Newsday (Nassau Edition) from Hempstead, New York • 19

CITY STATE A19 Subway booth closings stand the source said A police official said yesterday that he was not aware of that claim Police say that officers assigned to the transit bureau are given MetroCards but other officers like the ones who responded Saturday are not NYC Transit also provides Police Department and Fire Department brass with access keys to open swinging gates systemwide those officials are then charged with disseminating them Those keys are provided to certain supervisors police said A high-ranking police official said it was too soon to say whether the department would provide more MetroCards and keys Fleuranges the NYC Transit spokesman said there were no plans to give MetroCards to additional officers "That would be something that we would be open to discussion he said adding the end that would be their Despite questions during recent incident NYC ransit dismisses fears that unstaffed kiosks add to danger BY JOSHUA ROBIN AND ROCCO PARASCANDOLA STAFF WRITERS NYC Transit will not reverse its plan to shutter more than 160 token booths this year as officials yesterday as unfounded fears that unstaffed kiosks hinder police and other emergency responders At every station slated for closure the MTA plans several measures to ensure straphanger safety including intercoms and closed-circuit cameras and the continued presence of roving NYC Transit workers able to open service gates think even be more safe" Paul Fleuranges a spokesman for NYC Transit said of riders The booth closures to begin in spring or summer have come under renewed scrutiny amid police reports that officers and EMTs were delayed Saturday when they immediately enter a Chelsea station where a man had been shot The booth closest to the victim was closed at the time of the rescue as part of its regular schedule and two officers borrowed MetroCards from pass-ersby to get through a floor-to- ceiling turnstile The victim German Cabrera died from his wounds Plans now call for the booth at the West 18th Street station on the Nos 19 to be permanently closed with 163 others A transit source who spoke on condition of anonymity said the police were granted access Saturday through a service gate The source said one officer first went to a foil-time booth across the tracks from the victim A clerk there directed the officer to the other entrance and buzzed the swinging service gate to unlock it when the officer arrived But the source said the officer pull on the gate and instead went to the high-entry turnstile which required a MetroCard for access The delay in waiting for a passenger to lend him his Metro-Card probably was less than a minute police said "I think the police are trying to figure out why this guy go through the Closed doors The MTA eliminate booths this replacing booth roving agents one or closing by BRONX 14 BROOKLYN 31 MANHATTAN 54 QUEENS 13 plans to 164 token spring token workers with station Stations with more booths borough: Prepared for big fight ing most "Many people say Well this plan may not be good for older working people or even senior citizens but very good for young "Schumer said "Actually White House spokeswoman Maria Tambum disputed conclusion saying that if nothing is done to fix the system the country would soon face either benefit cuts tax increases or large-scale borrowing "The fact is that just 13 years from now in 2018 Social Security will begin to pay out more than collecting" she said "We need to fix Social Security The calculator assumes two separate benefit cuts: a reduction for those opting for private accounts and another deriving from the change in initial benefit computation that would hit all future retirees whether they established accounts or not Bush has endorsed the first cut Schumer justified factoring both into the calculator by citing an internal White House memo by Bush aide Peter Wehner that argued in favor of the change in initial benefit computation filibuster and gotten unanimous President George Bush has proposed allowing wage earners younger than 55 to divert up to two-thirds of their Social Security payroll taxes into private investment accounts Those opting for such accounts would have their government-paid benefits cut by an amount equal to the taxes diverted plus the money it would have earned had it been invested in Treasury bonds The president has not endorsed other changes to shore up Social Security finances But Bush has hinted at possible support for some proposals including changing initial benefit computations to lower benefits for future retirees and boosting the amount of income subject to the payroll tax At both appearances Schumer presented an Internet "Social calculator that purports to show how each retirement benefits would change under the plan According to the calculator everyone 55 or younger would lose money with younger people los BY KEN FIREMAN WASHINGTON BUREAU Sen Charles Schumer said yesterday he and other Senate Democrats were prepared to filibuster the Bush plan for private Social Security accounts and called on the president to drop the idea and work toward a bipartisan fix for the system Speaking at senior citizen forums in Manhattan and Franklin Square the New York Democrat asserted that everyone regardless of age would face lower benefits if the administration plan were implemented But Schumer said that was not likely to happen given the mixed reception to the plan from congressional Republicans and the virtually total opposition by Democrats "We would block it with every means at our Schumer said at a senior center on Upper West Side in response to a question about whether he would lead a filibuster against the Bush plan "I have already recommended thatIa UtrtbUAr PHOIU AAktN MfliLb i I AIM i 11 Sen Charles Schumer speaks about new calculator yesterday.