To Alms. To Alms.

Subject: Now is the Time...
Date: 12/16/2005 9:36:46 PM Eastern Standard Time
From: starquest@nycivic.org
To: reysmontj@aol.com
Sent from the Internet (Details)


To Alms. To Alms.


By Henry J. Stern
December 16, 2005

Now is the time for all good people to come to the aid of New York Civic.

That is a modified and updated version of the line used a generation ago for typing practice: "Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of the party."

The reason that now is the time is that 2005 will come to an end in two weeks. We have not written to our readers for help since December 2004. This month, a number of readers have iasked us when are we going to ask us for money, like the other causes they support.

We realize that people make out lists at this time (some check them twice), motivated by good will, generosity of spirit, and appreciation for the work of the group you are helping. The tax calendar also helps to incentivize a few donors. We hope you like the quality of the reports we write and send to you. In 2005 so far, there were 86 articles and 35 Q�s. You can get on the Q list simply by asking us.

The way honest organizations work, as you know, is that the more money they get, the more work they can do. New York Civic is particularly frugal, our principal expense is for the indispensable Corgi, (the person) and his salary is modest. We would like to be able to afford Lexis-Nexis, which would significantly increase our capacity for research. We would also like to sponsor more free forums on city affairs for our members. We would co-sponsor some with other groups.

New York Civic, now four years old, has three primary goals: One is to describe to you, as best we can, what is going on in city government and politics. Since I am no longer a city employee, I am free to say what I believe. I want to share my views, based on experience, with you, and we invite your responses which we publish in our blog.

Our second goal is to bring people together to work collectively for honesty and integrity in city government. We want to build a bridge between individuals' intelligence and idealism, on one hand, and people with authority to act, on the other. We have a decent and honest government in New York City, for which we thank the mayor and the voters. They could do much more, however, if they knew some things about the city and how it could work.

Our third goal is to follow up on news stories exposing wrongdoing and mismanagement. All too often, these stories are published and nothing happens in response. The story dies. Insiders know that if you ignore charges, the problem is likely to disappear, because other newspapers are reluctant to write on a story that was broken by a rival. The first paper can't keep repeating its charges without looking futile. We can help keep serious issues alive until they are resolved.

We also have the opportunity to attempt to persuade members of this administration, to make some improvements in operations. That possibility will be enhanced if we have the resources to reach more people more frequently. We would like to recruit citizens not in government to participate in this work

We are grateful to you for considering our request for support, and we hope you will respond favorably. One way to do that is to send a check in an envelope addressed to New York Civic, 520 Eighth Avenue, 22nd floor, New York, NY 10018. If it is more convenient for you, or you are afraid you will not translate your sentiment into action, we invite you to use "Paypal". They take a modest part of your gift, but we get the lion's share.

We appreciate your thinking of us, and we extend our best wishes to you, your family, and your friends for Christmas, Hanukah, and the New Year. May 2006 bring you health and happiness.

All the best,
Henry
(StarQuest)

P.S.: If you feel this letter is too long, just go to the last two paragraphs. SQ


#272 12.16.05 691wds



Henry J. Stern
starquest@nycivic.org
New York Civic
520 Eighth Avenue
22nd Floor
New York, NY 10018
(212) 564-4441
(212) 564-5588 (fax)

www.nycivic.org