are from Dr. Daniel Fass, director of the Institute for Image Guided Radio Therapy in Rye; Dr. Bernard Bernhardt, an oncologist in Armonk; and Dr. P. Jon Marsh, a retired dentist from Pomona. They are hardly of a single mind on the controversy. Will any of them change your views on health-care reform? Not likely, buy it’s good to hear directly from some with boots on the ground, so to speak. We’re getting plenty of letters on the topic, so check the letters section, too.

Coincidentally,  the funeral mass will be held in Boston tomorrow for Sen. Ted Kennedy, who spent decades championing the cause of health care. His staff has been in the thick of the behind-the-scenes policy fight. Also on Saturday’s page, look for a guest column from Herbert Geller, former Putnam editor of the Patent Trader, who talks about the connection between the Kennedys and New York. He also recalls a 1966 visit to Brewster by Robert Kennedy. The latter visited the village to help dedicate the John F. Kennedy Elementary School.

On Sunday, the Opinion page takes an abrupt turn from Sen. Kennedy to the right, as Howard Husock of the conservative think tank the Manhattan Institute takes his turn on the pending settlement in Westchester’s affordable-housing lawsuit. Husock thinks the proposed settlement is founded on flawed reasoning about race, income and housing-decisions in the county.

His view on the agreement — it calls for Westchester to build, and market to racial minorities, some 750 affordable-housing units in the whitest suburbs — is in stark contrast with my colleague Milt Hoffman’s, who wrote a Perspective article on the subject a few weeks back. Hoffman wrote that the settlement was a fitting development in light of the decades of inaction on affordable housing in the suburbs, with at least part of the inertia stemming from racial bigotry.

Compare and contrast.  Be sure to tell us what you think.

One image in the youtube videos that accompany today’s front page story about Yonkers’ gang members flaunting their guns on the internet, must be sending a panic through the developers, city leaders and community advocates who have tried to re-brand Yonkers as the next Upper Upper West side.

The opening image in the self-promoting video for “Vatos Locos de Yonkers Barrio St. Andrews 0001” (Why didn’t the gang just give the cops their GPS coordinates while they’re at it?) is a public relations nightmare. It is a shot of a Yonkers train station, with the Metro-North sign “YONKERS” perfectly framed in the center and one of the new waterfront high rises in the background.  Also on the station platform is a real estate billboard touting luxury waterfront residences over the banner “Go SoYo.” It’s a nice image, but the video that follows is not likely to draw the kind of buyers Yonkers is hoping to attract. It’s a slideshow of gang-toughs posing, with their signature bandanas and inscrutable sign language and sometimes brandishing guns. Other videos in the Vatos Locos series feature more guns, pit bulls and (drug?) money.

How’s this for branding?

Would you follow another motorist who hit you and then ran? Would you run a red light to continue the chase? That’s the decision Scarsdale resident Frank Canale made while driving on Interstate-684 Saturday. He was rear-ended by a pick-up truck that took off, so Canale followed the driver to his home in Danbury, running a red light after the other motorist did so, too. Read Canale’s tale.
Readers generally approved of his actions, although a few thought he was foolish for not leaving the situation to the proper authorities.
One reader posted:

Great job Frank, just don’t kill anyone chasing these guys! PS: the food at the wedding probably (wasn’t any good) anyway! LOL!

Another wrote:

I love reading stories like this—two big thumbs up for Mr. Canale. … It’s refreshing to hear that the spirit of vigilance is alive and kicking. I’d rather have one 83 year-old Frank Canale in my foxhole than ten 33 year-old Joe Q. Citizens. This country needs the WWII generation to live well into their 100s. It’s going to be a very, very, sad place to live when they are all gone.

A third noted:

Self-defense is always our best defense. … It is impossible for the police to be everywhere at once.

Some were saying his actions were OK, until he made a conscious decision to run the light, such as this reader’s view:

I am glad that their actions led to the arrest of this drunk, but going through a red light was their choice to endanger themselves.

Another added:

Nothing like taking justice into one’s own hands, and the police thanked this guy for the assist? Yeah, thanks for doing their job. The right thing to do is to pull over and give the cops the perpetrator’s license plate number. Chasing this guy accross state lines, speeding on back roads and going through red lights are infractions last I checked, but, hey, the drunk has a Latino sounding last name, and Frank Canale is from Scarsdale and drives a Benz, so it’s all good! Whatever! Lucky for this old man he didn’t hit anyone in the process of ‘making justice.’

