What would you give up for lower taxes? (New York, Dix Hills: estate, vacation)

[nancy thereader]

Id eliminate County Goventment like CT.

Sorry, but what is CT?

[nancy thereader]

I guess the time off is one of the perks that makes the job desirable. I find it silly that people love to dump on teachers and police salaries.

Absolutely, it is the time off that is the best thing about teaching. Oh, and the kids themselves are pretty good, too. I can say that as a teacher of 29 and almost 1/2 years who retires this June.

[clamboy]

Originally Posted by nancy thereader

Id eliminate County Goventment like CT.

Sorry, but what is CT?

Sorry Nancy
Connecticut/CT.

[clamboy]

Originally Posted by nancy thereader

I guess the time off is one of the perks that makes the job desirable. I find it silly that people love to dump on teachers and police salaries.

Absolutely, it is the time off that is the best thing about teaching. Oh, and the kids themselves are pretty good, too. I can say that as a teacher of 29 and almost 1/2 years who retires this June.

Thank you Nancy

C

[GypsySoul22]

I noticed a lot of waste at our library in NY. They would send you overdue notices (those add up) as well as email you that your items were 'overdue' instead of doing a simple shelf check. Out of 100 times, I'd say those books or magazines WERE there. They also kept the heat up far too high. I know that sounds silly but these things come out of your taxes.

Here our local library keep lights OFF in rooms no one is in. Chalk one up for Yankee thrift. Libraries are also open less hours and have far smaller staffs. I can't tell you how many times I used to go to my local in NY and see 2 or 3 reference people hanging around doing nothing. With computers and signs you don't need 2 reference people on at the same time.

I agree with having less guys on road crews watching the one guy work. Also, do you have to have road crews out doing 'work' on Sundays/holidays? They could be on call in case of a problem.

Then again, these people need their overtime to survive on Long Island and expect the perks that come with time. (so do a lot of people).

[fopt65]

Don't need 5 day a week garbage pick up where the workers are finished for the day by 10:30 AM

Don't need a park every 10 blocks and pay people union wages and benefits to rake and sweep

Don't need political jobs such as Minority Affairs Director. Still don't knopw what that job entails. Hell, let the minorities have their own affairs, they don't need any direction, LOL

Figure out which government agency (village/town/county/state) owns each road so you don't have 4 different snow plows used for the same street

Eliminate multiple layers of school "suits". Don't need VP of academics, VP of business, VP of school grounds, etc.

No one on a school board can have ANY relation to a company doing business with that district.

No one on a school board can have ANY relationship with a teacher or administrator who works for ANY district in NYS.

I really like the new idea to make all new teachers NYS employees. Have 1 negotiation for salaries/benefits not the current system where the districts all try to out do each other. All new employees as of 1/01/08 get a 401K with match. NO more guaranteed pensions. All retiree medical benefits end when the retiree reaches the age to receive Medicare.

Morals clause for ALL public employees. Convicted of a felony, lose job, benefits AND pension.

Every school district must hire one CPA or private business owner ("academics" are automatically disqualified )advisor who is an independent contractor (separate from the school district's paid auditing company)paid $40K per year with commission based on money saved by eliminating wasteful district policies

I think we could save 1K- 2K a year on taxes easy.

[BlueSkyHoliday]

You don't believe that sports teams, bands, choruses, clubs, and other school sponsored activities are not important to the community and
should, therefor, be paid for by the participants? This sounds like an
incredibly narrow point of view. Are these items not part of a well
rounded education? Is it better for the community to have the kids with
nothing but time on their hands at the end of the school day? A better way to keep the school taxes down is to have Albany pay for the things that it mandates. In fact, most school budgets are bloated by unfunded state mandates, not by the costs associated with sports and clubs.

As I stated at the beginning of my post, we are not Long Island residents YET, and so we're not familiar with the details of how property taxes and school taxes are composed there. But -- IF "most school budgets are bloated by unfunded state mandates" then I would think the ire of taxpayers should be mainly directed at the State of New York for such an unfair practice (saying 'you must do all these things but we won't give you nearly enough money to do them'). If it is the fault of the state, though, wouldn't those mandates apply everywhere in NY,not just on Long Island schools? Yet people here keep saying that it is Long Island schools budgets that are the most oppressive. Don't these unfunded mandates apply to ALL schools in NY State?

As for the rest of it, I don't believe that extracurricular activities should be used as babysitters at the taxpayers' expense. This happens a great in many places and I'm sure it also does on Long Island.

