What's good or bad about Long Island?

Tell Newsday columnist Joye Brown what you like about Long Island. Tell her what you don't like. Suggest ways to go about fixing those problems.

To me, the biggest problems on Long Island are taxes, traffic and housing costs. There is no shortage of shopping. There are plenty of parks. And with regard to shopping and parks, more of either still doesn't fix what most LIers rightfully complain about.

Our problems start with our local leadership. The corruption, misuse/abuse of funds and power, and blatant disregard for our aforementioned biggest problems are rampant. How many local politicians or ex-politicians were noted in Newsday in 2006 for inappropriate/illegal acts? How many school districts also misused funds? How much would our taxes be lowered (rhetorical question) if things were simply done appropriately and prudently?

Our problems start at the top. We need to put in place leadership that truly represents us and, also, the checks and balances to ensure that our leadership continues to do what's right for us.

The only checks and balances I can think of that are realistic are more investigative reporting by Newsday and other local papers into our politicians (of all parties). Regular monitoring of their actions. What are they doing this month? Next month? What effect will this have?

That is something I would read. That is something that might actually have a positive effect on our overall situation on Long Island.

I recently (early 2006) came very close to moving to New Jersey. I chose to stay on Long Island because my family and friends are here. It had NOTHING to do with what Long Island offers, because the aforementioned negatives are just too much to bear at this point. That's why there is a mass emigration elsewhere by recent college grads and young families - the very people we need to stay here to help revitalize LI. At some point, my kids will be faced with the same decision - and if things continue as they are, my kids will leave LI.

The taxes, the housing costs (lower now, but still not reasonable), and the traffic need rapid resolution or people will continue to leave. No one leaves Long Island because there aren't enough parks or shopping centers.

Spend my tax money prudently and wisely. I have 3 little kids and I have no problem finding them different parks to go to. I don't want to pay for more parks or outlets. Not yet, anyway.

I want:

Politicians who are trustworthy (if this exists)
Regular monitoring and public awareness of what they are doing (i.e. checks and balances)
Accountability
Lower taxes (Our taxes are absolutely ridiculous!)
Reasonable housing costs
Better traffic conditions (especially ingress and egress to points outside of Long Island)

Reinventing the way we empower our politicians and, ideally, putting in place leaders who truly want what's best for LIers is the only way to make any of this happen.

End property taxes; they don't make sense. They keep the rich districts rich and the poor districts poor. If you attach the deck to your house, your taxes shoot up; if you leave it free-standing, that's OK. You're penalized for improving your property. And even if you can afford to buy a house on Long Island, you might not be able to afford the tax bill. Property taxes can be regressive: what if you have a big family--and a big house--but not a high income? What if your income is fixed? It's absurd. Get rid of property taxes, and use a more progressive tax: income tax. It would be nice if we didn't have to pay taxes, but we do. Instead of just saying "lower them" all the time (which means cuts someplace, like in education) say this: make them more fair. Property taxes are bad for Long Island.

How to fix LI ???
~How about posting the 10 Commandments in a public forum and enforcing them !!
~Maybe even ask that we all "Do unto others as we would have done unto us"
~Dare I mention God as a part of humanity ??
If these won't "fly", let's all try to be accountable for our own actions !!

We need Paul Vitello back as a regular columnist. He added class to the newspaper.

The solution to end high property taxes on LI is simple. Have all government employees, state employees, teachers, police officers etc contribute to their health insurance. Everyone else does. It is ridiculous that at this point, with taxes sky high and with everyone leaving the island, that state employees, county employees, court employees etc have the luxury of either free health insurance, or a very minimal contribution, while everyone else pays. Why should it be the tax payers burdon.

Joye:I believe a good way to start "fixing long Island would be for newsday to stop printing headlines,like how do we fix long Island.someone from out of state that may have been thinking of moving here just has to read newsday for the past 2 day's and their minds are totally negative about long Island(this is besides newsday's usual slam on long Island Real estate and schools.Maybe we can "Improve long Island" by asking newsday to be more sensitive and less slamming to the Island.

We can fix Long Island by getting rid of Newsday. As soon as they started posting these forums online, I stopped buying the paper.

I would like to see a few more informational articles on topics such as:
A) Saving and bugeting as a young married couple in our thirties.
B) More information on meeting new people with similar interests and networking.
C) More coverage of local artists/musicians, especially those of us who continously overcome obstacles to pursue art and music as ways to inspire and also supplement out yearly income, and not just read read about artists who are personal friends of the editor. The music and ideas are weak.

I'm in the Bronx huh? Funny, I'm actually in Deer Park.

Craig Pace above said it well. The problems begin at the top. I digress in one aspect, and that is the fact that the problems continue all the way down.

Property taxes and school taxes are through the roof and they are being mismanaged and laundered by the very people we are electing. Because of this corruption, many people are struggling to get by. This needs to change, and more investigation into the issue would be helpful to the general public.