One reader offered a different take, writing:

While I sympathize with Canale’s situation, and probably would have done something similar if I were the victim of a hit and run, it is a good thing that (the other driver) did not hurt anyone while Canale was chasing him since, with our insane legal system, he would likely have been partly liable in the end.

Readers had a few choice comments about eight people, 4 of whom are lawyers, who were arrested and charged in an alleged mortgage scheme that bilked four families and two lenders of $1.4 million.
The Westchester County DA and the state’s Banking Department were following the investigation for nine months before making the arrests Tuesday. Here’s the latest update.
One reader wrote:

Times are bad enough without scavengers like this preying on those who most need help.

Another added:

Nothing like taking advantage of people already up against it. These animals should spend the rest of their lives in jail. Lawyers, ya gotta love ‘em.

And a third wrote:

Hope they get the book thrown at them. Our real estate crisis just breeds these vultures who prey on people who are already losing everything. This is worse than stealing since you are not only stealing their home, but also stealing their hope!

Some readers thought this should be a lesson to others facing mortgage trouble:

It’s so sad for these families, but why on God’s green earth would you sign your deed over to anyone? If it sounds too good to be true, then it is too good to be true. But it’s too late for them now. So very, very sad.

A few were defending the suspects, such as this reader:

I am urging everyone to please continue to follow and read the facts that will be presented in this case. I am certain that it will surprise many. It is not wise to make assumptions when only one side is heard to a story!

And one reader had a suggestion how to help the victims:

Do any of the 8 indicted have homes? Maybe they should have to give their homes to these people who are losing theirs.

Editorial Writers are kind of in the public service announcement business. We spend our days telling people (usually government people) that such and such action is good, bad, helpful, dangerous or a waste of taxpayer money. Maybe that’s why my ears perk up when I hear a particularly effective public service announcement, as I did on my drive in this morning. Like most people, I’ve already been hardened by the this-is-your-brain-on-drugs campaign and I’ve gotten over the shock of the gruesome I-lost-my-limbs-from-smoking campaign.  But hearing a familiar voice, talk about their personal tragedy, certainly concentrates your attention. This morning Stew Leonard Jr.’s friendly, gravelly voice came on the radio. Instead of talking about the popular grocery store’s cows or fresh vegetables, he talked about his young son’s death from drowning. It only took 30 seconds, Leonard said, when he thought his wife was watching their son and she thought he was. He urged parents to be “fanatics” about their children when around water.

I was so moved by the announcement, which sounded like an old friend sharing a private sorrow, I Googled information on the drowning as soon as I came in. It turns out the death of Stew Leonard III happened 20 years ago, but it made me want to remind everyone I know about pool safety.

That’s the kind of public announcement you don’t forget.

An Ossining man is being hailed as a hero after he pushed a friend and fellow construction worker out of the path of a speeding vehicle, losing his leg in the process.
MIchael Hudson, 35, was run down by a car driven by a woman police say was high on cocaine and arguing with a passenger. He has been hospitalized since the accident Aug. 13. Here’s the latest update on his condition.
Readers were sending many well-wishes Hudson’s way, such as this sentiment:

Gutsy move, Michael Hudson, you have my admiration for your bravery. I hope you can rehab to live the outdoor lifestyle you enjoy.

Another wrote:

I always knew that Mike was a great guy who looked out for his friends, but this is just proof positive what a great human he really is. You are in our thoughts and prayers, and I know that a person like you will overcome this and everything will work out for you in the end.

And a third added:

Aww, Mike, you are in my thoughts and prayers. I have known Mike my whole life and I am not at all surprised that he would do something like this. You truly are a hero. I wish you a speedy recovery! I think it would be awesome if a foundation was created in his name.

The driver of the car came in for her fair share of anger, as did her lawyer who described the sitation as a “tragic accident” and said his client did nothing wrong.

I have heard a lot of lines from a lot of lawyers in my time. This one might take the cake. Nothing wrong? Really?

