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April 15, 2007
When ‘Public Good’ Is a Relative Term - A Letter to the Editor of The New York Times
A helpful correction to The New York Times's confusion over the difference between a library and Bruce Ratner:
To the Editor:
Re “Flexing Big Muscles for a Little Library” (April 8):
Equating the use of eminent domain for a public library with a private development and calling them both for “the public good” is equivalent to comparing a public school teacher to a Donald Trump.
The Brooklyn Public Library is a not-for-profit organization established to provide a public service while Forest City Ratner is a private corporation established to maximize profits for its investors. The fact that Forest City is adept at wrangling public subsidies for its private enterprises out of the city and state treasuries does not mean that its activities fulfill a public purpose.
Ronald Shiffman
Park Slope, Brooklyn
Posted by steve at April 15, 2007 8:25 AM