However, this is not the only issue with Long Island. The problem also has roots in the attitude of our society itself. It seems that we have been striving for complacency, which will only breed mediocracy. Several grandiose projects have been proposed by large private investors (i.e. Charles Wang's revamping of Nassau Coliseum and its surrounding real estate) and subsequently shot down by organized groups of citizens set on keeping Long Island a quiet suburb. Having a plot of land that is a central attraction of commerce and tourism, which could even become a "trendy" residential area, is not detrimental to the overall Suburbia feel of a region. Fighting said development projects is not the only problem, either. Responsibility for one's own actions has become an issue. If you trip and fall into ****(or gap), why would you sue the gap? The individual was the one who fell in the gap; the gap did not position itself under the individual.

And, of course, as any community in the United States, there are general infrastructure issues as well. For one, European countries are light-years ahead of us in technology when it comes to mass transit. They are breaking 200mph in nearly silent Mag-Lev trains while we just recently acquired headrests. Traffic has always been an issue, which will require a "grandiose" project to alleviate. Adding an extra HOV lane to the LIE or putting Deer Park Avenue underground won't cut it; we need something big. Maybe an entire second "Express" level on the Expressway? Maybe something less expensive and time consuming that I haven't thought of yet, but we need something. A new way to cross the sound would be nice as well. God forbid anything happens in New York City where we need to get off the island, the only way is through New York City or on a ferry.

Just a few thoughts to mill over. Hopefully the issues will be solved before Emigration makes the list of grievances. Again, the problems start at the top, and work down to affecting all of us.

I would suggest as a topic the rising tide of racisim in NYC and Manhattan. This beautiful area of ethnic diversity is becoming a battleground of resentments in everything from vandalism, to hatecrimes, to tensions in the workplace. Newsday would do its' readers a great service in a year long study about the growing racist behavior on LI and how to stop it before it is too late. Have community leaders, clergy ,educators participate

I have to agree with an earlier post... I read several newspapers daily (online) and Newsday is always full of depressing, sad, desperate stories. Long Island is not a bad place but the mood of despair is promulgated by the headlines of this paper. Lighten up, and concentrate on putting your spotlight on positive and uplifting stories. Do you think your readers are going to be generous and kind after reading the kind of stuff you print daily ??

I don't live in Rockfall as my last post indicated.

Forget taxes, forget god, forget what any of you people are saying. Long Island does need fixing. Nobody cares about it. your children are alcoholic drug addicts who care about nothing. None of you have any problems throwing bags of garbage in the streets you live in. Our oceans are dying and also filled with trash. It's not how to fix Long Island, it's how to fix the world. If you people actually decide to care about your surroundings and care about your lives and care about your future and the futures of your children then that would be just swell. So start treating Long Island nice and it will treat you nice. Also. More trees, less homes. thanks.

mark_lamonica wrote:

Tell Newsday columnist Joye Brown what you like about Long Island. Tell her what you don't like. Suggest ways to go about fixing those problems.

My solution to solve the tax problem on Long Island is, ALL, no matter your status, rich, retired, social security or on welfair pay 4% of any money. All will pay the same and no one will be exempt. This will get more money then Long Island has ever dreamed of to pay for schools, police and other services.

I agree with Matt from brooklyn (if in fact he's from brooklyn,(Newsay can't even get their website right) anytime an investor or investment group has a revitalizing plan There are many groups of spoilers that form overnight to squash it.I don't blame charles Wang for abandoning his plans for Oyster Bay.everyone is suspect of anyones motive,especially if God forbid the motive is making a profit while creating commerce.

mark_lamonica wrote:

Tell Newsday columnist Joye Brown what you like about Long Island. Tell her what you don't like. Suggest ways to go about fixing those problems.

The real problems are not always politics, even though it is easy to point the finger...with that of course there is three pointing back. I agree with the fact that of local goverment is top heavy and our local taxes go who knows where. With FORTY THOUSAND illegal aliens in Suffolk county, i would say that would be a good place to start, it effects just about every aspect of our every day living, from our schools, our taxes, our heath care system right on down to our every day tasks....such as driving, with out of state tags...and non-licened drivers. Being born and raised in Hampton Bays and seeing the change of attitude toward the illegals has really made me think what DO OUR TAXES go toward.
There was,not to long ago, a proposal put forth by G.W.BUSH to make legal the illegal, it didnt happen, because of one simple, and i repeat, simple answer. If you were able to live in a place where heath care was free, where your children could go to school for free, where you could get away with paying the minimum in taxes, or none at all, and most of all..as the slap in the face, force that place to speak your native tounge instead of theres, why would you change??
A famous sports figure once said, "BEING POPULAR ISN'T ALWAYS RIGHT AND BEING RIGHT ISN'T ALWAYS POPULAR" i beleive it's time for Americans, no matter what race, religon, male or female, to say thats it FREE RIDE is over, because until we do these problems will not just not go away they WILL get worse.

Get rid of Newsday and its liberal views and bashing. It is amazing how this so called newspaper has a way of tearing everyone else apart and when they are found in the wrong like their distribution numbers, it is a small artile but firefighters and teachers get issue after issue. If we had a newspaper like the New York Times here rather than this pathetic tabloid, we would be much better off.

Somthings in life you just can't change just to name a few.... high taxes,congested traffic,rude materialistic self centered people,self serving polititians,overpriced housing and utilities,depressing news stories in a one newspaper town,people with too much time on their hands expressing their frustrations about their unfulfilled lives.Perhaps the solution is to MOVE OFF LONG ISLAND AND BEGIN A NEW LIFE because it will only get worse. Think About it!