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‘I Dance for Them’

Last week we were reminded once again of the magnificent native American culture that once flourished in New York.

Dancers from tribes in Canada and more than a dozen states gathered at the Queens Farm Museum in Floral Park for the 33rd American Indian Pow-Wow. It was a chance to dance, sing and celebrate heritage and share it with the people of New York.

Mickey Sickles, a member of the Oneida tribe from Ontario, Canada, whose Indian name is Hunts for Fish, summed up what the annual powwow means to its participants.

“I’ve danced since I could walk and I’ve supported all the powwows,” he said. “The ones that can’t dance, I dance for them and for my people.”

We commend the organizers who recognize the importance of this event and we hope it will continue long into the future.

They Plan to Get You Coming and Going

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority met in July and announced that riders can expect fare hikes in 2013 and 2015. The bad news is that bus and subway fares will go up 7.5 percent with each hike.

Not to be outdone, the Port Authority announced last week that the toll for using a bridge or tunnel will skyrocket. For E-ZPass holders, the cost to use the George Washington Bridge, the Holland or Lincoln tunnels, the Goethals Bridge and the Outerbridge Crossing will go from $8 to $12 during peak hours and from $6 to $10 in off-peak hours.

Where is all this money going? The construction of tunnels and bridges should have been paid for long ago. With the dawn of E-ZPass, the need for workers has been greatly reduced. But the executives at both authorities collect enviable salaries.

Until these directors and their executive staffs can bring spending under control, their salaries should be reduced. Perhaps this kind of threat would encourage them to find ways to provide a high standard of service without robbing drivers and commuters trying to get by on much smaller salaries.