ECUMENICAL CHOIRS COME TOGETHER TO CONCLUDE VILLAGE'S CENTENNIAL YEAR

The Ecumenical Choir consisted of parishioners from the
United Methodist Church, Our Lady of Victory Church,
St. Elisabeth's Episcopal Church and
Christ Lutheran Church.

Pictured are: Pastor Gainus Sikes, Mother Abigail Murphy,
Rev. John V. O'Farrell, Rev. Bruno,
Centennial Chairman Tom Hayden, Trustee Mary-Grace Tomecki,
Trustee Jim Rhatigan, Mayor Phil Guarnieri,
Mayor Angel Soto of South Floral Park,
Mayor Donna Sherrer of Bellerose Village &
Deputy Mayor Kevin Greene

Mayor Guarnieri, the Board of Trustees and Centennial Chairman Tom Hayden would like to thank Pastor Sikes and the Ecumenical Choir for their warm welcome, reflections and hymns as the Village concluded its centennial year.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Mayor's Message
November 10, 2008

by Phil Guarnieri

Congratulations to President – elect Barack Obama for his historic, landmark race. May his presidency bring to our nation prosperity and security. As our first African-American President, just a scant 44 years after the passage of the Civil Rights bill, perhaps America will finally be propelled into a post-racial society. Whether you voted for Barack Obama or not, his ascension to the presidency is a triumph of American democracy and decency.

Beyond this, I hope his intentions, mostly implied, on moderation and centrism come to fruition especially in light of the daunting challenges ahead. In an era of uncontrolled nuclear proliferation, America did not choose the candidate with arguably the greatest blend of military and foreign policy experience in memory, it chose Mr. Obama, a relative newcomer, with essentially no foreign policy credentials. In extending my best wishes to our new Commander in Chief I also urge his Administration to be profoundly committed to the following:

1. That a nuclear bomb never detonates in an American city or, for that matter, anywhere on American soil. Intelligent people, including Warren Buffett, have publicly stated that a nuclear holocaust on American shores is inevitable. I disagree and have taken encouragement in the comprehensive and wide-ranging anti-terrorist tools implemented by the current administration. It’s no accident that there hasn’t been a terrorist attack in more than 7 years and the President-elect would be wise to consult recent history and not those influences that are so punctilious about protecting civil rights that they are more horrified about the abuses at Guantanamo Bay than the horrors of 9-11.

2. Victory in Iraq: While Mr. Obama has been in the vanguard of opposing the Iraq war, as President of the United States he is obligated to assess the strength of his convictions against the evidence of changing circumstances and follow the truth wherever it might lead. The "surge" is working and a war that seemed utterly lost now appears winnable. Hundreds of thousands of our soldiers have served in Iraq (30 from our own village) and some 4,500 of our fellow Americans have made the supreme sacrifice. To give up now would demoralize our allies and encourage our enemies. As the first rays of sunlight penetrate the darkness of this long war, to forsake it all now would be an unthinking and impious act.

3. Economic Growth not Redistribution: It was once famously remarked, "the problem with capitalism is capitalists." A neat formulation but lacking as the misdeeds of politicians also ails the economy. It was the political caretakers of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac who allowed them to accumulate gigantic debts with little capital escaping the oversight to which other financial institutions are subject. With the mortgage market and the insurance industry basically nationalized and banking partially so, another expansion of government power in a worldwide recession might lead to a frost bitten economic winter. Rebuilding America’s economy means growing our businesses not taxing them to death or embarking on some wild and irresponsible scheme of redistribution that is bound to undermine the entrepreneurial spirit and ruin any prospect of an earlier recovery.

So there it is, a small town mayor’s hopes for the next President of the United States. Be chary with your advice it has been said: "Wise men don’t need it and fools won’t heed it." Perhaps. Mr. Obama is indeed an intelligent man and an inspirational one. With the destiny of a great nation in his hands, it is not implausible that his strong leftward tendencies may, in international affairs, congeal into a tough-minded liberalism once exemplified by John F. Kennedy and especially Harry Truman. If his faith in our capitalist system is shaken, he needs to look no further than his own political organization that ran the most successful free market campaign in history. It made him president and with a vigorous pro-growth agenda and the right reforms, America’s economy will be resurrected to its former greatness and not in the too distant future.

As with all change, we’ll have to wait and see with guarded hope and confidence. Until then, on behalf of the Village of Floral Park, we sincerely wish the newly elected President of the United States success and God’s speed.

Top of Page

Hit Counter