Another agreed:

Where do these people find these lawyers? When has it ever been alright to drive while intoxicated and argue with the passenger in your car, when you should be paying attention to the road?… It’s always sad that innocent people have to pay the price for the stupidity of others, and the garbage that comes out of their lawyer’s mouth.

Several readers even offered to donate to help Hudson. One reader wrote:

How about The Journal News starting a fund for this amazing fellow so that he can get a state-of-the-art prosthesis? Anyone else interested in helping this man?

To which several others replied they would also be willing to help out.

I’ll gladly contribute; there aren’t too many heros around. Let’s get some prayers going, too!

Could you weather the recession on $300,000 a year? A recent story in the Washington Post about a divorced Harrison mother of three doing just that has become a talker in the Lower Hudson Valley and across the country. Here’s our story on the community reaction to the original piece.
Laura Steins, a vice president at MasterCard in Purchase, opened up to the newspaper about the difficulties she encounters in this down economy as she struggles to maintain her $2.5 million home, a nanny and all the other trappings of an affluent life.
Readers were split between sympathy and loathing for the woman and her plight.
Weighing in on the disgusted side is this reader:

Tighten your belt, you snob, like the rest of us. … I’m behind in all my bills, dollar menus feed me. I got hit hard, wait until you get where I am, you won’t have a clue how to survive.

Another added:

I have lived in Rye for 14 years and I know many very affluent people here, and regular Joes like myself. She doesn’t represent any of us, she just represents being a spoiled jerk, and many towns have those types.

While not quite oozing sympathy, one reader at least cut Steins some slack:

I feel sorry for anyone who believes happiness is measured in salary, status or address. I do not envy her life at all. I don’t begrudge her either. … One can maintain their lifestyle and still maintain their dignity through tough times. She choose her lifestyle.

And another wrote:

Interesting story, everyone has had to make changes, but come on. I can only hope to be so lucky that someday I am faced with the same difficult decisions.

Some readers were wondering how her employer feels about the story:

I wonder how MasterCard feels about her ‘complaining’ and revealing her salary and bonus? Does she not fear being laid off by them after making such riduculous statements?

Another reader took a different view of the situation:

The reason why Ms. Steins is ‘struggling’ has little to do with the economy. It’s because she made a poor financial decision in 2006 – she opted to keep a house that cost her $8,000 to $10,000 a month, or $96,000 to $120,000 a year, on an income of $150,000! … What made Ms. Steins think she could ever afford that house on that income? … Ms. Steins’ poor math helped create this recession. It’s people like her, making bad financial decisions, that got us all into this mess. We need to teach basic finance in schools and adhere to proper lending rules.

Today’s Community View by Rockland Business Association President/CEO drew comments. After all, it’s about Indian Point, which continues to be a hot-button issue in the Lower Hudson Valley. Samuels’ basic point? Well, here’s the “nut graf,” editor-speak for the sentence or sentences that summarize the essence, and context of the story or the “why it matters” statement:

Samuels says:

From a business standpoint, shutting down Indian Point’s 2,000 megawatts of safe, clean power would have a serious impact on our entire regional economy.

Here’s what one forum poster said about the siting of IP along the Hudson and near a major metropolitan area:

I’m not against nuclear power – but keeping this thing on the Hudson – one of largest fish (and so food) breeding estuaries in world is nuts. Even if the plant is safe there were things like 9-11 plane that flew right over and also the engineer from there that killed himself and his family. It’s too risky.

Another countered that power generation in the area is sparse and necessary:

I retired from 30 years with Con Ed.I know just what a “power pocket” the Hudson valley is. Aside from the ex-Con Ed power plants in NYC ( whose power exclusively serves NYC), there is NO generation in this area.
No generation, that is, except Indian Point.
Shut IP down, and you’re looking at 3 or 4 blackouts a year, forever.

Another pointed out the Hudson’s pollution from old industries that once dotted its banks, but found Indian Point an exception:

Indian Point helps clean the Hudson up, by not using diesel oil, coal, or any other “dirt fuel”, which would end up in the river. Nutcase phobias won’t help us survive Mr. Obama’s Great Depression II, but a smoothly running Indian Point will.

What do you think of Samuels’ view, and Indian Point?

2007 FILE PHOTO: Indian Point nuclear power complex in Buchanan, as seen from Tomkins Cove, across the Hudson River.