Reader’s Write: Obama is leaving country deep in debt

The Island Now

When our next president takes office, he (or she) will be facing the consequences of eight years of the greatest borrowing spree this country has ever seem. 

According to the CBO, Barack Obama will leave us with a $20 trillion in debt and it looks more and more like my grandchildren, or maybe even my great-grandchildren, will be the ones paying it off. What a legacy.

Here on Long Island, we talk about “only” borrowing millions, instead of billions or trillions, but the concept is exactly the same. 

Rarely, does anyone here ever pay for anything out of their own pocket. Why should they, when they can borrow the money and pass the payments on to the next generation of suckers. Deficit spending? Washington invented it. Long Island perfected it!  

1 – Guess what happened when it was discovered that a few of our water wells, were polluted with the chemical agent, freon. Don’t panic. 

Our top experts at the Roslyn Water District have everything under control. There is however, one “minor” problem, No one there can figure out exactly where the damn pollutant is coming from. But that doesn’t stop our talented engineers. They do what they do best. They are borrowing, or more correctly, “we” ( those paying it back!) are issuing a bond from The Town of North Hempstead, for $21.9 million dollars and building our very own, state-of-the-art, one-of-a-kind, water filter! 

Okay, no more freon in our tap water! Terrific! 

But what will these brilliant minds do with the freon? Easy. They plan to release it into our air so every animal and human in the neighborhood can delightfully breath it in. 

Where in the world are our famous North Shore, save the planet, green jobers , global warming, environmentalists when we really  need them? 

Al Gore: leave your 30,000 square foot mansion back home in Tennessee, get on you private jet, leave your Escalade at the airport, , and come help us. 

Even though Forbes said your estimated worth is now well over $1 billion dollars, we’ll even pay for your travel expenses. 

One further question:  I wonder why there is a run on bottled water at Walbaums.   

2 – It’s really easy for Great Neck to update their park district. All they have to do is go to that same source of cash, the Town Of North Hempstead, and “only” borrow $6.5 million dollars to get it done. 

Great Neck’s Park District Commissioners don’t care, that for the next 15 years, residents will be paying $22 to $32 dollars more in taxes each year, to pay off the bond. 

To our politicians, twenty five dollars sounds a whole lot better, than billing each resident $450 right now. Paying it off now, would even avoid any interest payments.  

But, why do they have to borrow the money in the first place? Since the present residents will use the new facilities, why aren’t they the ones paying for it? Not the next generation.       

It’s amazing to me that they condemn Roslyn’s most “famous” native son, Bernie Madoff, but don’t recognize their own Ponzie scheme when they see it. 

3 – Ever hear of Kings Park? It’s a tiny village right here on Long Island. 

Newsday reported last month, that they were one of the 52 New York State school districts called by Comptroller Tom DiNapoli “in financial distress.” 

What in the world does “in financial  distress” really mean? It certainly doesn’t sound like a compliment. 

Let me ask you something? How much debt could this small school district actually run up? After all, they only have 3,810 students! 

Let me tell you. Please sit down first! They are $2.1 million dollars short this year!!  That’s million with a capital M. Do the math. They are spending $500 more per student than they are taking in. So many at fault, and nobody gets fired? Sounds like Benghazi!  

Using Long Island’s usual remedy, they first asked the state for help. Does anyone actually expect upstate residents to pay for Kings Park’s financial irresponsibility? 

Anyway, New York State declined to send additional state aid. To make it even worse for this cash-strapped school district, since their student enrollment is actually diminishing this year, their state aid will be reduced by $100,000 – $200,000. Bravo, Gov. Cuomo, for making Kings Park solve the problems resulting from their own irresponsible behavior. 

Please don’t forget that New York State bonds are a favorite of Gov. Cuomo as well. 

So what do these “brilliant” educators in Kings Park do ? You won’t believe it. 

They decide to raise (yes, raise!!) their school budget 3 percent. What are these folks smoking? Let me get this straight: 

1 – they are broke and owe over two million dollars, 

2 – so they go out and spend more money,  and then 

3 – they then bill each taxpayer an additional $135.43 for their own ridiculous behavior. 

You can’t make this stuff up! 

Please take your blood pressure meds before I tell you the rest of their “brilliant” plan:  they want to cut school clubs, eliminate sports and a middle school enrichment program, reduce the music programs, raise class size, and, ready for this one, cut kindergarten to half a day. 

This is like saving the ship, but losing all of Titanic’s passengers. What’s wrong with Kings Park? I’ll tell you what’s wrong. Their elected school board, that’s what’s wrong. 

According to their current board of education president, “There are no good options.” 

Of course there are no good options. Especially if you don’t look very far. After all, they must never antagonize the teachers union. Right? 

A good start would be to get rid of the present board and bring in someone with guts. The teachers, as expected, won’t discuss any meaningful savings. 

Why should they? They are all still getting their regular salaries, drawing their great pensions, and secure in their tenured positions, while their entire school district goes broke! This is why: 

1 – Counting benefits, both of their two superintendents make over $250,000 per year. You heard me! Two of them!  Maybe a school system with only 3,800 students needs only one good superintendent. 

2 – Maybe it’s because (I can’t even say this one!) they owe $627,735 dollars more this year to pay for their retired teachers’ pensions. 

Who negotiated that contract ? 

3 – Maybe it’s because they owe $1.27 million dollars more in present teachers salaries!!  

They can’t even pay their own employees! That’s sick!! 

Why not start by cutting out any cost-of-living increases and initiate a cross-the-board freeze on all salary raises for 10 years? 

No one wants teacher layoffs or reduction in our kids programs. But something must be done. 

Oh I know. You can’t reduce benefits? Or remove superfluous employees. Right ? Ask Scott Walker, the governor of Wisconsin how he did it?  

I’m surprised their Board of Education isn’t suggesting putting up a toll booth on Northern Blvd.  At least that would help this cash-starved school district. 

But, wait a minute. There is a solution. And it’s right here in our own backyard. 

My suggestion is to put the Manhasset-Lakeville Water District in charge. What? Are you crazy? Another water district? Before you brush me off, listen to this one. 

This local water district knew that eventually they would have to upgrade their system. So what did they do? 

1 – They developed a comprehensive, long-term plan.

2 – They kept every resident informed. 

3 – They met with Munsey Park, Flower Hill, Town of North Hempstead and New York State officials, years in advance.

4 – Their five-year plan will begin sometime in 2015 or 2016, and will replace an ancient, 85-year-old water tower with a new, more cost-efficient one. You heard me: “cost-efficient”. And the most impressive part of it all, as reported in this newspaper:

5 – The funds for this $3.2 million dollar project will be taken from a water district reserve fund ! What? A reserve fund?  Unheard of!

Listen up Roslyn Water District. 

Pay attention North Hempstead.

Wake up Manhasset School Board.

Hello Kings Park and Nassau and Suffolk County :

There is someone on Long Island who actually: studied a problem, kept everyone of their constituents informed, saved up for the project, and will use a reserve fund to pay for it. Bravo, M/L Water District!! 

Is there any possibility that others will follow their example? 

I doubt it ! 

It was just announced that:

1-  “NICE”, Nassau County’s bus system has run up a $3.3 million dollar budget deficit, due to ( sound familiar??) increases in employee healthcare and a 3 percent automatic rise in employee salaries. 

What does the county want to do? Certainly not renegotiate these benefits! They are going to ask the state for more help!! And 

2- Moody just downgraded Suffolk County again, because of their budgetary shenanigans ! 

I rest my case! 

Dr. Stephen Morris DDS

North Hills

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