Don’t worry Long Islanders, it can’t be happening here.
We’re The Gold Coast, The Hamptons, and The Five Towns, We have great universities, a top medical, dental and law school, state-of-the-art healthcare and our kids attend some of the country’s top-ranked, public and private high schools.
Our shopping and restaurants are second to none. Police protection and a low crime rate are an expected way of life. We are the ultimate suburban community because we live only a short car or train-ride from “The City.”
We are rich, educated, sophisticated, and now you are telling me that we are broke? Well, not exactly broke. Not yet, anyway !!
The Wall Street, bond-rating firm, Moody’s, just placed Long Island’s Suffolk County “under review,” suggesting a possible downgrade! Really? Maybe they were still thinking of the town of East Hampton, our renown symbol of decadence, and the second home of many of the rich and famous.
Surprise, surprise ! Those affluent residents had no one to blame but themselves, for the fiscal mess they were in. Egos were fed by years of overzealous spending, which eventually saddled this town with a huge bureaucracy, coupled with unaffordable benefit packages.
What were they thinking? Their plan? With all those deep-pocketed, New York City residents flocking “out east” each summer to play in the sun, anything and everything should be affordable! Right?
You know what happened. The economic downturn of 2007-2008 certainly brought them back to reality. When Wall Street’s bonus checks stop coming in, and unemployment reached 8 percent, second or even third homes, were the first extravagant extras to go.
But, these have to be temporary, isolated cases. Nothing to worry about. Right?
Then, how come, the New York State Comptroller just placed Bay Shore and Sachem, two of our largest school districts, as having “significant financial pressure”?
That doesn’t sound to good, does it? However, there should be an easy remedy. But wait a minute. There is more.
That same Comptroller also designated another 14 Long Island school districts as facing “greater-than-average, fiscal challenges”. Did you get that? Fourteen of them ! By the way, what the heck does “fiscal challenges” really mean? Why don’t these government bureaucrats use words that we all understand? But, one thing I am certain, It’s NOT a compliment!
Let me tell you exactly what’s happening on Long Island:
– My taxes are the highest on the planet!
– My electric bill doubled this month! – Andel’s and Prime Time in Roslyn, and 5 Continents in Great Neck, three local landmarks, just closed their doors !
– Our DUI and drug addiction “problem”, is not a problem any more! It’s now an epidemic! It’s even found in “stay at home moms” and in our most affluent communities.
– Arrow Electronics picked up and moved to Colorado, and not to legally buy pot.
– In Great Neck’s business district, there are dozens and dozens (some estimate that there are as many as one hundred!) vacant stores! We used to call it an eyesore? Now we think of it as a permanent symbol of our government’s failed economic policies! When we run out of nail salons, sushi restaurants and CVS’s, we may just as well close up shop.
– An airplane lands in the Hutson River and a commuter train crashes in the Bronx! Nothing seems safe here anymore!
– An entire Nassau County police precinct is closed in an attempt to balance our budget. Forget security and safety! Our politicians assured us that “we’ll be fine, without it”. Yea, right!!
– thousands of our residents and retirees are heading south. And it’s only partially due to our extreme cold weather. (By the way, whatever happened to global warming?) It’s the cost of living and the high taxes !
– Our usual 35-minute car ride from Manhattan took us an hour and a half.
– Some still have not completely recovered from Sandy.
Do you want more? Okay, here goes!
– Doesn’t every one of you know someone or their spouse or their kid, who has lost their job? What about Obama’s 7% unemployment rate? Another lie! Oops! I mean misstatement! Did you forget that 7 percent doesn’t include those with part-time jobs, and people who have stopped looking altogether. Add those two groups and the unemployment rate is a whopping 14% !
– How about that 50-year old down the block, who can only land a part time job? Remember when you fought so hard for ObamaCare ? Now you see how it’s forcing so many of our businesses to reduce their worker’s hours to less than 29, so they don’t have to pay for their new, much more expensive, healthcare. I told you to read the bill first!
– You all have heard of young adults living at home, saddled with a hundred thousand dollars in student loans because they studied a non- relevant major, leading to a nonexistent job!
And now, our new New York City mayor wants to increase his favorite left-wing entitlements! His “free”, universal pre-school program sounds so good.
By the way, where is the money coming from? How does he plan to pay for it? Easy for someone who, like Obama, has never owned his own business. His plan?
– Increase the tolls!
-Tax the commuters.
– More regulations and higher fees for our small businesses .
-Raise the minimum wage.
– More “free” healthcare for additional medicaid recipients , and of course, as every Progressive can’t wait to do:
– Raise our taxes again !!!
By the way, whatever happened to the 2 percent tax cap ? Oh, I forgot!
New York City is exempt!!
Had enough?
In nine months you will be voting again . Think about this insanity when you pull the lever for any incumbent.
Maybe, we should just give up and move to Boca! All these politicians here seem to be the same.
Dr Stephen Morris
North Hills