The United States is a meritocracy. We don't give, at least in theory, give privilege to anyone based upon ascribed qualities or titles.

Poorer people with gifts will leave them unpolished and unrealized because someone with money wanted to reduce his/her taxes.

Beyond that, this is just despicable on a social responsibility level,
not to mention not the least bit Judeo-Christian.

'Theory' is right. In reality, it's more often who you know than what you know or what you can do.

'Someone with money' = Are you saying that only the rich want to reduce property taxes on Long Island? That doesn't make sense to me.

I'll ignore the irrelevant and somewhat insulting religious-based final comment. How do you know I'm not a Buddhist, Shinto, Pagan or Wiccan?

[NY62]

Originally Posted by TomMoser

I'm not saying that they are "too good for that". I'm not sure that any professional person wants to "spray mosiquotos" for a living.

I guess the time off is one of the perks that makes the job desirable. I find it silly that people love to dump on teachers and police salaries. If we were to lower salaries and make working conditions harsher for these vital positions, we would not get the same quality of employee. Then, when our kids are uneducated and our streets are unprotected, who will we have to blame?

I did not say lower there wages. I said make them work a full year like the rest of us,is that so harsh? If they dont want to spray mosquitos fine. But do some kind of administration work for the summer, so that we can eliminate some of those extra jobs. We can have prisoners do mosquitos and jobs like those, that are pretty much summer jobs, yet we employ people year round with full benefits. I will not dump on police salaries anymore out on the island, because there job is not as easy as it once was. they deserve the money, but city cops deserve more. all of the cops are in danger every day just from wearing the uniform. I find it funny how if you mention one thing about a teacher on this board you get blasted from every direction, why is there so many teachers on line? And when you hit a nerve it hurts I guess. They all know they have it made, with the time off. I dont like when people think certain proffesions are more "vital" then others. What would you do if the garbage man did not pick up your garbage? they are pretty vital. oil burner man ? pretty vital also. I could go on and on. So do not think just college educated people are more vital than non college educated. If all the non educated said scew this and did not work our country would come to a grinding halt. This country was built on hard work and sweat not corporate suites, who think they are better then the working man or woman. As a matter of fact I believe they are the ones that try there hardest to screw it up most of the time. peace to all and remember next time that oil guy comes at 2 in the morning to make sure you are warm when you burner breaks,how important he is. I think we need his uneducated butt more than that educated extra politician. What do you think?

[bnocher]

I see parents who are so busy running their kids to multiple after school activities threw out the week. Is this what the kids want or the parents wanting them out of the house. I remember as a kid I couldn't wait to get out of school. Forget about going back for a after school activity. And if I wanted to play baseball or football or whatever I went outside and played with the block. Or my parents sent me to private lessons for music or whatever I was interest in. Of course a public school offering all tons of choices would raise the taxes. I believe if a parent wants their child to be in after school activities they should pay extra in taxes not the whole town. private lessons, clubs....ect..ect would probably be cheaper then what some of the school taxes that Long Islanders pay.

[TomMoser]

Originally Posted by NY62

I did not say lower there wages. I said make them work a full year like the rest of us,is that so harsh? If they dont want to spray mosquitos fine. But do some kind of administration work for the summer, so that we can eliminate some of those extra jobs. We can have prisoners do mosquitos and jobs like those, that are pretty much summer jobs, yet we employ people year round with full benefits. I will not dump on police salaries anymore out on the island, because there job is not as easy as it once was. they deserve the money, but city cops deserve more. all of the cops are in danger every day just from wearing the uniform. I find it funny how if you mention one thing about a teacher on this board you get blasted from every direction, why is there so many teachers on line? And when you hit a nerve it hurts I guess. They all know they have it made, with the time off. I dont like when people think certain proffesions are more "vital" then others. What would you do if the garbage man did not pick up your garbage? they are pretty vital. oil burner man ? pretty vital also. I could go on and on. So do not think just college educated people are more vital than non college educated. If all the non educated said scew this and did not work our country would come to a grinding halt. This country was built on hard work and sweat not corporate suites, who think they are better then the working man or woman. As a matter of fact I believe they are the ones that try there hardest to screw it up most of the time. peace to all and remember next time that oil guy comes at 2 in the morning to make sure you are warm when you burner breaks,how important he is. I think we need his uneducated butt more than that educated extra politician. What do you think?

I don't know what you do for a living, but I would suggest that you become a teacher, since you seem to think it is such a cake job. I'm curious why you did not chose it for your profession.